Arithmancy: The Magic of Numbers!

How a Little Goes a Long Way

 

Some years ago, there was an explosion of interest in electronic health record (EHR) software, driven partly by government regulation and incentives. EHR software is what you see on your physician’s computer screen that lists your medical history, medications, test results, and similar information.

 

During discovery conversations, doctors confirmed that by using these EHR systems they could easily trim a few minutes from writing-up and entering their notes after each patient visit. A Delta of three minutes was often the agreed-upon amount of improvement. Amazingly, many (many!) EHR sales were based on saving these three minutes per doctor-patient interaction.

 

Just three minutes: That can’t yield significant gains, can it?

 

In the U.S., a typical doctor might see fifteen patients a day. If three minutes are saved with each interaction, that amounts to recovering forty-five minutes each working day. At 220 working days per year, that’s 165 hours per year, per doctor.

 

The average U.S. hospital has about 135 doctors, so 135 doctors x 165 hours/doctor = 22,275 hours saved per year for that hospital. There are about 1875 working hours per year, giving us 22,275/1875 = ~12 doctors. That’s like getting twelve “free” doctors without any additional hires!

 

The average doctor’s salary in the U.S. is ~$200,000. Assuming a (very low) burden of 50%, each doctor costs the hospital $300,000 annually. So, the ability to gain twelve “free” doctors amounts to avoiding spending $3.6 million annually.

 

That’s right: three minutes saves the hospital $3.6 million through avoiding the need to hire twelve additional physicians!

 

That’s a cost-avoidance approach. A second, incremental revenue approach is even more compelling: Each doctor generates about $2 million annually. So, the equivalent of twelve additional doctors generates $24 million in incremental revenue, without adding a single new physician.

 

Abracadabra!

 

The magic of numbers: The three minutes saved with each doctor-patient interaction generates an additional $24 million annually! (That’s a big rabbit you just pulled out of your hat!)

 

 

And here’s how to uncover the numbers in your discovery conversations!

https://www.amazon.com/Doing-Discovery-Important-Enablement-Processes/dp/B0B8RJK4C2/

 

Which Vendor Statement Has More Impact?

 

Compare these:

 

“If you buy our software, you’ll save time and money…!”

 

“If you implement our software, it looks like you will reduce your project completion time by 20%, you can redeploy 4 FTE to other more valuable tasks, and you will save over $750,000 annually, based on the numbers you provided.”

 

The difference between these two approaches is striking and has a huge impact on your prospects’ perceptions of value!

 

Sales, presales, and other customer-facing staff are repeatedly urged by their managers to “communicate value.” Some players fail completely and only present features: “We have this fabulous Biframulator function!” This is a far-too-large population.

 

Others try to communicate value, but their statements are meaningless: “With our Biframulator feature you’ll save time and money!”

 

A wiser population of vendor staff offer benefits statements that match capabilities to prospect needs: “And you told us that the Biframulator capability is an important part of your solution.” This type is better, because it shows that some discovery was completed and acknowledged. However, as a value statement it is still insufficient to support buyers’ cost justification requirements.

 

Solution Selling, CustomerCentric Selling, and other sales methodologies define the differences between features, advantages, and benefits as: 

 

·      Features are descriptions of the capabilities offered in a product or service.

·      Advantages are the gains or improvements that a customer might enjoy but lack the prospect’s confirmation of need.

·      Benefits represent the value a product can provide that includes your prospect’s confirmation of the need, and its tangible value.

 

Here are examples of communicating value following these definitions:

 

·      Feature Approach: “With our Biframulator, you’ll save time and money…!”

·      Advantage Approach: “Some of our other customers have saved thousands of dollars with our solution.”

·      Benefit Approach: “It looks like you’ll save over $750,000 annually, based on the numbers we discussed.”

 

Question: Whose numbers are most believable?

 

·      Feature Approach: Nope, it’s just an empty claim from the vendor.

·      Advantage Approach: Better, since the numbers (in theory) came from another customer and are therefore a bit more believable.

·      Benefit Approach: Best, without question, because the numbers came from your prospect!

 

Newly minted vendor customer-facing folks tend to start with feature statements. Vendor staff who are still junior, but developing, seek to avoid feature statements and focus on advantages and benefits. Seasoned veterans know that benefit statements have the most influence and guide their conversations accordingly!

 

And here’s how to uncover the numbers you need for benefit statements!

https://www.amazon.com/Doing-Discovery-Important-Enablement-Processes/dp/B0B8RJK4C2/

Sage Sayings and Wise Words to End 2025 and Start 2026

 

Do the Last Thing First!

 

Peel Back the Layers

 

Encrispen!

 

Avoid Buying It Back.

 

Execute all pathways with the fewest number of clicks.

 

Secure the order with the least expensive form of proof.

 

Zippy Mouse Syndrome is curable.

 

Walk a mile/kilometer in your prospects’ shoes!

 

Diagnose before offering a prescription.

 

One great Illustration is worth a thousand mouse clicks!

 

The vendor that is perceived as doing a superior job 

in discovery is in a competitively advantageous position!

 

We are victims of momentum.

 

Stop selling when your prospect is ready to buy.

 

Don’t become a member of the Sales Prevention Team!

 

Your prospect’s Critical Date is not your end of quarter.

 

Sometimes it takes a direct conversation with a customer!

 

Don’t inflict corporate overview presentations 

on your prospects.

 

Never take your prospect on a trip you wouldn’t take yourself!

 

There’s a lot we can learn from improv!

 

Fail fast, fail early, fail cheaply.

 

You can overcome the Dunning Kruger Effect!

 

With great curiosity comes great opportunity!

 

For every generalization there is a population 

of meaningful of exceptions.

(Including this one!)

 

We live our lives in a state of constant confirmation bias.

 

Don’t suffer from the Curse of Knowledge!

 

It’s OK, dear prospect, to say no…

 

When opportunity knocks, open the door!

 

It’s like peeling back the layers of an onion: 

What happens if you peel back the layers too far? 

You cry!

 

People learn best from people they don’t know – ask any parent!

 

Marketing is a gateway drug to sales…!

 

There’s nothing sacred about Slide-Show mode…

 

All my heroes are imperfect; 

I’m working hard to follow in their footsteps!

 

There are many better check-ins than, “Any questions so far?”

 

Make seventy-six seconds your target Speaker-Switch duration.

 

Don’t end a sales cycle before it can begin.

 

Sales can be an honorable profession!

 

 

Still working to improve the world one discovery conversation 

and one demo at a time…

 

 

And if you are unfamiliar with any of the above, 

you’ll find the sources here!

 

Suspending Disbelief:

https://tinyurl.com/yc7rsrmy 

 

Doing Discovery:

https://www.amazon.com/Doing-Discovery-Important-Enablement-Processes/dp/B0B8RJK4C2/

 

Great Demo! Third Edition:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9SNKC2Y/

“Here’s the Truth?”

 

When someone starts a sentence with the phrase,

"Here's the truth," I'm immediately skeptical!

“Customer Fill In” – A Truly Terrific Demo Tip!

 

This tip will change your demos BIG time…

 

Encourage your prospects to actively PARTICIPATE in your demos by gently (but firmly!) forcing them to CHOOSE demo options, whenever possible.

 

If there is a list of five options on a menu, ask your PROSPECT which one they’d like.

 

If there is a need to name something, ask your PROSPECT what to name it.

 

If there is a choice of options for a workflow, ask your PROSPECT which path to pursue.

 

Compared to typical demos, your prospect will be MUCH more engaged. Even better, they will have had to THINK about which choices they want and will begin to take ownership for the outcomes.

 

Absolutely terrific!

 

Here’s the background to led to this:

 

I was watching demos that highlighted vendors’ customer-facing intake forms/portals and noted some poor practices. Each vendor claimed that end-customers “can complete the process in five minutes or less,” but:

 

-        They turned the 5-minute workflow into 15-30 minutes…!

-        They used obviously fake demo data.

-        They covered many options, often exhaustively!

-        It was obvious that the demonstrators had presented the same demo pathway dozens of times (it sounded like the presenters were boring THEMSELVES!).

-        The prospects were largely silent during the entire demo.

-        And the vendors NEVER asked prospects to provide input into the workflows…

 

This last item really struck me as a MAJOR error! Our objective is to turn demos into CONVERSATIONS.

 

Here’s a truly terrific tip for these situations: Invite your prospect to be the end-customer and fill in the form, through you!

 

Let’s say your software offers an intake portal for consumers who want a loan. You say to your prospect, “OK, let’s have YOU play the part of your customer. YOU tell me what to enter on each screen…”

 

Advantages?

 

-        You and your prospect COMPLETE the intake form in five minutes (proving your original claim).

-        Your prospect gains a first-hand vision of how the process works.

-        Your prospect THINKS about the options and asks relevant questions.

-        And your prospect is fully engaged throughout the process!

 

This approach is called “Customer Fill In.”

 

Any time there is an option to choose from (and you don’t care about the choice), invite your PROSPECT to make the choice. They’ll be engaged, taking ownership of the process and the result. Delightful!

 

You’ll find many more great tips in “Great Demo!” here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9SNKC2Y/