Earlier this year, I had provided some tips about tapping into the power of your Brand Champions – those DPMs who love everything you and your company does for them and provides for their patients.
These are extremely valuable relationships; so when there are differences in opinion regarding how certain messages are constructed, it can be a tricky balance between making sure you don’t upset your biggest fan and making sure that the product/service is being represented accurately.
In my previous articles I had even provided the following tips when it comes to the Brand Champion/DPM – Vendor/Sales Rep relationship:
Right Place, Right Time.
Everyone can tell when they are being put into a situation that isn’t natural; let your brand champions tell their stories when it makes sense and is in context. Also – don’t give them a script. Let them use their own words and authenticity will shine.
No Pressure.
Referring your favorite, trusted brand shouldn’t feel like work. Avoid quotas and meetings where you pester your Champion about why they haven’t sent any leads over recently; unless you want to create resentment and break up.
Keep Your Ego in Check.
Maintain respect for them as a client, not as an employee. Also remember that there is a difference between friendship and professional friendship. And finally, shut your lips and learn. Always make sure your champion feels heard by you; but then you need to genuinely consider their feedback.
I still stand by these tips, but we can’t ignore the fact that if one of a brand champions is lecturing on a subject matter that involves your company/product/service, there does need to be a bit of checks and balances to ensure accuracy. This can only be done with a co-creational approach.
We all know there are some physicians who simply will NOT budge for anything or listen to what anyone else has to say. In that case, you may want to think about whether or not the partnership is a positive one and/or worth the stress of dealing with a stubborn bull.
Other times, we may just be too afraid to speak up. Don’t be. I have chosen to be in the podiatry industry because I have found that our profession is saturated with incredibly awesome people… and that definitely includes the physicians!!
If you have a client who is speaking on your behalf at a meeting, or for a non-CME webinar, or a community event – whatever it may be – avoid hesitating to ask for collaboration. You’d actually probably be surprised how thankful they are that they don’t have to do all the work themselves!
It’s also important to realize that while we work with amazing physicians, we don’t always work with amazing content generators/writers. For the most part, the content created by physicians is clinically spot-on (I mean, how the heck would I know, right?), but I have discovered that there is often some room for improvement in regard to presentation organization and slide design.
These are the areas where individuals like us (those in sales and marketing) have the upper hand. Another bonus; as you work on a combination of scientific content and marketing content together, you will find yourself discovering new ways to explain your product/service in the voice or with the jargon that DPMs utilize; making you that much more relatable and, more importantly, credible!
As a collaborative team, it’s imperative to maximize one another’s strengths; so let’s check egos at the door and get the job done!
Thoughts? Questions? Email Me!
Sarah Breymeier: beheard@podiatrymeetings.com
-Sarah Breymeier