HME Sales Community

7 LESSONS FROM

COACH JOHN WOODEN AS APPLIED TO MEDICAL SALES

The world has lost a great man, a giant coach, and a role model of what leadership should look like.

There is no doubt that you have read a Coach Wooden quote at some time in your life, you may just no know it. Here are some of my personal favorites.

“A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment.”

“Ability is a poor man’s wealth.”

“Adversity is the state in which man mostly easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then.”

“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”

“Be prepared and be honest.”

“Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights.”

“Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”

“Don’t measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.”

-John Wooden

The seven lessons learned from Coach John Wooden are as follows and have been slightly modified to fit Medical Sales. Enjoy, study, and implement into your toolbox.

1.     Success is all about the little things – On the first day of practice Coach Wooden didn’t discuss basketball strategy. Believe it or not-he taught his players the proper way to put on their socks and shoes so they didn’t get blisters.

We should treat our first day with our sales team the same. Don’t get into the strategy of how we are going to take over the world in Medical Sales, but teach the most basic of basics. Without a strong foundation that includes understanding your business and what you sell; your sales representatives might as well get blisters on their feet. Poorly trained reps will be no good to you in the game of sales after the first quarter. Ensure they sell when they are healthy because selling while injured is disastrous. Train your team right from the beginning and continue to educate them every chance you get.

2.     Focus on the process, not the outcome – Coach Wooden didn’t focus on winning. He focused on the character of his team, key fundamentals, daily improvement, effort, potential, and selfless teamwork. As a result he won…a lot.

This is true with Medical Sales. If you focus on just getting new referrals (and void the process of working with the referral source) then you do not have the fundamentals that encompass great Medical Sales. Coach your teams to improve every day, and motivate them to take ownership of their growth as sales professionals. The more grounded you are in the fundamentals the greater the sales.  And your sales professionals can win too…a lot.

3.     There’s no such thing as an overnight success – Wooden was at UCLA 16 years before they won their first national title. Today we live in a world where people expect instant results. If a coach doesn’t win a title in a few years he or she is fired. Wooden is a testament that greatness takes time.

Trust from the referral community is paramount to our success and this does not happen overnight. We must help our sales team invest in their medical community and have realistic goals that still stretch them. The referral source trusts us with more than just the business, they trust us with someone’s life, and that trust takes time.

4.     Selfless teamwork is great teamwork – Wooden said, “A player who makes a team great is much more valuable than a great player.”

As a sales professional, how are you making the team around you great? Sales professionals depend on the service tech, clinicians and office staff to make the referral process go smoothly.  What can reps do to make them great?  Sales professionals realize that without the support and effort of their team, they have nothing to sell. As a sales professional, how are you investing in your team? Are you providing feedback from the field on how they are doing and how they are perceived?  Do you encourage them when times are tough?  Do you lend a hand on days when they are swamped?  Are you trying to be great or make your team great?

5.     There’s power in humility – Norman Vincent Peale said that humble people don’t think less of themselves. They just think of themselves less. Wooden made his life about coaching, leading and developing others and in doing so exhibited true power.

True power has been confused with words like “domineering”, “control”, and “boss”. This is not true power. True power is experienced when a person who humbles themselves and realizes that they are truly less and others are more. As previously stated-we are nothing without our team. If they are not there serving the customer and patient, we have nothing to sell.

6.     Faith matters – In our politically correct world where people are afraid to mention God (even though God is all over our currency), I find it interesting that all the media reports about Wooden talk positively about how his faith guided his life, principles and actions. There is power in faith. More importantly there is enormous power when your faith moves you to love, serve, inspire, coach and make a difference.

We serve others everyday as sales professional. What are we sowing in the field of our business? Are we there just for the referral or is there more to it than that?  God has put you in your current position and just like everything else there is a purpose for you there. Will you shine for Him or will you hide who you are and not let others see God in you?

7.     Your legacy matters – The most important thing you will leave behind when you die is your legacy.  And the greatest legacy you can leave is your life, your principles and the lives you touch. Wooden didn’t spend his life amassing wealth and trying to make a fortune. He invested in others. And while buildings will fall, jewelry will tarnish and money will get spent; his legacy will live on in those who carry his teachings in their heart.

This piece is ALL about you. You need to care about what you are leaving behind to your family, friends, and yes-your work place. What will they say about you when you are gone?  Will you receive glowing comments from your colleagues about being a person who truly cared and supported them?  Or will they all struggle to find kind words to describe you?

If we are half as blessed as Coach Wooden we will live a long and productive life. For me, I would just settle for leaving a legacy not just for today, but for all the days to come. Life is too short. We may never achieve the level of popularity of a John Wooden, but you can and probably are a John Wooden to someone. How are you doing?

I pray these will inspire you to even greater things.

Blessings

Ty Bello, BS, RCC

Team@Work