Stop Spinning, Start Winning — The Strategy You’re Missing
What if the reason you’re not hitting your goals has nothing to do with your effort?
In this episode, Lisa and Cindy reveal the secret that separates spinning your wheels from actually winning in medical device sales.
Inspired by Cindy’s Ironman journey, they break down how discipline, accountability, and strategy turned into The Girls of Grit Sales Success Planner, a proven system that keeps high performers aligned and unstoppable.
Tune in as they walk through the three pillars: Targeting, Implementation, and Accountability, and show you how to plan with purpose, execute with confidence, and finally see the results your hustle deserves.
Episode Chapter Markers
00:00 Introduction
01:28 The Importance of Direction in High Performance
02:27 Introducing the Sales Success Strategy and Planner
02:59 Cindy's Ironman Story and the Power of a Written Plan
05:35 Breaking Down the Planner: Targeting
14:23 Breaking Down the Planner: Implementation
20:56 Breaking Down the Planner: Accountability
Must-Hear Insights and Key Moments
The Ironman Lesson That Built a Sales Strategy – Cindy’s Ironman training inspired a system that helped her hit President’s Club.
The Planner That Keeps You Accountable – Discover how daily commitment and reflection can transform your sales performance.
Targeting with Purpose – Why defining the right accounts and call points determines your trajectory.
Implementation That Moves the Needle – How to reverse-engineer your big goals into daily, doable actions.
Accountability Is the Game Changer – The truth about holding yourself to your own standards in sales.
From Chaos to Clarity – How structure breeds confidence and consistent wins.
The Secret Revealed – Sales success happens when you do things on purpose.
Grit in Action – The planner system every high-performing woman in sales needs.
Words of Wisdom: Standout Quotes from This Episode
“If you can’t hold yourself accountable, no one else will and that’s what separates good reps from great ones.” - Anneliese Rhodes
“Those wins don’t happen by accident; they happen because you commit, write it down, and execute.” - Anneliese Rhodes
“Your biggest hurdle isn’t your doctor or your numbers, it's you and what you tell yourself every day.” - Anneliese Rhodes
“Confidence doesn’t come from chaos. It comes from clarity.” - Anneliese Rhodes
“You’ll be amazed how easy success feels once you start doing things on purpose.” - Anneliese Rhodes
“High performers don’t fail from lack of effort, they fail from lack of alignment.” - Cynthia Ficara
“If you don’t track it, you can’t fix it. And if you don’t measure it, you’ll never know where you’re going.” - Cynthia Ficara
“You put the yuck in to get all the good out. That’s what discipline looks like.” - Cynthia Ficara
“How do you get to Oz without the yellow brick road? Strategy is your map.” - Cynthia Ficara
“When you focus and make decisions on purpose, you stop reacting and start leading your day.” - Cynthia Ficara
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A Team Dklutr production
Blog Transcript:
Note: We use AI transcription so there may be some inaccuracies
Anneliese Rhodes: Welcome everyone to another episode of Secrets in Medical Device Sales, brought to you by the Girls of Grit. And today we're bringing you guys another great impactful and actually really, I don't know. I feel like it's an exciting episode because we're giving you guys, not only some really good action steps to help you move forward with your sales success, but more importantly, we are providing you the keys to that success.
Cynthia Ficara: I know it's going to be really fun. I mean, you know, we're talking to high performers, all of you out there or who are really stretching to be high performers. But I think you have to remember when you are a high performer, you usually have a lot on your plate. There's usually a lot of. Things you're doing where, you know, you may hear, oh, I feel like I'm running, you know, a hundred miles an hour.
the question though is, are you going a hundred miles an hour in the right direction or are you just burning energy that isn't getting you where you need to get to?
Anneliese Rhodes: You know?
Yeah, that's such a good point. Oh my gosh, that's such a good point. And We've already kind of announced some stuff that we're coming out with Cindy and I just, I'm so excited that we just are gonna really start pushing some stuff out to you guys that are really gonna help you become and stay high performers.
but you're right, you do make a really good point. Most people that are running and gunning 90 to nothing. It's really hard to balance all of it. Right? It's really hard to stay in quote unquote alignment. It's hard to stay on course. Exactly.
Planning Fuel Sales Success
So the thing that we're gonna talk about today, I think directly relates to one of the key things that we just released, which is our downloadable sales success strategy and planner, which you guys, if you have not checked this out yet.
And I know you've hear, heard the ads drop on other episodes. This is something that is amazing. Cindy's gonna talk about it today to you guys and why she believes in it. And I believe in it so strongly because we've seen it work.
Amazing.
Cynthia Ficara: And that's the truth. So I might as well just jump in and tell you the story behind it so you, you know, a little bit about where it came from.
So if you've listened, you know that I am a triathlete, and years ago I did an Ironman and it was the first time I really, really followed a written plan and. I remember thinking it's kind of scary. I mean, taking on a full Ironman, 140.6 miles, 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and then a full marathon, 26.2 mile run at the end, you know, you have to train and be in shape.
So I remember it was the. First time really thinking like, oh my gosh, if I don't do this, I could die. You know? 'cause people do die. And knowing that I had to be in good enough shape that I don't get injured, I don't die. So, and then also I put money into this. So my three reasons for doing this race were for training was I don't wanna die.
I don't wanna waste my money, and I refused to be a DNF did not finish. So then I had a written plan because I was working full time. Kids were busy. How do I squeeze this in? Well, it was the first time in my life I really made time. So each week, if I didn't do one of those disciplines of swim, bike or run, it showed up on my calendar.
And I am telling you the reaction that I had was like, oh my gosh, I didn't do that one. It, it was crazy to me. Long story short. I didn't, uh, I didn't die. I did finish. And, uh, the money was well worth it. So what I did after that was start realizing the accountability that I actually had, and it was written for me.
It was, I had a plan. I needed to execute. I needed to follow it. But the accountability factor of each week, am I where I need to be. Um, I just started to integrate that into a work sales planner. And the planner that is available on download is after a couple years of adding a lot more, pulling together a lot more, and ultimately, the planner will allow you to make a plan.
It allows you to implement and check your progress as you go, and it also allows you to be accountable. So I really wanted to make President's Club and I rolled out a plan and this exact plan of this planner. Got me to President's Club. It's my Ironman strategies put into paper with a little bit of discipline, accountability, and fun.
When you understand that time is one of the most precious commodities and you use it well, the ROI is endless. So I'm really excited. That's kind of the origin of how this all started. So Lisa and I are just gonna kind of go through or break it down into three sections of the easiest way to understand what we're talking about and how to get all of you.
On, on, um, focused and on the right track.
Anneliese Rhodes: Yeah, absolutely. And you know, I love this story. First of all, like, so amazing that you did a full Ironman. I'm still like super impressed. I'm like, you know, I'd only did a half, but I remember too, following only, that's a lot. But still though, I, I remember following the plans and I remember it's like the guilt sets in when you don't do the work.
Yes. Like, you're like, duh, I feel so guilty. And then, you know, by punishment, your next workout's gonna be even tougher because you didn't do what you were supposed to do the week before. And that's all part of strategy, right? It's all part of the overarching goal of you crossing that finish line. And in sales, it's the overarching goal or, or, um, and strategy of.
Getting up on President's Club or getting a promotion or moving to the next level, or landing that big account. We all have different goals and sales, but if you don't have something that keeps you accountable and keeps you aligned, it's so easy to get off track. And I love this quarterly planner because it's.
Easy. It's very simple to fill out. It only takes a couple of minutes every day. And yeah, you're gonna do it every day, just like a workout. You're gonna sit down with this quarterly planner and you're gonna do this every single morning or evening night before the next day, and you're gonna commit to it.
And I truly believe in it because I did it too. And you know, I, I just, I love the system. I think it's a proven strategy. I think it's a proven method. And so anyhow, we're gonna talk a lot about that today, you guys, but just, I'll go ahead and say it, even though we're gonna say it again and again. Go to our website, www.thegirlsofgrit.com and go to our resource tab, and that's where you're gonna find this downloadable planner.
It's amazing, uh, and it'll keep you on track, but you know. Before we move on, before we break this down, I just wanna say that like this also is going to keep that momentum going. It's like every time you sit down and you write it in, it's almost like this little burst of, don't forget you've got this tomorrow.
And you know what? It's kind of nice when things are planned out for you, right? Like when you opened up your. Next day's workout. You knew the computer or whatever it was that was spitting it out, knew you, knew where you wanted to be, and it spit out perfect workouts. The planner's gonna do the same thing because you're gonna input it in and you're gonna see the results spit out.
Cynthia Ficara: Planning ahead that week ahead that you see it, and you don't have to get to work on a Monday morning and be like, what am I gonna do today? And then an hour goes by and you could have been in the car and you could have been on top of that. You know, Lisa, when you were just talking about the guilt, it's, it's really, really true.
If any of you have ever ridden a bike. Or gone to like cycle class or SoulCycle spin. You know how sore your quads get if you're, if you're not, um, doing that, or if you are into riding and you're on a bike and you're trying to keep up with people, if you're trained, you can keep up with them. If not, you're winded, legs are burning and you're like, oh my gosh, I wish I would've done what I was supposed to do.
Yeah. To keep up with these people. Well, it's the same thing with. President's Club. So I think before you tune in and listen, ask yourself, do you wanna be the one sitting in the chair when they announce a name and you realize you missed it by one because you just didn't do that extra sales workout, you know, oh well, your legs, you didn't feel like doing that.
So instead you're gonna sit in the chair and not walk up on stage. So we wanna make sure that we give you all the sales. Workouts that you need to make sure that those legs stand up and walk up on stage, and you have no regrets. I love this.
Targeting with Intention and Pivot with Purpose
Anneliese Rhodes: All right, so let's start. Let's talk about, you know, we broke it down into kind of what three things I think.
Okay. I think the first one is the targeting, right? Correct. This is where you need to know what matters most. So when you're thinking about your accounts and your call points, your customers, who are the people, the call points that are gonna get you to the places that you need to get to? And you know, you can't make everything a priority.
You can't be like, oh, well every doctor in the whole group is important. Well, yes they are, but are they that important to your overall goal? If the answer to that is no, and they're not going to feed that goal. Then there's no point in putting them in your planner. I mean, you gotta be really specific.
Make them impactful, make them smart choices. But you also need to make 'em attainable. Like don't just pick this doctor that's high, high, high in the sky, that he may have all the volume in the world, but Cindy, it's gonna take you a year to get on him. I'm not saying don't spend time on him or her, but don't make that a priority goal.
Go for what we call that low hanging fruit, the stuff that sits right there that you know, that if you nurtured just a little bit, you might be able to pluck it from the tree and be able to, you know, take it to the next level.
Cynthia Ficara: But don't forget that the sales system is set to help you, that as you're going along, if you did make a wrong choice, there's a way that you are going to reflect at certain checkpoints and realize, you know what?
I'm not really moving the needle here. I'm gonna pivot and I need to go to somebody else. That's part of it being a system part. It being accountable. And Lisa's right, I mean, you know, low hanging fruit, where's it warm? Because you've gotta have a couple engines burning all the time, right? Where can you go get immediate impact?
Where are you planting seeds? It's gonna take six months to a year. And where in the middle can you spend some time to start having another facility, a hospital, an introduction or something? Um, I honestly think that when you really. Get, get real about who you're targeting and where you should spend your time.
Mm-hmm. Um, but know that you can, you can change this if you need to For sure.
Anneliese Rhodes: That's nice too. You're right. I mean, and, and I think it's important to reflect back and say, okay, is this working? Is this goal working for me, or is this customer working for me? Or is it just not right? I, I need to go ahead and pivot and I need to change my course.
And there's no shame in the game of saying, you know what? This is not working or it's not working right now. Maybe I need to go look in a new place. And that's another reason why you never. Not pay attention to other opportunities. Because sometimes, you know, I find, and this has happened to me multiple times, Cindy, where I'm like concentrating on a certain physician and I really like have all of my heart and soul put into this person and it just isn't working out.
And it's like if you just kind of sit back and look, sometimes you can see a maybe even better little diamond that's under a stone that you're just not paying attention to. But if you. Stop and you reflect and you realize it's not working and you're honest with yourself about it, then you can pivot and go concentrate on a new target.
And I've done that multiple times where I'm like, Hmm, isn't that funny the way that worked? You know, I really wasn't making it work with Dr. Smith, but Dr. Black over here is like my next biggest star. So, you know, I think what you were talking about is important. That reflection really does matter.
Cynthia Ficara: So I think when you, um, when you're starting out with this, one of the things and the planner kind of helps this, it's, it's a system that really is reverse engineering, kind of like the Ironman, you know, it's a big goal and you gotta just break it down simply.
So when you're targeting think, you know, if you've got a yearly goal that you wanna make President's Club and say you sell. Six products, and you're like, well, three of them drive the most revenue. Now I need to target how I'm gonna make the most money the quickest, and which doctors. Fit into here. Then you've got like a big picture and then you have to break it down into, okay, if this certain doctor will will, if I can get X amount of dollars from this hospital or facility, then you know you're working towards your target.
And I think that, um. I really love the reverse engineering. You gotta think big and break it down. And in the planner each month there is a monthly momentum check and you look to see are you accomplishing what you should be? And targets can always move, but you gotta think strategically. So that's why we thought our very first, um, subject or a, a part of talking about this is, is targeting.
Anneliese Rhodes: I like that. Um, that's a great point.
Turning Strategy Into Daily Wins
Okay, so implementation. So that would be like the second one, right? How are you gonna make it? Happen. How are you gonna make your strategies turn into realistic, um, not only goals, but like you, you have things happen for you. Events is what the word I was looking for.
So I think, um, what you were talking about, Cindy, in that planner, you don't, we have where you write down things, what you're gonna do, you know, what are your plans, how are you going to attack? To that, to get to that number. How are you gonna get Dr. Smith to use you for the next five cases? And that could be a series of events.
It could be, let's just say you don't even know Dr. Smith, but you know Dr. Smith is gonna be able to help you. Well, the very first thing would be get to know your docs, right? Set up a lunch, set up a dinner, get in front of them, meet them at the hospital. So then once that happens, then what's the next step?
Well, then I need to make sure that I'm targeting correctly. Are they in, are they interested in my product? The answer to that is yes. Then we need to move to like the VAT committee type thing and so on and so forth. And I, so I think when you guys are filling this out, be super specific and really thoughtful on what it's going to take to get to that final goal.
Because for each, uh, physician or customer call point, it's going to be multiple different steps. It could just be one last step that you just need to do before you are gonna hit the goal with that one surgeon. But you need to make sure that you're writing it down and that you're following it. And again, a very like time efficient, but makes sense, timeline.
Does that make sense?
Cynthia Ficara: Yeah, it, it does. And you know, that's why one of my favorite pages is what's called the Weekly Wrap. And so, oh yes, it, when you're in the process of trying to get to that committee, there's a section there. It always starts with weekly wins because you wanna be able to, to write the tiniest little things like, oh, I got through the gatekeeper today, or, oh, I found out who sits on committee.
I still have to wait two months. But I, I now am on here, what do I need to fill out? And then on that weekly wrap page, it's, it's all based on like what's working, what needs to be improved. I really don't believe in saying what didn't, 'cause it just sounds negative because anything that you're doing that maybe.
Is it really working? It's not about, well, that just didn't work. No. Think about what's not working, how are you going to improve it? And there's also a section like, don't forget in follow up. So for instance, let's just use your vac committee example. Let's say, um, you know, you're making progress. Well now VAC committee doesn't mean.
For two months. Flip forward, put it on the calendar for two months, and then you can even put two weeks prior to that. Check in with the person right on there. Check in with so and so to be ready for this. Like it's that simple. It's top of mind. And then you don't forget. And then you're held accountable.
Anneliese Rhodes: I know, I'm already thinking, I'm like, gosh, I'll put this in my phone. But like I love to be able to write it down and put it into something and like really have it on me all the time. So I think another thing is, remember that this is downloadable, but you can print it and that way you have it with you at all times.
So when you get back into your car, your car from that sales call. You write it down, you know, you bring it in with you every night, just like your laptop or whatever else you're bringing in from the day. And now you can put your thoughts that you've been thinking about in that planner to really keep you on track.
Because I can't tell you how many times I get off track like it, it happens a, oh my gosh, a lot, right? And it could be. It can be for good things. It can be for like, oh, I gotta call for my doctor, and I have a case now. But you can't forget what your original goals were. Maybe your goals for the day were to get in front of a couple new physicians.
And then you got sidetracked and you got a call and you had to go. I mean, that just happened to me not that long ago. You can't forget where you were supposed to be, but you need to write it down. And I feel like that planner just, mm-hmm. Planner's so great because it reminds you, it keeps you super accountable.
Cynthia Ficara: There was, I can't remember, and I should have looked this up before, but, um, it was, there's either a research showed or, or something saying that if you write it down, you're x amount of times more likely to do it. And it was, it was really, see, it was so important that I can't tell you exactly how many times.
But I know it's so true. If I write something down, I'm definitely gonna do it. And you know, when I write something down, I also realize it's then the consistent activity and follow through that I do. Because if it's written down, it needs. Needs to be done. If I just say, yeah, this week I'm gonna go see so and so, but if I write it down and I know at the end of the week I need to ask myself if I did it.
Totally different approach. Which brings me to our secret, Lisa. Oh, it is time to reveal the secret of our episode today. Okay, because we want to stop spinning your wheels. You wanna start winning. So, I don't know, do you want me to reveal the secret this time? I always make you do it. You do it? Okay. Okay.
The Discipline and Accountability Behind Sales Success
So, okay. The secret to doing your best and winning its sales is drum roll. When you do things on. Purpose. So I'm gonna say that again. It's when you do activities that matter on purpose because having a real strategy is what gets you places like high performers really don't fail because of lack of effort.
I think every high performer out there probably ha is could. Can log in an unbelievable task list. But if you're not aligned with what you're supposed to do, you're just kind of spinning your wheels, you're going somewhere without a map. Like how do you get to Oz without the yellow brick road? And so when you follow the path, you get there so much quicker, and that's why we believe that the secret is when you focus and make decisions and actions on purpose.
You know what the purpose is? I, I, I think it's, you're so much more likely to, to make it happen, and you're not reacting anymore to the day you're leaving the day. It's your decisions. So I think that once you become very strategic, you also end up with more freedom.
Anneliese Rhodes: Absolutely. I was reading, you just reminded me, I was reading, I don't know, some, it was something on Instagram not that long ago, or maybe it was LinkedIn, I can't remember now.
But somebody had a meme and it was like, your biggest hurdle is yourself. It's not somebody else. It's not the sale, it's not the doctor, it's not the bad case. It's none of that. It's you and it's what you are telling yourself. It's what you are doing or not doing in order to push yourself to that next limit.
And I think, you know, doing things on purpose. And, and then this is in our number three as well, um, where, where you and I were talking about this, Cindy. But it's like, it takes discipline, right? You're gonna have to do things on purpose, just like you did to train for the Ironman. So
Cynthia Ficara: absolutely.
Anneliese Rhodes: I think that leads us straight into the third part of using this, this quarterly planner and why it's so important.
And it is called a sales success strategy for a reason. Um, but it's being account. You have to hold yourself accountable because nobody else is gonna hold you accountable. No, they're not. Let's face it, sales is a lonely job. You are out there all on an island all by yourself. The only person that's gonna hold your feet to the fire is you.
You sure you can have a manager? You can say they're a micromanager and they ask you to do all these tasks, but the, at the end of the day, it's on you to do 'em. It's on you to actually get it done. And if you can't be accountable and you can't hold yourself accountable. You know, it's gonna be real tough.
And I think this success sales system real or sales success system really helps you stay accountable because you're writing it down, you're putting it to memory, you're committing to it. And it's amazing when you commit to something like how it works. And I know you've already said that, but it's like crazy how, how well it, mm-hmm.
Cynthia Ficara: It's so true, but like if you don't track something, how do you know where you're going? You know? And you can't fix what you don't measure, right? And in sales, if you're trying to hit a certain number. You absolutely need to be measuring. You absolutely need to be tracking and you have to also stop and realize when I'm not tracking where I need to be, what do I need to do to fix it?
That's the accountability part as well. And I just think that, you mentioned it earlier about discipline. That discipline at first is what makes you like. Getting back to my training plan, I was disciplined when I saw, oh my gosh, I have to do this today. Did I want to? No. Yeah. Did I wanna get up at four 30 in the morning?
Did I wanna swim in the cold? Did I wanna ride my bike in the garage? Bored in the dark? No. No, and no. But I wanted to do the race, and this was the yuck part that I had to put into it. So in sales, the yuck part may be getting up, getting out the door to go see somebody that maybe you don't know, maybe you're uncomfortable, maybe you're not.
Really excited about this. Maybe you need to help overcome an obstacle or an objection this doctor had, and it's gonna be uncomfortable, but that's okay. You put the yuck in and you get all the good out. And you know, once you get in the habit of getting up every day with that discipline of doing what you need to do, a consistency happens and then, then it just becomes habit.
It's hard at first, but. Accountability is so key, and this part of really driving towards your goals is what makes all the difference in the world. I really believe that.
Anneliese Rhodes: No, I agree with you too, Cindy. And you know, I think, I hope you guys today, when you listen to this episode, it's starting to click in your mind what you know you need to do in order to get you to that next level.
And I'm telling you, this quarterly planner makes it so simple. It's so thoughtful, Cindy. I mean, she's really put her heart and soul into this, you guys, and I'm telling you. At the minimum, check it out because it's a, there's a, there's a way you can view it and see it before you actually purchase it. It is phenomenal.
The, uh, feedback that we've gotten has been tremendous. Um, and we've only had it out like a couple weeks now, so it's like crazy. But, you know, I truly like what you said, Cindy. When you commit to something and you continually do it every day, number one. Not only do you see the results, but they start to actually come a little easier.
You're like, oh, huh, that wasn't as bad as I thought that was gonna be. That hard run today was not as bad as I thought it was gonna be. Calling on Dr. Smith actually went a lot better because I was focused, I was intentional, and I knew what I was gonna do that day. Those things don't happen by accident.
They happen because you commit to them, you write them down, and then you perform them. And I, I promise you guys. You will absolutely see an increase in your sales numbers if you follow the system. It's unbelievable, and it's not hard. It's really not.
From Chaos to Clarity
Cynthia Ficara: I know how, how hard is it to do the three things we talked about, targeting, implementing, and accountability.
I know every company or anybody you work for has that, but the question is. How do you put it together? Yeah. So I really hope today's episode hit home for some of you. And if you're tired of feeling like you're really scatterbrained or you're just, you know, um, you wanna get more strategic, then your next move is very simple.
So your call to action for today is to write down your targets, pick one focus and start tracking it. And what better way than with our grit planner that was built just for you. This structure is truly behind every high performer's progress. And I want you to remember this. Confidence does not come from chaos.
It comes from clarity. So, Lisa, tell us where we can get this planner.
Anneliese Rhodes: Yes. So once again, you guys, you can go to our website. www.thegirlsofgrit.com and go to our resource tap. There, you will see where you can directly link in to where it's located. You can view it before you buy it and really see if this system fits in your life.
I know it's going to be, uh, because it's worked for Cindy, for me, and for a lot of other people that are already taking advantage of it.
Cynthia Ficara: Yeah,
Anneliese Rhodes: yeah. Yeah. Hey, declutter. Let me re-say that because I forgot something very important. Yes. So you guys have a couple different places to go to if you want to download our Sales Success System and quarterly planner.
First of all, it is on our website and I dropped it and I'll drop it again. It's www.thegirlsofgrit.com and go to our resource tab and you guys can click it, look at it, view it, download it there. Or if you are a lobby partner and member, you can actually go straight to your, the website, the lobby, uh, network, and go to the platform and log in and go to their resource tab.
And there you will see it as well. And if you're a lobby member, you guys get 10% off. So woo, that coupon there. So absolutely go there as well, get that planner and make it happen.
Hey, declutter. Here is our snippet. What if the reason you're not hitting your goals has nothing to do with your effort?
Cynthia Ficara: You're doing everything right. You're grinding, you're showing up, hustling, but the results just aren't showing up with you.
Anneliese Rhodes: You're not failing. You're just unfocused.
Cynthia Ficara: And today we are gonna change all of that.
