Med Device Unleashed

A full length podcast live from the floor of ASPN , speaking with some of the top thought leaders in the interventional pain space and taking a look into the future of pain medicine and what's on the horizon for ASPN as an organization in which is growing very rapidly.

In this episode of Med Device Unleashed, I am talking to Giovanni Di Napoli. He is the President of Medtronic’s Gastrointestinal division. Listen in as Giovanni discusses the new product launch of GI Genius, AI applications, and strategies for managing territories. “Artificial Intelligence is here to help; to keep performance stable... or to improve performance.” Top Takeaways: * Put in the time to learn things inside out. * Prioritize the people you want to work with. * Balance what you can achieve short and long term. * Take care of your physical body to take care of your mind. * Get up early to get ahead. * Create value for physicians and patients. * Have clear visions. * Foster an open-minded attitude. Episode’s Timeline: * [03:52] What Giovanni learned from his time at Johnson & Johnson. * [05:57] How Giovanni felt about working in sales. * [07:20] How Johnson & Johnson parses territories and reps. * [08:55] Strategies for dealing with a large territory. * [13:42] Advancing devices to preserve surgical techniques. * [15:25] Moving up the sales ladder into leadership. * [18:16] How Giovanni maintains his one-man show. * [22:40] About GI Genius. * [29:45] The GI Genius development timeline. * [30:50] How GI Genius integrates into a practice. * [31:23] Will the Medtronic GI division move to direct to patient marketing with the GI Genius? * [34:00] Did Giovanni expect the progress of his department 5 years ago?

In this episode of Med Device Unleashed, I am talking to Sean Bryant, a seasoned and polished sales professional with years of experience. Listen in to hear Sean’s perspectives on failing forward and learning lessons, what he looks for when hiring candidates, and how he manages his time. “If you look at it the right way, and you look at it as a learning experience and something that’s going to make you better, then good. You’re going to be better.” Top Takeaways: * Failing forward and continuing to learn from your experiences to grow. * How obstacles are showing you the way forward. * Work ethic is paramount to success. * There’s always more to learn. * Showcase your numbers and prove your success on your resume. * Your attention to detail in your resume communicates your attention to detail in your job. * Remember that it is all about the patient, no matter what. * You don’t have to have the best product to be the best salesperson. * Be hungry, humble, and emotionally intelligent. * Focus on personal development. Episode’s Timeline: * [03:48] About Sean’s background and how he came to med device sales. * [11:00] Getting over the fear of failure fast and learning to take risks. * [15:03] Sean’s experience in trauma and how it was a benefit to him. * [21:00) Tips on becoming a Territory Manager. * [25:10] Building an effective resume. * [30:00] Understanding that what you do is a privilege and building trust with medical teams. * [32:50] What Sean looks for in potential candidates. * [42:35] Managing your time and to-do list effectively and efficiently. * [54:30] What advice would Sean give himself if he could go back 5 years?

In this episode of Med Device Unleashed I am talking to Allison Turner, a nurse practitioner for an interventional pain practice here in Houston. Listen in to hear Alison’s perspectives on what makes a good representative, the average journey for a pain patient, and the importance of continuous learning. “It’s so rewarding when you are able to see someone make a turn for the best.” Top Takeaways: * Interventional pain management goes far beyond narcotics. * Building trust between practitioners and representatives is essential. * Selecting the right patients for the right treatment is vital to improve patient outcomes. * Having a solid knowledge base and continuing to build on it is integral to being an effective rep. * Remember to have compassion for patients, no matter what is going on around you. * Create a culture of curiosity and continuous learning. * As a rep you need to be efficient, organized, and value oriented. Episode’s Timeline: * [01:55] About Alison and what she does. * [04:20] What drew Alison to working in pain management and why it is so much more than medication. * [08:01] Exploring the life and journey of a pain patient. * [12:00] What Alison looks for in a representative as an advanced practitioner. * [15:20] What is spinal cord stimulation and what do reps in this field do? * [21:02] Maintaining compassion, understanding, and empathy. * [23:05] The evolution in pain management treatments. * [25:02] Why you need to be efficient and know how to present value as a rep. * [30:20] Creating a respectful relationship with everyone in clinic, not just physicians. * [33:23] Alison’s advice for those starting out in the field of pain management. Visit our sponsor Live Fresh Brand at https://www.livefreshbrand.com/ [https://www.livefreshbrand.com/] and on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/livefreshbrand/ [https://www.instagram.com/livefreshbrand/] and use CODE MDU21 code for 10% off of your first order.

In this episode of Med Device Unleashed Podcast, we have invited Denise Muresan, an Area Sales Manager for Vertiflex and a Pro-tennis player. Denise started as a clinical specialist with Boston Scientific. She is a highly talented, very successful medical device sales rep. She studied brain behavior and cognitive science at Michigan ( Go Blue ). Today, Denise shares with us her journey from being an athlete to Medical Device Sales and gives her advice to aspiring people and current device sales reps alike. Athletic Background [02:04] Denise went to the University of Michigan and studied pre-med undergrad where she did brain behavior and cognitive science. She excelled in college tennis and decided to play professionally for four years. Path to Med Device [03:00] Denise didn't know about the industry. She was focused more on the pre-med track and potentially becoming a physician or an anesthesiology assistant. The first time she learned about it was from his brother who worked for GlaxoSmithKline. After graduating, some of her athlete friends got into device sales and encouraged her to try it. [03:40] When Denise stopped playing tennis, she applied for 30 to 40 med device jobs but didn’t get one email back. With her best friend’s connection, a couple of spots were open up for a CS position at Boston Scientific. She was interviewed and got it. Denise’ Day to Day [05:32] Working at Boston Scientific, she was working with spinal cord stimulators as a clinical specialist. She was covering cases and re-programming. She would re-program an actual stimulator that's implanted in the patient's body through a Bluetooth type of device to cover the patients’ pain areas where they feel like a buzzing tingling sensation to block the pain. [06:07] She would look for ways to help her territory manager grow the accounts, and come up with ideas based on conversations and what she’d seen with physicians. From Clinical Specialist to Sales [07:00] Denise said she didn't understand what sales incorporated in that capacity. She got into medical device sales because she didn't want to do any type of sales. She liked its healthcare aspect. But as she started developing and learning what the sales role entailed, she realized that she can get more into those clinical and higher-level conversations with physicians. Denise loved developing the business, too. Her Advice [09:57] In medical sales, we try and act like we know everything all the time, and that's not always true. When you first start, take advantage of the fact that you are new. The doctor knows that you're new. Ask questions if you don't know what's going on. They'll respect you because they'll know that you will be even better prepared next time that you're with them, and you're truly there to learn and not just watch. [11:45] Before you go in, talk to other reps that have been in the room with a physician. Everybody has a different personality in the operating room. We're there to make them comfortable, and provide the product for them and make sure everything's working properly. But if you can cater to their personality as well, they'll appreciate that. Skills Acquired From Tennis [13:05] One of the skills that Denise acquired from playing tennis is teamwork. She said it’s important not only to be a team player but knowing how to work with different people. [16:06] For Denise, being coachable is another important skill. You need to ask questions to see what it takes to get to that next level, but don't rush because that just means you want to get better. It doesn't mean it feels good getting that negative feedback, but it's always best and can always grow from it. Vertiflex [19:10] It's a minimally invasive spine implant for mild to moderate lumbar spinal stenosis with neurogenic, intermittent claudication. It is for older patients that aren’t allowed to go through a major back procedure. [20:11] This device was created to treat the mechanical component of pain. Hesitations on Vertiflex [22:15] Denise was scared to make the jump because Boston Scientific is such a well-known company. She was the market leader selling products. She took the risk and went to a new company to help bring a brand new product to market that was a groundbreaking therapy. She was very nervous about making that decision but was glad she did. [25:02] Denise saw a quicker path to upward mobility than she did at Boston Scientific at the time. Outside Work [28:48] When at home, Denise was studying the clinical study, spinal anatomy, lumbar spinal anatomy, and having everything nailed down. She wanted to be prepared to answer on the spot. Tips in Managing a Team [31:45] It's a constant learning process for Denise. She tries to understand what motivates her teams and what goals they have and try and support them as best as possible. She gives input on where they can grow, and help them develop those skills, and be supportive. Advice for Aspiring People [32:20] Dennis said that there should be energy to work hard. A lot of people want to be in medical device sales, but it's not for the faint of heart because it is a lot of work. You have to bring that energy to your physicians. [33:10] We need somebody open to learning to improve, so they have to be coachable. [35:21] Be humble. Know that you don't know what you haven't learned yet. Learn as much as you can whatever role you are in. Ask your manager to be involved in those opportunities, so that once you get to that role, you're well qualified. [36:50] When you step into medical device sales, your game face and support should be in your position. You must know the product well and be good support. Keep things calm. Be ready and prepped for them. Follow Denise Muresan on her social: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denise-muresan-40056ab0/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/denise-muresan-40056ab0/] Follow Jamie Tipton on his social: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkt1117/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkt1117/] Listen to more episodes of the podcast on: Website: https://mdunleashed.com/ [https://mdunleashed.com/] Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/med-device-unleashed/id1513156937 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/med-device-unleashed/id1513156937] RSS: https://feeds.transistor.fm/med-device-unleashed [https://feeds.transistor.fm/med-device-unleashed]