The Powerful Journey From Patient Care to Sales Mastery
In this episode of the Medical Sales Podcast, host Samuel Adeyinka sits down with Jaclene Corstorphine, a seasoned medical device sales leader known for building her career around disruptive technologies. Jaclene shares how moving across specialties helped her grow faster, why selling solutions and programs matters more than selling products, and what it really takes to succeed in startup and innovation driven roles. They dive into disruption tech sales, individual contributor life, working smarter not harder, balancing family with a demanding career, and the habits that separate consistent winners from average reps. This is a must listen for anyone exploring long term growth, disruptive innovation, and elite performance in medical sales.
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Transcription:
Samuel Adeyinka 00:00:05 Welcome to the Medical Sales Podcast. I’m Samuel Adeyinka, founder of a revolutionary medical sales training program called the Medical Sales Career Builder, and I’m also the host of the Medical Sales Podcast. On this podcast, I interview top medical sales reps and leading medical sales executives from across the world. It doesn’t matter what part of medical sales you’re in, from medical device, to pharmaceutical, to genetic testing and diagnostic lab, you name it. You will learn how to either break into the industry, become a top ten percent performer within your role, or climb the corporate ladder. Welcome to the Medical Sales Podcast, and remember, I’m a medical sales expert sharing my own opinion about this amazing industry and how it can change your life. I’m sure you know people who are deep into a single specialty that they’ve covered their whole career, and because of that they are as far along as they are, whatever that means. And then there’s you, who’s had this amazing, colorful career, and you’ve really given yourself the advantage of being on top of all these technologies to ultimately intentionally look for disruptive technologies. To the best of your ability, share with us.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:01:20 Those are two completely different perspectives in the same space. Even a relatively new medical sales rep, or someone who wants to be in medical sales, how should they be looking at it. What’s going on in your mind and your life that made you look at things the way you did, versus what’s going on in the mind and life of someone who has been in one single specialty and just ascends in that specialty. What comparison can you make between those different pathways.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:01:52 There are a lot of different pathways within medical device. That’s one of the really unique things about it, and I think it’s personality based. For me, I’m someone that gets bored with doing the same thing every day. I could never be a spine rep and go into the hospital every day and do cases all day long. For me, it also depends on if you’re someone that really wants to challenge yourself. Going into different specialties was always a new challenge.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:02:23 It was a way to step up my game, to not know anybody in that specialty, but still go and get business and be successful. If I were an older sales rep giving advice to a younger rep wanting to define their career and the direction it would go, I would ask them questions about their personality. Are you someone that really likes change. Are you someone that likes to reinvent yourself every few years and do something different. It comes down to challenging yourself. It opened up a lot of opportunities for me that I wouldn’t have had if I had stayed in one specialty and been pigeonholed into whatever that would have been. It depends on the person and their personality. I could go on forever.
Multiple Speakers 00:03:28 Thank you for that. Let’s talk about disruption.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:03:31 Disruptive technologies for just a moment longer. In your current role, what does daily life look like. Is this another five day job. I know it’s not an oncology job, but oncology can have on call type tendencies. Talk to us about the lifestyle of this role.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:03:48 Good question. One of the things I really enjoy about disruptive technologies is it allows me to work smarter, not harder. It allows you to change from being a salesperson that sells a product to a salesperson that sells a solution, a whole program or process of integrating this technology. I’ll give you an example. I worked at a company called I Flow. It was an ON Q product, a pain pump for post surgical pain. I called on everybody that cut. That was what I call a case chasing business model. You go to the hospital, look at the board, see who has cases they could use it on.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:04:37 Then you’re at the door, hey doc, you want to use this. This is so much different than that, and it really allows me to bring expertise, creativity, and my ability to build programs into my sales process. With disruptive technology, there are a few things you really have to understand and be good at within your skill set. One, you have to be a hunter. You have to go out and tell everybody about the product. Two, you have to be an educator, because you’re selling a whole practice approach, or a whole hospital approach. My approach is thinking about how I sell this product to the entire practice, from the C suite, to marketing, to patient access, to the MAs. It’s a whole practice approach. You have to bring a very high level of focus, strategy, and execution. And that goes back to working smarter.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:06:00 Not harder. Building that program around the practice to really integrate your product into everything they do. I want to be on their website as a landing page. I want to be part of their marketing and webinars to attract new patients. That whole part is really fun to me.
Multiple Speakers 00:06:21 That’s amazing. So with this current team.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:06:25 Are you on a team or are you kind of a solo soldier making it happen in your territory.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:06:32 Good question. Definitely an individual contributor. I cover all of Georgia. So it is an individual contributor role for my area.
Multiple Speakers 00:06:45 Okay.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:06:46 Is disruptive technologies something someone with no experience can enter into, or would you flat out say disruptive technologies is a space that is strictly for highly experienced medical sales reps.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:07:03 That’s a very good question. I think back to my twenty six year old self getting into medical device. This is something I’ve definitely owned over a long period of time. I think the right person could do it, but in my experience, I needed that fifteen years of experience to get to the point where I can be more of a solution seller than just a product seller.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:07:34 Jaclene Corstorphine, can you label all the different specialties you’ve been a part of in your twenty year career.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:07:46 Label it in what regard.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:07:47 Just knock it out. I was this and I was that. Specialty to specialty.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:07:54 I started out in wound care and sold a device that helps heal wounds faster. From there, I went to a startup called I Flow, the ON Q product, the pain pump for post surgical pain that delivers a non narcotic directly to the surgical site. From there, I got into cardiovascular sales, which was a lot of fun, and at that time was a big step up for me in terms of hierarchy. I sold surgical valves as well as a product in the cath lab. After that, I had the opportunity to join Axonics, which was a true startup, and that was in the urinary and continence space within urology. Then Inspire was a neuromodulation device for sleep apnea. And currently I’m with Nanoknife, in the oncology space in urology.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:08:56 When you lay it out that way, you’ve had some direct path. Yes, it’s been different spaces, but it has led to a higher level of a similar kind of thing. Previously in urology, now in an even higher, more critical position dealing with oncology. You’ve progressed. You’ve definitely progressed.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:09:27 Same thread.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:09:29 You’ve progressed.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:09:32 I’ve really focused to brand myself as a disruptive startup person in Atlanta.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:09:46 That’s what we’re going to leave the episode as. The disruptive queen. I love it. I hope you enjoyed today’s episode. 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, to mastering how to navigate your career to executive level leadership. These programs are personalized and customized for your specific career and background, and trained by over fifty experts. Our results speak for themselves. We’re landing positions for our candidates in less than a hundred days in top medical technology companies like Stryker, Medtronic, Merck, Abbott, you name it. Would you run an Ironman race without training and a strategy. You wouldn’t. So why would you try to do the same with a medical sales position. You need training, you need a strategy. Visit EvolveYourSuccess dot com, 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.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:10:51 After I had the startup experience with Axonics, it was such a fun and good experience. Honestly, if I had to pick a time in my life where I grew the most as a sales professional, it was really that, because it was grassroots hard work.
Multiple Speakers 00:11:12 You had to hit the pavement. You were meeting.
Multiple Speakers 00:11:14 The patients in that space. What do you miss about having that close patient interaction. What do you not miss about having that close patient interaction. For those listening that don’t have any patient interaction and think, man, I would love it, and for those listening that have only had patient interactions and think, man, I would really love to give it up. Give both sides.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:11:37 When I first started, especially being a caregiver first, I was really excited about the opportunity to connect with patients one on one and help them through a difficult time in their life where they’re getting an implant that helps their urinary incontinence. It was rewarding. It was a blend of my salesperson self and my caregiver self, and I thought, this is what I love to do. For the first year and a half, it was a lot of fun. The challenge comes in when you’re not just managing that patient at the time of surgery. That relationship goes on indefinitely, because the implant is still in them.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:12:10 Managing one point five million dollars worth of business of patients is much different than when I ended up around three million dollars of business and you’re still managing all those patients. I used to say there’s a reason urology positions don’t give you their cell phone. Patients would call at all hours, and not just tell you about their device, but their life story. You have to be patient and kind. It can wear on you after a long time. Especially the more you grow your business, you’re almost a slave to your own success in that regard.
Multiple Speakers 00:13:12 That’s such a good way to put it. You’re almost a slave to your own success. Wow.
Multiple Speakers 00:13:15 Switching gears a little bit. You’ve had an amazing career, twenty years in the making. You’ve been with patients, outside of patients, wound care, you’ve been very busy. How have you managed. Do you have a family. You’re solo. How do you make this work. Give us the story. Kids. Tell us everything.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:13:40 I am a proud hockey mom. My son is twelve. And my husband is from Canada.
Multiple Speakers 00:13:50 That’s going to be proud.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:13:53 Obviously my son was going to play hockey. My husband being from Canada, that was just a given. He started playing at four, and we’ve supported him. He’s a really good hockey player.
Multiple Speakers 00:14:08 Lucky.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:14:09 He’s.
Multiple Speakers 00:14:11 So he plays.
Multiple Speakers 00:14:15 He’s twelve. What is that like. Is that a league. High school. Middle school.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:14:23 He’s just in rec hockey right now.
Multiple Speakers 00:14:26 There is no middle school league.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:14:28 No, not in Atlanta. Probably in Canada.
Multiple Speakers 00:14:33 Right. What comes next. He’s good now. Who’s looking at him and what are they looking to put him on.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:14:42 Next step is a travel team. I encourage him, but I’m also terrified if he gets it because that’s a whole other ball game. It really takes a strong support system at home. There are a lot of nights, a lot of weekends for conferences. Cases don’t go on time. My husband has really been the biggest cheerleader of me and the biggest support system.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:15:14 So that’s made it.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:15:16 All this possible.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:15:17 It’s a medal too.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:15:19 No, he’s not. He’s in software startups, interesting enough. Both our lives are a little wild, but we only have one child by design.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:15:32 You are a multiple winner. Winning is what you do. Talk to us as we come close to wrapping the show. There are reps listening right now that can’t figure it out. They’ve wanted to get into winner’s circle for years. They’ve taken sales training, they’ve read books, they know Challenger Sale, Influence, SPIN Selling, StrengthsFinder, Go Giver Sell More, and they’re like, it’s not happening. What.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:16:15 First of all, I’ve read only one of those books. I don’t know if that tells you anything.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:16:22 With that being said, in your opinion, twenty years, consistency, what creates a winner.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:16:34 This question is always hard for me, because I just do what I do. But I would say I approach sales from a competitive nature. I approach it like a competitive athlete. I played sports all through high school and I’ve always had a competitive edge. That brings my determination to win. When you think about a competitive athlete, what do they do to prepare for a game. They review the game plan. They study other players.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:17:29 Yeah.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:17:30 They know the game inside and out. They consume anything that gives them an advantage in that space. I think that’s the biggest thing that’s made me successful. I’m a student of my business. I want to absorb, not just my product. I need to know the space, know the competitive products, and position myself as a consultant to these physicians that may have interest in my product.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:17:42 Beyond that, it’s what you do every day. It’s the grind. It’s being comfortable with the uncomfortable. It’s being a good human being. It’s showing up. One thing that sets me apart is follow up. I think the number one way you can establish trust and credibility very quickly is doing what you say you’re going to do. It sounds simple, but I don’t know if it’s done routinely. It’s having tact. It’s knowing when to challenge a physician and when to let it go. It’s caring about what you do and wanting to do a good job for that customer and ultimately the patient.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:18:56 Another thing that’s made me successful is the fact that I was a caregiver first. So I have a very patient first approach to my sale. I also think it’s choosing the company you want to partner with very carefully. I’m never going to take a job where the data is questionable. It’s important to me. I do a lot of research and I’ve been lucky to partner with companies with significant quality outcomes for patients.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:19:31 Jaclene, I love this. Thank you so much for sharing that with us. I’m going to steal and coin that phrase, flows follow up, today. When you see it, you know I stole it from you.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:19:43 You’re welcome. Trademark here.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:19:44 This was fantastic. Thank you so much. I love that you’ve had so much experience, you’ve been an individual contributor, committed to your own growth and biggest impact on patients, and it shows. And now you’re doing things like literally creating a niche as the queen in Atlanta of disruptive technologies. I love it. We’re going to keep it there. We have one more thing to do before you go today. It’s called the lightning round. Are you ready.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:20:15 Okay.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:20:15 Are you ready.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:20:17 I’m ready.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:20:18 I’m going to ask you four questions. You have less than ten seconds to answer. First question. What’s the best book you’ve read in the last six months.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:20:31 Start With Why.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:20:32 Oh man. That’s not just a good one. That’s such a good book that it’s essential. I love Simon Sinek stuff, but that one especially is an important read.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:20:44 You don’t know your why, then the rest is really done.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:20:48 I love it. Best TV show or movie in the last six months.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:20:53 I’m a Yellowstone junkie. 1923 is my new obsession.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:21:00 Is it better than the actual Yellowstone show, or the same, or less.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:21:06 They’re both different, but I love them both.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:21:10 I haven’t seen that, so I have to put that down.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:21:13 It’s a good one.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:21:14 I want the item, the place, and the restaurant. Best meal you’ve had in the last six months.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:21:25 My love language is pasta, so it’s going to have to be Saint Cecilia, starting with oysters, then moving on to a crudo yellowtail or some kind of fresh fish, then pasta, ending with a whole branzino.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:21:48 Where does this happen.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:21:49 Dominic Perreli. Saint Cecilia is here in Atlanta.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:21:54 That is the best. I have never heard such a full answer, so check it out. I’m actually doing a tour now where I’m going around the country and trying all the different recommendations guests have made, and yours just turned it into a full night event. I’m definitely doing it.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:22:19 Let’s not forget the burrata with the fresh made Italian bread.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:22:25 That’s not necessary. That’s more food.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:22:28 It’s not just bread. It’s like a cheese. They bring out things like fluffy, I don’t know, it’s like a pillow on a plate.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:22:37 I’m just with my emotions. What do I get for dessert.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:22:50 I don’t get dessert.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:22:53 Only you have dessert. But okay.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:22:56 Dessert is my wine along the way.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:22:59 That would be alright.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:23:02 I’ll definitely take you there though.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:23:04 You said what.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:23:05 If you come to Atlanta, I’ll definitely take you.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:23:06 Oh, that’s happening. It’s not if, it’s going to happen. Tell your husband. Tell your son. It’s happening. Last but not least, what’s the best experience you’ve had in the last six months.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:23:24 Work related or.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:23:26 Best experience, period.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:23:30 I don’t know. Is this a safe podcast.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:23:33 Now you have to share. You have to share.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:23:37 Honestly, I went on a trip with some friends of ours for a fiftieth birthday party in Aspen. It was all of us having fun, good food, good wine, good energy. It was a blessed time. It was great.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:23:58 That is fantastic. Thank you, Jaclene. This was refreshing. Thank you again for being on the show. Thank you for sharing all your wisdom. We can’t wait to see what you go out and do in the world of disruptive technologies. We look forward to hearing from you again.
Jaclene Corstorphine 00:24:13 Thank you so much for having me. It was really an honor.
Samuel Adeyinka 00:24:16 I hope you enjoyed today’s episode. 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 by visiting our site, filling out an application, scheduling 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.