Mediquip_Case

After much analysis of the interactions between Thaldorf and the Lohmann University Hospital staff. I believe on June 1st is when the sale was lost. It was lost because Thaldorf did not analyze the interactions of his customers. By doing so he was caught in a bind between who he should keep his promise to. It happened when Thaldorf had not informed Hartmann, who seemed to be the key decision maker on just exactly why their CT scanner was so much better. All three CT scanners that the hospital was looking at met Dr. Rufer’s standards and if that was all that mattered then why should they not go with the cheapest one. Then on top of that he promised not to discuss the price of the CT scanner with Professor Steinborn, whom Thaldorf already promised to do the last time they had met. After this I believe the sale went downhill, especially because instead of showing the reasons why their machine was clearly better, Thaldorf tried to cut the price to compete with the other machines, and Hartmann called him out on this as well. If it is quality then show the quality, do not apologize for the price. A lot of things could have been done better in this situation. First of all going into any sale as in with any class you want to be prepared and illustrate that you are there and have done your homework. This automatically puts customers at ease feeling that they are being helped by someone who took the time to understand their predicament. That way he could have already set up appointments with Dr Rufer and Hartmann when he went to talk to Professor Steinborn. This also allows you to understand the whole picture and create selling points that are attractive to the customer much quicker. Secondly, create a meeting where you can discuss the product with everyone that is involved in the decision so you can address each customer’s problem and have everyone understand the answer. That way it is clear to everyone why the product is better than others and you do not have to repeat yourself with each person individually. If these had been done better than he may have been able to figure out how the decision was going to be made and who to talk with the most in order to get the sale, because Dr. Rufer at the end of the day did not seem to have much input. I believe that Thaldorf’s manager could have helped him more with his selling points to each individual rather than just drop the price. I believe that the sales strategy at MediQuip was at fault because this seemed to be standard procedure on how a sale was supposed to be made, but Thaldorf seemed unprepared for a lot of the problems that were raised during the sale. In terms of the four P’s they have already chose their production and place, their price is adjustable to each customer, but it is the promotion of the product where I feel they need to change their strategy. If their CT scanner is that much more advanced and faster than they should be marketing based on these facts and that radiologists love it as well as it being upgradeable. The biggest fear with a purchase this big is that it is done for in a few years. Sell the product based on the life cycle and its features, but make sure everyone understands this. I thought it was a good idea to have them come see one in action so they understand the difference in time that theirs takes compared to its competitors, but it was too late in the game.