It’s sometimes hard to explain the role that a surgical sales representative plays in the operating room to those from outside the medical device industry.
I used to say that the rep was like the quarterback, but I now think it would be better to say that the sales rep is like the coach, calling plays from the sidelines. The surgeon is like the quarterback, executing the plays. The first assist or surgical tech is like the center, and the instruments are like the football being passed to the surgeon-quarterback.
Okay, it’s easy to get carried away with this sports analogy, but the pieces seem to fit together well. Then again, maybe that’s just because the last time I was truly an expert on football was when I was in second grade and Terry Bradshaw was the quarterback for the Steelers.
When something goes wrong in the O.R., it’s the surgeon and the sales rep who need to figure out how to set things straight, just like a quarterback and the coach might confer about plays or strategies to regain control of a game.
Like a coach, a sales rep needs to remain calm under pressure. He or she needs to have alternative plays and needs to be able to think clearly and respond quickly, especially when everything does not go as planned. If a sales representative is able to handle the pressure, he or she can gain the respect of both the surgeon and the surgical team.
It would be hard to imagine a coach walking away from a team after one bad game, and yet there are sales representatives who are tempted to throw in the towel after a bad case. Some reps try to duck the surgeon’s frustration rather than analyzing what went wrong. No doubt, facing an upset, frustrated surgeon after a less-than-optimal case is not a whole lot of fun.
One rep I interviewed recently described a difficult case with a surgeon who was using his plating system for the first time. The surgeon disliked the instrumentation and had many complaints. Rather than heading for the hills, the rep analyzed how the case could be improved the next time. Over the next few cases, the rep swapped out instruments and refined the set to best meet the surgeon’s needs.
“I kept trying to take his objections away,” the rep said. After dialing in the instrumentation and identifying a particular plate that suited the surgeon’s needs perfectly, the cases began to go smoothly. When the surgeon’s patients began having great results, it was like the team had mastered the play and was scoring every time.
I admire this rep’s tenacity. Working through challenging cases to win a surgeon’s respect and trust is tough, but it’s definitely a winning strategy. If a sales representative and surgeon work well together to solve problems in the operating room, in the end it’s the patients who are the biggest winners.
What do you think of this analogy? Is there a better one?
“If any thing goes bad, I did it. If anything goes semi-good, we did it. If anything goes really good, then you did it. That’s all it takes to get people to win football games for you.” — Paul Bear Bryant
Lisa McCallister specializes in recruiting for medical device sales and marketing positions with an operating room focus, such as orthopedics, electrosurgery, endoscopy and a wide range of surgical specialties. She has recruited two Rookie of the Year award winners. Connect with her on LinkedIn or check out her blog, MyJobScope.com.
