Unknown Speaker
Number
Unknown Speaker
One. I was connected to 27 people, and 20 of them were in my family. And I was like, Okay, I'm gonna post this video about let's see if any, if it gets any traction, and nine people saw it. I was like, That is Yeah, seven people more than my answer was just Smit it. So I want to just keep this up. And so now we fast forward. We're seven years later, I'm connected to just over 30,000 people that are all network professionals. And that is actually how you and I met. And it's been incredible. So now I just get to serve healthcare organizations and help them tell their story.
Claire Davis
It's Claire Davis and Becca Kenny, I'm so excited to be here today. Thank you so much for your time. Welcome, everybody, to today's medical sales leader today. You guys, if you don't yet know Rebecca, Kenny, let me tell you, it's time that you follow her and get to know her. Becca is the owner of Cyprus Thrive NK. And she's a small business owner, she helps medium to large organ medical organizations tell their stories on LinkedIn. And she comes to us with 15 years of experience in healthcare. And Becca, she started out working in sterile processing a department that supports the operating room. So we can talk a little bit about that too, if you don't, if you're not yet familiar with sterile processing. But for seven years, she did this. And then she moved into medical sales for eight years. And then something happened which we're going to talk about in the show. And so today she finds herself so darn happy. She hired a business coach and took the leap to quit her corporate job and follow her dreams. And Becca believes that when we teach, share our passions and uplift others, everyone wins. So you guys, this is exactly why I have people like this on the show. Becca, welcome. You know, you're one of my favorite people on this planet. It's so nice to have you.
Unknown Speaker
It is so awesome to be here. Thanks for having me, Claire.
Claire Davis
Absolutely. So we tried to get some music for you guys up, I'll try it. I'll see if I can overlay it in the show later, we might actually have a blooper reel to release later. But I had the great fortune to meet with her in person up here in the Pacific Northwest only a couple of weeks ago. So I'm so it's so neat when you get to finally meet people that you've known on LinkedIn for so long in the flesh, like it was great. We met for coffee, Becca bought me coffee. We sat there it was, it was really awesome. So what really drew me to you in that conversation and Becca was, you know, I think that we're all in this industry for different reasons. And I know and I cannot wait for you to share a little bit more about your story. But what drew me to you that you know, is that you do everything with intention and everything with a story behind it, which I think makes it a really perfect topic for the podcast that we're having today. So can you tell us a little bit about that journey you took from being in sterile processing, to getting out of that into medical sales? And now you're helping businesses brand themselves on LinkedIn like, like, what a journey and what a journey to happen in the course of like one decade. So please tell us a little bit more about your journey. Yes,
Unknown Speaker
I would love to. And first of all, I don't know how it's possibly been 15 years that I've been in healthcare, because I'm definitely not old enough. And definitely not turning 40 this year. So, you know, I love it. I'll be really honest. I grew up in a family that was all medical. Aside from my dad that was a jeweler. So my mom was a labor and delivery nurse my brother or chiropractor, my sister and athletic trainer, my brother and ER nurse. And everybody was just in the medical field, aside from me, who had this passion for business, and somehow thought I would go to school to be a nurse, or diagnostic ultrasound, or one of the many great medical clinical options you have, right. And I think I have enough college credits to probably have many of those degrees. But along the way, I learned I had a passion for business as well. So while I was in college, my mom hooked me up with the sterile processing manager of a local hospital and said, Hey, why don't you get your foot in the door in the hospital? And I was like, Okay, I don't even know what sterile processing is. I think sterile is a smell, right mom. But it's a little more than that. So I'll tell the audience in case they're not super aware, sterile processing essentially gets all instrumentation, surgical sets, and items, ready for procedures to make sure that they're safe for patient use. Lots of side assembly, lots of cleaning out bone reamers, lots of dirty work, and making sure that the surgeons can have safe patient outcomes. Yeah, I did that for seven years. And towards the end of that seven years, I had my business degree, business marketing, international business, international finance. And I was like, Dude, I'm bored. I need more of a challenge. So I started asking the medical reps that came into our department. How did you get started? How did you get started, I would love to get my foot in the door in this industry. Most of them were male. And I was like, Okay, I got this, I can do this. And I felt really, really deflated after having these conversations. They're like, Becca, you don't have sales experience, really cool that you have a marketing degree, however, good luck getting your foot in the door. And there was a company that was coming in. And I noticed that they were based out of Birmingham, Alabama. And I was like, I have not seen a rep. Seven, eight months. They were flying people in. I was like, How do I get in touch with this company? So long story short, I figured out how to get in touch with this company, our director of surgery at the time had connections, and I started a conversation. They weren't so sure about hiring me either. They're like you have no sales experience. You don't have the skill set we need. And I was like, Yes, but I have clinical knowledge, device knowledge. And I know I can bring something awesome to the table can give a girl a chance. And I did. And so I was in that role for eight years. And just this last December, I stepped away. And I had been working on building my own business for about four or five years. Because I saw a real gap in the market when it came to speaking our truth online, educating in a unique way. And not just talking about ourselves, but finding a way to reach a broader audience. So I started using LinkedIn. And the story is a bit funny, I started now, I had gone to a hospital for an in service, my daughter was two at the time, I had to get a babysitter to the house at 4am. So I'm just setting the stage for you. Oh, well, we're here at 4am drive three and a half hours to Idaho deep, deep and at home. I show up for this in service even stopped at Krispy Kreme on the way and got doughnuts, because you brought doughnuts
Claire Davis
for the team.
Unknown Speaker
A plus A plus. And so I show up. I had this perfectly curated presentation, everything was awesome. I tied their trends to the presentation how I can specifically meet their needs in this in service to Claire, two people were there. And I was like, Oh my gosh, not only did I not reach anybody, but I also probably lost money today. And I was like crap, this really sucks. And so I was like, You know what, I gave a really great answer. So I'm just gonna pop into this little room over here, this little storage room in the hospital. And there I record my first LinkedIn video. And it was grainy and it was dark, and I had a head cold. So I sounded horrible. And I was like, Okay, I'm gonna put this on LinkedIn, LinkedIn, let's start typing on my computer. Apparently, I had three LinkedIn profiles. None of which, none of which did I know the password for I was connected to 27 people, and 20 of them were in my family. And I was like, Okay, I'm gonna post this video though. Let's see if any if it gets any traction, and nine people saw it. I was like, That is seven people more than my answer was just met it. So I want to just keep this up. So now we fast forward. We're seven years later, I'm connected to just over 30,000 people that are all network professionals. And that is actually how you and I met. And it's been incredible. So now I just get to serve healthcare organizations. and help them tell their story.
Claire Davis
Oh my gosh, I love that. And you know, it's funny because when you're on social media, there's this huge pressure to have 10,000 followers and 1000s of people seeing your video content. But I mean, let's just break it down to this little scenario. Nine people is a huge increase from to when it comes to getting your message out to the right audience. So it doesn't have to be massive. It's just got to be the right people. And there's such an opportunity to get in front of so many more people, when you use your social brand like you do. Right.
Unknown Speaker
And it takes time. It takes time. And I think that that's what a lot of people don't realize it takes time to build a solid audience and gain traction, and even now having a large audience, sometimes I'll post media that flops 100% Sure. And I'm just like, cool. tomorrow's a new day. Yeah. And I think that that mantra, though, and healthcare, and medical sales in general, tomorrow's a new day, you're gonna wake up refreshed, ready to go out. And surf is so incredibly, like valuable as we grow. Yeah. And
Claire Davis
you know, you hit the nail on the head, go out to serve, right. I mean, we get so bogged down with hitting quota being ranked getting p club year after year, like, but, but really, in the end, if it comes from a place of service, that stuff kind of falls away. And I find that people who do operate in that way, if I find like they have a more fulfilling career in the first place, you know, because they have this higher purpose that they're reaching toward that that motivates them every day. So I want to hear a little bit about, you know, what was it between you working in sterile processing? And you said, it was really hard to get in front of the right person to get into medical sales? So do you remember Do you recall how you did it?
Unknown Speaker
I do. I do. Okay, I very, very vividly recall it. A guy had to talk to the deputy Cynthia's rep, I had talked to the Medtronic rep, I had talked to the Stryker rep, and I'm not gonna lie, they made me feel kind of dumb. I was like, Oh, who is this kid working in sterile processing, that wants to be a part of our team. That's cute. And I felt like a little bit deflated. And then when I identified an organization that was coming into our facility on a regular basis that didn't have a vendor representative, I was like, How can I figure this out? And our director of surgery at the time was going down to this company's headquarters. And I was like, okay, Taylor, let's talk. So you're going on headquarters for this company that has no rep locally, you have a sterile processing technician that really wants to be a rep. Kenya hook it up sister, like, let's have a conversation. So I'm in decon when it and this you know, the director of surgery was interim. So she was known for being fierce. She came in and right off the top got rid of 45 staff members. Oh, so I, this was like fear of God woman who I'm great friends with today, by the way. Real, real scary. So my cell phone rings one night, I worked evening shift. And it was 1015. At night. It rings and it's the director of surgery Taylor. And it was like, Oh, crap, am I getting fired this day? I'm definitely getting fired this day. And I answered, and she's like, Oh, my God, let's put into it. Sometimes don't perspective here. It's after midnight there. Oh, no, Mike. Okay. What's going on? Taylor? How can I help you? I went Harvard Business twice. Right to help you. And she's like, Hey, I have this person from the company and this person, and they're all with me. And I tell them how great you are, and that they need to bring you on as their rep and I was like, okay, all right. Well, you're pretty awesome. Like, like, maybe let's set up a call for next week, Monday or Tuesday when it's not midnight. You know? Like, that'd be super cool. Um, let's talk about this. And I will not lie to you. That was the scariest process ever. Going through the interview process. I did what was so scary about it. I didn't know what I was doing. Sure. I'd never sold before. They were asking me to explain a qualifications I didn't have. And I was scared crapless I was like, my voice was shaking. I was nervous. And it was even crazier when they flew me across the country. And I like you know, I hadn't traveled a whole lot at that point. And it was like, it was just very, very intimidating. And it I remember I was still like I was huddled in the basement so that you couldn't hear the dog barking or my kid wouldn't start crying. Because this point she was really little I think she was 16 months old or something. Like had mom come over to watch the kid. I went downstairs. My voice was shaky. I was nervous and sweaty. And I just kept going at it.
Claire Davis
Yeah. Yeah. You know, I think that there's so many opportunities in front of us all the time. But it's almost like we miss them until sometimes we always miss them. But you recognize, okay, one big deal that you could chat with other reps who were coming in, you're like, I want what they have, I want to be where they're at. And then to, you picked up that that that technology was in your hospital, but nobody was there to represent it. Like that, I think is the kind of proactive attitude, you've got to have to break in anywhere, it almost doesn't matter what we want to do. It's finding out those opportunities that other people are missing, and maybe we've missed for a while, and trying something new. I mean, that's really why a lot of people I mean, listen, does the world need another podcast? Probably not. But here's the thing. People like you, who do things that are so far out of the box, so far out of the norm of applying online, you know, following the process that everybody follows. So I really love to find these little things that you do that set you apart, and it shows at every turn. So okay, so now you're in this role, and you're loving it to a point you're finding out okay, maybe this isn't for me, after all, can you kind of talk us through like, what red flags were coming up for you that so that sold you on maybe doing something different than just working for a company period?
Unknown Speaker
Well, you know, I realized early on working for any corporation at all that you are disposable, you can be let go at any point and they will have a replacement and in no time. Yeah. So I was like, how do you are future proof my career? Yeah. All right. How do I go about doing that? Because I want to be authentically myself. And I want to, you know, I just not that it's all rainbows and butterflies and fun, but like, how? How can I enjoy what I'm doing every day? Because the part of my job that I enjoyed at the time was working with clinical staff was educating was seen the teams get these moments of, well, Becca, I didn't know that before. But this could change a patient's life forever. Those are the moments I live for the moments I didn't live for where the process improvement plans were the corporate quotas were the you must achieve a certain number, the competitive nature of corporate America that says even though you were P club last year, you're bottom of the totem pole this year, am I But am I really because my quota went way that crap up, man. So really, I'm not bottom of the totem pole, you just overinflated my quota and a small territory. Right? So now that you've changed with me, your expectation of me changed, right? So, you know, it's just me realizing that the expectation was going to continually rise for my performance. But was I prepared to meet that level of work? Meaning was I willing to sacrifice my time with my family, was I willing to sacrifice my time with the people I loved? I mean, for seven years, I put in a solid 12 to 14 hours a day, every day, and I'm not gonna lie, I was tired. Really, really tired. And I found that I would lose a little bit of me along the way, until I started getting invited to write for blogs, or industry magazines, or beyond live recordings on LinkedIn. And I was like, Oh, I can feel this little like piece of ice becoming a snowball. And it's rolling. And it's rolling. And it's rolling. And it's getting bigger. And so is my opportunity to bless and reach people.
Claire Davis
Oh, I love that. Yes. So then you you, you know, you recognize, okay, now because I'm building I'm finding these things out about myself, right? We've all got to figure it out what our strengths are and what we want out of our career. Because Can you have a fulfilling career at a medical sales company at a biotech place that you're? I mean, of course you have, of course, you can, of course, you can have a fulfilling career at a company. But when it stops satisfying us, or when it's not quite enough, or when we get that feeling of you know, what, it's been a wonderful run, I think it's time to challenge myself in a new way or in a new product or in a new area or so on and so forth. Maybe I want to lead people, you listened to that, and then you were able to impact so many more and in your case, on a company level on a b2b level, which I think not, not everybody gets to try. So can you so now Cypress rise to tell us a little bit about what you're doing at Cypress rise? And maybe I mean, I'd love to hear to how the the seeds that you planted of building up your personal brand on social media, how that's impacted what you do now, for companies, how did you see there was a bridge between the two? And then companies needed to start taking advantage of this, you know, platform as well to impact more people?
Unknown Speaker
Okay. Yeah, that's a question. Huge question.
Claire Davis
You tell me all about your life.
Unknown Speaker
I got you. I got you. Yeah. No, I think, you know, I realized that the media that I was seeing from surgical companies, from CEOs of companies from different health care brands, capital equipment, companies, wah, wah, wah, yeah, so boring, super boring. And I didn't feel like I was learning anything from these companies. I didn't feel like I walked away feeling like anything that I consumed was about how I can become a better professional, or how this company solves a problem. So I was like, Man, how do we make this interesting? Yeah. How can we tell the story of the people in an organization that make it up? How can we tell a story of how this company solves problems? Or how multiple companies solve problems? You know, when I work with my clients, today, I work with multiple health care companies. And I challenge them often to say, how are how are we making this about the people that you serve? Because oftentimes, we turn everything towards ourselves? Sure, you know, which I guess is how sometimes I don't care when I put a video on LinkedIn that performs horribly. Because of that, if it reached one or two people, and they were the right people. So as companies build out a message, I challenge them often to say, Okay, your mission statement says that this is what you do. Okay, but what you're asking me to create has nothing to do with your mission, or your core values, or who you are as an organization. So are you here to make some money? Or are you here to truly serve people?
Claire Davis
And allow,
Unknown Speaker
as I've gotten closer with these companies, I've started to attract the right clients that are like, Oh, hot, dang, I am on fire to work with you. Because you care. You've created a solution that solves problems. And you genuinely care about your team. I can tell on the first discovery call. Whether or not it's a team I want to work with or not.
Claire Davis
Oh, interesting, okay. What do you you know, what are some of the things that come up that you hear when you're meeting with that team for the first time that tell you, Okay, these people know how to work together, and they respect each other, all that stuff.
Unknown Speaker
They, they listen to each other, they're open to feedback, they're energetic. They're CEOs of companies that aren't so far detached, that they still want to have a conversation with you. Like the CEO is often involved in the onboarding process of what I do of these health care companies. Because they're like, We have a team. We're a company that's growing, we want to keep growing, how do we go about strategizing to do that? I was like, You know what, I have a solution for you. We do need to build out a strategy for your organization. And guess what, I want you to be the hero, your marketing team is the hero, everybody on your team, you are the voice of your company. And I'm just going to take that and I'm going to pour some sugar on it. Put some or I think the other day, when I've had a call with one of my clients on a monthly call, I was like, Okay, guys, my job is to take your margarita cup, and I'm going to be the little bit of paprika, and salt, and sugar that's all on the rim. And we're gonna make it awesome. But you guys are the whole drink. You're the cup. You're the lime, you're the flavor. I'm just gonna help it shine. And that's the goal. That's the goal.
Claire Davis
Yeah, um, you know, do you think that companies typically have a good handle on what their mission mission and vision statement really means? Like, do you feel like companies say what they think they should in a mission and vision? Or do you think they really, generally play out what their mission and vision is?
Unknown Speaker
Who I think it depends on the company? I honestly think sometimes the larger the company, one of my larger clients that I work with, I think that that the more people and the more breadth that the company gets, the more diluted it gets, in many ways, or the more unaware it becomes or the company shifts and evolves, but their message does not. So they they're still saying the same thing they said before, but They're a different version of themselves. It would be like me delivering as a content creator, delivering the exact same content that I delivered in that stuffy closet at a hospital. Seven years ago. If I was still delivering that same message, I'm sure I would have lost people. Yeah, sure. And so I don't know, I think I think that they that most organizations want to be aligned with their core values in their mission. But somewhere along the way, it gets lost.
Claire Davis
Yeah. Yeah. So when it comes to then creating content that aligns with that mission? What sort of things do you use? Or what methods do you use to start pulling from who they're trying to reach to create the right content to reach the right audience? How does it go?
Unknown Speaker
It looks like building out a strategy that usually takes me about a week for a company to build out, it's very drawn out, it's taking a look at where they're at today. It takes a look at past metrics, it takes a look at ideal clients that they're trying to reach, as well as the positive business outcomes that they are specifically trying to achieve. And then it goes even deeper to say, okay, where have you done it before? What clients have benefited from what you do? And then who is your team? What makes your organization frickin bomb? I want to know those people. And I want to share those people and celebrate those people with your audience. Because your people make up your company. So if we're not ever sharing who they are, I could give two craps. If you have the most world, you know, if you can solve world hunger, that's freaking great. But what is the team that helps you solve world hunger? And how did you get there? Because people don't know that. So this is really helping extract goes out or true strategy. And then you test the waters? Yes, sometimes it's gonna fail. Sometimes it stinks. But with continual and ongoing content, it continues to grow, like that snowball I was talking about, where it's like, oh, there's a little bit of passion, and then it grows, and then it grows, and then it grows. So it's a patient's game. Truly.
Claire Davis
Yeah. You know, I love that. Because I think, again, it's not that quick win. It's a little bit of a long game. But I think I think just like you're running a, say, you have to say you're in medical sales right now. And you're listening to this. And you're thinking, Okay, I've got to get into Swedish Hospital, I've got to get into UCLA, a major academic center. Building, trust takes time, it takes time in the field, it takes time on a team, it takes time on social media. And so I really like that you conquer the fear. And you do it for your clients, too. By getting out there and keeping after it even if something bombs, listen, social media is, you know, we're kind of at the whim of what everybody's feeling like listening to right now. And one thing I know that you've, you talked about a lot, is that you will fall on the sword for your clients first, when it comes to social media, right? Like you will try to do the vulnerable thing and try new content that's a little scary or new or different. So that you see how it works. But instead of your clients having to try it on their own. Right. So I have my profiles,
Unknown Speaker
a beta test. Yeah, exactly. What beta test? Yes,
Claire Davis
yeah. Yeah. And I'm sure they love that,
Unknown Speaker
as I heard you talking, it just made me think, you know, trying to get into Swedish hospitals, right. And to get into U DUB. It's a long process, right. But it got me to thinking that a lot of times, I remember those desperate, desperate months in sales, where it was end of quarter, and you're responsible for somehow coming up with another 200 grand in sales. Right. And so I would get desperate enough that I would compromise my own values and my trust with my clients by asking them things that I had no permission asking, asking sort of sale that I hadn't earned, asking for permission to be in a place where I did not earn, oh, for the sake of a number. And so like, my key takeaway on that would be like, you have to, you have to do a heart check. Does this feel right in my gut, there's uncomfortable because it's out of my comfort zone. But then there's this crosses the line here. And this is not what's in the best interest of patient safety or this hospital or compliance or regulatory guidelines. This isn't only my best interest as a representative trying to hit their quota. So I would advise anybody that's out there to say, hey, if you're looking to do something that's just in your is interest to hit quota? Set the frick back man don't do it, you're out of line, you're out of line, even if your company is asking you to. So, I mean, I would say always check in, check in with Why are you doing it same as content creation? Why am I creating this today? Who am I creating it for? Ya gotta check in,
Claire Davis
that's checking in, doesn't that sort of unlock it? Right? Because our career is not full of quick wins, is it? Not not in this space, not when you're not when the end result is touching a patient life. And so I love that idea of checking in, because it's, first of all, so important so that you can sleep at night, right? As you're trying to make sales. Yes. But at the end of the day, what we're doing is bigger than ourselves. And so can you sleep at night with what you're doing? Are you leading with your values at heart and not compromising them, like you said, even if your manager insists that you do, so don't do it. If you're trying to get the quick win on social media, right, like you can go out and you can blast 100 connections a day with an I need a job request. But that's not the way to get anybody to pay attention and really build the trust in you and want to help you, right. And my favorite is, our influence should be consistent enough across our career to go beyond whatever nametag we're wearing. So if we start at one company, our doctors know the way we do business and our colleagues know though the values that we hold when we conduct ourselves, that shouldn't change, regardless of where you go and work. So I love your focus on core values and mission. I think that it's a really important one. Yeah,
Unknown Speaker
I couldn't agree more. It's just and you know that that is what will create that long term trust with your clients. Like I remember sometimes sitting in directors offices saying, You know what? This solution that I offer is good. But this one's better. Yeah, you will have a better patient outcome. And I highly recommend that you work with my friend, Brooke, who works with this company, not me. And I can tell you, not only will that build trust in your relationship with the executive or director, it will have a better patient outcome. So you have to think long term and anything that you're creating anything, whether it's media, whether it's your career, whether it's building relationships, what are the long term implications of the decision I'm making right now? Will it impact somebody in a positive way? Yes or no? And if you can't give it 100%? Yes. It's time for me to tap out. Do a little check in and yeah, take off. Yeah, yeah, go check the pulse here. Put a little oximeter on here. Some oxygen? Are we still breathing? Or have we drank the wrong Kool Aid? I don't know. Yeah, yeah.
Claire Davis
So important. I mean, you know, at the end of the day, which we all love to say, in sales, I'm pretty sure every podcast that I ever gonna record will, at some point, say, at the end of the day, but at the end of the day, you've got to be able to live with yourself to, you know, I mean, how good does it feel to get that cheap win, and erode trust with somebody who works so hard to build it with? It's not worth it, it's not worth it. So I, I love the slow approach here of, of being steady and committed to the values that you have. And I think that's, that's the way to do good business. And it's clear that it you know, for you, obviously, this is the way that you've done business when you were in sterile processing when you were in medical sales, and then now with Cypress fries. And I think that's why you're, I'm sure your, your clients can feel that.
Unknown Speaker
Right, because nothing has anything to do with me. Yeah, none of it has to do with the organizations that I'm working with. It has to do with the patient laying on the table. Because I you know, I remember when my dad was an open heart surgery, and we thought he wouldn't make it, you know, and I had to be a family member sitting in the waiting room. And that was a deep checking moment for me in what I was doing in hospitals. So you know, it's, it's just, it's not about us. None of it is this podcast isn't about me or you, or promoting what you do or promoting what Becca does and Cyprus. Does. This is about the audience listening. are they receiving value? Are they being blessed? And are we bringing them something freaking great, hopefully, hopefully you guys love it. I don't know.
Claire Davis
That is the goal. I mean, we tried to dance when we first got in or we tried to bring some entertainment to we'll probably get together the next time we give him some stats about the music for now. Who needs it? We'll put it all in post. We'll add it in the post show. But listen, you guys if you have been inspired by him I have this message today from Becca, I know that, you know, there's a real difference between being great in sales and leading with her and conviction. And that's really what I see. And you and I, and that's why I follow you. That's why I was so glad we were able to meet. And then I'm hoping that you'll come back and we could talk more about some specific strategies next time. Thank you so much for being here today. And you guys, if you want to follow back if you want to connect with her, find her on LinkedIn. And also she shared her email with us today. It's info at Cypress rise.com CYP RESSRIS e.com info at Cypress rise.com. So please connect with her support Becca. She's doing incredible things for healthcare companies who want to keep their patients at the center of their mission and vision. And so I invite you to connect with her right now. And so, Becca, thank you so much for your time today. And hopefully you'll join us again here in the future.
Unknown Speaker
I can't wait. Thank you. Awesome.
Claire Davis
Thanks so much, Brian. Have a great day.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
