Positive Selling

Not long after the National Sales Meeting, I received a book in the mail. It was from Powergirl- a.k.a. Pocohontas.

It's a book that we spoke about when I interviewed her. It's called How Full is Your Bucket. Her note included a "drop" for my bucket. She's awesome this way, and partly why she's become such a valued member of Linvatec's team so quickly.

I read it right away. It's short, quick and a very worthwhile read.

The theme of focusing on the positive and "filling" other people's buckets ties in very well with Linvatec- where we are, where we are going, how we view ourselves, and our relationships to one another and our customers.

During one of the presentations at the National Sales Meeting, one of the members of the management team talked about how deals are best won not just by being honest, but blatant with our customers. He said, "I really believe we are the ones in the white hats."

In other presentations, reps advised staying positive in every interaction and emphasizing the strengths of Linvatec's offering rather than racing the competition to the bottom. They talked about counteracting misinformation and shared examples of when such negative tactics have backfired for the competition.

When competition is tough, I think Linvatec's company culture reinforces that fact that it's important to stick to the high road and do right by the customer. I think it's the best path toward creating trust and long-term relationships with customers.

I think integrity like this is important to reps who are looking for a company to build a long-term career with. Having interviewed sales reps from other companies and industries who feel they've been pressured to do unsavory things just to close the deal, I understand that it's a pretty uncomfortable position to be in.

Another way Linvatec lives out "the positive" is the way everyone is so willing and eager to help one another- through sharing knowledge and cheering each other on. This sentiment came through loud and clear in a survey the sales force took earlier this year, and was palpable throughout the meeting.

I don't know if you've heard about Bill Gates idea about creative capitalism- "Doing Well by Doing Good"? This isn't anything that's new to medical device sales- it's an inherent part of being a good rep, and part of the reason why so many people are attracted to the industry. Linvatec's motto could well be "Doing Well by Doing Right".

Well, in sharing this great book Pocohontas did right by me, and I, in turn, intend to pass it along. I've picked out who I will send it to next.

And let's "keep it in the family"...