Q&A with DentalSalesPro

Editor’s Note: I’m very pleased that Proofs and DentalSalesPro.com have such a good working relationship. DentalSalesPro.com is a great site that is filled with good information for anyone in the dental industry. I recently had a chance to sit down with the man behind DentalSalesPro.com and ask him some questions about what he is seeing in the dental industry. At his request, I am keeping his identity a secret.

How has the dental industry changed since you started as a sales rep?

I have been in the industry quite a while. On the dealer side I have seen a lot of consolidation with small mom-and-pops being sold to big dealers. The interesting thing here is that the new dealers that are popping up tend to be telesales or Internet-based. It seems as though the days of the small dealer as we have know it have changed from a storefront with reps on the street to a Web site and some people on the phone.

Co-travel time for the manufacturer rep is getting harder to come by. The dealer reps have more options when it comes to products, and there are more exclusives in the industry than there have been in the past.

Private label products continue to grow and expand into areas that they have never been in before. This is great for the dealer rep, but not so great for the manufacturer rep.

Oh, yes, we have discovered that even the dental industry is not recession-proof.

How have your customers changed since you started as a sales rep?

There seems to be a growing number of multi-practice accounts. Consolidation is occurring with our customer base. Aspen Dental is the big one that comes to mind, but it seems like there is also a growing number of regional multi-practice accounts. The challenge with these accounts is that you end up dealing with a purchasing person and not the clinician. The purchasing agents tend to be more cost-driven than quality-driven.

What are some of the biggest challenges you face as a rep on a daily basis?

Access. Whether it is the assistant doing the ordering or the clinician using the product, it is becoming more challenging to get that quality face-to-face contact. I am not going to say that it is as bad as pharma, but certainly with the bigger practices it is getting more difficult to get time.

What are some of the lessons you learned about selling in a "down economy?"

You certainly have to bring value to the customer. Right now it is not just about how great the product is, but the value that it brings to the office. Whether that value is cost savings, time savings, increased profit, or all three, today it is all about money. This is probably the way we should be selling even in an up economy.

What is one "secret to success" you wish you could share with every sales rep?

Well, I think follow-up is one of the most important things a sales rep can do. There are plenty of great closers out there, but then reps drop the ball and never bother to find out how things went after the sale. The office staff knows you care about them when you ask how things are going after the fact. You are then considered a consultant and not just a salesperson.

What are some of the hottest topics you're seeing right now on DentalSalesPro.com?

Anything having to do with meetings. As you know, Kevin, this seems to have been the hot topic for the last year-and-a-half. There is also a lot of buzz when we have discussions regarding independent reps. With the current economy, job postings have also been an important topic.

Your site seems to give sales reps a community of their own. Why is that so important?

Sales is one of the most difficult and most rewarding professions out there, yet we tend to get very little respect. As a salesperson, you are on your own for most of the business day, and DSP acts like a support network. With Dental Sales Pro, you realize that you are not alone. Of course it's also a great place to network and catch up with old friends and hopefully make some new ones.

What are some of the new things you're adding to the site?

Well, if you haven't been to DSP for a while, we have done a nice makeover of the site and I am proud to say that our job board is finally in place and is free (for a while) to both job seekers and employers/recruiters. Stop by www.DentalSalesPro.com to network, check out new videos, pictures, and discussions or go directly to www.DentalSalesCareers.com to view the first dental industry career site.