Approaching your existing medical software or hardware clients and informing them you’ve found something new and better can be somewhat challenging.  For one, if their existing medical software and/or hardware isn’t working for them, they probably blame you.  If their systems are working for them (at least thus far), they may not have any desire to look at other options.  It is this dilemma that you may find yourself in when switching from and old vendor to a new vendor. 

Why you may have switched?  Healthcare IT is an ever-changing marketing.  Today’s resellers must be flexible enough to bend and make changes if needed to benefit their business and their clients.  You may have recently switched the software you are representing.  Perhaps a recent sale of the company has taken place that has made support of the software nearly unbearable, maybe the vendor has eliminated their reseller program and you are left with no product, perhaps nagging and constant bugs have required that you switch for the benefit of your clients, or perhaps you have simply found something better that operates on “today’s technology.”  Whatever the reason, it is not uncommon for a well-run Medical Technology Reseller to switch one or more of the vendors they are working with from time to time.  Switching can be a great opportunity for your clients, but it needs to be presented to them in just the right way. 

Be the Consultant.  If you position yourself as a Healthcare IT Consultant with your clients, as opposed to a software salesman, you will help them to know that you will always make recommendations that are in their best interest.  Make sure that you have a detailed understanding of what makes your new product offering better than your old.  Be able to show a return on investment and how an office will be able to make more money and be more profitable because of the switch.  Help your employees to also understand the change.  Once you understand the added value in the system you are moving towards, you can then help your clients. 

Never Apologize.  As you approach angry clients who are frustrated with their old systems, don’t apologize for what you sold them.  Empathize with them – let them know that you understand their frustration – listen to them, but do not apologize.  Instead, let them know that, “At the time we sold your system to you, that software was the best on the market.  Because of changes in the market, changes with the vendor, and advances in technology, there are now other, better solutions available to you.”  Help them understand the process that you went through in selecting a new product to sell.  Let them know you haven’t made the change lightly and that you have done most of the legwork for them so they wouldn’t have to. 

Show Value.  In switching clients from old systems to new systems, especially if they are somewhat happy, you need to be able to show value in making the switch.  This value may come in the form of money, time, simplicity, and reduced pain.  It is building this value in the new system that can help your clients fully comprehend why you are recommending they switch to your new system.  Building value starts with asking questions – though the office may be happy with their software or hardware, are they getting the return on investment they expect?  Questions you may ask, specifically about their software, may include:

• “Are you making as much money as you wanted this year?”

• “What are your goals for the next few years?  How much more money or time will you need to accomplish those?”

• “How are you doing at collecting your accounts receivables?”

• “What is your claim rejection rate – is that acceptable?”

Generally, people are happy with their existing software simply because they know how to use it and it isn’t giving them ‘too many’ errors or problems.  This doesn’t mean that the software isn’t costing the doctor too much in the way of money, time, or lost opportunities.  Just because the office is complacent, doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t look at making a switch to something with a better return.

The Low Hanging Fruit.  The metaphor of “picking the fruit that is closest to the ground” applies to approaching your client base.  It is significantly easier if you approach the frustrated clients first, especially if you know that your new solution will make them much happier.  You already have an easy case built.  This also sets a precedence and gives you a series of case studies and referrals that can benefit the rest of your clients.  For example:

• “Dr. Jones switched and he’s making $1000 more per week and his staff has finally pulled their résumé’s off of Monster.com!”

• “Dr. Petersen made the move and their claim rejection rate is less than 1% from the 20% they were previously experiencing!"

If you approach your clients as a consultant and a concerned advocate for their business, then they will be able to understand that technologies change, vendors sometimes make decisions that aren't in their best interest, and healthcare IT is constantly evolving.  They will also know that they have quite a coach in their corner who won't allow them to utilize hardware or software that is not in their best interest of their medical business.