Q: What does your morning routine look like?
Eric C.: At 5:30 a.m. my alarm goes off. I start doing abs and push-ups beside my bed. I don’t drink coffee, so this is how I amp myself up.
After I shower, I think about my theme for that day. In sales, we have a “capture attention” statement. I look in the mirror and practice it out loud. I make a big breakfast for my daughter and me. That’s important because I’ll often be on the road for a while after I leave the house.
Once I get my daughter off to middle school, I start planning my outfit. Every day I think about dressing the part and it all starts with the socks. I build an outfit based on the color and design of my socks and match my tie and pocket square to them. If you look good, you feel good and you will be good.
Q: What are the greatest challenges you face?
E. C.: My biggest challenge is trying to cut through the demanding layers of the managed healthcare environment. The environment is more restrictive because practices are joining larger institutions, where they may have policies that limit interactions with sales representatives. Doctors are also extremely busy, making it even more important to stay focused and ensure each interaction has impact.
Q: How do you overcome these challenges?
E. C.: I focus on the customer. If the conversation is constructed in this manner, “I’m here to provide valuable information about the efficacy and safety of our products, so you can choose the best product for each of your patients,” then you can’t lose because you’ve made it about them. The best way to find out what’s important to the doctor is by asking the right questions to create a dialogue and carefully listen to the answers.
At times, the job can feel lonely. There’s a lot of time spent on your own. I often eat lunch on the road by myself, so I use that time to have productive discussions over the phone. I make the loneliness work to my advantage. By the time I get to an office, I’m truly happy to communicate with people and they can sense that.
