In order to be a successful medical salesperson, you need to be able to connect with your clients. Healthcare professionals tend to be busy people who chose the field because they felt called to it. This, along with their full schedules, can make it tricky to build a strong relationship with them. They may feel as though you’re only there to make a sale and not guide them through the process, so you need to prove that isn’t your sole motivation. 

How can you get past this wall and connect with the healthcare professionals that you meet with on a regular basis? Here are five useful strategies. 

Find Interests That You Both Share

Small talk isn’t just a way to fill in the silences at the beginning or end of a conversation. It can also be a useful way to get to know the other people in the room. The healthcare professionals that you sell products to aren’t just robots who turn themselves off when their offices close. Rather, they’re people with families and hobbies just like you. You can use this to connect with them, asking questions about the personal effects in their offices, whether they’re just knickknacks, vacation souvenirs, or even family photos. 

Asking a question or two about their personal life can help you see if both of you have anything in common. For example, you might like to vacation in the same cities, spend your free time fishing or golfing, or even enjoy frequenting the same craft stores. Once you realize that you have things in common, you’ll have a way to connect and build a relationship with them. You might even hang out together outside of the office. 

Spend Time Communicating With Them

Communication is the key to every good relationship. The more time that you spend talking with your customers and informing them of everything from new products that fit their parameters to order updates, the better you’ll get to know each other. Many professionals say that they have a tough time getting to know their salespeople due to the small amount of time that they spend speaking with them. By taking time out of your day to communicate, they’ll realize that you aren’t the average medical sales employee. 

Take Notes on Your Conversations

Taking notes after speaking to a client is always a good idea. You don’t want to take notes while you’re talking to the healthcare professionals that make up your customer base because they might think that you aren’t paying attention to them. However, writing things down immediately after leaving their office is different. These notes can provide you with reminders of what you talked about, whether it was personal or professional in nature. Read over them before your next meeting with the customer. This way, you have topics to discuss in advance. 

Combine Education and Marketing in Your Interactions

There’s nothing worse than feeling as though you’re only as good as your budget allows. What does this mean? You don’t want your customers to feel like more of a paycheck, or in this case, someone who buys products, than a person. By focusing your communication solely on marketing, you’re showing your customers that all they are is someone who buys things from you. When you switch the focus to both education on your products, as well as personal things that you’ve connected with in your previous conversations, you’ll show your customers that you understand that they are people. They’re more than just someone who purchases your products. 

Do Your Follow-Ups on a Timely Basis

If you’re wondering about how much communication is too much, remember that your customers want you to follow up with them. As long as the timing is reasonable and you aren’t calling or emailing incessantly, you’ll find that your calls are welcomed. Those follow-ups not only show your customers that you appreciate their business and are available to answer questions and see how things are going but also that you care about them and the business they provide. This helps you build a stronger relationship with them and also gives you yet another reason to connect. 

Building a Relationship with Healthcare Professionals

There’s more than one way to build client relationships. The more time that you put into getting to know your customer, by asking them personal questions, doing follow-ups, and more, the better your relationship will be. This is a wonderful way to become their preferred salesperson, as well as a trusted friend.