Meet and greet effectively

You may make a special point of being your most dynamic self with a doctor on an initial visit, but how much thought do you put into your greeting on your eighth or ninth trip to the office?

First impressions are infamously important, but meeting and greeting never cease to influence, according to Michael Baber, author of How Champions Sell.

There are three steps that you can take to keep your greeting style fresh and effective, according to Baber: establish rapport, obtain your prospect's attention and generate interest.

Establishing rapport can be as simple as taking an interest in a doctor's favorite hobby or family. Since you and the doctor will both be busy, this should be a short but sincere part of your greeting.

The next step - getting a doctor's attention - can be trickier. Baber suggests trying one of 10 commonly effective tricks that direct a sales prospect's attention to you. The acronym "SAM CRINGES" is a tool that may help you remember all 10.

Make a startling statement, ask a question bearing on a need, use a mystery opener (bring your product in an interesting container and glance at it frequently until the doctor asks you about it), offer a sincere compliment, use a referral, mention an incident of successful use of your product, drop a famous name, offer an appropriate gift, stage an exhibit or provide a valuable service.

And finally, generate interest by making a big claim the doctor can believe or ask a question that causes him or her to develop interest. PR