Our last tip highlighted the value of securing staff buy-in on a competitive alternative from another supplier in capital negotiations. But sometimes, there simply is no other option—maybe it’s the only model with a physician-required feature, or maybe it’s a niche product made by just one manufacturer. What do you do when there’s no other option?
Introduce a used version of the same model as a competitive alternative. If you can’t get the supplier to compete against another supplier, make the supplier compete against themselves! This is a great way to offset a rep’s advantage, especially for a unique or highly specialized product. Even when the rep KNOWS that your physicians are set on buying their product, you can still say, “Yes, we do plan to buy this model…we just might not buy it from you.” And suddenly, you’ve introduced a credible threat—seemingly out of thin air.
Remember: even if your hospital staff would object to buying used, remind them that this is just a negotiation strategy to get a lower price and that you understand they only want a new system.
Recently, a Miga client was buying a new PET/CT with a unique, specialized feature that was required by hospital oncologists. But when the supplier rep’s “best offer” was still $400k over the hospital’s budget, they were left at an impasse. Instead, the team got creative: using the EVMS Equipment Locator, the hospital found a like-new option for sale from a hospital which was consolidating its services. The team casually mentioned to their rep that they were considering this alternative, and within hours they had a new quote with special promo included—reducing the total purchase price by more than $330k. It wasn’t quite the full amount they wanted, but it was still enough to close the gap and get the deal done. It’s a great reminder that even when there’s “no other option,” more often than not, there still is.