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Education
ability and judgment, I consider for the benefit
of my patients, and abstain from whatever is
deleterious and mischievous." And in Of the
Epidemics, he wrote similarly that the physician
must be able "to do good or to do no harm."
• It was former Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell
(in office from 2010 to 2014) who said, "All doctors
have an ethical duty to follow the practices and
standards of care."
Ideally, doctors are not trying to pressure a patient into
tests, prescriptions or visits that are neither needed nor
warranted just because a new quota of some kind was
created. Doctors are simply trying to stop either a present-
day pain, or to prevent a disease from growing, spreading
and creating future pain. Both of these objectives are
based solely on the needs of the client.
Model yourself after The Doctor
When I visit my doctor for an illness, I'm usually given
documentation that includes the following:
• Reason for visit: This explains why I was there,
such as: the patient reported having issues related
to stomach pains and vomiting.
• Diagnosis: This explains what the physician
believes my problem was, such as having viral
gastroenteritis (the stomach flu).
• Remedies and prescriptions: This explains what
the doctor prescribed to stop the symptoms and
eventually stop the related pain. In this case, it
might be for me to restrict my diet to the BRAT
(bananas, rice, applesauce and toast) regimen;
stay hydrated; and get a lot of rest.
• Time frame: This would be an estimated date
when I should most likely begin to feel better,
and if I don't feel better by this particular time,
scheduling a follow-up visit is recommended.
As a sales professional, emulate The Doctor. Here's one
possible scenario:
• Reason for the visit: When you pop into a
merchant's location or telephone the individual,
ask yourself, what was the purpose for the visit
today? The purpose should only be because
the merchant is in a situation that your suite of
knowledge, technologies, capital, connections,
networks and other resources can help resolve.
You might have found out about the merchant's
situation through a referral, because the merchant
responded to one of your ads, because the merchant
called you randomly, or because of various forms
of research you have done on that merchant in
particular. It should not be a contrived situation
forced upon you by your sales manager based
solely on a quota that needs to be hit. It should
be totally based on the present situation of the
merchant.
• Diagnosis: After explaining the reason for the
visit, a consultation should begin with a series
of questions to understand the patient (that is,
the merchant) and understand the individual's
business as a whole, as well as the present situation
in front of the merchant and the unique goals for
treatment.
• Remedies and prescriptions: This is when
you would go into your wealth of knowledge,
technologies, capital, connections, networks and
other resources to tailor a solution for the merchant
that resolves his or her present day situation. Make
sure you prescribe what I refer to as the "whole
solution," which is one of efficiency in quality and
support, as well as fair pricing. From there, you
would work with the client on implementation
issues such as ascertaining when the merchant is
looking to get started and scheduling accordingly,
paperwork needed, facilitating documentation,
and other steps of the process.
• Time frame: This sets forth expectations
regarding when the situation should be resolved
by your solution and the follow-up procedures to
employ afterward. For the merchant cash advance,
for example, follow-up should involve some level
of renewal management going forward as well as
assistance with any collection issues.
The real money in sales is made in the ongoing relationship
with the client, a relationship that spans two, three, five
and maybe even 10 or more years. You will make more
money and have more career longevity if you follow The
Doctor's approach, rather than that of the high pressure
sales characters from the major Hollywood classics cited
in this article.
Be sure to tune in to the next edition of Street SmartsSM here
in The Green Sheet, where I will continue the discussion of
rebranding the MLS, a topic that has been central to my
focus as this column's author.
John Tucker is Managing Member of 1st Capital Loans LLC, as well as an
M.B.A. graduate and holder of three bachelor's degrees in accounting,
business management and journalism. Tucker also has over nine years
of professional experience in commercial finance and business develop-
ment. You can contact him by email at tucker@1stcapitalloans.com or
by telephone at 586-480-2140.
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