Stop Being a One-Trick Rep
What if the biggest opportunity in your account has nothing to do with the procedure you're selling?
The reps who build real careers in medical device don't just know their product — they know their surgeon's world inside and out.
In this episode, Lisa and Cindy break down what it actually means to sell to a practice, not just a procedure. From understanding RVUs and clinic days to knowing which committees your physician sits on — the details most reps overlook are the ones that set you apart.
The challenge: pick your top three customers. What's one thing you can learn about their practice that goes beyond your device?
Must-Hear Insights and Key Moments
Sell the Practice, Not Just the Procedure — The reps who make a career out of medical device sales think bigger than their product. Lisa and Cindy break down why understanding your surgeon's full world is the move that separates good reps from great ones.
Know Their Hot Buttons — Every surgeon has a specialty within their specialty. The rep who knows what makes their physician tick — whether it's research, referrals, or a specific procedure — always has an edge in the room.
How to Research Your Surgeon — Google, ChatGPT, practice websites, nurses, techs, other reps — Lisa and Cindy walk through exactly how to build a full picture of your physician before you ever walk into the account.
Clinic Day vs. OR Day Changes Everything — Timing your outreach around clinic days isn't a small detail — it's the difference between getting a response and getting ignored. Lisa shares exactly when she sends texts and why it works.
Bring Value, Not Just a Pitch — When a surgeon starts to associate your visit with something useful — a paper, a clinical trial, a conversation — the door stays open. Lisa and Cindy explain what that actually looks like in practice.
Know Their Economics — Understanding how your physician gets paid, what drives their RVUs, and how your product fits into that picture makes you invaluable. The rep who gets this becomes the one they call.
Take the Blinders Off — Too many reps are locked in on their product and missing the full opportunity in front of them. Lisa and Cindy close with a challenge: learn one more thing about each of your top three accounts that has nothing to do with your device.
Words of Wisdom: Standout Quotes from This Episode
"Know their practice better than your competition knows the product." — Cynthia Ficara
"In medical device, you are not just selling a procedure. Those successful reps that make a career out of this sell to a practice." — Cynthia Ficara
"Stepping back sometimes gets you five more feet forward when you do it the right way." — Cynthia Ficara
"When you know what matters, you can bring value." — Cynthia Ficara
"Your widget is an amazing asset when you know how to place it there." — Cynthia Ficara
"You gotta make their world your world — and in return, they'll give you that time more often than not." — Anneliese Rhodes
"It's not just about you, not just about your company and your product. It's about the patient, it's about the doctor, it's about their specialty, it's about what their world looks like." — Anneliese Rhodes
"Every time you and I talk to surgeons on a daily basis, they want to know that we're invested in their practice." — Anneliese Rhodes
"When they tie positive receptors to you versus the negative of a pushy sales rep, they look forward to seeing you." — Anneliese Rhodes
"Take the blinders off and be a little more open-minded — they would be more successful." — Anneliese Rhodes
Follow The Girls of Grit:
We'd Love to Hear Your Stories!
Every woman in this industry has a comeback story: the territory cut, the slump, the moment you almost walked away. We share ours, but this community is built on yours too. We'd love to hear your story!
Blog Transcript:
Note: We use AI transcription so there may be some inaccuracies
Lisa: Welcome everyone to another episode of Secrets in Medical Device Sales, brought to you by the Girls of Grit, Cynthia Ficara and Lisa Rhodes here. We are bringing you guys another fun episode. This one is a really good one because I think this will make you guys think a little bit, maybe rock you back on your heels a tad, and make you look at your business again and make sure that you're doing all the things that you should be doing as that rockstar salesperson. So I'm glad we are talking about this today.
Cindy: I think you just brought up something that in medical device sales you have to realize that every day you're still learning, every day you're checking in where you are. Just because maybe you've been successful or you've had a great sale, you have this awesome quarter and you're number one — you know what? You've got a lot of check the boxes as you go. You've got a lot of things to take a really good hard look at your business, because those that actually look at their business through a microscope are the ones that catch things when they fall, see things differently, and really can push things forward. So the topic that we're gonna talk about today really does bring that to light. Do you agree, Lisa?
Lisa: Yeah. Thinking bigger picture, it's never about one thing. It's really easy for you to get caught up in your own world, right? It's easy for you to be like, 'Oh, woe is me. Poor me. My case isn't going, so therefore I'm not gonna hit my number,' and, 'What's wrong with me? What's wrong with my product?' When in reality, sometimes it has nothing to do with you, right? And so it's not all about you. It's about the patient. It's about the surgeon. It's about all the things but you. And so today is another kind of same thought process with that in terms of thinking bigger than just your product, just your sales pitch, just that one little niche that you feel like you need to just hammer home to the surgeon — and thinking broader picture.
Cindy: And everything you just said defines their practice and their space. So what is the specialty? But I loved when you just said it's not even just all about your product, because let's face it, our world is our product. That's what we're getting emails about every day. That's what we're talking about. But then we have to go into a completely different environment and realize their world is not the same. We're just a tiny piece of it. So like, how do you put yourself into their world to make this an awesome partnership?
Know Your Surgeon's World, Not Just Their Specialty
Lisa: Yeah, 100%. So we're talking about that today. It is basically wanting to know everything about them and their practice. So let's just take orthopedics for example, right? There's so many different orthopedics — you got medicine, you got spine, you have neuro guys that do spine, and you've got trauma, and you've got guys that just do shoulders. You have guys that just do knees. You've got guys that just do hips. Then you've got guys that do all of that stuff, and they do it all really well.
Cindy: Head, shoulders, knees, and toes.
Lisa: Right? What's interesting that I have found, at least in my years of doing this — and I'm sure you as well, Cindy — is like even though they do all of these things, one or two are really their hot buttons. Like, 'Yeah, I'm a vascular surgeon and I do fem-pop bypasses, but I love doing aortas,' or, 'Yeah, I'm a cardiothoracic surgeon and I can do all this cool crazy stuff, but I really just like doing CABGs.' So it's interesting because when you're selling a product that may not be their hotspot, but is just another procedure in their toolbox, you gotta learn how to still make it their hotspot, but also understand that you're not gonna be the center of attention all the time. I think it's really key to understand your surgeon, to understand their practice, and to know what does make them tick and what doesn't.
Cindy: I love that. And I think just to take it a step further — everybody out there listening can think about this — their product is just a part of the day. So maybe today when you're driving into your account, why don't you think about what else do your surgeons do? For instance, I just had a surgeon come to mind. I know he is the head leader of research. He's on multiple studies. He can probably spit out any data. He truly has a photographic memory, but the way he can spit out data and everything's driven for data. So you think, 'Okay, so that's what's special about him.' But then also, you know, you're in there selling a product — do you know if your physician is part of the value analysis committee? Or what other committees are they on? Are they on a leadership committee? Are they on the building-the-new-tower committee? Sometimes you're adding on to the hospital. Are they in an admin role? The amazing thing is we have the privilege — and we've said this before, this job is a privilege — we have the privilege of going in and speaking to our surgeons. We might be moving our product, but when we support their practice at the same time, it makes a difference. So I think you really need to remember that the product is a portion of their day, and ask yourself, 'What more do I know about my physician and their practice?'
How to Actually Research Your Physician
Lisa: So let me ask you then — how do you do that? Like, let's just say you're a new rep or a newer rep, and you're kind of getting into a new space and you're selling this product and you don't really know everything that your surgeons do and their specialty. How do you figure it out? How do you find out what their hot buttons are? How do you just find out what other procedures they're doing so you can have a knowledgeable conversation with them about — if it's cardiac surgery and you want to talk to them about a CABG procedure but yet they do aortic — how do you have that conversation with them about the other stuff?
Cindy: Yes. Oh, I've got lots of thoughts. I say start, step back and do the big picture. Do the easiest old Google search. It is amazing that you can just Google and be like, 'Oh, this physician trained here.' That might mean something about, you know, maybe you know somebody else they trained with — great conversation starter. What they're interested in. Now, to the details of leadership committee and value analysis — those are direct questions, but you've got to get in there. You've got to get to know them. But remember, you don't have to learn everything about them from them. Who else do you talk to in the hospital, right? Because there's a huge support staff. You've got nurses, clinics, techs, gatekeepers, supply chain, committee. You could even pick up the phone and call another rep that goes to the hospital.
Lisa: Yes, absolutely. Or you can just use our good old friend ChatGPT. It's amazing how smart it is. I mean, I go to ChatGPT now for everything. I don't even go to Google anymore. It's so much easier. Chat has become — Chat knows me so well now, it's like if I ask if I'm looking for something, like a new suit or skincare, Chat'll be like, 'Oh, hello, Lisa. I know your type. Here are some brands for you.' It's like totally your own personal assistant. So you can type into ChatGPT, 'Hey, I am now working with Dr. So-and-So from this institution. Give me his background. Give me his education experience. Tell me what his preferences are. What are his hot buttons?' Because going on websites — practices will highlight, whether it's in the university setting or the private setting, what are the things that they most like to do. What are their specialties? Again, maybe the guy is working with some medical device company — maybe it's your competitor — on a new hip. Well, then now you know that's his thing. He's not only a tinkerer, but he also likes hips. So now you look into reconstructive hip surgery. Learn everything you can about it. Know what's coming down the pipeline. All of that makes you more knowledgeable and more — the fact that you care, you know? Every time you and I talk to surgeons on a daily basis, they want to know that we're invested in their practice. And what does that mean? It means that we know what they care about. Are you bringing them clinical trials? Are you talking about clinical trials that maybe they've been a part of, or papers that they've written, or textbooks that they've authored? There are so many things that you, if you really want to be that valued rep, should know. I think it's just really important that you broaden your horizon when you're talking to your surgeons — even though at the end of the day your goal is to sell your product, it should also be about what can I pick up from this surgeon that I didn't know before, so that the next time I see him or her, we can talk about that. Because it makes you valuable.
Cindy: And you know, when you were talking about the different types — I have not worked in orthopedics, but I can imagine that one procedure they probably get more RVUs for than another, right? That's how physicians get paid when they add them all up. And I think it's understanding — okay, maybe your product isn't gonna drive the highest RVUs, but when you speak to them about does it complement that procedure. Maybe your product helps when they do these really high-driving products. So by partnering, 'Look, this'll make this better, we can work when you're doing this procedure,' if it's an adjunct-type thing. If it's the main procedure itself, think about referrals — can you bring people in so they can use this product and get the good revenue? And you know, we had that episode a while ago on hospital economics, and it really does drive home: when you're the rep that understands how they get paid and what they need to have the resources they need to do their job, you are invaluable. So then you go try to sell a product, you're who they want to speak with.
Clinic Day vs. OR Day: Timing Is Everything
Lisa: I also want to make sure that we talk about this — you're learning about the practice, you're learning about their clinic days versus their OR days. Those things are also really important.
Cindy: Huge.
Lisa: Why are they important? Well, I can tell you from all my years of doing this that you're gonna get a much better response from a doctor on a clinic day versus a day that they are in the OR. What do you think about that, Cindy? I see you nodding your head.
Cindy: I'm smiling because you are so spot on. So think about this — in an OR, you're hyper-focused. We talked about that before. They're like the conductor of an orchestra. Some of these cases are big. They're thinking about this patient, and it's all in, it's all attention. Everything is about that patient. What is clinic day? It's prospecting for future surgeries. It's in and out. Who are you seeing? And when their thought is much more like, short, quick — they're doing appointments in and out. They are not in the OR where the patient's under anesthesia and that's their focus. They get to do office stuff. They have a lunch break maybe.
Lisa: Right. But at the very minimum, they are finishing their day at a quote-unquote 'normal time,' right? Like 5:00, 5:30, 6:00 if clinic runs really late. But typically, clinic days are the best days. I will tell you that if I'm gonna try and get in touch with one of my surgeons, I usually will text him or her at the end of what I know is their clinic day. And talking about a little bit of AI — because I just did this, literally just did this — you know you can send text messages later, right? Like, you can time them for going later. I just learned this, by the way. So usually I'll just put a reminder in my calendar at the time to text the surgeon. Now I know that I can actually set the time. I'll set a time — when I think about it, I'll be like, 'Oh, I gotta text this doctor about this thing.' I'll set an exact time of when I want them to receive that message because I know when their clinic day is, and it's usually 5:30 to 5:45 when that message hits them because they should be leaving clinic and walking to their car, which means that they actually have the bandwidth to hold the phone, look at the phone, and be like, 'Oh, I can quickly respond to her.' Sounds simple, sounds small. Big deal. Because you actually get a response, right? Versus you send a text message in the middle of the OR day at 1:00 PM or 2:00 PM — you may never hear from them ever. It's not against you. Again, it's not about you. But they're so busy. Whenever you're standing in the OR, how many times do you hear their phone ding? I swear, like some of my doctors — it's like 50 times.
Cindy: And then a staff member picks it up and reads it. Right. So now it's actually been cleared out of the alert system of what they're gonna see, and they may never even see your message.
Lisa: Yes. So for those of you out there that are like, 'Well, wait a minute, I don't know when my surgeon's clinic days are' — it's very simple to find out. You can even call the practice to find out if you don't want to just text them. If you don't have a relationship, say, 'Is your clinic Tuesday or Thursday?' Or, 'When's your clinic day?' That's an easy thing to speak to the practice about, the practice coordinator. And you know what? It's also courteous to ask if this is an appropriate time to set up a time to meet them.
Cindy: For the most part, the answer is yes. I do know one doctor that is so busy on clinic day, says, 'See me any day but clinic day.' Which is one rare person. But then again, you have to ask, right?
Lisa: Right. And you're making them your priority — not your product, not your procedure, but them as a whole. Them as their whole practice. I know you have a busy clinic. I know your surgery days are Monday, Tuesday, Friday. I know that you do hips on Tuesdays and shoulders on Thursdays, or whatever it is. You gotta make their world your world, and in return, they'll give you that time more often than not because they like the fact that you respect that. They like the fact that you've invested the time and the energy to really respect their practice, their time, and what matters most to them.
Bring Value to Every Visit, Not Just a Pitch
Cindy: Yes. And when you know what matters, you can bring value. Let's just take the research example, just because we've talked about that two or three times. So if you know this doctor loves research, or that's his hot button — he's on all the committees — if I were to go see that doctor on a clinic day, what might I do? I might look to pull up the latest publications, something you just want to know what to talk about. So I think about this. Quick story — I have this friend that I've known for years, and she is probably one of the — I don't know how she knows everything, but I love to be around her because she's going to tell me all of Hollywood's latest. She knows movies. She knows actresses. 'Oh, did you know this?' And I'll be like, 'No. How did you know that?' So I know that when she calls, I'm like, 'Oh, I'm gonna learn something.' Like, I'm gonna learn about all these new shows and stuff. So what if the doctor thinks, 'Oh, Cindy's coming and it's clinic day. She's gonna be able to talk to me about something.'
Lisa: Great point, Cindy. They look forward to seeing you. And then they tie the positive receptors to you versus the negative of pushy sales rep — 'I just want to push my product. All I care about is my product and my procedure.' Now they're like, 'Oh sweet, she's gonna bring me something new. She's bringing value to the visit.' And what does that look like? That looks like the office opening the door to you. You have an open door policy. That looks like the surgery scheduling person calling you and choosing you. That looks like the PA saying, 'Hey, why don't we use Cindy's product versus Lisa's product' — the competitor. I mean, that looks like so many different things, and it's all a win for you. I mean, I love that we're talking about this, Cindy, because I think it's so important. It's a broad topic, but you can make it super specific to what you do and your specialty where you're working. But it pays in dividends. I really think it does.
The Challenge: Know Their Practice Better Than Your Competition Knows the Product
Cindy: You know, tying back to the beginning of our conversation — I feel that a really good way to summarize this is for everybody to understand that in medical device you are not just selling a procedure. Those successful med device reps that make a career out of this sell to a practice. So if you could just think in your mind to switch from selling just a procedure to selling to a practice — already that makes you think about your approach, your conversations, and what you can bring. Because again, their world is the world you need to join, which is their space that has so many different avenues. It's not just your widget. Your widget is an amazing asset when you know how to place it there. And I just think that stepping back sometimes gets you five more feet forward when you do it the right way.
Lisa: 100%. I'm glad we talked about this today. I think it just reminds all of us — even us that have been doing this for forever — you have to remember it's not just about you, not just about your company and your product. It's about the patient, it's about the doctor, it's about their specialty, it's about what their world looks like. And I think sometimes when you step back and you really learn stuff, you bring more value. And it kind of makes your job a little more fun, because you realize, hmm, maybe I didn't know enough about that. Maybe I do need to learn more about that. I really liked today's topic. I think it's a great topic because it is so easily overlooked because we get so blinders on, focused on one thing. Like the racehorses that wear the blinders — that's how I feel like a lot of sales reps get. They think they're doing everything, but they're not. They're not even coming close to doing everything, and if they were to just take the blinders off and be a little more open-minded and say, 'You know what? Maybe I do need to learn more about this,' they would be more successful.
Cindy: Exactly. So I feel like a call to action for today would be to come up with one point for each of your top three customers. Pick your top three customers, and what one piece of information can you learn more to be more part of their practice than selling your actual device? And I'm gonna leave you with a little takeaway — I want you to think about this. Know their practice better than your competition knows the product.
Lisa: Love that. I think that is awesome. What a great line. I love that. All right, well, I hope everyone enjoyed today's episode. We totally thank you guys for listening, tuning in. We have courses available on bigimpactacademy.com. We've got our planner — everybody knows what the planner did for me last year. It brought me to President's Club and Rep of the Year. It's actually selling quite well. We're getting a lot of feedback from a lot of you out there, so thank you for telling us about your wins and how much you love the planner. We're so happy that it's working for you, because it works for us. Keep tuning in, keep subscribing, keep listening, and share it with your colleagues, with your partners, with your friends, with people that you think need to hear Secrets in Medical Device Sales — because we are here to support all of you.
Cindy: Thanks, everyone.
