Encore Episode: What Helps a Rep “Win Over” a Surgeon (It’s Not What You Think)

There’s no doubt about it—you better know the nuances of your product and fully understand the frustrations of the people you call on. What’s more, you need to know how and when to leverage those understandings. If you’re looking to develop or sharpen that kind of professional discretion, then you’ll want to revisit our 50th episode featuring Johnny Caffaro, senior manager of global downstream marketing for hip at Stryker. Johnny’s journey from a green go-getter to a trusted OR asset is an important and timeless reminder: Business development takes work, and it ain’t always pretty. Do it right, though, and you’ll open up countless opportunities for yourself over time. 

In this epsiode, you’ll learn: 

• Why everyone in a hospital—from administrators to custodians—is worth your time and can help you build a more aligned strategy

• Why it pays to make the scrub tech look like a hero 

• How to get the ‘status quo bias’ working in your favor

• Ways to save your career from the complacency trap (or avoid it altogether)

Plus, we explore the advantage of pitching your most complex products first. 

Physician Education: A Changing Landscape

Odds are, your prospective customer is trapped in their own ‘healthcare bubble’—and your ‘in’ could be showing them a way out. Dr. Brian Cohen is an anesthesiologist and the co-founder and COO of CMEfy, a co-learning platform that’s incentivizing clinician collaboration. We sat down with him to hear how his platform is giving clinicians the keys to drive their continuing medical education while helping medical thought leaders monetize their insights. Join us to find out how MedTech reps can leverage this co-learning revolution to drive value for customers and get plugged into what clinicians on the ground care about most.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The power of reflective journaling in medicine

• What it took to design a platform where no stakeholder loses

• How the cautionary tales of social media impact co-learning efforts

• Why once “close to the chest” techniques are now being passed along

Plus, we dig into COVID’s role in helping check egos and spur open channels of communication. 

A Surgeon’s Advice to MedTech: Be Intentional, Steward Your Brand, and Enhance Workflows

Like most docs, urologic surgeon Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt only takes reps as seriously as they present themselves. Walk into his office with wrinkled scrubs, little to no research on your competitors, and a callous attitude toward his staff, and you’ll get schooled—that is, if he agrees to see you at all. We welcomed Dr. Brahmbhatt to the show to share constructive critiques of today’s MedTech reps and explain what it takes for them to earn the title of ‘partner.’ Join us as we discuss the importance of first learning—then enhancing—an office’s workflow, who really makes key decisions in a practice, and why your poker face isn’t as impenetrable as you think.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why talking crap about competitors tanks your credibility
• How to get your foot in the door by owning the small things
• Why docs won’t trust you if you don’t put brand image before quotas  
• Basics doctors expect you to know about the way they practice medicine
• Why simple forethought is always your strongest competitive advantage

Plus, Dr. Brahmbhatt’s explains the issue with some reps’ unauthorized name-dropping habit.

Owning Your MedTech Career with Samuel Adeyinka

Selective language is everything in sales—so why are you so careless with your self-talk? Some may think personalized coaching offers little more than woo-woo terminology and fuzzy feelings… but when Samuel Adeyinka dug deep and began questioning limiting beliefs in every arena of his life, his MedTech career accelerated rapidly. We caught up with Samuel, who founded his own full-service media and training company, “Evolve Your Success,” to discuss why all professional triumphs are anchored in personal growth. Join us for our richest discussion about mindset yet—it may have you reconsidering what you truly want out of your MedTech career, why you want it, and how to go about getting it. 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What it means to “show up for yourself” every day
• Why it might be time to redefine what success means to you
• How the best of the best continue to perform professionally amid personal setbacks
• Why reps shouldn’t fear sharing their real motivations with hiring managers
• How to manage the sometimes-intimidating freedom of today’s social media branding

Plus, we explore the importance of drawing upon formative past experiences. 

Showing Physician Partners What’s Possible with Better Banking

Should a father, husband, and physician charged with the care of critically ill patients have to ask “an adult” to co-sign on a $2,000 personal loan? Of course not. Yet that’s the message Michael Jerkins, MD, M.Ed, kept hearing from banks during his residency—and his frustrations became the fuel for co-founding Panacea Financial. We sat down with Michael to learn how his “bank built for doctors, by doctors” does things differently. Join us as we discuss the overlooked financial stresses of transitioning from med school to residency and beyond, financial options that can help junior partners buy into a practice, and smarter ways to consolidate student loan and credit card debt.  

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Valuable lending insights to pass along to customers
• The “learned helpless” that’s holding docs back financially
• How physicians can finance a practice buy-in without liens 
• The biggest financial barriers at each stage of a physician’s care                 

Plus, we dig into why personal relationships—not balance sheets—should drive banking.