Don’t Let the Whale Swim Away: How to Retain Your Biggest Clients
You finally landed the whale… now what?
After months—maybe years—of chasing down the biggest account of your career, this episode is your blueprint for keeping it. Lisa and Cindy break down the exact playbook they’ve used to turn high-stakes KOLs and massive hospital systems into career-long allies. Discover the secret to retention, the six steps every rep should master, and how to transform your whale into your best advocate.
If you’ve ever wanted to turn one big win into long-term sales dominance—this one’s for you.
Episode Chapter Markers
00:00 Introduction
03:51 The Importance of Keeping Your Big Customer
04:41 Six Steps to Retain Your Whale
05:02 Step 1: Celebrate the Small Wins
05:58 Step 2: Smooth Onboarding Process
09:05 Step 3: Building Clinical Champions
11:01 Step 4: Exceptional Service
15:54 Step 5: Strategic Growth
19:20 Step 6: Turning Your Whale into a Sales Rep
Must-Hear Insights and Key Moments
Celebrate, Then Execute – Don’t let your first win be your last. Mark the milestone but immediately start the real work.
Flawless Onboarding – A smooth handoff is everything. Lisa walks through how to support everyone from the OR nurse to materials management.
Build Internal Champions – One relationship won’t keep the whale. Cindy shares how mini-advocates inside the account keep momentum when you’re not there.
Be Johnny-on-the-Spot – The fastest rep wins. Learn how to embed yourself in the hospital’s ecosystem and show up before problems become deal-breakers.
Grow the Account Strategically – Don't stop at one facility. Lisa outlines how to protect your turf by expanding into other hospitals and partners.
Make Your Whale Your Sales Rep – A true KOL can do your selling for you. Cindy explains how to turn client satisfaction into testimonial gold.
Words of Wisdom: Standout Quotes from This Episode
“Winning a major account in medical devices isn’t just about selling the product—it’s about embedding yourself into the ecosystem of care.” — Anneliese Rhodes
“You landed the whale. Now the marathon begins.” — Cynthia Ficara
“Celebrate the win. Then get to work. The PO is not the finish line—it’s the starting gate.” — Anneliese Rhodes
“Turn your whale into your best sales rep. That’s where your true ROI begins.” — Cynthia Ficara
“If you’re not there to solve the problem, your competitor will be.” — Anneliese Rhodes
“You can’t keep a whale with transactional service. You keep them by being unforgettable.” — Cynthia Ficara
“When a customer says, ‘I won’t do a case without my rep in the room,’ you’ve done your job right.” — Anneliese Rhodes
“Grow the account before your competitor grows back in.” — Cynthia Ficara
“Bad service gets told five times more than good service. You’ve got to be the first to show up.” — Anneliese Rhodes
“You don’t just support the physician—you serve their whole world.” — Cynthia Ficara
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Blog Transcript:
Note: We use AI transcription so there may be some inaccuracies
Anneliese Rhodes: Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of Secrets and Medical Device Sales, brought to you by the Girls of Grit. Today we are going to be talking about our second part in our two part series of landing a Whale and. This one is all about once you catch that big whale, that big customer, how do you keep them?
Because that is actually really, really important. It's not just about landing them, it's about keeping them right. Cindy?
Cynthia Ficara: Oh my gosh, you said it. It's true. What do we do now? How do we really turn this into a long-term asset? Because you think about this, stop for a second and realize how long it took you to get here.
Last episode, to recap, there's a lot of steps that goes into this. The secret we used in landing your whale was patience. Today we're gonna talk about what it takes to keep this whale. And let me tell you, it is such an exciting time of your career when you work with either these important people that we've, we've termed KOLs for key opinion leaders and also.
Big hospital systems. You know when, when you have an entirely huge account, it's amazing how many contacts you have that become your team to really, really run this. So today's gonna be fun, and we're gonna make this simple. We have actually six steps that are very important in making sure once you have that whale, you keep that whale.
And of course, we will reveal our secret as we always do.
Catching the Whale Is Just the Beginning
Anneliese Rhodes: Yeah, and you know, I think we said it really well in our snippet, in our intro, you know, these are the, the guys and gals that can change your career trajectory. For forever. I mean, they are the ones that if done correctly, if, if you strategically do this correctly, you will have a seat at the table.
You will increase your income, you will open up multiple opportunities. Your name will be in lights, you will be up on stage for President's Club if you land and keep the whale. So I think today is. So important because, and I just wanna tell everybody our secret, Cindy, because you know, okay, like you said, you, we worked so hard to get this guy or gal.
Now it's like, oh my gosh, now you start the race. Right? Now you start the marathon because now you gotta keep him. And we truly think, we talked about this when we were talking about this episode and we both were like imagining different things and the one word that came to our minds was catering. You.
That's a good
Cynthia Ficara: word.
Anneliese Rhodes: Um, yeah. You become the caterer to this customer. You literally, like I told you guys in the last episode, they are an Alister. They are your top-notch Hollywood star, Matthew McConaughey. Well, how do you keep guys and or gals like that? You know, Julia Roberts, how do you keep them? You cater to them.
In every way possible. So today we're gonna talk about what does that look like for you guys? How do you manage to keep this big whale, not just reeling 'em in, but keeping 'em and keeping 'em happy, keeping 'em coming back for more and have your. Income, your career path, your sales success just skyrocket.
Cynthia Ficara: So true.
And these six steps are gonna help you truly understand what we mean by professional catering. But first, my number one favorite is celebrating the small stuff. So, you know, you worked hard to get there, right? So number one, take a quick second, take a deep breath, pat yourself on the back, high five, because you have to celebrate all the effort and work you put into it.
But. It's time to get to work fast. Yep. It's a small celebration. Carry that with you. It'll increase your momentum. You need to understand this. You got that po. Frame it if you want to, but guess what? The PO is not the end. It is just the beginning. So in number one step is celebrate and get to work.
Anneliese Rhodes: I love that, and you're so good.
Become Obsessed with Your Customer
You're right. We always need to celebrate the small wins. I think sometimes we forget to do that. I know. I do. It's like, okay, what's the next step? Okay, what do I do next? You know, it is important to celebrate it because when you do that, you think of all the things that you did well. Right, and so you just need to continue those things.
So number two is kind of what we're calling onboarding, right? We want it to be nice and smooth. We don't want any bumps in the road. We wanna know that we're doing everything possible to get this momentum not only started, but continuing with this whale to keep 'em. So, I talked a little bit about this in the first episode, but it's so important you guys, that you know their physical assistance, or sorry.
Why am I saying physical assistants? Their PAs, God physician's assistants. What's wrong with me today? Anyhow, physician's assistants, they're nurses, they're nurse practitioners, they're surgery schedulers. The people that work with them in the or, they're nurses, they're techs, they're circulating nurses.
And don't forget these. Guys and gals are big, top-notch performers for the hospital. They know the value analysis committee. They know the me, the materials management people. They know all the people that you better know as well, and you better know 'em by name and you better know exactly what they can accomplish for you as well as your physician.
And you need to make everything super easy. So let's just say you've gotten the guy or gal to agree to use your product. Well, I'm assuming now that you've already gone through value analysis, your product is approved, did you do the in servicing? Does everybody know about your product? Do they know how it works?
Do they have your number to call you anytime day or night? Do they know how to get ahold of you? You know, all of these things are so important because it's like you're onboarding. When you go to start a new job, you need to learn all the things about that new company. You better learn all the things about your new customer, and you better commit 'em to memory because this person's gonna be a part of your everyday thoughts.
You guys. Every day, you better be thinking about them, where they're at. Are they in surgery? Are they in the office seeing patients? Are they on vacation? Are they on call? All of this is so important. You need to engulf yourself with this whale of a customer. I.
Cynthia Ficara: Making it smooth. You may think, this is silly when I say this, but it is a rinse and repeat exercise.
You're gonna be teaching and reteaching and reteaching and reteaching. You know, as you said, you talk about these techs and nurses and your staff and think about how many people leave and come and go. Catering again, catering is going back to all those departments and making sure somebody didn't leave.
Somebody's not new. Somebody else needs to learn. It's a smooth and it keeps, you know, it sounds kinda silly if I use the word safe, but it's a smooth and safe onboarding transition when you just make sure everybody knows, everybody stays on point and let's be real. How many people forget? Okay, so have you ever inservice somebody?
Two weeks later they're like, I don't know how to use this. What do I do again?
Anneliese Rhodes: Absolutely. A hundred percent. Well, they have a million different things going through their minds, right? Besides the fact that you've, you're showing 'em a brand new product to use or just something different than they've been using, uh, they're worried about the physician getting upset at them for not doing the right thing.
They're thinking about the patient. They're thinking about what they need to be doing. I mean, yes, absolutely. So you're right. It's a rinse and repeat cycle. So these, so how do we. Go ahead. I was gonna say, how do
Cynthia Ficara: we do this when we can't? Again, the whale, remember we have multiple, multiple people. Can we be in the same spot at the same time?
No. No. Can we be in the, you know, we've got other accounts to work on, so how do we make sure this engine runs smooth? This whale keeps moving when we're not there. Yep. So that's why I think number three is really, really important, which builds off of number two is when you build a clinical champion, somebody internally that can answer that question to that fellow staff member that forgets what you taught them.
So it's kind of like having many champions when you have a whale, you know, who is that internal, what's the old word like. Whale tamer, whale, nurturer, whale caterer. You know, maybe there's another surgeon, maybe there's a department head. They are so essential nurse managers, you know, um, charge nurses or lead techs.
These are the people you really invest in. Check in with them weekly. Make sure you have their workflow smooth. Be you know, Johnny on the spot. Catering again. You know, they text you, answer, show up and, and then you know, I tell you. There's nothing better than stepping away when knowing somebody can actually be able to communicate the way you want them to, because this is really going wide and deep in something very big, and it's not just one relationship.
It's multiple mini relationships that nurture this one big whale.
Anneliese Rhodes: Oh, I a hundred percent agree. In fact, I'm thinking about a nurse in. Uh, one of my ORs right now that is working really closely with one of my surgeons who I love to work with, but I don't have 'em fully. Right. Okay. And I'm thinking, you know, I need to circle back with her.
I need to make sure that I'm asking her about some different things, but also like, is she good with all the products? Does she know where they're located at? 'cause we just had to move them like, you know, all the small things. But like, they're big because that takes the stress off of them. But then they also become like your champion because they're your friend, right?
You're partnering with them. They're like, oh, thanks so much. Lisa's looking out for me. She's got my back, I've got her back. And those people can make, they can literally make or break you, Cindy. They can either really like you or they can really not like you, you know? And that too can, can, uh, help you or hurt you in keeping that whale.
So, okay, so number four. So we've talked about celebrating your wins, the onboarding, which is kind of like just making sure you got everything, all the pieces in place, you know, then you're having your champions within each of these service divisions. Number four, really, Cindy and I were talking about this, and this is really where the catering, I mean catering is all throughout this, but this is really it, which is service.
Service That’s Unforgettable (or Someone Else Will Be)
Service is the absolute differentiator between keeping them. And losing them. And I think, you know, the, the easiest way to say this, and I don't know, Cindy, you found this quote and I was like, this is a fantastic quote, but you know, this is what you found and it's, and I'm just gonna read it. It says, winning a major account in medical devices. Isn't just about selling the product, it's about embedding yourself into the ecosystem of care. And I love that because you think about that, that is their world. You are going to embed yourself in their world. How do you do that? Besides what we just gave you guys, the biggest thing is you have to be available.
They have to know how to get ahold of you night or day, even on weekends, cell phone, text messages, emails. You need to be in those accounts. You need to be there to see them so that they could be like, oh, because they may not remember your number. Or even the fact that like you gave them a card five weeks ago, they see you and they're like, oh, hey Cindy, I need to ask you a quick question about this product.
How, how do you prep it? So then you're there. You can answer their question. You're Johnny on the spot that is all part of this catering. Like you have to be there at all times, whether you're physically there or you're there and they know how to get ahold of you.
Cynthia Ficara: Remember this whale is a huge whale that you are moving, that you are catering to.
So let's be real. You know, issues are gonna happen. And what Lisa just said about being Johnny on the spot, it's kind of being indispensable. But I want you guys to think about this. You remember when we talked about, um, in landing a whale, you kind of have to be. Comfortable with being uncomfortable because in the first stage of landing this whale, it's a lot of cold calling.
You're talking to people you don't know. And then we've, we've discussed about how once you get these relationships with the people, it's so rewarding. And now think about this, in this stage of catering, you are comfortable with them. So this part about answering all the phones being there. It's very easy to answer to people.
You know, think about this. When your mom calls, you answer the phone. When your best friend calls, your coworker calls, you just answer the phone. You don't go, okay, now what do I do? It's easy and simple. When you really embed yourself in this ecosystem, all of these little things we're talking about sometimes don't even really seem to be that big of a deal because you've, you've figured it out.
You're in this, so it is a fast service, but. It's important to know that you will face issues. So again, when an issue happens, maybe it's not about the issue, but it's how you show up. How do you address that issue? Make sure your service is very fast. Make sure you're the first one to respond, because if there's an issue, whether it be just with your product or something that a competitor sells, you don't answer fast enough.
They're gonna call the competitor.
Anneliese Rhodes: Oh my gosh, absolutely. Doesn't that bad happen
Cynthia Ficara: to you? How
Anneliese Rhodes: does that suck? Right. You work so hard, you got the product in, you got 'em to commit to it, and then they go to call you and you're not available. Like what, what, what? What is that? What, what exactly. How does that happen?
And I'll be honest, Cindy, that happens. It does happen. And let me tell you guys. If that happens, you better make every effort you can possibly make to make up for the fact that you weren't there when they needed you for that first call. You better sure as heck answer the second time because they, you only get a couple of shots with these guys.
If you landed them and they decided to give you the time of day, man, you better not screw up. You better be super good with these folks. So I, I think that's such a good point.
Cynthia Ficara: I wanna add one more thing. So let's say there's an issue, or like you said, that's you wanna make sure if it's bad service or an issue with your product that you're there to represent.
Because how quickly is your competitor just like waiting, you know, they're praying, they're circling, they're waiting to get that road kill of, it's mine now. Any excuse to find a way to. Get into that system of a whale and maybe it is saying something bad or, you know, people talk about bad things that happened.
So like say you end up, um, driving down the road and some idiot cuts you off. You're gonna go into work, you're gonna tell five people how horrible this person was, right. Human nature does five times you say something bad versus something good. So if your competitor hears something bad, he's gonna be all over wanting to tell all those people you've built that relationship with within your ecosystem, something that went wrong.
It's just human nature.
Anneliese Rhodes: Isn't that the truth? So yeah, don't him worry. You can't do it if
Cynthia Ficara: you're on top of it.
Expand Your Reach Beyond Hospital A
Anneliese Rhodes: That's right. That's right. Alright, number five is, and this, I think we talked about this a little bit already in the first episode, but this is really, really important. Now you need to grow this whale, your accounts, but you need to grow 'em strategically.
So what does this look like? Mm-hmm. Well, for most of us, I'm pretty sure. You know, un unless you're in super, hyper, uh, specialty, your physicians probably cover multiple hospitals, right? So if they cover multiple hospitals, obviously they usually will operate mainly at one. They usually have their favorite hospital that they love to operate off of or out of with their staff in their same room.
Like, it's so funny, you know, they're such creatures of habit. I love them. But, um, you know, they're on call. They call on other hospitals, well, how bad would it suck if you land this whale? And then. He's on call, and guess what? Your product isn't in the other hospitals. So he, what does he do? He uses your competitor.
Well, what does that do? That opens the door for the competitors to sneak right back in, get right back into his mindset, get a little bit of share space back from you, and now you're going backwards. So what do you do? You have got to be super strategic and know that if he's operating out of. Hospital A, hospital B and C, even though they're smaller, you need to get your product approved there.
Go through the VAT committees, get the approvals done there. Make yourself as easily accessible as you are in hospital A for hospitals, B and C, because you wanna be there for every case. You want them to pull you every single time. So that is so important that you do that, you guys, because again, I, I, I hate thinking about the fact that I work so hard and then I lose out to a competitor because mm-hmm.
I didn't do my job. And again, we talked about this. This is catering. This is constantly being on top of your customers and making sure that you're doing everything. Another one is their partners. Their partners are another way to strategically build that well, him or herself, as well as the whole practice.
They may be using your competitors well. Get 'em to switch over to you. How do you do that? You have your, do you have your big whale? Talk to them. Tell 'em about the great successes that you're having. You make yourself accessible. You do lunches with them in services, take them to dinner. You are strategically always planting seeds to continually grow this whale that you've now landed.
Turn Your Whale Into Your Sales Rep
Cynthia Ficara: I think all of, you're starting to see a pattern and there's a lot of repetition, but you are so spot on and growing your account strategically is something if you're medical device sales or any sales for that matter, is every day looking at what makes sense. If you plan and you think about what works and you, you're not just winging it.
Being strategic is key to being a high performer, and it's really evident when you're talking about getting to the point where you landed a whale. You have to understand that if you did that you are capable of continuing to drive this whale in the direction that you need them to go as an entity. And then.
ROI for you, which brings us to my favorite part of number six and. Let me recap all five first, because I'm saving number six for the best 'cause it's my favorite. We've celebrated, we've onboarded, we're really driving our clinical champions, which was number three. Number four is service. That is a huge differentiator.
Number five is all about being strategic, growing that count strategically at number six. Guys, this is what you set in for. You've landed this whale, you have this whale. Now turn this whale into your best sales rep. Oh my gosh, you got there. What do we say in episode number one? This is about doing something for them, but what's the ROI for you?
Yes, maybe you've made your quota this year. Maybe you've exceeded major things, but if you're in this for the career. You've got years to go. You've got things to open up, doors to open up. Where are you now? You are comfortable. You have champions, you have your product in. So guess what? When this whale becomes your sales rep, have them help sell you, help sell into other accounts more for you.
Have them, you know, video record, get their. Testimonials on paper. Have them speak for you at a conference. Have them talk to doctors. Let's say, let's say your whale is a surgeon and a KOL into a whale of an account. So you have a whale, KOL, and a whale account. Now you have a hospital on the other side of your territory, and this hospital is a little skeptical.
They're new, but oh my goodness, do they know the name? Of your KOL, do they respect this tremendous hospital system that you have been so successful in? This is where you leverage and your whale. Let me tell you, some of these doctors, when they truly believe in your product, are more than happy to help you because.
Think about it. They've had success. Surgeons treat their patients. Surgeons love when they have success and great outcomes for their patients. Of course, they wanna share this and I tell you when you, when you witness watching a surgeon genuinely care. And be very excited about the success they've had with your product and partnering with you.
It feels amazing and sharing that it's, it's just giving back, it's paying it forward and a whale of an account can do that for you.
The Real ROI of a Whale
Anneliese Rhodes: Yeah. Well, yes. I love all this. I mean, this is, yeah. I'm like sitting here nodding my head. I'm like, yeah, yeah, I see that. Yes, yes. You know, the other thing, at least for me, Cindy, and I'm sure you feel like this too, is.
How proud are you, right? 'cause now you worked so hard, not only to land them, but to cultivate them, nurture them, cater to them. You have literally grown them from a little seedling. Like little idea into this beautiful flower. Right. And how wonderful does it make you feel when they move forward in their career?
I can't tell you how many times, and I can think of a couple of these guys and gals in my territory over the years of being in medical devices, which is a long time. But man, I have had a couple that I absolutely still to this day get text messages or or emails or phone calls, or I'll see 'em at meetings and they're like.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity that you did. You know, thank you for partnering with me. Thank you for being my rep. And it's like, it's such a great feeling when you have those people that you have just absolutely given so much time and effort to, and they give back not only in the business, but.
On the podiums, on the stages, giving your praises. I mean, it is unbelievable. We were at a national sales meeting, Cindy, I don't know if you remember this. This was a number of years ago, and there was a physician that was a, was highlighted in a speaker, and I remember him talking about his rep saying, basically, I would never.
Do another case unless this rep is in the room. Yes, I'll not use this product. Yes, yes, yes. Unless this rep is in the room. I remember because I love him, I trust him. He's got my back and he has helped me in so many ways. In both professional as well as personal. And you guys, you asked the question, Cindy and I did too, on the first episode.
Is it not first episode, but the first whale episode. Is this worth it? The answer is always going to be, yes, it is 1000% worth it. And it's not just about the money and it's not just about getting your name in lights. It is about a true partnership that you get to form with an amazing and talented and brilliant person that will have your back.
And you never know where that'll take you, both professionally, but also personally. So I 1000% am behind this. It's a lot of work. It's a lot of effort, but it's all worth it.
Cynthia Ficara: I can tell in your voice and I feel it too that that feeling you said of proud and it's, it's amazing. So the funny thing is, I was gonna, I was thinking about the question that we did ask in the the last episode and.
If any of you listened and were wondering, is it worth it? Well, if you listened to Lisa for the last few minutes and you didn't feel how worth it it is, then maybe this podcast is not for you, but every one of you are listening are high performers. Either you've experienced this or you're this close to it, or you're about to begin it.
It is so rewarding. We are here to support you on this way. We want you to land your whale. We want you to literally enjoy catering like it truly is how. We are very privileged to be in medical device sales, and while it takes a very long time to build a relationship with a professional customer, it is probably one of the most rewarding things that you will ever experience.
Anneliese Rhodes: Absolutely. So I think with that, we'll probably just end this episode. Cindy, I hope that you guys all took away from these two episodes and definitely this one, not only how to land that whale, that huge customer that everybody wants, everybody has to have in their territory. Remember, this is the difference potentially between being up on stage.
Not about forwarding your career, about being in lights, about all the things that you want to accomplish in medical devices. That whale of a customer can absolutely make the difference.
Cynthia Ficara: And remember, winning a major account in medical device isn't just about selling a product. It's about embedding yourself into an ecosystem of care.
So our call to action today is about catering. So I want you to think of one strategic move you can make either within a whale you already service. Or one step towards landing that whale. We are here for you. We are excited to celebrate with every high performer because we have truly, truly enjoyed a career of landing a whale, and then what to do when you have them.
So till next time, hope everybody out there has an awesome day.
Anneliese Rhodes: Hey, declutter. This is our snippet for whale number two, part two. Man, Cindy, that feeling of landing that whale is such an amazing feeling, and I will tell you what. Being able to know that they are going to help me move my career to places I have never been before is such a great feeling. I don't know if there's anything better than landing that whale.
Cynthia Ficara: Part one, we talked about the confidence, the strategic moves you need to make to make it happen. The secret was to have patience 'cause it's a long sale. And guess what? Now you've got a seat at the table. Tune in to learn what to do when you're in that seat.
