Using Front Contracts for Manufacturing Consent (PDF)

Using up Front Contracts to “manufacturing consent” AKA "Closing" an account What is an Up-Front Contract? In short, an “Up-Front Contract” (UFC) is framing, or making sure you and an account are 100% on the same page. A great time to use UFC's is in email BEFORE your fir...

Using up Front Contracts to “manufacturing consent” AKA "Closing" an account What is an Up-Front Contract? In short, an “Up-Front Contract” (UFC) is framing, or making sure you and an account are 100% on the same page. A great time to use UFC's is in email BEFORE your first referral meeting with a group. More on that in a few slides. A UFC is basically a way to "manufacture consent" from the contact/account. Remember, WC patients/clients always have a choice of pharmacy, so we cannot require an account to sign an agreement/document that forces them to use EZ Scripts. A great way to use UFC's is to use them for small steps and allow them to "build" into a greater degree of agreement. Lots of small UFC's lead to a more solid commitment. Once you see them nodding their heads, you know you're on the right track. You are essentially "pulling" them along, until they have incorporated referring to EZ Scripts into their internal protocol. A GREAT question is “is that fair?” or “Do you agree?”. see:https://www.dwood.sandler.com/blog/Up-Front- Contracts Next, we’ll cover how to ensure an account follows through on a commitment to send us ALL their WC clients/patients (or, as much as they are comfortable sending to us) AKA how to “close” an account The process consists of six steps  IMPORTANT!!! Before you lock an account down on a referral protocol, make sure they are educated. Start with educating them about PBM’s and how we process medications differently than most pharmacies. If they don’t understand reality, they cannot fully buy what we’re offering. A good time to do this is prior to the referral meeting.  Six Steps to consistent business (EDUCATE FIRST) 1. Uncover their “pain points” or ”hot buttons” 2. Ask for ALL their WC clients/patients 3. Pin them down on their internal process in sending us their WC clients/business 4. Tailor our solution to their unique "pain points" 5. Give Feedback after they send in their first new WC client/patient 6. Set a new follow-up meeting BEFORE you leave the office, and don’t be afraid to cancel or re-schedule that meeting if they do not uphold their commitment Before we begin, do one thing PRIOR to the referral meeting (at least a day before the meeting). Send a "framing" email that lays out: 1. The purpose of the meeting, contact or future action 2. Your agenda for the meeting and expectations of the prospect before and during the meeting 3. The prospect/client’s agenda for the meeting and his or her expectations of the sales professional before and during the meeting 4. The date, location and duration of the meeting 5. The expected outcome of the meeting or interaction  Step 1: UNCOVER Make sure you have uncovered your group’s “pain points” - The best time for this to happen is BEFORE your scheduled referral meeting. Then you already have a customized plan when holding the referral meeting - People like to buy but they DO NOT like to be sold, Frame it as you uncovering their needs. - It’s always best when your contacts feel like they are in control - Again, sending an email outlining expectations & setting an agenda is a GREAT idea PRIOR to the initial meeting - Pain Points can be found in Salesforce, within the "accounts" field. There's a section called "pain points", and you can select as many as you'd like.  Step 1: UNCOVER (continued) A GREAT way to discover your groups’ pain points is to give them a needs assessment survey. Law Firm Assessment: https://forms.office.com/r/bQ223YNKQY?origin=lprLink Medical Practice Assessment: https://forms.office.com/r/eif3iBzxcu?origin=lprLink  Step 2: ASK ALWAYS ask for ALL their clients/patients - If you don’t ask, they won’t send - “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” - Even if they don’t do this immediately, you’ve set YOUR expectations moving forward - Certain personality types will need time to process your message, and to adopt your idea as “their idea”  Step 3: PIN THEM DOWN on a referral protocol Pin the contact/account down on their internal process in sending us their WC clients/business - A great question is “would you feel comfortable sending us all of your WC patients for the next few months?”. - Follow that up with this question: “How many WC patients do you have scheduled during that time?” - If there is hesitancy at this stage, there’s a hidden objection lurking. Now is the time to address it- force it out into the open  Step 4: TAILOR OUR SERVICE TO THEIR PAIN POINTS - Ask the contact to pretend that you’re a new WC patient/client that will use us for the first time. If they display hesitancy or aren’t comfortable yet, switch roles with them and demonstrate for them - Now is the time to look us up in e-scripts (medical providers), or make sure they have our intake sheet for their intake packet (law firms) - Every office is different- don’t ever assume anything - Establish a back-up contact, in case your primary contact isn’t around (this is also why you should talk to EVERY employee in an office) - Pin the contact down on a start day (today is always best) - Send an email summarizing the group’s commitment ASAP after the referral meeting. It also helps to lay out in the same email what you intend to do for them (AKA your tailored solution to their “pain points”)  Step 5: GIVE FEEDBACK ASAP after a referral Make sure you have a quick/direct way to give your contact feedback after they send in their first new referral to us - Send an email summarizing the group’s commitment ASAP after the referral meeting. Lay out in the same email what you intend to do for them (AKA your tailored solution to their “pain points”) - Ask for a cell phone (best), email (better) or phone extension (worst) - Make sure they know that you will let them know the status of the first few patients - If they do not follow-through on their commitment, follow-up ASAP. Do it within a few days- if they go more than a week without honoring their commitment, you're basically starting over with the process - Remember, there’s a lot of competition out there now. YOU are the biggest single factor in what makes us better than the other competitors  Step 6: SET A FOLLOW-UP MEETING ***Always make sure you set a new follow- up meeting BEFORE you leave the office*** - Set your follow-up meetings with your medical providers 5-8 weeks out from the time they start sending us new clients/patients. Gives them time to see the patient again, after the patient has used us for the first time - Set your follow-up meetings with your groups that have committed to using us around 30-60 days after your initial referral meeting. - Use “Placeholder” entries in your salesforce calendar (w/zone 1, zone 2, etc. as the subject) - With law firms, monthly reviews are helpful - Don’t be afraid to cancel or re-schedule a follow-up meeting if the office doesn’t follow through on a commitment  Tips/Best Practices 1. “Pre-game”- resolve to accomplish steps 1 & 2 of the process PRIOR to the referral meeting. In other words, focus on uncovering your group’s pain points and learning their internal office protocol BEFORE you meet 2. Give your account a needs assessment, preferably PRIOR to the referral meeting. It’ll tighten up your referral meeting considerably. 3. Don’t assume anything! Every account is unique 4. Allow the contact/account tell you their pain points- use open-ended questions 5. Practice presenting this information in your own way in front of a mirror- practice makes perfect! You can also role play with a teammate  In summary, there are six steps in making sure an account commits to using us & follows through on using us. They are: (EDUCATE FIRST) 1. Uncover their “pain points” or ”hot buttons” 2. Ask for ALL of their WC clients/patients 3. Pin them down on their internal process in sending us their WC clients/business 4. Tailor our solution to their unique "pain points" 5. Give Feedback after they send in their first new WC client/patient 6. Set a new follow-up meeting BEFORE you leave the office, and don’t be afraid to cancel or re-schedule that meeting if they do not uphold their commitment Questions?