where’s the dough? · 2018-05-17 · where’s the dough? fraud and embezzlement can occur...

Where’s the dough?

Fraud and embezzlement

can occur anywhere. Are your customers

on the ball?

EArs to hEArClose more sales by actually saying less

For Dental sales Professionals July, 2012

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www.firstimpressionsmag.com : First Impressions : July 2012 : 3

July 12content

First Impressions – Digital Editionis published bi-monthly

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FAX: 770/236-8023www.firstimpressionsmag.com

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Mark [email protected]

Senior EditorLaura Thill

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“ When dentists discover they have no cash flow, it impacts their decision to purchase a new laser.”

– teresa Duncan, Ms, FADIA, FAADoM

Ears to HearClose more sales by actually saying less ............................................................p.4

Where’s the dough?Fraud and embezzlement can occur anywhere. Are your customers on the ball? ...........................................................................p.8

QuickBytes .......................................................................................................p.14

WindshieldTime .......................................................................................p.16

4 : July 2012 : First Impressions : www.firstimpressionsmag.com

sales

Listening is one of the four fundamental competencies of a professional salesperson, and yet, the profession is, in general, so poor at it that most customers re-mark on our inability to do it well. If there is anyone I wouldn’t want thinking I was a poor listener, my customers would be toward the top of the list.

Why is listening such a pow-erful sales competency? In my book Question Your Way to Sales Success, I describe a number of reasons. Here are a few.

Primary toolFirst, listening is our primary way of digging beneath the surface of a customer’s needs and uncovering deeper and more powerful needs and motivations. That makes it a primary tool – of which the skillful use separates the master salespeople from the mediocre. For example, it doesn’t take any skill to pick up an or-der or write down a list of what the customer says he needs. You don’t have to be a master listener to do that. But to dig deeper and uncover deeper issues, that takes the ability to listen.

Here’s an example. In a rou-tine sales call with a regular cus-tomer, the customer says, “We’re thinking of going to X product. What’s your price?”

Lots of salespeople would look up the price and provide it. There. Job done. The master would hear the words “Thinking of going …” and dig a little deep-er. “What makes you interested in that?” he says.

The customer replies: “Well, we’re looking for a solution for a problem with our widget production line, and one of the key operators mentioned it as a possibility.”

“I see. What sort of problem are you having in that production line?”

“An abnormally high reject rate.”“I may have some other solu-

tions. Can I talk to your produc-tion manager?”

I don’t have to take this sce-nario much further to make the point. A visit with the production supervisor could very well result in a deeper understanding of the

problem and the development of an alternative so-lution with a whole lot more gross margin to it. The master salesperson, exercising excellent listening skills, hears opportunities where many salespeople don’t. Listening is the primary tool for digging deep-er and uncovering deeper and more significant is-sues in our customers.

But that’s not all. When we listen, we send a powerful message that we care about the other per-son. Conversely, when we don’t listen, we send the

By Dave Kahle

Ears to HearClose more sales by actually saying less

I recently came across some research that confirmed

what many of us in the profession of educating

salespeople have known for years: Purchasers

would be “much more likely” to buy from a salesper-

son if that salesperson would just listen to the customer.

The survey found that some of the worst offenders were

experienced salespeople.

www.firstimpressionsmag.com : First Impressions : July 2012 : 5

message that our agenda is far more important than the customer’s trivial ideas and issues. That makes effective listening one of the all-time great relation-ship-building devices.

Listening requires us to take in information, ideas and opinions that are outside our comfort zones. It is, therefore, one of the primary tools we use to grow intellectually, to broaden our views, and ultimately, to become wiser and more knowledge-able. If we never listen to someone with a different perspective, we never consider the possibility that we might be wrong.

From a salesperson’s perspective, the more we listen, the more different positions, motivations, opinions and nuances we are able to understand

and accommodate. The wiser and more capable we become. Since we are able to understand an ever-growing panoply of positions and opinions, we are able to feel a rapport with more and more customers, and move closer to a consensus position with them.

Listening positions us as a consultant, not a ped-dler, in the eyes of the customer. Ultimately, listen-ing provides us our competitive edge.

Improving your listening skillsHere are two specific techniques to help you improve your listening effectiveness: Listen constructively. My wife is a crisis counselor. She talks about “listening empathetically.” That means she listens in order to understand what a person is feeling. That is very appropriate for that type of work. However,

we are salespeople. It is more important that we listen “constructively.” Think of “constructively – con-struction – building.” We need to listen for things upon which to build. Listen for opportunities, problems, opinions, etc. on which we can build our solutions.

One way to do this is to plant a couple of ques-tions into our mind before every sales call. These are questions for which we want to gain the answer. You could, for example, say to yourself before a sales call: “What is the one thing that is this customer’s most pressing challenge today?” And, you could ask your-self, “On what basis will this customer make the de-cision to buy or not?”

By planting those questions into your mind, you sharpen your sensitivity to what the customer says,

enabling you to listen more constructively to the customer’s conversation.

Discipline yourself to build the habit of respond-ing to your customer’s comments. Here’s how we think the sales interview should go:

a. We ask a question.b. The customer answers.c. We ask another question.

When you exercise the habit of responding, you change the format. Now, it goes like this:

a. We ask a question.b. The customer answers.c. We respond to the answer.d. We now ask another question.

Listening positions us as a consultant, not a peddler, in the eyes of the customer. Ultimately, listening

provides us our competitive edge.


sales

Notice that we have intervened in the process with something we call a “response.” A response is a verbal or non-verbal signal that we send to the customer that we are listening, and accepting what the customer says. It flatters the cus-tomer, makes him/her feel good about answering, and encourages him/her to answer in more depth and detail.

Here are two powerful responses:select one or two words out of the customer’s conversation, and repeat them back to the customer, nodding your head. Here’s an example. You ask the question, “Which of these challeng-es are most pressing for you?”the customer responds by talk-ing for a few moments about his challenges. When he pauses, you say, “back orders” and nod your head. “Back orders” was one of the issues he talked about. You just re-peated it, and nodded your head.

That’s a powerful response be-cause it shows the customer that you have listened to the point that you have captured and repeated one of his main thoughts. That feels good to the customer and conditions him to answer the next question with even more depth and detail. Just as importantly, since you were focused on finding

a key word or two to repeat, you had to listen to the customer’s con-versation! This technique forced you to listen more effectively, and made the customer feel good in the process.

summarize and rephrase what the customer has said, and re-peat it back to him or her.

This is similar to the one or two word techniques discussed above, more intense. When the customer has finished answering your question, you say something like this: “Let me see if I understand you correctly. In other words, what you are saying is …” Paraphrase and give him back your under-standing of what he just said.

Like the prior technique, this is a powerful tool because it forces you to listen, it engages the cus-tomer, and it seeks agreement. Using this a couple of times in the sales interview will make the cus-tomer feel good about you, ensure that you understand him, and cre-ate an atmosphere of agreement.

Ultimately, your ability to listen more effectively evolves out of your discipline to apply some of these techniques regularly and methodi-cally. If you are going to listen more effectively, you must first make the commitment to expend the effort to do so. FI

To commEnT on ThiS arTiclEclick here

Dave Kahle has trained tens of thousands of distributor and B2B salespeople and sales managers to be more effective in the 21st Century economy. He’s authored nine books, and presented in 47 states and eight countries. Visit www.davekahle.com for more information and to sign up for his weekly Ezine.

Ultimately, your ability

to listen more effectively

evolves out of your disci-

pline to apply some of these

techniques regularly and methodically.

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By Laura Thill

Where’s the dough? W

hether it’s time or money,

dentists are fair game for

office fraud and embezzle-

ment. In fact, they’re as much

a target as any small business owner, accord-

ing to Teresa Duncan, MS, FADIA, FAADOM,

consultant and owner of Odyssey Manage-

ment Inc. (www.odysseymgmt.com). In

Duncan’s experience, “at least

one in two dental offices will

have a problem with some

form of theft, whether pay-

roll theft or actual stealing.”

According to the Association

of Certified Fraud Examiners,

at least five percent of small

business gross revenue is

subject to fraud, she adds.

Fraud and embezzlement can occur anywhere. Are your

customers on the ball?


“We don’t see as much petty cash fraud today, because there’s not as much cash available [at the office], as patients generally pay with credit cards,” says Duncan. “[However], we do see payroll theft.” For instance, staff may stand around chatting before clocking out, just long enough to ease into over-time, she points out. Or, they come in, clock in and leave, returning at the end of the day to clock back in. “We see this when the dentists is out of town.

“Stealing supplies is another form of stealing we see,” Duncan continues, recalling one office man-ager that used her dentist’s computer and printer to generate fliers for her own business. The dentist suddenly found himself spending a huge amount on

paper and ink, she notes. But, perhaps the most bla-tant form of stealing is when a staff member – often the office manager – diverts funds from the practice, she adds. “The office manager may endorse checks over to her personal checking account, or she may create a fictitious company and make checks out to that company. The money goes to [him or her].”

More stealing, less cash flowIndeed, “people tend to push the envelope when they’re not watched,” says Duncan. Embezzlement depletes the practice’s cash flow and limits the den-tist’s ability to spend as much on supplies and equip-ment, let alone offer incentives and bonuses to staff, she explains. “When dentists discover they have no cash flow, it impacts their decision to purchase a new

laser.” In some cases, dentists might mistakenly be-lieve their cash flow restriction is due to a rising cost of supplies and equipment, she adds.

If a dental customer says he or she has no cash flow, the sales rep should ask some pointed questions, such as the following, says Duncan:

• “How is your schedule looking?”• “How is production going?”• “Have you been busy?”

If it turns out a dentist is very busy, but has no cash flow, this should raise a red flag for the rep. “The rep can suggest to the customer that he or she have the

practice’s cash flow systems eval-uated by a practice management consultant,” says Duncan. If nec-essary, a certified fraud examiner can follow up by looking at the practice’s accounts receivable and other office systems. “Often, these systems simply aren’t effective,” she says, noting that it may be a matter of the office not collecting insurance or patient payments efficiently. “But, a fraud examiner can help determine if it’s more

than that. They come in on weekends or evenings, or pose as a treatment consultant while keeping their eye on the practice.” It’s important for examiners to be discreet, she points out. “You don’t want to learn that a person is innocent – and then becomes upset.” In one case an office manager burned down the office after learning she was being investigated, she says.

Ending fraud before it ends the practice Sales reps can help their customers pay attention to – and stay involved in – their business and address fraud or embezzlement proactively. For instance, they can remind dentists that it pays to take extra precautions when hiring a new employee. “Doctors must insist on professional references and then call them,” says Dun-can. “They must ask references specific questions, such


“ When dentists discover they have no cash flow, it impacts their decision to purchase a new laser.”

– teresa Duncan, Ms, FADIA, FAADoM

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as, ‘Would you rehire this person if you could?’” That’s a fair question – and one a previous employer can provide a straightforward answer to, she points out. “Dentists can also do a background check, as long as they get a signed release from the potential employee,” she adds. “Most background-check companies offer this form.”

But, it’s not always the new employee that’s a danger to the dental practice, Duncan continues. “Dentists often let their guard down after an employee has been with the practice for seven years or more,” she says. “Once they let their guard down, they cre-ate an opportunity [for theft]. Often, an

office manager leaves and a new one takes over and notices something is wrong [with the accounts]. At that point, it’s too late if the old one is gone.”

Nor is it unusual for dentists to be duped twice by the same person, she notes, referring to one dentist who rehired an office manager after it became ap-parent she had embezzled from his practice. “It was a small community and the dentist didn’t want to hurt her reputation,” she says. “He forgave the debt and took her back. And she did it again! She stole $10,000 the first time and $50,000 the second time.”

Sales reps should remind their dental customers to pay attention to unusual behavior on the part of their employees, such as refusing to take vacation time or purchasing expensive items or cars that are out of reach given their salary, Duncan suggests. “Look at the famous case of Lori Doughty,” she says. Doughty is notorious for embezzling $1.9 million over seven or eight years from the Olympia, Wash.-

based dental practice she worked for. Of that, the practice recovered $80,000. Doughty reportedly forged company checks to pay off credit cards for herself and her husband and laundered some of

the money through her husband’s business. Accord-ing to one report, between December 1998 and July 18, 2005, when she was arrested, she and her hus-band spent $200,000 on clothes, $100,000 at restau-rants, $185,000 on hotels, $74,000 on airline tickets and $32,000 at Starbucks.

“[Office theft] forces dentists to work longer,” says Duncan. “And, if they have no cash flow, they can’t give vendors their business.” Sales reps should pay attention to sudden low or constricted cash flow issues or overly controlling office managers who at-tempt to block them from working with the dentist. “Pay attention to a dentist who is not involved in [his or her] business. This can lead to problems. I’ve heard too many dentists say they wish they had had their accounts evaluated earlier.” FI

sales reps should remind their dental customers to pay attention to unusual behavior on the

part of their employees, such as refusing to take vacation time or purchasing expensive items or

cars that are out of reach given their salary.

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Editor’s Note: Technology is playing an increasing role in the day-to-day business of sales reps. In this department, First Impressions will profile the latest developments in software and gadgets that reps can use for work and play.

simplicity above allWhat people want most from their smartphones, tab-lets, home theater and home appliances is simplicity, according to a survey conducted by communications firm Ketchum. The study showed that 76 percent of consumers said they are not very satisfied with tech-nology’s ability to make their lives simpler. Responses from 6,000 consumers in six countries revealed more prefer technology to be easy to use (54 percent) and simplify their life (46 percent) than entertain them (35 percent) or signal who they are to the world (11 per-

cent). Passion for electronics varies widely by coun-try; the percentage of Chinese who said they love smartphones (44 percent) was nearly double that in France (24 percent).

screen protectorSunnyvale, Calif.-based Moshi said it launched a re-engineered version of its iVisorXT screen protector for Apple’s new iPad and the iPhone 4 and 4S. The new iVisor XT is said to feature a completely clear screen, for better viewing of the new iPad’s Retina

display. It also is said to serve iPad and iPhone users most interested in a glossier screen finish, vs. the less reflective surface of anti-glare screen protectors.

A case for the AirSan Francisco-based WaterField Designs says it has introduced a case for the MacBook Air that affords protection while maintaining the ultrathin comput-er’s compact design. The “CitySlicker” case is said to combine three layers of protection using impact-resistant plastic, neoprene and a padded liner. The

company says it gave the case an ‘old world” look by adding a dis-tressed leather flap.

help for carpoolersKarPooler is a free utility app for the iPhone that is said to enable carpoolers to communicate with other adults and/or kids more quickly and efficiently. The app is said to have three main function-alities: 1) Adults can simultane-

ously contact via text all the other adults linked to the children in a specific carpool (a feature said to be use-ful for last-minute changes or organizing a schedule); 2) Carpoolers can send texts to all the children in the carpool in case of change (and all messages are au-tomatically copied to their guardians); and 3) Drivers can notify individual adults via personalized text that their child has been dropped off safely at their prede-termined location. Said to be a good communication tool for anyone who belongs to groups or organiza-tions, such as Little League, PTA, book clubs, etc.

moshi said it launched a re-engineered version of its iVisorXT screen protector for apple’s new iPad and the iPhone 4 and 4S. The new iVisor XT is said to fea-ture a completely clear screen, for better viewing of the new iPad’s Retina display.

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Fitness videos…lots of themPumpOne, a provider of digital personal training prod-ucts, launched FitnessBuilder.com, a collect of on-de-mand, streaming fitness videos, available on any Mac or PC. In addition, the company announced ClassPass, a monthly or yearly subscription that provides users with access to 370 full-length video works across iPad and FitnessBuilder.com. ClassPass is now available for users of the FitnessClass app on iPad via the new update.

Beyond wireless areasUsers of the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch can access an array of two-way satellite communications capa-bilities with the inReach and DeLorme Earthmate app from DeLorme. inReach is said to turn the iPhone,

etc., into a global two-way satellite communicator for use outside the traditional wireless coverage areas. Users can send and receive messages to and from cell phones, e-mail contacts and other inReach users, anywhere in the world, according to the company.

App for cholesterol-watchersPfizer Inc. and EatingWell Media Group launched Pfizer’s Lipitor For You “Recipes 2 Go” app, mark-ing the first time Pfizer has released a consumer mobile app for a prescription product in the Unit-ed States. The app is said to offer consumers a va-riety of resources that can help to manage heart health, including access to 200 healthy recipes,

a shopping list feature, and tips on portion sizes and exercise. The app is intended to extend the newly launched Lipitor for You and Smart Living website, at www.lipitorsmartliving.com.

Easy chargingKeeping your iPhone, Android and other smartphones and micro-USB electronics charged is said to be easier with the Booster 2.0, a 2000 mAh Li-Polymer portable battery pack from Concord Keystone Trading LLC. The pack is a half-inch thick and weighs only 2 1/2-ounces, according to the company. Blue LED indicator lights let the user know that charging is taking place, and they also display the power level in the battery pack. The unit has a removable cover that can be placed on the

back of the phone to act as a hori-zontal or vertical viewing stand, so the user can watch videos while the device charges.

Golf swing analyzerTwo-time LPGA champion and golf teacher Penny Pulz is said to be us-ing swing analyzer 3BaysGSA™ Golf

Swing Analyzer, said to be the first product available that enables golfers to instantly learn about their golf swings, according to Perception Digital. The device is placed at the end of the grip; when the golfer hits the ball, it instantly presents such information as club head speed, tempo, impact force, etc. The captured data can then be shared with friends on Facebook.

LinkedIn on the iPadLinkedIn now offers users the chance to make con-nections on the iPad, according to a report in the New York Times. The app has been divided into three main sections: All Updates, Profile (You) and Inbox. All Updates allows users to view their professional updates along with relevant news their contacts have shared. The Profile section brings up the user’s Profile and LinkedIn connections as well as an activity dash-board. The Inbox section lets LinkedIn users network by sending and receiving invites and messages. FI

Keeping your iPhone, Android and other smartphones and micro-USB electronics charged is said to be easier with the Booster 2.0, a 2000 mAh Li-Polymer portable battery pack from Concord Keystone Trading LLC.

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WindshieldtimeChances are you spend a lot of time in your car. Here’s some automotive-related news that might help you appreciate your home-away-from-home a little more.

redesigns spell good prices for car buyersAuto sales are rebounding due to the plethora of re-designs and new introductions during the last few years, according to Kelley Blue Book. Shoppers in the market for a new-car bargain who don’t care about owning the most up-to-date body style on the road can find great deals on models headed for a redesign this fall, according to the company. Strong sales of popular models including the Toyota Camry, Hyundai Sonata, Chevrolet Cruze, Ford Focus and Honda CR-V all are the result of strong redesigns in the last few years. However, with the most in-demand vehicles, consum-ers can expect to pay close to the manufacturer’s sug-gested retail price with little or no cash rebate available. Kelley Blue Book found three discount-ed new compact cars, compact crossovers and mid-size cars head-ing for a redesign and offering big dis-counts. The Ford Fusion, Nissan Altima and Chevrolet Malibu were available at press time with more than $4,000 in savings after rebates. The Nissan Sentra and Toyota Corolla also were expected to be redesigned sometime in the next year, and currently are available at more than $2,000 off the sticker price.

Fuel economy top considerationThirty-seven percent of consumers surveyed by Consumer Reports said their leading consider-ation when shopping for their next car will be fuel economy. A distant second was quality (17 percent) followed by safety (16 percent), value (14 percent)

and performance (6 percent). Two-thirds of owners surveyed said they expected their next vehicle to get better fuel mileage than the one they’re driving now. Although gasoline costs (90 percent) were the No. 1 reason cited for wanting a more fuel-efficient vehicle, more than half of respondents also had other reasons, including a desire to be more envi-

ronmentally friendly (62 percent) and concern about dependence on foreign oil (56

percent). In all, nearly three quarters (73 percent) of participants said

they would consider some type of alternatively fueled vehicle, with flex-fuel (which can run on E85 ethanol) and hybrid models leading the way. Younger buyers were more likely to consider an al-

ternative-fuel or purely elec-tric vehicle than drivers over

the age of 55.

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WindshieldtimeChances are you spend a lot of time in your car. Here’s some automotive-related news that might help you appreciate your home-away-from-home a little more.

commands, including remote start, door lock/unlock and horn/light activation.

tsunami harley-Davidson on displayA Harley-Davidson motorcycle recovered on the coast of British Columbia after drifting for more than a year and 4,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean following last year’s Japanese tsunami will be preserved by the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee as a me-morial to the tragedy that claimed more than 15,000 lives, in accordance with the wishes of its owner, Ikuo Yokoyama. The story of the 2004 FXSTB Softail Night Train motorcycle’s survival and recovery by Canadi-an Peter Mark made international headlines after he found it washed ashore on a remote beach on British Columbia’s Graham Island at low tide. Mark discovered the motorcycle, still bearing its Japanese license plate, along with several other items in the remains of an in-sulated cargo van container where the motorcycle was being stored by Yokoyama prior to the tsunami that struck Japan on March 11, 2011.

self-driving car not far off?Anthony Levandowski, head of Google Inc.’s project to develop software and sensors to allow vehicles to drive themselves, was in Detroit in May to send a

message that the Internet com-pany is looking for partners to bring its innovations to market, according to the New York Times. Google still needs to do “millions of miles” of testing before it is ready to offer a self-driving car system for sale, Levandowski was quoted as saying. The company also was discussing with insurers how to address the liability issues raised by self-driving cars. Levan-dowski said he expects a system could be ready “much sooner than

the next decade. If not, shame on us as engineers.”

ten cheapest carsKiplinger has rated the 10 cheapest cars to own. All the vehicles on the list are small – either compacts or subcompacts – because they tend to have the low-est market price, the best fuel economy, and reason-able insurance rates, since premiums tend to rise with horsepower, according to the company. With the low-er-price class, owners may have to pay extra for auto-matic transmission, air conditioning and sometimes even a radio, not to mention such safety features as anti-lock brakes. Most are equipped with six standard airbags but only half have standard stability control. Here are the ten cheapest cars to own, including the total five-year ownership cost: Nissan Versa 1.6 Base 4dr ($26,233), Hyundai Accent GL 2dr hatch ($26,715), Chevrolet Aveo5 LS 4dr hatch ($26,958), Ford Fiesta S 4dr ($28,402), Mazda2 Sport 4dr hatch ($28,593), Toyota Yaris 4dr ($28,616), Kia Rio 4dr ($29,157), Kia Soul 4dr hatch ($29,275), Honda Insight 4dr hatch ($29,953), Ford Focus S 4dr ($30,290). FI

To commEnT on ThiS arTiclE------------------------------click here

The story of the 2004 FXSTB Softail Night Train motorcycle’s

survival and recovery by Canadian Peter Mark

made international headlines after he found

it washed ashore on a remote beach on British

Columbia’s Graham Island at low tide.

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