Friday, November 17, 2006

The Ultimate Tag Team

The first six months as a Linvatec rep are challenging, frustrating, insanely busy, and very, very exciting. New reps work during the day and study at night and on the weekends. They must complete 40 modules of training on-line before the come to Largo for formal, in-depth, hands-on training with our marketing managers.

"Give us six months," our director of sales asks new reps. Six months of total immersion. Six months of total commitment. The return on investment? Knowledge, confidence, and eventually, success.

On Labor Day this year, two new reps got their start with us. One represents our arthroscopy and endoscopy lines, the other our powered instruments. Over the next year, they'll share their experiences with us as they cut their teeth in the world of medical device sales.

If you are interested in getting into medical device sales or considering a career with Linvatec, I hope their experience will shed some light on what to expect. If you're one of our other newbies, perhaps you'll gain something from their experiences and share yours too. And, if you're a veteran Linvatec rep, I hope you'll cheer them on. See their comments attached.

Meet the Ultimate Tag Team...

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi guys. Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedules to “chat” with me. Above, I tried to describe what the first few months as a Linvatec rep are like. How would you guys describe it?

Rico Tubbs said...

The first few months is a very difficult time. You have to adjust to a new job with a big learning curve. A lot of reading and studying to do.

SunnyCrockett said...

So far things have been pretty hectic in a good way. The pace is very fast, and no two days are the same.

Anonymous said...

You both survived a rigorous interview process: multiple interviews and at least one ride-along. How does your experience now compare with your expectations before you were hired? What’s different? What’s better? Worse? Is there anything more that you wish we would have told you during the course of the hiring process?

SunnyCrockett said...

The part of the process that opened my eyes was my ride along. Walking into a case and viewing a surgery was an eye opening experience. That is when I knew I wanted this job. I feel that the whole process couldn't have gone better. I work with great people who are very supportive. I hate to use the word, "worse", but I would say the biggest obstacle I have found is gaining access to the proper staff to sell your products. Nothing that can't be overcome though...

Rico Tubbs said...

No everything that I expected to happen and what I have been told, have all falling in the right steps. I knew coming into this that it would be a tough road for a year or so. I think if your aware of that and know it's going to be tough your not to surprised. With help from our distributorship and other reps has been very helpful.

Anonymous said...

Our approach is to have reps spend about six weeks in the field before they come to training. What do you think of that approach? How do you handle calling on your accounts when everything is so new to you?

SunnyCrockett said...

I think it is an excellent approach. It gives you an idea about what your job duties are, products covered and gives you a hands on without any training. You run into many q's from accounts that you may not know at first, but it is a perfect learning tool. My manager has been instrumental to me in meeting my accounts for the first time, so that process has been smooth

Rico Tubbs said...

I think that is a very good approach to things. I also had the opportunity to ride with other sales reps, which helped me a with the process as well. I think playing the new card helps out as well people are willing to help a little more and tell you about the process. What they like and what they don't like.

Anonymous said...

What do you think of the on-line training? When and how much do you study?

SunnyCrockett said...

on-line training is a great tool. you always refer back to it for product knowledge. obviously you try to study every day in some way, shape, or form. Whether it be online, product brochures, or speaking to sales force for insights.

Rico Tubbs said...

On line training I think is great. It helps you understand your products and how they work. It's also a nice tool to refer back to at any time to refresh your memory just before an inservice or evaluation.

Anonymous said...

In your area, as in some others around the country, we are going to a focused-model, meaning we are “splitting the bag”. One unintended consequence is that we are hiring and starting two reps at once, and fortunately, you two have hit it off. How has working and learning the business together benefited you guys?

SunnyCrockett said...

I don't know if I would say working with ricotubbs has helped my situation. Just kidding. Our relationship has been great. We help each other with leads, we are both new so we encounter and share whatever situations that we ran into that day and what to keep an eye out for. I think it is advantageous that we are both going through this at the same time. Learning from each other's mistakes.

Rico Tubbs said...

I think it's a great idea. When you a brand new rep it's nice to have someone else who is going through the same thing. Not only that he may get leads to pass it on to me and viseverse. Also if he may have questions about how to approach accounts and not sure how to do it, he has me to help him with it.

Anonymous said...

Tell me more about the support and training you’ve received from your distributor and the other senior reps.

Rico Tubbs said...

My distributor put on a miny two day training program that was extremly helpful. They went over everything that we would encounter, informed us how and who to speak to, the chain of command. They also had senior reps come in and speak for a bit which was helpful. To see their excitement and positivity toward the job.

SunnyCrockett said...

I couldn't work for a better distributor. Obviously I have bias there, but Everyone in my distributorship is awesome. Helpful, always supportive, and my territory manager is one of the best in the industry. He is a walking encyclopedia for Ortho. Right from the get go, from our initiation class, to everyday phone calls, our "team" has put me in the position to succeed.

Anonymous said...

Proud moments? Successes?

SunnyCrockett said...

Proud moments=conducting an evaluation solo with several surgeons, nerve racking, but confidence builder.

Rico Tubbs said...

Yes getting in on cases by myself and assiting the OR staff with my power equipment. Very nerve recking during the case but the more you do the easier it is. Successes to me is getting access to the OR and haveing the OR staff feel comfortable with me..

Anonymous said...

I must say, I am very proud of you guys. As a recruiter, you hope to help choose the right person for the job, someone who will excel and really love what they are doing. You both are right on the mark. Thanks for all your hard work and your great attitudes.
So, what’s next— pastel suits? A little Jan Hammer music?

Rico Tubbs said...

That's funny we still have a lot of learning to do and a long road ahead of us. This is just the beginning of hopefully a bright and successfull future. I'm just taking one day at time. I always say hard work pays off so that's what I will continue to do....

SunnyCrockett said...

the journey has just got started. If you can look at the big picture, it doesn't get any bigger than what we are doing for an occupation. Just trusting your superiors and believing in my distributor, gives me all the reason to believe I can succeed. Don't forget a little thing called hard work.

Anonymous said...

I’m looking forward to meeting you both at training in a couple of weeks. Happy Thanksgiving!
(signing off...)

SunnyCrockett said...

Happy turkey day to you too Lisa, and to your family also.

Rico Tubbs said...

Thank you very much Lisa same to you.. Have a great Holiday...