Unlock the secrets of thriving in the cutthroat realm of vaccine sales with Jerome Pinson
from CSL Seqirus as he shares potent strategies for standing out among industry
behemoths.
With his seasoned expertise, he paints a vivid picture of a day in the life of a medical
sales pro, from the meticulous crafting of pre-call plans to the artful communication
required to resonate with diverse healthcare audiences.
This episode promises to distill the essence of Jerome's wisdom, offering you the keys
to catapult your own sales prowess to new heights. Navigating the intricate challenges
of the medical sales industry requires more than just knowledge—it demands passion
and a knack for strategy.
Jerome reveals how the competitive landscape of influenza vaccine sales is constantly
reshaped by both established players and emerging market dynamics. Listen closely as
we dissect the impact of COVID-19 on the industry, probe into the importance of
understanding customer needs, and explore the fine balance between professional
ambition and personal well-being, all through the lens of Jerome’s prolific career.
Concluding with a treasure trove of personal anecdotes, Jerome offers a glimpse into
his life beyond the boardroom. From his favorite reads that sharpen his sales acumen to
leisurely pastimes that recharge his batteries, he exemplifies how to maintain
equilibrium amidst a demanding career.
And for those itching to leap into the medical sales arena, we provide actionable steps
to fast-track your journey, a sneak peek into the supportive programs on offer, and a
promise of more inspiring conversations to fuel your ascent in the high-stakes world of
medical technology sales.
Meet the guest:
Jerome Pinson is a Sr Vaccine Account Consultant at CSL Seqirus. He is an award
winner with experience in pharmaceutical and biologic sales. He has a proven
successful track record involving multiple new product launches in a variety of different
therapeutic divisions.
Jerome has a proven ability to identify and capitalize on market opportunities to drive
revenue while capturing market share. He is a strong closer with a challenger mindset
who consistently exceeds targets in a consultative sales environment with the ability to
build long lasting relationships.
This is a “late” special episode for the World Immunization Week!
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Episode Transcript
00:00 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
Hello and welcome to the Medical Sales Podcast. I’m your host, Samuel, founder of a revolutionary medical sales training and mentorship program called the Medical Sales Career Builder, and I’m also host of the Medical Sales Podcast. In this podcast, I interview top medical sales reps and leading medical sales executives across the entire world. It doesn’t matter what medical sales industry from medical device to pharmaceutical, to genetic testing and diagnostic lab you name it you will learn how to either break into the industry, be a top 10% performer within your role or climb the corporate ladder. Welcome to the Medical Sales Podcast and remember, I am a medical sales expert, sharing my own opinion about this amazing industry and how it can change your life.
00:52
Hello and welcome to the Medical Sales Podcast. I’m your host, Samuel, and today we have another special guest and he goes by the name of Jerome Pinson. So who is Jerome? Jerome is a medical sales professional in the vaccine space. Now, the vaccine space is a bit unique, but I am not going to tell you a single thing because you got to listen to this episode. Vaccines is a very interesting field and it’s a field that anyone listening that wants to enter medical sales can be a part of. So you want to listen, because this episode is going to give you the details, to see if this is the field for you. As always, we do our best to bring you guests that are doing things differently in the medical cell space, so I really do hope you enjoy this interview. Hey, Jerome, how are we doing today? I’m well. How about yourself, sir? Fantastic, no complaints. So, Jerome, why don’t you tell us who you are and what you do?
01:45 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
Yeah, so my name is Jerome Pinson. I’m based out of Birmingham, alabama. I currently work for a company called CSL Securus and we are a global influenza vaccine leader in the market, both worldwide and North.
01:58 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
America Got it, so let’s talk about it. You know, I think I don’t think vaccines is talked about enough, because you know, we talk about medical device sales, we talk about pharmaceuticals, we talk about diagnostic testing sales, even genetic testing sales, but vaccines kind of has its own. I kind of look at it like it has its own little space in the pharma world, but it’s still differentiated enough from traditional pharma to get its own conversation. Talk to us a little bit about what is vaccines. What is someone in that role responsible for? What are you doing?
02:30 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
So it means a lot of things. So, especially within the influenza space, influenza kills. So what we do each and every day is out there trying to make sure patients are aware that you know the influenza virus is coming up and you know the best way for prevention against the disease is through vaccination. We’re also delivering clinical value to the providers to make sure they’re geared up for their vaccination programs because you know it’s a very small window from November to really April is when we try to vaccinate as many people as possible in the influenza space. So it’s important that we get in front of the customers. They’re prepared so once the products start receiving they can start administering those doses to their patients.
03:20 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
Got it. So who are the people you’re calling on?
03:25 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
So primarily I call in five buckets of business. So we call on IDN Networks, which is Integrated Delivery Network Systems so think about your large hospital systems and they typically own other physician offices. They vaccinate employees, things like that. When we’re calling on those, we’re calling on pharmacy directors, infectious disease directors. We’re calling on those. We’re calling on pharmacy directors, infectious disease directors. We’re calling on procurement and pharmacy buyers. We’re also calling on employee health.
03:52
That’s one piece of it. The other piece of it is called FQHC, which is federally qualified health centers. These are typically found in the rural parts of the state. They get grant money from the state to support their business but they’re run typically like a private practice. They’re driven the same way any other hospital or family physician’s driven. And then the other one is pediatrics. This is something new that we’ve relatively gotten into over the last couple of years with our new age indication. So what we’re seeing there is a lot, know a lot of big multi-doc offices that maybe own multiple site locations. And then we’re also calling on family physicians, primary care physicians, and then also what they call multi-specialty clinics and what that is. That is where you have cardio rheumatology, family care, pediatrics all under one building rheumatology, family care, pediatrics all under one building, got it.
04:51 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
So you know I think you’re saying a lot of terms that listeners that I’m sure are listeners are like huh, interesting, what, what? So why don’t you do it? Why don’t we do it this way? Go through the day to day. I would love to hear what does your day look like and take us all, take us before the day even to the pre-call planning stage of things. What are you preparing for going into the day? When does it start? What are you doing throughout the day, all the way to the end of the day?
05:10 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
So I typically plan my schedule out two weeks in advance and that’s typically built around pre-planned appointments that I’ve already scheduled with providers and then I’ll build my day around that.
05:22
So when I get up I’m hitting the road by 7.30, 8 o’clock in the morning and then I usually schedule my first appointments around 9 or 10 am and then the way I kind of cluster all of my key accounts together and then I will literally start with my appointment and work my way out, and that, like I said, that can include a you know, it can include hospital systems, it can include multi-specialty clinics, pediatric offices, family physicians and, based on what type of provider I’m discussing with, depends on how deep I go into the clinical.
05:59
If I’m speaking with, just say, an office manager, I’m not going to get too far in the weeds with the clinical value. I’m going to give them a high level overview and present the business value and find out you know what, what, what it looks like in their practice, when do they order, how do they order, you know what buying groups are they part of, things like that. So it’s a lot of pre-call planning. You really need to know your customers and that just that requires just getting out there and asking some really good questions to understand what makes them tick, what’s important to them.
06:32 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
Sure. So with the people that you’re calling on, who is the most weighted decision maker?
06:38 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
Typically the owner. So especially in the pediatric space, office managers can give you some really valuable information. The vaccine coordinators can give you some really valuable information. The vaccine coordinators can give you some valuable information. But in the pediatric space, the owner of that clinic is going to make that final decision whether they want to use your product or a competitor product. So that’s the ultimate decision maker and who you really need to get in front of to gain some business.
07:03 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
So you mentioned owner right, and when it comes to owner, that can mean a lot of different things, because a private practice physician is the owner. But a physician that works for a medical group, what about them? A physician that works for a Kaiser, an Optum what about them? So how do you work with those types of groups? Tell us a little bit about that.
07:21 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
Yeah, no, that’s a great question and typically that’s what we call a total office call approach, where it’s going to require multiple contacts, multiple appointments with different stakeholders within the organization. So let’s take a big system like a Kaiser or something like that. You’re going to typically start with the pharmacy director. They’re going to be able to because they’re going to handle all the ordering, they’re going to make the decision, but then you’ve got to get buy-in from not only the pharmacy director staff, but you’re going to have to get buy-in from the CEO, the CFO, because you’ve got to imagine if they’re you know they’re typically ordering something that costs $18, and they go to order something that’s $24 a piece, you’re going to have to get financials involved. They’re going to have to allocate those additional funds if they see the clinical value in it.
08:06
Then you’re calling on employee health, because a lot of the vaccinations the hospital systems do are with their employees. The last thing they want them to do is get sick, especially during peak holiday season, things like that that we’re going through right now. And then also infectious disease, because a lot of what we do with is a disease. So delivering that clinical message to those key stakeholders as well is incredibly important, I believe it.
08:31 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
I believe it Okay. So going back into your day when does your day typically end?
08:40 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
Friday at five o’clock, if I’m lucky.
08:42 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
Friday at five o’clock, if I’m lucky, and then would you say there’s work that you’re bringing home, or would you say the day ends at five and when you get home you got not a lot of work to think about.
08:51 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
Well, I think it goes back to really good pre-call planning and being organized while you’re in the field. There’s only so many hours in a day that you’re actually in the field and you allocate that time because there’s a lot of admin work that still needs to be done. You still got to do your expense reports, submit your call notes. You still have to type up a weekly field report that I put together for my manager so he can see how the week went. On top of that, you’ve got continuous educational training classes that we do to make sure we’re up to date with the HIPAA, things like that. That allows us access to some of these key systems. So if you do the planning right, you can be done on time. But there are days where I’m working a little later than I would like. But it’s necessary work and it’s allowed me to be successful, staying on top of not only closing the business but the administration piece of it, right.
09:49 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
What type of vaccines? You mentioned influenza. Is that your primary product or do you have a suite of products that you sell?
10:00 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
So we are the only manufacturer in the entire world solely dedicated to influenza. We manufacture influenza on three different continents, so Australia, north America and then out of the UK. Now there’s potential for us to get other products down the pipe, but that’s down. In the future, big players are going to be your Merck, your Pfizer, your let’s see Novavax is a big player now within the COVID space.
10:34 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
Also, you know GSK, so GlaxoSmithKline, yeah, gsk. Gsk is big on vaccines.
10:36 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
And Sanofi as well.
10:38 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
Yeah, Sanofi too, Okay, so then let’s stay there, you know, with these vaccines. So you’re selling an influenza. What’s the competitive landscape like If you’re the only, if your company is solely dedicated to it? I’d like to imagine that you guys probably are leagues above the competition. But what is it really?
10:56 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
You would think that no, it’s a highly competitive landscape. So where we originated from was a company called Novartis Vaccines. There was a merger a few years ago between GSK and Novartis and it was basically an acquisition exchange. Novartis got all of the oncology division from GSK, gsk got all of the vaccine division. Well, the federal government stepped in that process and said look, gsk can have it all except for the influenza portfolio. So they sold the portfolio to a company called CSL.
11:27 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
Now, why was that?
11:30 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
Just because it would have given them a monopoly on the market, Because GSK and Sanofi are the longtime players when it comes to influenza. They’ve been in this market for a really long time and you imagine a lot of those reps are very tenured. They’ve been there 10, 15,. You know we’re still relatively new in this space, so you know they sell, they have a, they’re very good at what they do. So we have to go really, not only sell our robust manufacturing capabilities, we have to sell the clinical value of why they’re using our portfolio.
12:09 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
That’s that you know. I’m so glad we’re discussing that, because now what I want to talk about is what do you believe and when I ask you this question I’m more referring to some of the intangibles what do you believe gives you the advantage to be successful selling your company’s product versus your competitor like GSK? That’s been in the space forever.
12:34 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
Yeah, absolutely. I think it goes back to understanding the disease state, the issues with existing manufacturing capabilities that have been around since the 30s. So not only knowing that, but understanding the clinical value and where your product fits in and how it’s. It could be a huge opportunity for the family practice, the physicians, things like that, to limit hospitalizations, which is the ultimate goal, because a lot of people don’t realize that influenza does kill you and it’s a very preventable disease. So, I think, understanding that I have value in my product, knowing how to deliver that value to the provider, and then it goes back to being organized, because there’s a lot of. You know you can get a flu shot in almost any corner of the street, but you know knowing where to go each and every day, knowing who you’re calling on, what makes them tick Is it the clinical, is it the reimbursement, is it shipping capabilities? Understanding your customers is extremely important and then showing up each and every day. You’ll be surprised at how many good conversations you can get into just by being there and being present.
13:50 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
You know, it’s amazing. I remember when I was in a space similar to where you are and you’d call on providers and nothing, crickets. You know they’re listening to you, but nothing’s happening. And you keep going, and keep going, and keep going and then, out of nowhere, they just start using it, and then they use it again, and then again, and next thing you know they’re your number one, guy or girl, and then again and next thing, you know, they’re your number one, guy or girl.
14:18
You’re just like well, and that’s, and I think I share that story, because the reality of what you do, you know a lot of it is inconsistency and I think the reps that are successful versus the reps that aren’t it’s because they’re very organized and they’ve kept up that consistency and of course, it’s paying dividends.
14:33 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
Well, and that’s right, you come in with some really good questions and I’m talking good questions, not questions that you already know the answer to. If you ask questions, it will create a two-way dialogue. I’ve been in multiple calls where I plan for a 30-second call, a three-minute call and a 30-minute call and I get 15 seconds. Ask some really good questions and it turns into a 30 minute call. So yeah, coming in with the right questions and really trying to understand their business and their business needs. I love it.
15:05 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
Okay, so give us the promotion, the pitch. Why should any of us listening want to be in vaccine medical sales?
15:19 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
Well, listen, I’ve been in pharma Pharma for me and this is just a personal opinion it was a lot of redundancy. You’re showing up to the same clinics every two weeks. You’re delivering that same message over and over, and you know you’re lucky enough if you get with an organization in pharma that has a robust pipeline. We’re continuing launching products, but once it becomes stagnant, it’s very stagnant and you, like I said, you’re delivering that same message. I got what I call message fatigue, fatigue.
15:56
So vaccines has been the most fascinating place I’ve ever worked in. It’s constantly keeping me on my toes. I’m constantly having to stay up to date with what the CDC is saying around influenza, looking at the Southern Hemisphere data, the Northern Hemisphere data, looking at you know how many hospitalization rates, things like that. So it’s definitely kept me on my toes and no two calls are really the same, which is what I truly love. And then we’re constantly re-evaluating targets, alignments, things like that. So I may lose a target, but I picked up one that I really didn’t know was a player in the market space. So it’s definitely a fun place to be and one of the most valuable things that I’ve found is the the stability with it. As you know in pharma yeah, as you’ve been in pharma and if you lose an indication or a product that you’re supposed to acquire, does it come through? They can, the whole Salesforce. And that happens on a Friday before a holiday.
16:57 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
So I’ve been in that position.
16:59 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
What’s interesting about vaccines is they’re not going anywhere, especially the influenza space, and it’s given me stability, especially through. You know when, during the COVID pandemic, when a lot of companies were laying off a huge swath of their sales force, we were going strong and doing better than ever and continuing to show profitability. So having job security is extremely important in the vaccine space. It offers that. A lot of the legacy folks within my organization are 15, 20 plus years with GSK and came over here for a good opportunity.
17:32 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
Well, that’s fantastic. Well, you know, I hope all of you are listening and taking notes out there. So now the bigger question if anyone listening is interested in getting into this space, talk to us a little bit about the type of person that should be thinking about doing this and what transferable skills they should be ready to communicate that they bring to the table.
17:55 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
Yeah, you know I say the space is for anybody, anybody that’s willing to learn. And you have to have a passion for patience, because what we do each and every day is not easy. I put a lot of miles on the road but each and every day I wake up. I have a patient first mindset and that’s what drives me most of all. So if you have a true passion for helping patients, I don’t care what background you come from, there’s a place for you here and you know it helps to have some type of business to business background where you’re out there calling on customers and trying to close sales, close business things like that.
18:35 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
Now, when you say business to business, are you saying any way, or it needs to be field sales business to business?
18:41 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
Outside business to business always helps Absolutely, Because you’ve got to think there’s a lot of autonomy with this type of role. You know you’re not often speaking with your manager, not often doing field visits speaking with your manager, not often doing field visits so it’s up to yourself each and every day to get out of bed, have a goal in mind and go out there and accomplish that goal.
19:00 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
I love that. I love that. I hope you’re enjoying today’s episode and I want to let you know our programs cover the entire career of a medical sales professional, from getting into the medical sales industry to training on how to be a top performer in the medical sales industry to masterfully navigating your career to executive level leadership. These programs are personalized and customized for your specific career and background and trained by over 50 experts, including surgeons. Our results speak for ourselves and we’re landing positions for our candidates in less than 120 days in top medical technology companies like Stryker, medtronic, merck, abbott you name it.
19:40
Would you run an Ironman race without training and a strategy? You wouldn’t. So why are you trying to do the same with the medical sales position? You need training, you need a strategy and you need to visit evolveyoursuccesscom, fill out the application schedule some time with one of our account executives and let’s get you into the position that you’ve always dreamed of. So you know, I always ask this question and I want to ask it because this is a. I think this is the first time on this show that we’re talking about vaccines. What, when you? You know, I want to hear the moment when you were doing your job and something happened and you said wow, I love this job, I love what I do, this is awesome. Give us the event that ever gave you that insight.
20:21 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
Yeah, so it’ll go back to when I originally started. I was in a longtime competitor account. It’s a huge opportunity for it was a huge opportunity for me and my organization opportunity for it was a huge opportunity for me and my organization. And it’s a very tough access place with, you know, gatekeepers left and right. Well, just a lot of persistence. I was able to get the key meeting with the nurse manager there and started having some clinical dialogue. Like I said, they’re a long time competitor user, but I really focused in on the clinical value associated with my portfolio. Then I was able to get some assistance with my MSL team so my medical science liaisons and then that meeting led to another meeting with the owner of the clinic.
21:07
And then, you know, closing that deal was a huge, huge, you know. It just gave me the sense that I can do this job and I can be successful at it, and a lot of times that’s all it takes. It takes one big win to know that, hey, I am where I need to be and if I continue to work on the things that I’ve been coached on, I’m going to be successful here. Things that I’ve been coached on, I’m going to be successful here, and I ended up closing that deal my first season. And everything was just a snowball effect after that and success continued to follow. But you know, following that general blueprint was a key to my success over the last four years.
21:46 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
I love it. I love it. You know that it speaks volumes when you can outline why you were successful and really give credit to where it’s due. Okay, so you’ve talked to us about what it takes to get into this space, what it looks like when you’re in this space, what you might be selling and the kind of people you might be talking to. Now, share with us what are some of the challenges of being in this space, some of the things that you know. If someone’s coming into this, they need to prepare to manage. You know A, b and C. What would you say?
22:19 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
Yeah, Well, you know it goes back to access. Access continues to be a challenge, not only for the vaccine reps, the medical reps, the device reps, the pharma reps. Access is always going to be a key barrier and you can have good conversations but if you’re not having the key conversations with the right people, you’re not going to move that ball forward. So sometimes you have to look at other avenues to get around those key access issues. So if you’re going in there to speak with an office administrator and she continues to be busy, what other options do you have? So that goes back to a lot of that pre-call planning, knowing that, okay, if I don’t see the office manager today, I’m going to try to catch the physician, I’m going to try to catch the vaccine coordinator, or I’m going to try to speak with the billing manager to discuss financials and give pricing, things like that. So access is always going to be an issue.
23:11
And then also, you know the competitive landscape it’s. You know there’s a lot of legacy reps who’ve been in this for a very long time, that have established those relationships long before I came. So overcoming that barrier is always a challenge, but to me it’s always important. I don’t care how long they’ve dealt with their current rep. My products have value and they have a place in your clinic and let me tell you why and really focusing on the clinical value of that. And then also you’re going to have issues Vax, especially in the influenza space, shipping, things like that. There’s always going to be some hiccups there. Some people want their products early, some of them want them pushed back, depending on when they kick off there. So being able to tailor everything around based on the customer’s needs is how you continue to keep their business season after season, and you have to know your customers.
24:14 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
I believe it, In the vein of knowing your customers. Do you get personal with your customers? Do you have some of them become your friends or would you? Would you say it doesn’t get that far with you?
24:24 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
Absolutely. I’m a. I’m a very personal guy. My relationships are solid once I get them, and I often text with my customers. One of them is a big golfer and he’ll text me pictures of you know, when him and his son are on the course, things like that. So, no if to me, if I can build that type of relationship, deliver value. That’s a customer that.
24:46 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
I’m going to keep forever. I love it. And in that same vein, is that something you try to do on inner introduction, or do you kind of wait and pace yourself before you start getting personal and befriend your customers?
25:01 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
I try to establish that relationship as soon as I can. Sometimes the personalities may not mesh initially, so it takes a little more time to cultivate that type of relationship. Takes a little more time to cultivate that type of relationship, but no, it’s something that I’m always striving to build that relationship because the better I understand the customer needs, the better I can deliver on what those needs are.
25:22 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
Absolutely, absolutely Okay. Now you know I’ve always been curious because you’ve been in the influenza space. How did COVID impact how you did your job and what you do in the influenza space? And I know it affected all of us in the medical sales world but how did it affect you in the vein of influenza?
25:46 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
So it was an incredible challenge because we are a global influenza vaccine manufacturer with the interest in public health.
25:56
So once the COVID pandemic hit, we were all basically grounded doing virtual handling, everything through Viva Engages, so virtual meetings, through phone calls, things like that which, as you know, a lot of this is relationship built. So it’s incredibly tough to really build value when you can’t really show something or look at somebody’s body language and see if they’re interested. So it was a challenge, absolutely. But the thing is we continued to push, no matter how hard it was, how many calls. We were hung up on things like that and we really we started to build something, even in the height of a pandemic, that allowed us to continue to be successful once they released us back into the field. But no, it was a challenge, you know, and it goes back to being disciplined. You know, nobody’s sitting there making you dial for dollars every single day. But those that were very successful had an agenda each and every day, a list of customers they wanted to call and set up virtual appointments with, and those were the ones that were the most successful during that period.
27:05 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
I love it Now. Clinically, did COVID complicate how you sold influenza to your customers?
27:13 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
It did a little bit so in the height of the pandemic. That first initial year vaccination rates with influenza is typically, let’s say, 50%. We saw the highest rate of vaccination for influenza in the height of the pandemic because a lot of folks were look, they may not be protected from COVID, at least they’re going to be protected for something, especially influenza. So after the pandemic ended we saw an immediate decrease and a lot of that was the vaccine hesitancy A lot of you know. Just the way it was rolled out was not rolled out as smoothly as it could have been. So immediately we saw a dip in vaccination rates and right now we’re at an all-time low for vaccinations across, not just influenza, across everything. I think the last study I read we were hovering around 45% just in pediatrics, which is it’s alarming because you’re talking about, you know Hep B, your.
28:12 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
COVID vaccine, things that we eradicated a long time ago.
28:14 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
Yeah, eradicated a long time ago. What you’re going to see is those nasty viruses start to show themselves again and you know we’re still trying to get a grip on how to best handle that. And that’s a huge challenge, not only for us as a manufacturer but for the providers. They’re having trouble getting the parents to commit to vaccinating their children. So a lot of what we do is, you know, not only educate the providers on the clinical value of our portfolio, but we’re also educating them on how to handle that vaccine hesitancy with their patients, so we can increase immunization rates back to a level pre-pandemic increase immunization rates back to a level pre-pandemic Gotcha, gotcha, yeah, no, I mean that’s very, very very important Now, when COVID kind of made things a little challenging for selling influenza, what, what you know?
29:11 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
how did you work with your team to stay motivated to do what you guys do? Talk to us a little bit about what were you guys doing internally to say you know what we’re going to. We’re going to figure this out and make sure our customers are continuing to get our great, our great product and our great services.
29:27 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
An excellent question. So sometimes it does feel like you’re trapped on an island by yourself because we all cover very large geographies. You’re trapped on an island by yourself because we all cover very large geographies. You know, I cover pretty much the entire state of Alabama and so it’s not often that I see another rep from my company. So we have a group chat we stay in touch with. We get a win, we send it out, let them know how we got it, and then we you know I make periodic phone calls to my teammates and tell them hey look, I’m having this issue. You know, are you having a similar issue? How are you handling it? So really bouncing ideas off each other to help not only lift us up but overcome those obstacles that we’re all facing each and every day.
30:07 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
I love it. I love it. There is one question I want to ask you regarding influenza itself. One question I want to ask you regarding influenza itself. So I feel like the flu is that thing that no one has taken very seriously, that’s not in the know, and we know what the flu has done years and years past to just the global population. What is the technology as far as managing the flu? I mean, we still have vaccines and it’s still very important that we take them, but are things moving to a less frequent, a more permanent vaccine, less frequent shots? You know what’s going on in the vaccine.
30:45 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
I guess vaccine technology Well, there’s a lot of interesting biotechs that are on the horizon. You know, especially like let’s go back to COVID on the horizon. You know, especially like let’s go back to COVID the mRNA. Mrna has been around a really long time, so it’s not necessarily a newer biotech. But there’s some newer mRNA technology coming to the market that can allow some easier co-administration. Let’s say, with a COVID or a flu vaccine. We’re probably several, several seasons out on something like that and we’re probably several, several seasons out on something like that. Anytime a vaccine is launched it’s got copious amounts of data to support the clinical value. It’s not like you get an emergency approval, like the COVID pandemic was really kind of a one-off. In that situation, products have a decade or more of studies that have been conducted to establish not only the clinical value but the efficacy, to make sure it is safe for the patients. So that’s where a lot of the misinterpretation comes out there.
31:50 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
Going back to influenza, people still think the flu vaccine gives them the flu, which is entirely untrue. You know what? Let’s clear the air right here, right now entirely untrue. So, what does you know what? Let’s, let’s clear the air right here, right now, with the expert.
32:03 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
What is the flu vaccine actually doing? So what it does is it’s actually it’s going to build antibodies within your, within your immune system. So what the CDC does is they select these wild type strains based on what we see in the southern hemisphere. Now there’s a process called antigenic drift. In that process, as it crosses the southern hemisphere into the northern hemisphere, it’s going to start to mutate. It’s a virus, it’s trying to stay alive.
32:27
So they do the best they can the World Health Organization in selecting the appropriate strains. If we’re lucky, we don’t see a lot of antigenic drift. So that’ll give us an idea of what strains need to be selected to start manufacturing influenza vaccines and what it does. Going back to building the antibodies, so if you do come in contact and it can be as simple as touching a door handle, you know your kid licking the glass at the pediatric office or whatever it’s going to help you build those antibodies much quicker to prevent. There’s no guarantee it’s going to stop you from being sick, but it’s your best protection possible to prevent you from going to the hospital in the ER, which is the ultimate goal Absolutely.
33:15 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
Now explain why. Is that not the same as people thinking that they’re getting the flu when they get the flu shot?
33:24 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
Because sometimes it happens you may take a flu shot and you got it late in the season and you’re already in contact with the influenza virus. Influenza virus takes time to start infecting the cells, to start compromising your immune response. By then it’s too late. You’re already going to be sick and sometimes I experienced this myself. When I initially got my COVID vaccine, I had a little bit of a fever after that and they’re like, oh my goodness, I got the flu, it was the vaccine?
33:56
Yeah, but it’s what it is. It’s your. Your body is building the antibodies to attack that that infection. So that helps.
34:04 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
Yeah, no, that that that sheds some light on that. Another thing I want to ask you about you know, I want to know you’re in vaccines. So you guys must get into a lot of heated conversation and I’m not saying necessarily in the field, but just with people, because you’re in vaccines. So I’m assuming you support vaccines and getting your kids vaccinated, you getting vaccinated. But now we have this population of people that are saying this should all stop. We should not be getting vaccinated the way we’re getting vaccinated. Vaccines are actually dangerous, so on and so forth. How do you? What’s your take on? And let me be more specific, let me just speak to COVID first. What’s your take on the people that believe that COVID, getting the COVID vaccine, was actually a risk?
34:57 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
Well, I would say they’re wrong. The COVID vaccine saved many lives and I don’t care what manufacturer you got it from, and you know I have these conversations with a few of my close friends who, one of them’s, never had a flu vaccine or never had a COVID vaccine, or like I’ve never been sick. But the way I like to describe this is influenza. Once you’ve had it one time, it scars you for life. I remember when I was 12 years old and I got influenza, I didn’t eat burgers for a month because I was just so sick and it truly it’ll impact you for years down the road.
35:37
And when I’m having conversations with nurse managers, physicians, I’ll ask them hey, tell me about the last time you had influenza. They’re like, oh my gosh, I laid in bed for a week and didn’t move and I ended up in the hospital, and a lot of them. I like to have the conversation. Well, tell me about a time that one of your patients got influenza and ended up in the hospital, and a lot of them. I like to have the conversation. Well, tell me about a time that one of your patients got influenza and ended up in the hospital. Tell me about that, and you hear some really heart-wrenching stories that you know it impacts.
36:08
Not only immediate but long-term health effects can be associated with influenza and I was speaking with a counterpart of mine recently and she was telling me about a physician of his that had lost his daughter to influenza and she was a grown adult. So you know when I’m having those conversations and they do get heated and I get the vaccine pushback. There’s real world stories out there that highlight why it’s important that we do what we do each and every day. There’s a great nonprofit organization called Families Fighting Against Flu and we’ve had them around at a couple of our meetings and just hearing some of the stories of how influenza impacted them it helps set in how important it is that we get up in each and every day and we’re thinking about that little kid or that adult that their parents may not get on the vaccine, but we’re trying to save lives.
37:08 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
No, I mean, it makes perfect sense. Do you guys ever cover topics? Do you guys ever cover the topics around vaccines being linked to causing other conditions like autism, or is that something that you guys don’t really spend time even learning?
37:27 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
Well, a lot of times we’re dealing with healthcare professionals and they’re aware that’s not the case. So not often. But sometimes it does come up and the physician will say, look, I’ve got this type of customer or this type of patient who’s you know, this is their concern, what’s the best way to handle that? And that’s where we come in and provide HCP to patient resources to help them combat that vaccine hesitancy.
37:51 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
That’s fantastic. Well, you know, if I could do it all over again, I think I’d join you in vaccines.
37:59 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
Yeah, listen, I’ve had a blast here. I plan on not, I’m not going anywhere. This has been an incredible opportunity and if anybody’s interested in this space, I definitely encourage them to explore it, because there’s some really good companies out there with some true state-of-the-art biotech and I think, as we continue to expand those manufacturing capabilities, there’s going to be some really cool stuff coming to the market.
38:25 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
Oh, that’s exciting. I know people are going to ask you what they are, but that is exciting. Yeah, so, Jerome, how can people find you?
38:32 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
Yeah, I’m on LinkedIn. Just type in Jerome Pinson, j-e-r-o-m-e, last name Pinson P-I-N-S-O-N. And there’s not too many Jerome Pinsons floating on LinkedIn, so it should be relatively easy. And then, yeah, reach out to me on LinkedIn, send me a message. I’m here to answer questions and help support anybody willing to listen to me, I love it.
38:53 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
I love it. Okay, this was a fantastic time we spent. Jerome. Thank you so much for educating us on the vaccine space. Now we have one more thing to do before I let you go today, and I have actually one more question. Then, one more thing, Of course how do you make it work? Talk to us about the family life. Are you Jerome on his own, just doing this? Jerome with kids? Jerome with married? How do you make it all work? Be the successful vaccine rep with a social life?
39:20 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
So I am married. I have a beautiful wife and a beautiful eight-year-old actually just turned nine-year-old today so happy birthday Today.
39:28 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
Today is her birthday, yeah, I sure will.
39:31 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
So no, it’s incredibly important. It’s easy to get consumed with your work, to have that work-life balance, and that’s one thing really great about working in this space is if you need some time off to work on mental health or take a vacation with your family, those opportunities are there.
39:49
So I make sure when I you know I get home at five o’clock and I wrap up my work. That’s my family time, and on the weekends I’m spending it with my little girl or hanging out with my wife, with my little girls, with the grandma or whatever. So you have to make time for the family.
40:06 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
I couldn’t agree with you more. All right, you ready for the next thing? Of course, bring it on. This is the lightning round. I’m gonna ask you four questions. You have less than 10 seconds to answer.
40:21 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
Okay, all right, Jerome, first question is what is the best book you’ve read in the last six months? The Challenger book. It’s really because I’m an amiable guy and I build relationships, but it’s taught me to approach sales a little differently, so great book.
40:33 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
That is so awesome. What I love about what you just said is is that your first time reading it.
40:37 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
No, I’ve read it once before, but I went back and reread it in the last few months.
40:41 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
You hear that everybody a seasoned professional is rereading the challenger sale. That’s one of the books I also champion people to read that are interested in medical sales, and the fact that you go back and reread it and you’re already performing and doing your thing speaks volumes, so I’m so glad you shared that. Now, what about this question what is the best TV show or movie you’ve seen in the last six months?
41:04 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
Oh TV show I’m going to have to go. I’m a Seinfeld guy Classic 90s sitcom. I can put it on hang out with my wife while we’re getting ready for bed and it’s just a great way to catch a laugh.
41:16 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
That’s cool, very cool. And then what’s the best meal you’ve had in the last six months?
41:22 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
Oh man, I was just got back from the beach and I had a lobster meal that was phenomenal, with some blue crab on top.
41:29 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
You can’t drop that and not give us the restaurant and the item. I mean, I asked you for a reason because at some point we’re gonna take you up on this. So what was the restaurant and what is the item?
41:40 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
So I was at the Wyndham Resort in Orlando, Florida. I’d just taken my family to Disney World and I was actually at a work meeting. So we stayed a couple of extra days after and the restaurant was in the Wyndham Resort and it was phenomenal. So if you go to the Wyndham, their restaurant that’s in-house is excellent.
41:59 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
So it doesn’t have a name.
42:02 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
It’s just called the Wyndham Resort Restaurant. I forget the exact name of it, but it’s in the actual resort.
42:06 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
And the only one in the resort.
42:08 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
Yeah, it’s the Wyndham Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort. Okay, okay.
42:14 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
Yeah, excellent restaurant Noted, thank you. And then last question what’s the best experience you’ve had in the last six months?
42:22 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
Six months is watching my kid go through third grade. I’m just gonna say it goes back to being a family man. You know, it’s very interesting to see them go from being a kindergartner to actually starting to learn to read, to do math, just the simple things that we do often every day. Watching her grow and learn is just, it’s a blessing and it’s, it’s one of the great things about being a father.
42:47 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
Hey, you know what. You know what that’s. That’s awesome. My, my little one is in third grade and he’s he’s coming to a close, so that’s, it is a hard time. You know, I resonate, man, I resonate. Well, Jerome, again thank you for being on the show. This was fantastic. We can’t wait to see all the amazing things you continue in the vaccine space and, yeah, don’t forget about us. Maybe we’ll have a recurrent episode in six months to a year to find out what you’re doing later.
43:15 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
Yeah, absolutely, We’d love to man. That sounds great and I look forward to speaking with you again as well, sir.
43:20 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
Awesome. Thank you for your time.
43:21 – Jerome Pinson (Guest)
Thank you, sir.
43:22 – Samuel Adeyinka (Host)
Bye, and that was Jerome Pinson. So I loved having Jerome on because he really highlighted what it means to be in vaccines, what actually happens in that space and how it all works. You already know what I’m going to say. If this is a field you know you want to be in or anything like it, or you just listen to these episodes because you know you want to be a medical sales professional, stop denying yourself the opportunity to make it happen as fast as possible. Go to evolveyoursuccesscom, fill out the application schedule some time with one of our account executives, take our assessment and let’s get you into the place that you’re supposed to be.
43:57
As always, we do our best to bring you guests that are doing things differently in the medical space, so make sure you tune in next week for another episode of the Medical Sales Podcast. I hope you enjoyed today’s episode and remember I have a customized and personalized program that gets you into the medical technology industry as a sales professional or any type of role for that matter. Become a top performer in your position and masterfully navigate your career to executive level leadership. Check out these programs and learn more at EvarvisAccesscom by visiting our site. Dealing on an application schedule some time with one of our account executives and allowing us to get you where you need to be. Stay tuned for more awesome content with amazing interviews on the Medical Sales Podcast.
Medical Territory Manager!
I was a Regional Sales Representative for Long-Term Care pharmacy services. I had dreamed of getting into the med sales industry when I went into my career as a nurse, but the pharmacy sales job came to me, and I had just settled. Fortunately, I had a job shakeup that allowed me to determine that now was the time to pursue my original vision.
I absolutely would not have this position without Samuel and the Evolve Your Success community. A lot of people my age would just stop trying, but EYS believed in me.
EYS allowed me to break into the industry in 90-Days after I had been trying on my own for over two years! I had lots of recruiter screenings, and a few interviews with hiring managers, but I was never offered a position.
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Of course, I had to think hard before making a financial investment that’s reasonably substantial. But when I read the testimonials of real med sales reps on the site and learned that I wasn’t the only one taking a chance on my success, that EYS was sharing that risk also, I knew I had to do it. Though you might be able to cobble together some of the steps of getting a role in med sales from online research on your own, you just can’t know what you don’t know!
The process of going through EYS presents this insider knowledge to the student, as well as giving you a progression of difficulty as you obtain the information, and you begin to master it. Not only that, but they give you access to amazing mentors and instructors, allow you to practice your interview skills, and teach you how to market yourself through social media and your own website! I cannot stress enough that EYS was the factor that made the difference in my successfully landing my dream job! The support, structure, and knowledge gained was invaluable!
I would recommend this course to ANYONE looking to break into medical sales
Thank you so much, EYS! This journey has been life changing and has resulted in the successful culmination of my 18-Year ambition! 
Sports Medicine in Phoenix! I extend so much gratitude to the Evolve Your Success group as I land this role and get ready to pursue my dream job. I am a Physical Therapist who became a little stuck in the profession due to issues with reimbursement and the difficulty for continued growth upwards. I turned to EYS to assist me in learning about the medical sales industry and gain knowledgable mentors who were able to help coach me in this process. I am a strong believer in surrounding yourself with the best and good things will happen. I did work hard, but with the support of my mentors and other colleagues going through a career change, I felt a sense of community and it confirmed my drive to get into this industry. I have already learned so much through the interview process, and feel very blessed to have had the resources this group provided. I have made lifelong friends and I cannot wait to continue to follow others’ journeys to pursue this incredible field. I urge you to give Evolve Your Success a try to gain mentorship, guidance, and support through any career transition.
and am excited to make a difference in patients’ lives as a Pharmaceutical Sales Specialist.
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. I owe this opportunity to Samuel, the program, and the incredible mentors at EYS.
