Mock Call: Rebuilding Trust After a Case Problem

The scenario

Dr. Priya Raman, an orthopedic surgeon who has used the TriAxis Knee System for her primary knees but is now deeply frustrated. Three weeks ago a TriAxis case had a missing instrument in the tray, and the covering rep — your predecessor — was unreachable when it mattered. The case was completed with a workaround but ran forty minutes long, throwing off her whole OR day. She has since moved two cases back to the OrthoCore competitor and took this meeting only as a courtesy. She is direct, protective of her patients and her OR time, and has heard reassurances before. She will not be sold to today. She will only begin to re-engage if the rep takes full ownership without excuses, presents a concrete service-recovery plan, and understands what she needs to feel safe — and she will re-book a case only if the rep explicitly asks and commits to personal coverage.

You are the new rep on this account, inheriting the fallout from your predecessor's missed case. Dr. Raman blames your company, not just the individual, and is actively shifting volume back to OrthoCore, whose rep is in her OR every week. She took this meeting to tell you why she is done with TriAxis. Your job is NOT to sell today — it is to take full accountability without excuses or blaming your predecessor, present a specific corrective plan (tray audit protocol, backup instrument sets, your direct cell, guaranteed personal coverage), discover what she needs to feel safe, and — only after trust is being rebuilt — ask for the next scheduled case back with your personal coverage commitment, without rushing the re-ask.

Expect these pushbacks