The Situation
At the end of 2021, the CEO of Hillcroft Surgery Supplies in Yeovil approached Andrew Milbourn, CEO of Kiss the Fish, with a pressing challenge.
Two of their sales representatives were spending nearly half of their working week without appointments.
“I’ve got two reps who are stuck at home for 50% of the week and for whom we can’t get appointments – what do I do?”
Hillcroft had been experiencing strong growth before the pandemic. Hillcroft Surgery Supplies supplies doctor’s surgeries across the UK with a full range of medical supplies, equipment, pharmaceuticals, furniture and surgery fit out services.
Before 2020, securing appointments was relatively straightforward. When their sales team met with practices, they typically converted those meetings into business.
However, when the Covid pandemic disrupted normal working patterns, that model quickly broke down.
The Challenge
Doctor’s surgeries became extremely difficult to access.
Even as lockdown restrictions eased, many surgeries remained cautious about external visitors. Appointments became almost impossible to secure and traditional prospecting methods stopped working.
Hillcroft knew which surgeries they wanted to target, but identifying decision makers was also difficult.
Many healthcare buyers avoided LinkedIn and other social media platforms, making it difficult to identify names or contact details.
Even telephone contact proved ineffective. Reception teams were overwhelmed with patient enquiries, leaving little opportunity for sales conversations.
The business suddenly faced a serious problem.
Their sales team could not access the very organisations they needed to speak to.
Exploring Possible Solutions
The first step was to explore whether external appointment setting specialists could help.
Andrew suggested trialling experienced telemarketing agencies who could focus on securing meetings with surgeries. Hillcroft agreed and two agencies were engaged for a test period.
The idea was simple. Experienced appointment setters might be able to overcome objections and open doors that the internal team could not.
Unfortunately, this approach produced very limited results.
The environment remained extremely difficult and traditional appointment setting techniques were ineffective.
A New Sales Strategy
Kiss the Fish prides itself on helping businesses find new ways forward when sales performance stalls.
In this situation Andrew recognised that a different approach was required.
During the pandemic he had been studying how trust is established in sales conversations, particularly how sellers can influence a buyer’s mindset quickly.
The strategy focused on applying insights from the neuroscience of trust.
Instead of relying on traditional prospecting methods, the sales team needed a fresh approach designed to quickly establish credibility and capture attention.
As Andrew explains
“Building trust quickly is achieved when a seller understands how to change a buyer’s mindset. This requires an approach that immediately engages the buyer rather than being treated with indifference.”
The Outcome
Once the Hillcroft sales team adopted the new approach, the situation began to change.
Appointments became possible again and sales conversations started to reopen.
The improvement was significant.
Instead of questioning whether their two representatives could remain productive, the business found itself expanding the sales team.
Hillcroft now operates with five sales representatives working across the UK and continues to experience strong growth.
Why This Approach Worked
Several factors contributed to the success of the strategy.
- A new mindset around trust based selling
- A fresh approach to opening conversations
- Sales messaging that resonated with healthcare buyers
- Leadership willing to test new ideas during a difficult period
The experience also reinforced an important principle.
When markets change, sales strategies must evolve as well.
Final Thoughts
Hillcroft was already a well run business with strong leadership.
What they needed during a difficult period was a fresh perspective and a new sales strategy that reflected the realities of the market at the time.
By adapting the sales approach and focusing on trust based conversations, the business was able to overcome a challenging environment and continue growing.
As Andrew Milbourn explains
“I’m very proud to be associated with this great business and pleased that I was able to contribute to their success by offering strategy in a difficult time.”
Start a Conversation with Andrew
If your business is facing similar challenges with sales performance or access to decision makers, Andrew would be happy to discuss how Kiss the Fish might be able to help.
Email
[email protected]
Phone
07880 558000
