Top performers are good at developing internal champions – rightly so, they are crucial to winning key business. Why? Increasingly a lot of selling is going on when the sales person isn’t there so the sales person needs someone to “tell their story” when they’re not around.
There are many reasons why this is happening, from – purchasing decisions increasingly shifting to new products or value analysis committees where the sales person can’t directly make their case to restricting the amount of time the sales person has in the Lab or on the OR floor. One thing is certain. This trend will become more prevalent, rather than less prevalent.
We’ve looked at how salespeople can develop internal champions and the benefits of developing internal champions – but we realized we have not put down in one place exactly what role a sales person might want an internal champion to take on when the sales person isn’t there. So … here’s a starter checklist …
10 roles internal champions might take on when a sales person isn’t there:
- Be your advocate
- Obtain information
- Provide feedback about what went on
- Lay the groundwork for your devices as well as tee up meetings for you with others
- Alert you to obstacles and potential problems
- Influence others in the account
- Clarify misinformation shared by your competitors
- Watch your back
- Position you with hospital administration and buying committees
- Provide competitive intelligence
and, of course, wouldn’t it be nice if they were able to close the deal.
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