Are you getting this?

When you're selling a product like cars, bikes, shoes, clothes, and hats, everyone has an idea of what your product is and what it does for them. A car gives them status, or gets them simply from one place to the other. Clothes can give them a good feeling about how they look, or clothes can be a status symbol too. These products and their benefits are easy to understand.

Medical products however is a whole different story. They're are times when I think I'm speaking Greek to these people. Even the doctors! (No wonder there are so many medical malpractice lawsuits).I was speaking to a group of nurses and one doctor today, and I was asking them basic questions about how to treat certain conditions. Then I asked them if they understood the basic cellular functions of a certain organ and they looked at me with blank stares.

You know the kind of stare you have when you're in a store trying to pick out something to drink and there's 200 different options on the shelf and that's just for energy drinks. So you kinda just stare at the overwhelming choices and think, "What happened to just Coke, 7-Up and Pepsi? And do I really need beer with caffeine in it. WTF?"

When I tossed out a couple of advance terms again they stared blankly: so finally I just said,

"Are any of you getting what I'm talking about? There's nothing wrong with that, but would you like me to go through the basic stuff first so it's easier to understand how the product works?" They looked around at each other, and finally the doctor said,

"Yes, yes why don't you go over it so you can refresh our memories. I understand it perfectly but not everyone does I'm sure"

He was so full of it. He looked as dumbfounded as the rest of them. Mind you ,this was a doctor that when using one of my products sewed it into the patient thinking it would work better that way, even though I had helped him place the product about 10 times or more.

"Certainly doctor. I'll give all of you some refreshers on the basics of this type of care. Then I'll explain just how our products work on the cellular level. "

So I guess the lesson here for me was that not everyone knows what you're talking about when you're selling certain products. And it doesn't hurt to go back and "refresh" their memories of the basics. In fact, it can erase any bad influences they've received from your competitors!

Be sure you know your audience and cater to their needs. Have a great day selling!

-M