The Nitty Gritty!

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Sean Moore | | 5 Comments

As we start a new quarter, I am reminded that it’s always good to regularly evaluate our goals for 2013.  By the end of the second quarter, only 46% of Americans who made a resolution or goal will still be pursuing those goals.  In fact, by the end of the year, only 8% of people will have actually achieved their goals. 

Some of our sales leaders at ConMed just returned from a fabulous trip to Hawaii that was awarded because of their hard work and success throughout the year. Many of our Territory Managers and Area Directors tell me that it is their goal for the year to win this prestigious award.

What is your goal for this year? What will it take to make it happen? I have written before about the importance of goal setting—how to make goals, track them, and hold yourself accountable to them.  This week I would like to discuss a very simple strategy to help you stay focused on your goals or even to help you get back on track in pursuing them.

To keep our goals in sight and move forward towards achieving them, we need to see the big picture and take care of the nitty gritty.  We need to look at our goals from both “What” and “Why” perspectives. 

In other words, goals should be thought of in abstract, big-picture terms and then need to be brought into realization with concrete and specific action items that must be completed.  We need to think about our goals in “Why” terms to get energized and stay motivated, and we also need to think about our goals in “What” terms when we are dealing with difficult, tedious, or unfamiliar aspects of reaching our goals.

For example, one of my goals this year is to complete a marathon.  Before my decision to sign up for a race, I had never completed any running race—let alone run longer than five miles.  The big race day is May 19 in downtown Denver, where I will complete 26.2 miles! 

This past weekend, the “Why” and “What” came into play for me.  Every week, my training program dictates that I need to complete a minimum of four runs, where the last run of the week is the “Saturday Long Run.”  Each week I add more distance to that long run.  My long runs started at five miles, and this past weekend I completed my longest run ever—17 miles!   The night before this run, I did not sleep well and started feeling like I was coming down with something.  As I dragged myself out of bed Saturday morning, I really did not want to hit the pavement for the next three hours. 

I started thinking about my “Why” for running a marathon: only 1% of the population has ever completed a marathon, and I want to prove to myself that a non-runner can do it.  The improvement of my overall fitness also plays into the “Why” for me with this particular goal. Finally, I have told everyone I know that I’m going to run a marathon, and the thought of telling people that I didn’t do after all it is frightening and unimaginable. 

So I got myself out the door and started my long run.  About an hour and a half in and not quite halfway done, everything about my run was not going well.  My back and legs were sore, I had no energy, and my motivation was at a low point.  At that moment, the “Why” wasn’t helping, and I decided to focus on the “What.”  I turned my focus completely to my footwork, breathing, and the music playing on my iPod.  I would not let myself think of anything else but the physical requirements to keep me moving forward.  And it worked!  I finished my long run, and I’m ready for next week when I need to run 18 miles!

As the example above illustrates, thinking about your goals with a “Why” mindset will help you get moving and motivated, whereas the “What” mindset leads you to focus on the specific actions you need to complete in order to reach your goals.

When looking at your goals for this year, it’s great to daydream and get motivated. However, the road will inevitably become difficult and will require you to push through.  How will you respond when an evaluation does not go well?  Or perhaps when you lose an account or a big deal?  Will you get up again and display the model behaviors that require focus and tenacity?

The two characteristics I have witnessed in all of our award winners at ConMed is that 1) they know their “Why,” and 2) in times of tribulation, they are able to focus on the “What” that is required to keep them moving towards their goals. 

As we all begin a new quarter, keep your eye on the prize and fight, fight, fight for what is yours.

Remember that you and only you are responsible for your results. 

As Mario Andretti has been quoted, “Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal – a commitment to excellence – that will enable you to attain the success you seek.”

Stayed tuned in the weeks ahead for a new series! I have learned some great life lessons (that can also be applied to the pursuit of both personal and professional success) through training for my marathon, and I am excited about sharing them with you!

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A Glimpse into Success, Part V

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Sean Moore | | 2 Comments

As Vice President of Sales and Marketing at ConMed, it is an honor for me to get to work with extremely talented people every day. I recognize that this is a privilege, and so I decided to shine the spotlight on some of our terrific employees and leaders at ConMed. This post is the final one in this series; feel free to scroll through previous months here at MedExec.org to read the other interviews as well. I hope you will enjoy reading about these remarkable and inspiring people and their strategies for success in the medical sales industry.

This week’s post highlights the career of one of ConMed’s sales professionals who is highly respected by her peers as well as by the Territory Managers that work for her. This colleague started with ConMed Electrosurgery in July of 2008. She quickly proved herself by radically turning around her territory that had been previously underperforming. This territory was in such bad shape that the Territory Manager before her lasted just 4 months—when he found out how hard he would have to work, he quit.  The new Territory Manager was not daunted, however. She took on the challenge and immediately had an impact.  In January of 2012, this hardworking leader was promoted to the Area Director of the Mid Atlantic Region.  As a leader, she has continued to take on challenges and has always found ways to succeed.  In addition, she finds immense satisfaction in developing her Territory Managers so that they can also become successful.  She currently leads the #1 Altrus Territory Manager, and her region leads the country in Altrus sales and procedures.

Below are her answers to some questions I asked regarding her experience and strategies:

 

If someone wants to be in medical sales and, more specifically, wants to sell Altrus for ConMed, please describe what types of scenarios to expect.

ConMed provides a fast-paced, competitive selling environment.  If you are tenacious and love to find ways to overcome obstacles by coming up with creative ways to reach your end goal, then this is a job you will find rewarding.  If you hate hearing the word “no” and it demotivates you to work towards a specific end goal, you will not enjoy this position.

 

Have you ever had a surgeon that, at the outset, was completely disinterested in your product but is now a big believer? What changed that surgeon’s mind? How did you get through to him or her?

When you first approach surgeons about a new product, their reaction is based on many things.  They may be in a hurry, they may be having a bad day, or they may be in the middle of trialing another product.  An initial negative reaction does not mean that they are completely uninterested in the product.

Also, most surgeons do not even realize that some of the drawbacks to their current vessel sealing devices can be fixed because they have been dealing with these issues for such a long time.  When you speak with many surgeons initially, they state that they have no problems.  The best way to uncover any issues the surgeons may be having is to observe a case with the current technology that they are utilizing.  Discuss what you saw and how Altrus may help them.  This is where you can truly make an impact on the surgeon.

 

What has been your most exciting moment in the OR?

My most exciting times in the OR come when I see my Territory Managers win over a surgeon in an Altrus procedure by having an open dialogue with the surgeon throughout the procedure.  This dialogue includes troubleshooting, giving tips on how to utilize the product, overcoming obstacles, and also finding out what the surgeon loves about Altrus.

 

What has been your most challenging moment in the OR?

The biggest challenge is discerning whether a surgeon is a suspect or a true prospect.  A suspect is someone who is telling you all the things that you want to hear, but when it is time to commit, you have a difficult time getting the surgeon to move forward.  True prospects are those of whom you have asked difficult questions—and they are still excited about moving forward.

 

How important is goal setting to your success? How do you go about determining your goals and achieving them?

Goal setting is extremely important in order to stay on pace to hit your goals.  I determine my goals by reviewing ConMed’s corporate objectives.  Once I have set my long-term goals, I then break them down into short-term goals.  I review these goals on a weekly basis to see where I am succeeding and where I need to adjust if I am falling short of a particular goal.

 

How do you handle adversity in the field when things don’t go your way?

I understand that every answer of “no” is temporary.  I keep moving forward and try to find another way to get the end result that I am looking for.  This is where creativity and strategizing become an important part of success as a Territory Manager.  It is important to try to go into every situation with an understanding of each potential outcome and a plan to handle those outcomes in order to be well-prepared for whatever may come.

 

How do you plan your day?  How far in advance do you plan?

Although I need to be extremely flexible, I believe that it is very important to have a long-term plan and short-term goals that are aligned with each other.  Being a manager, I usually plan my schedule months or weeks in advance.  I instruct my Territory Managers to plan at least a week ahead.  They readjust their schedules as things change, but they always stay focused on the most important tasks.

 

What is your best advice for a brand new salesperson? 

Come in and be ready to soak up a lot of information.  The best way to do this is to throw yourself into the position and get into the OR as soon and as often as possible.  Also, use your teammates and manager as resources and constantly reach out to them with any question that you have.  No question is a stupid question.  By asking for help, you will avoid wasting a lot of time!

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A Glimpse into Success, Part IV

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Sean Moore | | Leave a comment

As Vice President of Sales and Marketing at ConMed, it is an honor for me to get to work with extremely talented people every day. I recognize that this is a privilege, and so I have decided to shine the spotlight on some of our terrific employees and leaders at ConMed. This post is the fourth in the series; feel free to read Part I, Part II, and Part III. I hope you will enjoy reading about these remarkable people and their strategies for success in the medical sales industry.

 

This week’s post is focused on one of our newest Area Directors; in fact, she was promoted to this position at ConMed recently due to her stellar performance and is now a sales manager overseeing seven sales reps. This outstanding colleague is described as being dependable, effective, ambitious, honest, courageous, and goal- and results-oriented. She is a driven sales professional—customers appreciate how quickly she responds to their needs and how she always follows through on what she says she will do. She is clear about what she expects from her customers and peers, an approach that consistently delivers positive results. In addition, she takes a very active role in helping both young and tenured Territory Managers develop their professional skills while also seeking advice regarding her own growth as a sales professional. Finally, this hardworking leader is able to follow a sales process effectively every time a sales opportunity arises. This discipline to the process has garnered much success for her, and she is the type of person every leader wants on the team.

 

Below are her answers to some questions I asked regarding her experience and strategies:

If someone wants to be in medical sales and, more specifically, wants to sell Altrus for ConMed, please describe what types of scenarios to expect.

If you love interacting with people, love providing a product that offers clinical benefits to the patients and surgeons, and love engaging a challenge, you will love selling Altrus.  If you hate hearing “no” and do not like the process of turning that “no” into a “yes,” you will not like medical sales.

 

Have you ever had a surgeon that, at the outset, was completely disinterested in your product but is now a big believer? What changed that surgeon’s mind? How did you get through to him or her?

Yes. I got Altrus into a facility, and this one particular general surgeon showed no interest at first.  After my initial “pitch” to the surgeon, I kept all other conversations on a more personal level to build rapport and trust with him. As a result, when I approached him again, he agreed to try Altrus. When he first used the device, he was pleasantly surprised at how well the device sealed, how fast the cycles were, and how well the device worked.  He is now my biggest advocate and has played a vital role in getting the product into the sister facility.

 

What has been your most exciting moment in the OR?

My most exciting moment in the OR was to hear a surgeon say that he had it in his mind that he was not going to like my product, Altrus, because he was so used to his current vessel sealing device.  When he turned to me and said, “This product is awesome—it’s fast, reliable, and I can really see a clinical benefit” that’s when I knew the product was better than our competition, and I took great satisfaction in sharing that third party story with other surgeons who questioned the device.

 

What has been your most challenging moment in the OR?

My most challenging moment in the OR is getting a new product in; however, it’s also the most rewarding when someone in the OR tells you “no,” but you have surgeons that fight to get the product in because they see the clinical benefits.  You can’t be afraid of rejection; you can’t be fearful of hearing “no.” 

You must continuously get the surgeons to see the clinical benefits of your product by coaching them, working procedures with them, providing meat demos, showing them videos, and inviting them to come and watch the cases of other surgeons who are using your device.  If you are fearful of providing constructive criticism/coaching to your surgeons, it will work against you.  They are looking at you to have the product knowledge and don’t want to be that “one surgeon” who doesn’t have success with that; the surgeons take that as a personal challenge for themselves and welcome the feedback.

 

How important is goal setting to your success? How do you go about determining your goals and achieving them?

Goal setting is extremely important to my success.  Strategizing and coming up with a plan for the month, quarter, and year and then writing these goals down helps me to achieve and reach both my personal and professional goals.  I try to always set short-term and long-term goals so that I constantly feel that I am accomplishing something and have another objective to reach for.

 

How do you handle adversity in the field when things don’t go your way?

I try to never let things get me down.  I always look for different ways around roadblocks, and I also try to think of any potential objections ahead of time in order to be more prepared. 

 

How do you plan your day?  How far in advance do you plan?

I plan ahead several weeks to a month or so in advance.  I base my planning on working Altrus cases in the OR and on finding a reason to be back there, whether it be additional cases, observing, capital sales, smoke opportunities, or a disposable conversion.  I am constantly looking for opportunities while in the OR, and then I base my week and/or month around the potential opportunities so that it gives me a strategic plan to follow.

 

What is your best advice for a brand new salesperson? 

Don’t take “no” for an answer until you truly, deep down inside, feel that you have exhausted all ideas and strategies for turning that “no” into a “yes.”  Build the rapport with the surgeon and staff and find a surgeon that is an advocate who will push and fight for your product.  Be overly prepared to handle any objection that may come your way—and don’t ever give up!

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The Power of Pausing

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Sean Moore | | Leave a comment

I have thoroughly enjoyed writing about the principles of growth over the last few weeks! As I conclude the series, I want to focus on one other aspect of personal growth.

John Maxwell believes that in order to grow, we must embrace the power of pausing.  Reflection allows growth to catch up with us as we become attuned to and understand the significance of what we have experienced. 

Here is a great quote from Jim Rohn reflecting this principle: “At the end of each day you should play back the tapes of your performance.  The results should either applaud you or prod you.”

For me, self reflection is the way to remove inner roadblocks—to become aware of the things that are really holding me back so that I can then tackle them by finding a solution or improving my performance. Self reflection is one of the best ways to attain the clarity needed in order to reach our full potential.

When we take a few minutes to reflect at the end of the day, we receive infinite opportunities for growth.  When I was a Territory Manager with ConMed, one of the reflection strategies that worked for me was this: after I pulled into my driveway, I would get out the “Standard Model Day” checklist (a checklist for daily accomplishments) along with my written goals for the day and the quarter and would then reflect on the accomplishments and shortcomings for that particular day.  I was interested in discovering whether or not I was moving myself closer to or away from my goals.

If you are committed to growth and to the development of your professional career, it’s important to have a strategy.  The following 5 steps were derived from what has worked for me, from John Maxwell’s teachings, and from research on the Internet about what works for other successful people.  They are:

1.  Schedule time in your day for reflection.

Scheduling time for reflection is imperative given the hurried pace of today’s workplace.  We need to ensure that we find time to reflect on our past and present decisions and also on our results. When we block out time in our schedule for reflection, we’re giving ourselves that opportunity to address some of those questions that need our attention and focus before we move ahead.

2. Make sure you remove any distractions.

Self reflection can only be effective if we get into the right mindset. It is best if we don’t have anything else on our minds, and it also helps if we aren’t interrupted. It has always been important that I make time for reflection before I come into the house, as with the kids, my beautiful wife (yes, she reads my blogs, and I am trying to get brownie points!—“A happy wife is a happy life”—perhaps a blog topic in the future?!), and family expectations, if I do not allocate those 10 – 15 minutes of reflection daily, then they will never happen.

3. Prepare a list of questions to reflect on.

Once we have designated time for reflection, how do we start this process? 

With regards to my sales performance, I use the “Standard Model Day” checklist that I mentioned above. I also write down some additional questions that are relevant to that particular day or time. Having a performance checklist and asking good questions provokes our brains to find answers and solutions.

Good questions are always the ones that bring the topic around to the point by asking “How can I …?”

“Why” questions are not effective because these types of questions can lead to answers that are focused more on excuses rather than on a plan of action.

“How” questions are solution- and action-oriented and thus are much more empowering.  For example, the question “How can I get in front of more surgeons?” is much more effective than “Why did I not get in front of enough surgeons today?”

Ask those “how” questions to prod yourself towards action that will help you reach your full potential.

4. Be honest with yourself.

When thinking about each question you need to answer, answer it with the best degree of truth that you can. Being truthful to yourself is a major key—without this you won’t get very far. The power lies within telling yourself the truth—because then you can act. Self reflection allows us to be more effective in the doing, and being truthful with ourselves only adds transparency and clarity.

5. Take action.

If you found a good answer to one of your questions, you now have the power to work from this new knowledge base and to really make a very positive change for yourself. Maybe this means you have to stop something, or maybe it means you do more of something else. Whatever it is, self-attained knowledge is empowering and life changing.

Once you have reached a conclusion and made a decision, commit to that decision and take action!  An early lesson in my career came after reading a leadership book by Ken Blanchard entitled The One Minute Manger.  Blanchard states this: “Intention – Actions = Squat.” Blanchard goes on to further explain, “All the good intentions in the world don’t mean a thing if they don’t line up with your actions.”

We are either getting better, or we are getting worse—but we never stay the same.  Our choice is either to keep moving forward in our personal growth and development or to stop and regress.  I hope you choose to grow, grow, and grow.  As I have learned from John Maxwell, our goal in personal growth is to reach our full potential.  In order to achieve this goal, we need to keep pausing, asking good questions of ourselves, being honest with ourselves, and committing to then take action.

It is then that we will truly grow, grow, and grow!

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Embrace the Tension

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Sean Moore | | Leave a comment

The potential for greatness is in all of us!  Greatness is not just for the chosen few.  It’s for the ones who believe, raise their own expectations, and push themselves.  The journey to greatness starts where we are today.

John Maxwell presents an interesting concept as one of his keys to growth; he refers to this concept as “The Law of the Rubber Band.”  What Maxwell suggests is that personal development stops when we lose tension between where we are and where we could be.  By continuously stretching ourselves in our professional and personal lives emotionally, physically, and spiritually, we stay out of the dreaded trap of mediocrity known as our “comfort zone.” 

I want you to think of ten things you can do with a rubber band.  No really—not just a couple of things, but ten. What is the one thing all the uses you came up with have in common?  Yep, you guessed it—rubber bands are only useful when they are stretched.  This analogy can be applied to us as humans as we maximize the value we bring to our personal development and growth when we are stretched.

A few months ago, I discussed the importance of reading and an interesting statistic: 42% of college graduates never read a book after they graduate.  So many people never truly try to reach their full potential and seem willing to settle for average in life.  I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand the idea of settling for average.  I love this quote from Arnold Bennett, a nonfiction author who was one of the forefathers of self-help books on success: “The real tragedy is the tragedy of the man who never stretches to his full capacity, never stands up to his full stature.” 

Bennett believed that, in order to reach our full potential, we need to be aware of the gap between where we are today and our potential—and then let the strain and tension of the space between those two motivate us to be better.

It is so important to continuously push ourselves in our personal and professional lives.  If you’re like me and most others, we are always tempted to simply settle and be comfortable.  We run the risk of staying in our comfort zones and settling for mediocrity.  I believe that if we never leave our comfort zones, this approach will result in lives filled with dissatisfaction.  In order to grow and reach your potential, you need courage to get outside of your comfort zone and break the chains of mediocrity. 

A famous quote by Jim Rohn says this: “Every life form seems to strive to its maximum except human beings. How tall will a tree grow? As tall as it possibly can. Human beings, on the other hand, have been given the dignity of choice. You can choose to be all or you can choose to be less. Why not stretch up to the full measure of the challenge and see what all you can do?” 

If you are reading this blog, I truly do believe you have a desire to grow and a willingness to be stretched.  However, if you want to change and grow, you will have to take some risks.  When that moment of risk is staring you in the face, the thing that keeps you from making the stretch is fear. But because we are humans, we have choices—we can choose to step out and be uncomfortable, or we can stay comfortable. 

Fear can be a voice telling us to step out, to push ourselves—and that takes courage.

So here’s the point: when we let ourselves experience fear and get out of our comfort zones, we have just moved closer to our true potential.  The journey doesn’t stop there, as now we have a new comfort zone, and we will need to push ourselves again if we want to grow more. 

Remember, growth stops when we lose the tension between where we are today and where we want to be tomorrow.  Having less tension undermines the growth towards our true potential.

I encourage you to embrace the tension along the road to your success!

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