7 phases of sales leadership as an Orthopedic company grows.
As I watch orthopedic companies grow and mature, I have noticed that the sales needs of a company evolve over time. I have observed these 7 needs from the messy startup phase to the organized big company phase.
Phase 1 “Get me people who have surgeon relationships. Someone who can sell to our targeted customers. Without sales, we don’t have a company (messy startup phase).”
Phase 2 “Get me people who can both sell and find new customers. We need more sales. We need hunters, not gatherers.”
Phase 3 “Get me people who can recruit and train 1099s to carry our product(s) into territories where we are weak. This way we can service the entire US. I just need a Distributor Hunter.”
Phase 4 “Get me seasoned sales managers so we can manage all these 1099s. It’s hard to keep our products “top of mind” with all these 1099s. It’s like managing cats. “
Phase 5 “Get me someone who can lead national sales and put together sales processes that can scale.”
Phase 6 “Get me specialized sales people who can negotiate contracts and people who can train surgeons on a larger scale.”
Phase 7 “We are going direct. Get me a sales leader who can convert all these independents into direct sales employees to improve our margins (organized big company phase).”
