Reframing Objections in Medical Tourism Sales
Hello, dear medical tourism sellers, managers, and investors,
Today is self-criticism day. As you all know, as a sales lover, I provide training and consultancy on many issues in medical tourism, particularly sales. I’m trying to find a solution to the “garbage data” issue, which has become established jargon lately. The so-called “garbage data” that we identified through training, process improvement, and live patient search consultancy finally reveals its true nature. What’s the real story behind this data? Their name is not “garbage data”—they are patients who object.
From “Garbage Data” to “Patient Objections”: A Perspective Shift
I regularly participate in patient calls alongside sales teams. When we apply instant feedback and develop storified message content for patients previously considered “garbage data,” we collectively observe something important: they aren’t garbage data at all—they’re simply patients with objections.
I can hear you asking whether a customer who doesn’t answer their phone—or who answers but claims they didn’t fill out the form—is truly objecting. I say YES with all my heart. A patient who seems highly available when filling out a form can change their priority within just 5 minutes. Even if you call promptly, you might have already lost your importance to them.
Aren’t we all like that? Consider what we’ve been experiencing in this world and especially in our country lately. An hour ago, I might have wanted a Hollywood smile when laughing, but 1 hour or even 1 minute later, 10 of our cities were destroyed. Isn’t our only priority now to help our citizens in need? Haven’t we suspended our short, medium, and long-term goals? Let’s practice empathy, my friends—empathy that acknowledges how quickly priorities can change.
The Gift of Objection: Patience and Perseverance
We must accept objections as gifts and show patience to maintain our motivation and self-confidence. For example, I never consider myself defeated. I accept any negative approach as an objection and patiently work through it. As I’ve told you, I’m in love with this profession.
Common Objections in Medical Tourism Sales Training
What objections do I encounter? Let me share some examples.
Some of my seller, manager, and investor friends in medical tourism have objections to selling itself. Yes, you heard correctly—making sales. As someone who has seen salespeople increase their productivity at least threefold through proper training, we can reasonably conclude that those who object to learning are actually objecting to selling, right?
What if the ship could float without selling? How do these objections manifest? Not openly and directly, of course, but unconsciously. That’s because these professionals don’t realize their real need is to learn how to sell effectively.
Real-World Objections and Solutions
Let me provide some concrete examples of objections I’ve encountered and how I’ve addressed them:
1. The Team-Building Objection
“Sir, it’s challenging to establish a team in this sector. We’ll get to training after establishing a team.”
This is a classic objection. I never questioned what would happen to individual sellers trying to learn independently while waiting for the team to be completed. Instead, I listened to the objection, considered it, and returned with a training plan open to general participation. The objection dissolved when I explained they could receive training either as a team or individually.
2. The Time-to-Results Objection
“Sir, with education, work takes a long time, and we need immediate results.”
This was a serious objection. I listened patiently, contemplated it, and began conducting live patient search workshops immediately following the training. Armed with knowledge, we quickly found solutions. In our initial workshops, we increased closing rates from below 1% to 5% after just 2-3 sessions. We continue improving, with a target of 10%.
3. The Price Competition Objection
“Sir, everyone sells the same product, and even the patients understand this. They’re just looking for the best price.”
In other words, someone suggested they would use the money invested in education for price reductions instead. This is a universal objection, not specific to medical tourism. I deployed my value-oriented sales training in response. I explained what creativity truly means: satisfying customer needs more effectively than competitors. I watched with delight as teams who learned to connect product features with patient values moved away from the “lowest price” mindset.
Innovative Solutions to Training Challenges
You wouldn’t believe how many hidden objections I’ve encountered and continue to face. If I shared them all, we’d have enough content for a TV series! Let me share one recent objection that led to an innovative solution:
“Sir, we’re very far from Istanbul. It would be difficult for you to come here for every training session.”
This was a polite and gentle appeal that essentially meant: “Trainer, you’d need to come at least 3-4 times. It will be expensive because of the flights, accommodation, meals, and the education fee itself.”
Can such an objection stop a sales trainer whose aim is to contribute to the growth of the sector and the country’s economy? I contemplated this, took action, and developed all my training into a 3-month scenario. I partnered with an interactive video publisher with exceptional infrastructure and the industry’s leading studio. I entered the studio, recorded the scripts I wrote, and transformed them into interactive training videos—creating an experience where participants receive answers to their questions as if they were in live classroom training.
Adapting to Multilingual Teams
During this journey, another objection occurred to me:
“Sir, 7 languages are spoken in our team. You can teach in 2 languages, so how can we conduct the training?”
I added multilingual translation capabilities to my interactive video platform. Thus, we resolved two objections simultaneously. Now, rather than visiting institutions 4-5 times, clients watch my training videos, and I visit just once. During that visit, we discuss real cases and reinforce what they learned in the training.
Conclusion: Embracing Objections
Silent or vocal, every negative patient response is an objection, my dear friends. What matters is what you conclude from that objection. You either dismiss it as “garbage data” or consider how you can earn from it.
The choice is yours. Please know that I’m ready for any of your objections. They’re all gifts to me.
Key Takeaways for Medical Tourism Sales Professionals
- Reframe “garbage data” as patients with objections
- Accept objections as opportunities rather than obstacles
- Develop flexible training models to overcome logistical challenges
- Implement value-based selling to transcend price competition
- Use technology to overcome language and distance barriers
- Practice empathy when dealing with changing patient priorities
Watch our video on handling sales objections in medical tourism
Frequently Asked Questions
How quickly should sales teams follow up with medical tourism leads?
While immediate follow-up (within 5 minutes) is ideal, remember that patient priorities can change rapidly. Develop systems for persistent but respectful follow-up.
How can we overcome price objections in medical tourism?
Focus on value rather than price. Help patients understand the comprehensive benefits of your services, including quality of care, accreditations, success rates, and the total patient experience.
What’s the most effective training model for international medical tourism teams?
Hybrid models combining interactive digital training with targeted in-person workshops have proven most effective, especially for multilingual and geographically dispersed teams.
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