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On May 29, 2015, I had the pleasure to attend S-Ray, Inc’s annual Investor Day in beautiful Portland, OR. It was great to meet fellow shareholders and spend some time with members of the company’s executive team. Recently, friend and … Continue reading
On a short trip home to Charlotte, NC in February 2015 prior to the annual pilgrimage to Chicago for the Mid Winter Meeting, I had the opportunity to tag along with a friend to a meeting with a marketing agency. As the meeting unfolded, I realized the firm wasn’t a marketing agency. Well, they were, sort of. But, then again, they were more than a traditional “agency”. The best I could come up with at the time was that they are a “sales enablement” partner. I was intrigued and wanted to learn more. Luckily, they are open to sharing. So, I’m happy to present 5 Questions With Preston Fay, founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Technekes, a sales enablement and marketing firm located right in my hometown of Charlotte, NC.
Michael Dunn: Tell us about Technekes. What services do you offer?
Preston Fay: Technekes is technology-driven B2B marketing company that works with North American healthcare manufacturers to extend the reach, efficiency and effectiveness of their traditional sales teams.
MD: So, why would a dental equipment or materials manufacturer want to talk to Technekes?
PF: Here are the two questions I always ask prospective clients, “Is your sales team hitting its numbers?” and “Are you confident you’ll make your sales goals this year?” If you answer “no” to either of those questions – or both – you need Technekes. Industry statistics tell us that in a “successful” sales organization, only 60% of the team hits their numbers. And among global sales leaders, only 38% are confident they can achieve their goals. Technekes’ RepOnCall platform successfully addresses both of the issues head on.
MD: What makes Technekes unique compared to similar companies?
PF: One of our clients summed it up best, “You guys are actually doing the work that everyone else wants to be able to do.” We’ve got the technology and the talent, and we’re delivering numbers and results to prove it.
MD: Specifically, what can Technekes offer manufacturers of dental products?
PF: Our RepOnCall representatives work with manufacturers in many ways, doing everything from setting appointments for your own sales team, to filling the gap when someone on your team takes a leave of absence, to reaching practices in overlooked geographies, to building relationships with established dental practices, and to providing leads to your team. We represent you, your brand, and your team with the highest degree of professionalism and expertise, and everything we do is measurable.
MD: What trends do you think will have the biggest impact on marketing dental products in the next 5 – 10 years?
PF: As dental professionals are increasingly busy and stressed – both as dentists and business owners – it will become increasingly difficult for sales reps to get in to see them, much less build trusting relationships. The current business model of the “traditional” on-the-ground sales force will have to adapt.
I hope you enjoyed getting to know Technekes as much as I did. If so, please contact them to learn more. Thank you for reading.
I’ve been thinking and writing a bit lately about digital dentistry. I should amend that statement – I’ve been thinking about it for most of my career. Recently, a mentor said something rather innocuous that has been jostling about in my brain ever since. He said, “we’re competing with FedEx.” In the context of the conversation, he was referring to the increasing number of entrants in the “digital dentistry” (intra-oral and counter top 3D scanners and fabrication devices) category and how they all seem to be trying to battle each other with particular feature-based arguments. His comment was that he doesn’t see the other devices or technologies as the primary competition. In the grander scheme of things, we’re competing with FedEx.
In other words, as the category moves from niche to approaching mainstream, we are challenging the status quo of traditional clinical workflows. The digitization of dental impressions, whether intra-orally or from a physical impression in a counter top device, allows efficiencies and cost savings that the conventional logistics do not. We now send data from point A to point B, rather than sending an impression, a model, etc. We’re competing with FedEx.
Of course, the brands will still compete with one another. And this competition at the brand level serves in my mind to underscore the greater point. The category has matured to an extent that allows this feature-based competition between widget manufacturers A – Z. Such competitive arguments and positioning assume the validity of the category. And this is something which was not taken for granted just a few short years ago.
So, this concept of “competing with FedEx” obviously really resonated with me. As someone who spent years in the trenches of the early battles to prove the validity of the digital dentistry category, I feel a certain satisfaction in seeing the battle progress. So, are we competing with FedEx? I would love to hear your thoughts.
Thank you for reading.
The Dunn Show 