When you get to the question part, what do you say?

I called a highly recommended doctor to see if I could schedule an appointment for a physical because other than the yearly stuff that every woman does, I haven’t had a complete physical in a decade or two or…

It turns out that the doc doesn’t see random patients. To see her, I have to join their concierge medicine practice. Fair enough. So I wanted to know more about it. Without asking me one question, here is how the phone call went:

Me: Okay, can you send me info?
Her: Sure. What’s your email address?
Me: Sue@SpeakerSue.com,
Her: Great. Thanks.
Pause
Me: Is there anything you’d like to know so that what you send will be relevant to me?
Her: Oh no, I’ll just send you general information.
Me: How will that help me?
Her(still very perky): Well what would you like to know?
Me: Umm, I’m not sure what I should be asking you. Pause. Is the doctor part of a network so that if I need a doctor while I’m working internationally or in another part of the country, that I can get to someone?
Her(Perky): Oh no. There are companies that offer that but we handle our own service so that we don’t have to pay administrative costs to the company.
Me: How does that help me?
Her: Pause.
Me: Okay, please send the stuff and I’ll review it.
Her (Most perky): One thing I should mention is that we focus a lot on good nutrition because our doctors find that often it’s bad nutrition that causes all sorts of issues. For instance, we try to prevent heart attacks and other ailments by recommending a change of diet for our patients and we’ll schedule an appointment for you, included in the concierge fee, with a dietician so that you can prevent heart attacks and other ailments and …
Me (cutting her off): Yes, thank you. Nutrition really isn’t an issue for me right now…

Here is my challenge to you. Record your next sales call. (Seriously, record it because if you don’t you will swear that you don’t do what the doc’s sales person did, but you may be surprised, if you record.)

•Did you sell or stimulate with possibilities?
•Did you listen or talk?
•Did you engage the other person and help them want to discuss issues with you?
•Did you focus on the past or the future?
•Did you prescribe without examining the patient? If so, it’s a sales killer!