The sales team is the face of the organization to your customers.

They are the ones on the front line representing your practice.

A good sales team is well trained and equipped to tell the practice story and increase referral volume.

How about your sales team? Are they representing your practice in the way you want it portrayed?

A strong liaison sales team also happens to be Key Driver #4 in our series on the 10 Key Drivers of Exponential Referral Network Growth. 

Here are 5 steps to building a strong physician liaison sales team:

Hire well.

A strong team starts with the right people. Hire team members with the experience and qualifications to be successful in the role.

Do they have the “it” factor?

You can teach a product, technology, or disease state. What you can’t teach is drive, positive attitude, ability to bounce back from rejection, or work ethic to name a few. 

Of course, everyone is going to say they have these in an interview.

What experience do they have to demonstrate this?

One of the biggest mistakes I see is the practice who jumps at the first attractive candidate with a good personality.

But…

There is so much more to it than that.

Are they motivated and self disciplined? Can they communicate well? How do they function in the field outside of the office environment?

Learn more about hiring mistakes and how not to make them here.

Train well.

According to Forbes, 55% of salespeople lack sales skills.

Great salespeople seek out opportunities to grow and improve their performance.

Investing in their professional development is a sound return on investment.

Offer an initial training program to get your liaison ramped up quickly. Then continue to supply ongoing training to keep skills sharp and prevent slipping into bad habits.

A solid training program fosters employee engagement, confidence, and loyalty. It can truly set your practice apart from the competition.

(If you’re not sure where to start with your liaison training, check out the Physician Liaison Elite Performance Boot Camp.)

Lead well.

How do you lead your liaison team well?

Focus on results and the behaviors and strategies that drive those results. 

Strike a balance between total hands-off leadership and micromanagement with lots of good communication.

Which…

leads us to the next step in building a strong liaison team…

Communicate well.

A lot can happen within the practice when the liaison is out during the day. Decisions get made or processes get updated.

Clearly communicate these changes, expectations, or KPI’s with the team.

It’s easy to assume team members know what’s happening or what you expect, but they have no way of knowing unless they are told.

When this doesn’t get communicated, it can leave the liaison feeling frustrated, confused, or isolated.

Meet weekly with team members to review results, discuss sales strategy, and offer support.

Ensure that your liaison team has clear direction while keeping them informed of changes or pertinent updates. This signals that you support their efforts and minimizes the potential for confusion or mixed messages.

Compensate well.

A competitive and rewarding comp plan is motivating for a liaison and self-funding for the practice. In other words, a good comp plan pays for itself.

The liaison is paid for their performance and results. The more patients they bring into the practice, the more they have the potential to earn. 

As a practice, you only pay more when you see more patients.

It’s a win/win for everyone.

If you’re not paying your people well, one of your competitors will.

Follow these 5 steps to build (and keep) a strong liaison sales team.