Friday, July 17, 2009

2008 Rookie of the Year

Today, I'll have an opportunity to interview the latest Rookie of the Year. He is someone who from his first interview showed that he was "hungry". It's a quality that people talk a lot about, but what exactly does it mean? I hope that our conversation today will shed some light on it.

From my perspective, true hunger for success includes the willingness to take responsibility for preparing yourself for the next step in your career, not just asking someone to "give you a shot."

(Read comments below for the interview...)

16 comments:

Lisa McCallister said...

Winning Rookie of the Year is a special honor. Congratulations! It is an award that every salesperson has dreamed of winning. How did you make it happen?

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the kind and encouraging words. To win an award like this took a lot of hard work, patience, persistence, and dedication to your territory. This award has humbled me and I was fortunate enough to have great resources and products at my disposal.

Lisa McCallister said...

What were the resources that were most helpful to you in attaining success?

Anonymous said...

Our internal product support for my immediate product line helped to accelerate my learning curve. I can not say enough about our sales management team. During several negotiations, they gave me the support and luxury to beat out the competition in almost every scenario.

Lisa McCallister said...

When we did a survey with the sales force, they felt the product support, or technical help line, was a great resource to them. I've spoken to people who work with our competitors who don't have any such resource. As a new rep, when you were in surgery in the beginning, how did you utilize the tech support group?

Anonymous said...

Great question: In the beginning, I would reach out to our support via phone/email. I took responsibility for learning who was who and making sure I had their email and phone number readily available. I would often times find myself stepping outside of the OR to make a call and gather additional information about a product for my clients. Linvatec support assures that a live person always answers the phone. This really helped me during the beginning.

Lisa McCallister said...

There is always some tension between wanting to have all the answers for the customer, and knowing when to say, "I don't know the answer to that, but I will get back to you." How did you juggle maintaining credibility with your customers and earning their respect, while you were still learning so much?

Anonymous said...

Every sales rep has a story to tell. If your new, then your new and that is part of your story. I strongly believe in setting expectations. During my first 6 months, part of my story included the fact that I was new and may not have all the answers. I would state this fact prior to a question coming up that I could not answer. People appreciate the fact that you are honest. As much as an assest you can be by knowing a wealth of information, our clients don't care for another sales rep who thinks he/she knows it all. Many sales reps will simply try to talk their way out of things instead of simply saying. "I don't know Mr. Customer, but if you'll allow me, I will get that answered and follow up with you shortly."

Lisa McCallister said...

You hit upon a great point. Setting the right expectations is so important. I like how you handled this.
What is one other thing you did in your first year that you think really set you apart form the competition, and helped you grow you territory so quickly?

Anonymous said...

Being creative and winning as many deals as possible helped. I do not like to loose. I did not over look any deal. It did not matter if it was 2k or 200k. I have heard several stories about reps who pass up on small deals for whatever reason. I treat every deal with the same basic principles, 1. What do we need to do to close? and
2. When can I expect it to close?

Every deal adds up!

Lisa McCallister said...

As I noted in the opening, it was clear to me from the beginning that you were hungry- hungry to prove yourself, hungry for the opportunity, and that you had a strong desire to make the most of the opportunity. Your last answer also proves that.

What motivates you the most on a daily basis?

Anonymous said...

I am motivated by the fact that I can be well compensated for my hard work. Sales is great because we can truly be compensated for going the extra mile. Think about how many times we meet people and they mention that they are "overworked, but underpaid."

Lisa McCallister said...

You certainly did go the extra mile. Thank you for your contributions to Conmed Linvatec's success. I am sure I could ask you many more questions and all of your answers would be interesting and insightful. For now, since it if almost the end of the quarter, I'll let you get back to selling. Thanks so much!

Anonymous said...

Great success story.

arrowv said...

Lisa - That was very helpful! I like how clear and concise the Rookie of the Year's thought process was.

Allie said...

Very helpful! Thank you, Lisa:)