The Hidden Skill Behind Every 7-Figure Rep
Why aren’t you closing more deals? It’s probably not your pitch, your product, or even the price.
Lisa and Cindy break down the real reason you're plateauing, and it's a skill most reps never fully master: consultative selling. This isn’t a soft skill. It’s a strategic advantage. The difference between top reps making seven figures and average ones stuck in the cycle? They don’t pitch—they partner. Learn how to listen deeper, ask smarter questions, and show up in a way that builds lasting loyalty.
Ready to be unforgettable? From pre-call research to reading the room, Lisa and Cindy are getting real about what it actually takes to be trusted, not just tolerated, in medical sales.
Episode Chapter Markers
00:00 Introduction
02:12 The Hidden Skill for Success in Medical Device Sales
04:46 Understanding Consultative Selling
06:31 Building Trust and Strong Relationships
09:41 Personalizing Your Approach
11:18 Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
18:34 Effective Questioning Techniques
20:11 The Art of Listening and Timing
Must-Hear Insights and Key Moments
Pitch vs. Partner - Why reps stuck in pitch mode miss the trust-building that drives real results.
The Power of Listening - How active listening uncovers what your customer actually needs—before they even say it.
Understanding Customer Mindsets - Different settings, different stressors: the importance of tailoring your approach.
The Info-Dumping Trap - Why flooding customers with facts kills your credibility (and what to do instead).
Reading the Room Like a Pro - Learn when not to sell and how to make the right move at the right moment.
Open-Ended Questions That Unlock Opportunity - Cindy’s favorite way to get real answers without being pushy.
Trust Is the Currency - Being a consultant creates loyalty, and loyalty leads to long-term wins.
The Close Is Just the Beginning - Stop chasing the “yes” and start building the relationship.
Words of Wisdom: Standout Quotes from This Episode
They’re not looking for you to open a box—they want a partner in the OR. - Anneliese Rhodes
If you’re info-dumping, you’re probably losing them. - Anneliese Rhodes
Consultative selling isn’t just asking—it’s about listening to what they’re not saying. - Anneliese Rhodes
The most powerful voice in the room is the one that listens first. - Cynthia Ficara
Maybe it’s not what you said in the meeting. Maybe it’s what you missed. - Cynthia Ficara
Every rep wants the invite back. Being trusted gets you there. - Cynthia Ficara
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Blog Transcript:
Note: We use AI transcription so there may be some inaccuracies
Anneliese Rhodes: Good morning, good afternoon, and hello to everyone out there. Welcome to another episode of Secrets in Medical Device Sales, brought to you by the Girls of Grit, and we are excited to bring you guys another really good, I think, really powerful episode today, Cindy.
Cynthia Ficara: Oh, I, I'm excited for this one because what we're talking about today is something that separates medical device from other areas of selling and, you know, there's so many different levels and so many different things, but, so people spend years trying to break into medical device and.
One of the reasons is there can be a high financial reward. So some people are like, I wanna make a lot of money. How do I get to make a lot of money? Well, it doesn't just happen. You don't just, um, get a job and then, Hey, now I'm gonna just get paid all this amount of money or just pay me 'cause I'm in here.
Right? I mean, there's a little bit of method behind the madness. So what we are gonna do today is give you this. Hidden skill. That is by far what separates every high performing top quality reps that actually hit seven figures. 'cause there are some that can, and they don't do it without this skill.
Anneliese Rhodes: Yeah, and you know, you're right.
People think that, oh, I'm in the medical device arena, I'm gonna make a bunch of money. And the truth is no, that's not the way it works. And a lot of people fail at it and for multiple reasons. But I think this specific skill, and it's a skill, it's, I think it's a learned thing. I don't think you just roll in unless you've had some sort of background being able to do this skill, like in your previous jobs.
I don't think, especially new people coming into medical devices. Have this skill mastered yet? I think it takes time. It takes, you know, a lot of tenure or years to really understand how this specific skill will ultimately drive sales further than just selling alone. You may be able to sell ice to an Eskimo.
Perfectly by just, you know, doing your basic selling, but that's not gonna get you where you need to be in medical devices because the people you're calling on want more out of you. They themselves are looking for a partner in this. And so I'm excited for us to talk about this today, Cindy, because I think it's something that you and I were discussing before we started recording.
And it's funny because, you know, it took me a while to figure out how to do this one, and I don't always do it. Well, not even today. Some days I get overwhelmed and overloaded and I'm like. Boom, boom, boom. And then I'm like, Ugh, I should have done this instead. So I'm really happy we're talking about this.
Cynthia Ficara: Well, but what you just said is so key. So many people out there don't even know they're missing it. Oh my gosh. You know, I mean, so, okay, if you're somebody listening and you're wondering, okay, why am I at a plateau? I'm out here working every day, I'm putting in the time, um, you know, I've got great products.
I've, I've nailed down my sales pitch. So, you know, is it all of that? Or maybe you start needing to ask yourself like. Maybe it's your approach. Yeah. Maybe it's not something that needs to be louder, maybe need to be a little bit smarter. So, you know, we have to think of a way to set up, like, why now? Why do your customers wanna listen to you?
What, what, what is it that they need to hear? Yeah. So,
The Art of Listening
Anneliese Rhodes: so I think today, you know, what are we talking about? We're talking about. Having a real skill of consultative selling, being a consultant. And that's a big buzzword, right? Everybody loves that word. But what does that really truly mean? And Cindy and I are gonna discuss that today, what it looks like and how you can kind of do this.
But I think one of the big things is being able to, not only. Ask the right questions, but also being a good listener, and that is something that, you know, I've said this before, I can struggle with from time to time. But I've gotten a lot better because I realized that my customers, if I just give them enough time, Cindy, they'll actually give me some really valuable information that I can then use to further my quote unquote sales pitch with them, but doing it in a way that makes sense for them that's personalized and that really.
Brings value. Adds value, and I'm not just another sales rep pushing a product. And that's what our customers really appreciate. I mean, listen, they went to school for, I don't know, 15 plus years. They're not looking for you to open a box for them. They're looking for you to be their partner in crime.
They're looking for you to not only put in the hours, not only put in the knowledge, but to be there for them and be a partner. And that's what consultative selling really is a
Cynthia Ficara: hundred percent. It's really uncovering their problems, which sometimes they don't. Even realize or know, and then, you know, you, you kind of help guide what's the right solution for them.
So it's, it's kind of mixing, selling with educating. You're not just pitching what you have, you're listening to them and then educating it. What point. Can you help them? And so when, when all of this comes together, which we're gonna take break down a little bit today to make it easier for you, but the benefits of why this is so important is it truly builds trust.
Yeah. And you have much stronger relationships. You're not just the next salesperson, you know, you're everything Lisa just said. You, you get that. Um. Run to the end of what you're trying to accomplish and close, you know, you get that closing, you get loyalty and think about how loyalty continues. You know, let's say like Lisa and I were having a conversation actually just like a couple weeks ago about why certain.
Hospitals, or I should say doctors will use certain customers even when their products are ancient. And it's because they're used to them. They're comfortable, they're loyal, they know this person's gonna bring them good customer service, and so they want to come back. You can build to be that loyal person too.
And when you know how to be a trusted advisor and you know what they need, that's where you truly partner. Yeah, I
Anneliese Rhodes: agree. You know, it's, I think, and I said this, I think it's a lost art, Cindy. I think the ability to be able to not only listen, but then I. Come with the puzzle pieces that are gonna really connect all the dots for those physicians and listen it all, it looks different for every single one of our customers.
You know, I was talking to you about this, but, and I'll give you guys this example and hopefully this helps you understand where we're going with this today. But you know, I. Not all customers are created equal. Nope. Some are brand new, straight out of school. Right? They're, they're brand new out in the, in the field, um, or not in the field, but in their practice.
They are the youngest partners. They haven't had 30 plus years of tenure behind them. Or maybe it's not a university setting. It's a private setting. So they're worried about different things, especially when you're younger and you just start, right? You just wanna not, I mean, I've had a physician say to me, I just don't wanna kill anybody.
And I know that sounds really like, whoa, morbid. But that's a true fear. But it's a true fear, right? And so why do they tend to just roll into something that's comfortable? Because they don't wanna kill anybody. I mean, that's pretty simple, right? So how do you get them over that hump? How do you, as their sales rep, selling them a new product and they're fresh outta co uh, school, how do you get them to then now trust you?
And again, medical devices is a long-term sell, so you need to know that upfront. But it's also about this consultative selling. You need to learn how to ask the right questions and the things that are important to this brand new guy and a gal and a. Private practice versus a university setting where they may have sovereign immunity, which means they can't get sued no matter what happens.
They're protected, and not every institution has this, but some do. So their whole. Their whole practice, their whole mindset, everything about how they're going to move forward changes. And that's up to you as a sales rep to figure that out. And every single customer is different than the next. So I think that's why this is so important about what we're talking about today, Cindy, because you guys really need to learn how to personalize this for your customers, understand where they're at.
And the only way you can do that is to be that consultant, be that person that. Truly listens and truly asks the great questions.
Cynthia Ficara: And I, I love that you said that because I'm not sure if many of our listeners know that. Is that the different areas you're calling on? Community hospitals, academic centers, OBLs, supply chain, whatever.
Ditch the Pitch and Start a Conversation
Everybody has a whole different landscape. But think about this. Okay. So. Probably every one of you has picked up the phone years ago, now that we screen everything but had a telemarketer and all they're doing is reading a script. Okay? So they have one. One pitch, one sentence one way where they just blanket it to everybody.
So if you did that in medical device, think about that. You have one pitch in a sales pitch. If you're just going to say one way to an academic center, they may hear, that doesn't mean anything to me. If you pitch it the same way somewhere else, it might mean more. So it's what we are talking about today is getting rid of that.
Um. Pitch like script, there is no script for your products. Yes, in a sense it is knowing your products and, and knowing all the benefits, but it's, it is then conveying that in a conversational way that hits all the points that are important to your customer. So I think today I wanna start a little bit with mistakes that you can make.
If, yeah. Yeah.
Anneliese Rhodes: So, um, and, and a lot of us will do this, you know, I think when you first start out. You're okay, so you're a brand new rep, or maybe you're just not even a brand new rep, but you're brand new with the company. You've got all this information and it's like, oh my God, I just wanna word vomit over all my customers.
I need to give them every single little bit of information, product benefits, features, all the things. I gotta tell my customer everything all at once. And that, what is that? That's info dumping, that's product dumping. It's like, mm-hmm. Word vomit. And that's the quickest way to lose a customer, by the way.
Like they will literally be like, okay, thank you. See you later. Bye-bye now. I mean, it's, it's, we talk about this like, don't overload your customers. You know, allow them to kind of. Guide you through that process. I mean, a lot of times when you do these, these sales calls, again, this consultative selling, you need to be asking them the questions, which then allows you to say, okay, well that sounds like this feature on my product that might be able to help solve his or her issue, versus we have this issue or this feature, this feature, this feature.
Because at the end of it, you've done nothing and, and I'm also thinking, this is so shortsighted because maybe in your head you're like, well, I just need to get this. These points across, and you're already thinking about the finish line of where you need to be with that when you haven't even started the race.
Like you haven't even begun to understand what all it's gonna take to get this customer. And the, I wanna say this is probably pretty true, Cindy. The higher priced your item is. Mm-hmm. Probably the longer term to sell, right? I mean, it's not gonna be this quick feature dump. Ooh, we're super cheap. Okay.
We're gonna switch to you like that, just. Probably isn't gonna happen and the higher end products that you're selling really don't matter that way.
Cynthia Ficara: It's so true. It's funny, I'm listening to you and I'm just picturing people that I've seen do some of the things you're talking about. And I'm sure I've been guilty.
Believe me. Oh yeah. At times I know I was guilty. We'll do this. Or that moment where you're like, oh, I just need to tell 'em what's to say. Show up and throw up. This is not what this is about. You know what I mean?
Consultative Selling in Action
And you know what's so great about consultative selling is when you eliminate some of these mistakes that we were saying.
So let's just. Reiterate them. Don't assume you know before you ask. And I think that's one of the most, number one important questions. And don't just information dump, don't just pitch your product. Don't rush to get to the end. And I want you to think about this when you do it correctly. I. Um, closing is really kind of the beginning.
So stop thinking about closing as a finish line to, oh, now I'm gonna get my product in. 'cause it's really the start of the relationship and then it's your job to cultivate this relationship. Continue to evolve and grow as it changes, you know, because I think that's important. So some of the things that you can do.
To switch this way and not make these mistakes is start thinking about, okay, I don't wanna be that, um, person that pitches and. Gets nowhere, right? So what do I do? What do I do to think differently? So to be a consultative seller, one of the first things you can do, number one, is pre-call research. Now, I know we've said this before, but Lisa made a good point.
First of all, what type of institution am I calling on? Not just your target and your, and your and the, the physician you wanna partner with, but you have to understand that if they're in a big institution, there are constraints. That make it harder for them, right? Yeah. You know, we just had that great episode.
Go back and listen with Jeffrey Del Verne about healthcare economics, right? Oh yeah. Sometimes it's as simple as the things he uncovered. Yeah. So you have to research what you're going into, number one.
Anneliese Rhodes: Yeah, no, that's a great point. And as you're talking, I'm thinking about some things. So one of the very first things is, you know, each of these conversations are gonna look different you guys.
So one conversation with the brand new physician out of college, that conversation, the information he's gonna give you. And remember, again, the key to this consultative selling is listening. So if he gives you a clue and says, you know, Cindy, right now. I'm just fresh outta college. I wanna make sure that I do the right things for the patients.
I don't wanna get sued. I'm comfortable using your competitor's products. You know, give me 10 cases to get under my belt before I start using your product. Okay? I. Then listen to him and hear him and let him know that this is what he's telling you. These are his fears. These are the things he's going through.
He is giving you this information. You guys, he doesn't have to by the way. So if you get that information, be the consultative person and say. I understand where you're coming from. Absolutely. That makes sense. You know, however you wanna personalize this. On the flip side, maybe you have a relationship with a doctor and you've, you've been working with her for years and years and years, and she offers up some new information for you.
She says, Hey, you know, I really wanna use more of your product, but you're missing this, and this is what my patient. Population has become, this is what I'm doing now. Do you have anything that can help me? Totally different conversation. Totally different information. If you're listening correctly, you're gonna say, okay, now I'm moving into this consultative selling.
How can I help her? How can I continue, make the relationship even deeper, even stronger? What does she need? Do I need to bring in a vp? You know, that kind of thing. So it's not just like. You are listening, Uhhuh. Okay? And then you're still going on that same pathway, right? You're still like, Ooh, but I gotta get to the finish line.
I gotta get them to use me again. No, stick back again. It's a lost art. Listen to them. And sometimes you actually probably don't have all the answers at that point. That's okay. That's another call point. That's a follow up. That's a dinner, that's an email. That's a phone call. That's another face to face visit.
This is all, remember, this is all part of the selling process. You guys, it doesn't all have to come so quickly, so easily, and you know, you get to the finish line and then you move on. That's just not what medical devices is.
The Power of Listening and Asking the Right Questions
Cynthia Ficara: It's really important to remember that your agenda is not necessarily theirs.
However, it's your responsibility to listen to them so you can align with their agenda, and that's where you, that's the art. That's where it comes together. That's where you meet in the middle and. If you listen to a problem, this is where you can infuse and solve, but you are spot on. This is the best part.
We just said. The close is only the beginning of a relationship and how you build to get to the big money that you want to get into an industry that can offer it is continuing to. Find reasons for your customer to want to have you back, want to work with you, want to partner with you. So, and I think some of those things really kind of come down to some questions.
I, I, we've said this before and I think this probably goes without saying, and anybody listening kind of understands, but. Do you do it And simply, simply starting with open-ended questions and you know, if you get nervous, if you have an agenda and if you just wanna spit out what you're doing, you may ans you may ask close-ended questions.
Do you and the doctor's busy? Yes. No, whatever they're done. Yeah. Take a minute to breathe and an ask an open-ended question. Like, okay, let me give you an example. Let's say that maybe the doctor spits out. Um, okay. Well, it has to go through that committee and instead of saying, okay, thanks, or, oh, well, who do I talk to?
Or, I don't know, something as simple as, oh, well can you walk me through what the process looks like at your hospital?
Anneliese Rhodes: Yeah. And who is the, who are the contact people? Do you know? Do I just had this conversation not that long ago with a brand new account and I, and I met with a physician and he is actually interested in using the product, which is yay win for me.
But, you know, now starts the process, right? And it's a long process, um, because. Just because they tell you they're interested in using your product doesn't actually mean that it's gonna get used. You actually have to do a lot of things. But you know, one of the things, the very first thing I said was, who's the contact person in the or?
Who do I need to meet with? Who should I contact? Because that person usually knows the person in the back committee. And if you have their support, then automatically it moves straight into the, well, hopefully it'll move into that committee if you're doing your job and you're following up with the steps.
The Art of Timing and True Listening in Consultative Selling
But you know, one thing I was also thinking about with these open-ended question is. You have to be able to know when to ask them, right? Mm-hmm. So if it's a time when they're super busy, and you're right, there will be times when they're not up for this long conversation, Cindy, that's just like, listen, today is not chat day, honey.
I got a lot of case patients cases to do, patients to see, you know, I'm super busy. So again, part of that consultative selling is being self-aware and knowing when. Is an appropriate time to have these conversations and when is it not? And you know, in between cases, probably not the right time. At, at their office after office hours or in between, you know, the morning shift and the afternoon shift of clinic maybe.
But you have to be able to feel the customer and if he or she is not up for having this long, drawn out conversation, don't push it. Because then right there, you're going back to that, you know, pushy sales rep. The one that has to get to the finish line, have to understand it's a marathon, not a sprint, and you gotta back up.
And work again. You know, go back, do a little bit more research, figure out when a good time might be. Maybe this consultative selling at this point is just securing the next meeting to when you can finally uncover more of their needs.
Cynthia Ficara: Read the room. It's one of the best things you can do. Their body language and some of the best questions in your consultative selling is recognizing, you know, you look really busy right now.
Could I see you on Wednesday clinic hours? Perfect. That right there is a. And that looks sort of close ended, but what time could I see you on Wednesday? And then, and then you, and then you leave. And, but again, you're listening not only with your ears, you're listening with your eyes. When you watch what they're doing, you see their body language because if you listen to understand, it's so much better than listening to just have a response.
And I think that's really important. It builds trust, and I think that when you listen well enough, then eventually you'll know how and when to sell to them. And
Anneliese Rhodes: again, it's an art. Everything is a learning opportunity. You know you're not gonna get it right away. That's fine. Don't beat yourself up. It's totally fine.
I don't get it all the time. Cindy doesn't get it all the time. We constantly make mistakes. We learn from those mistakes, and then we move on and we implement them the next time. We call on that same customer or a different customer, you know, maybe you leave it and you're like, shoot, I didn't do that correctly.
I didn't hear all of her needs. I didn't listen to what he was really telling me. I just kind of push, push pushed. That may not have gone great. Well, the beauty of calling on physicians is they're really busy and they don't always remember everything. Right? So like as long as you've left them with a pretty good impression, they're probably gonna see you again.
You know? I mean, they're human, they get it. Um, but just remind yourself that this is an art. This is something that you need to work on. You need to slow yourself down. You need to really be listening. And like Cindy said, it's not just what you're saying, it's what you're hearing, it's what you're reading in the room.
All of that can add up to being a true consultant in this business and not just another pencil pusher, because those people, I can promise you right now, they ain't making seven figures.
Cynthia Ficara: Exactly. So I, I, I really hope this discussion today is, is settling because it's something you may wanna go back and listen to and think about.
It's something to work on every day. I mean, seven figure reps have great mindsets, but they work on themselves every day and they have bad days too. But I think it's really important key message to take home from all of this is that consultative selling is an a. Softer way of doing things or drawing things out.
It's smarter and it's really having the difference between being remembered. And being replaced because in this business, every day you go out there, it's wanting an invitation to come back. So when you consultatively sell you, you do this with a purpose. And I think something to think about is not, um, not go push, push products anymore, and it's more about, mm-hmm.
Being trusted as to who you are. And I, I, I think that's really important because sometimes the most powerful voice in the room is the one that listens first. I love
Anneliese Rhodes: that. So I think y'all's call to action today is really, really simple. Are you showing up to pitch a product or are you showing up to be a partner?
Everyone. I hope you guys have a great day. We are so happy y'all continue to tune into us. We love hearing from you. Don't forget to ride into us. Everyone. Go out there and have a super successful day and week and be a partner, not a pitcher.
Hey, declutter. This is our snippet. Okay, Cindy, let's get real. What is the reason why no one is closing deals and you're not closing the deals that you want? Because it isn't what you think. It's not your pitch, it's not your product, and it's definitely not the price.
Cynthia Ficara: Maybe it's not what you said in the meeting.
Maybe it's what you missed. So in today's episode, we are revealing what seven figure reps never overlook and what average reps possibly never even see.