The Proven Journey From DME to Medical Sales Success

Samuel Adeyinka (Host):

Hello and welcome to the Medical Sales Podcast. I’m your host, Samuel, the 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 percent 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.

So Shawn, tell us who you are and what you do.

Shawn Mertes (Guest):

Yeah. So I’ve been in the medical device sales space for the last ten plus years.

I started off coming from the hospital as a respiratory therapist, and I wanted to branch out and do something a little bit different.

I had some success as a territory manager, then moved into a clinical specialist role with a bigger company.

Then I had some things not work out as well as intended over there, and I had an opportunity with the company I originally started with to come back in a regional sales manager role.

So that’s where I’m at now.

Samuel Adeyinka (Host):

Okay.

So let’s get into the details.

What exactly do you do now?

What type of medical sales is it?

What do you guys sell?

Talk to us.

Shawn Mertes (Guest):

We’re primarily a DME rental company.

We do a large variety of equipment.

We’re not a manufacturer. We’re a distributor.

So back during COVID, when everybody was out of ventilators and needed additional units, we were the company they would go to in order to get those things.

We do things like high-level BiPAPs and ventilators in hospitals, all the way down to beds, wheelchairs, and wound vacs in skilled nursing and rehab hospitals.

So it’s a pretty wide range.

Samuel Adeyinka (Host):

Your company is smaller, and you’re a distributor.

Talk to us about what that means for the customer.

Why is the customer going with you guys instead of going with a big-name manufacturer?

Shawn Mertes (Guest):

I think there are a couple of different reasons.

We compete with a lot of national companies, or we have over the years locally.

Usually, with us, customers get access to better service and better support.

A good example is when I was in a territory manager role.

We tried to do a lot of equipment demonstrations and get the equipment in front of people.

We would show it to them, show them what it does, and because we’re not a manufacturer, everybody has access to the same equipment we do.

Some of our competitors carry the same things.

I went in, showed them the equipment, showed them the features, showed them how it worked, and romanticized it a little bit.

They wanted to take it on a trial.

I said, “Yeah, absolutely.”

They said, “This is way better than what we get from our other vendor.”

So we went into the room to switch it out, and it was the same equipment they already had.

Same manufacturer. Same everything.

And I was like, all right, cool, let’s switch it.

But they just didn’t understand what it did.

So I think on that level, we do a much better job of getting in there, training them, walking them through it, and making sure they’re successful with it.

Samuel Adeyinka (Host):

Okay.

And you mentioned renting.

So with your product line, the equipment is rented as opposed to purchased.

Is that because customers have scenarios where renting just makes more sense?

Or is it because the customer can’t afford what would come directly from a manufacturer?

Talk to us about what that means.

Shawn Mertes (Guest):

It’s a wide range of reasons.

Sometimes, the higher you go up the chain in a hospital or any of the facilities we work with, rent is kind of like a four-letter word.

It’s something they don’t necessarily want to do, even though every building does it.

It could be during peak times, like respiratory right now.

We’re in flu season, so they’re a little busier.

Maybe they use more ventilators now than they typically would.

It doesn’t necessarily make sense to own a bigger fleet if they can just rent them short term.

Other equipment we have access to has a higher purchase cost, and maybe there’s not as big of a need for it, but buildings want to accept an admission or have a special case that can be treated with that type of equipment.

Sometimes it’s also a capital issue.

Maybe they don’t have the capital budget to buy new equipment right now, so they use rental equipment in the interim until they’re able to go out and purchase it.

Samuel Adeyinka (Host):

Very cool.

And your mainstay is DME and acute care for what you normally sell, correct?

Shawn Mertes (Guest):

Yep.

It’s a pretty wide range.

Over 150 different products.

So there’s a lot to learn.

Samuel Adeyinka (Host):

A lot to learn.

The DME space primarily focuses on what?

Shawn Mertes (Guest):

I would say our biggest portfolio is on the wound care side.

Specialty mattresses that help prevent bedsores for people who can’t get out of bed.

Wound pumps and wound vacs that actually treat wounds that may have been existing for years.

We also do specialty chairs for people who have limited mobility.

Maybe they need better trunk support, or they need to move around better.

We have a wide range of different things.

We try to bring unique options to the market that maybe people don’t know about.

Samuel Adeyinka (Host):

Very cool.

And the acute care side focuses primarily on what?

Shawn Mertes (Guest):

Primarily on the respiratory side.

That’s what attracted me here in the first place.

They do a lot of higher-level ventilators and BiPAPs.

They also do specialty devices that can be used to help patients with a lot of secretions loosen them up, prevent pneumonia, and get them out of the hospital faster.

Samuel Adeyinka (Host):

Before this company, what company were you working for?

Shawn Mertes (Guest):

Before I came back, I was working for Philips Respironics specifically as a clinical sales specialist.

Samuel Adeyinka (Host):

I think this is such a good opportunity for people to get some understanding here.

Philips is a big manufacturer.

Your current company is a smaller distributor.

Talk to us about the difference.

If someone is listening to this thinking, “I want to be in medical sales,” or maybe they’re already in medical sales and work for something like Philips and think maybe it’s greener as a distributor, talk to us about the biggest differences between working for a big manufacturer versus a distributor.

Shawn Mertes (Guest):

For me, the biggest difference was that when I was initially training and onboarding at Philips, I picked it up right away.

Being with a smaller company, you don’t have that name recognition behind you.

You really have to have that dog in you to go in and grind because nobody is going to say, “Oh yeah, you’re from this company. I want to meet with you.”

When I was training at Philips, I was working with one of the account managers.

We were talking about a particular account, and he said, “Yeah, I called that guy a couple days ago, and I still haven’t heard back from him. It’s kind of weird.”

I paused for a second and said, “Man, people call you back? That’s crazy.”

I’m so used to really having to get after it and be in the right place at the right time.

You have to mix it up to get in front of people.

I would say that was the biggest difference.

But also, with a bigger company, you have sales enablement people, clinical specialists, and a team of people who can really help you with sales, move things along, and train people.

At a smaller company, you’re kind of the one-person show.

You’re the clinical expert.

You’re the technology expert.

Being newer in sales, I think it can be a good spot to be because, and I don’t mean this disrespectfully toward anybody who works there, I found Philips to be easier.

I could get in front of people.

That was maybe the biggest struggle with being at a smaller company.

Samuel Adeyinka (Host):

Sure.

However, you’re with the smaller company now, and you’re loving your life.

So getting access is a big thing, of course, with something like Philips.

But what is the real benefit to being where you are today?

Shawn Mertes (Guest):

The nice thing in the role I’m in now is that being with a smaller, family-owned company, I have a lot of autonomy.

I can guide my team in the way that I feel makes sense.

I have the support of our upper leadership team to try new things and be innovative.

Someone gave me an analogy one time.

Working with a smaller company is like turning around a car.

Working with a bigger company is like turning around a private jet.

Both can be done, but one takes a lot longer than the other.

That’s my favorite part.

I get to still be really involved in the field with my team.

I get to see what’s going on.

I’m not managing from a computer or a CRM.

I’m out in the field with them, seeing what’s going on and where we can improve.

That’s definitely my favorite part of it right now.

Samuel Adeyinka (Host):

Love it.

Talk about the dynamics.

You’re a regional sales manager.

How big is your team?

Shawn Mertes (Guest):

I have a team of five territory managers under me right now.

We try to work very collaboratively.

I don’t know that I necessarily know how to be a great leader, but I know what I liked when I had managers I really enjoyed working for.

That was someone who had your back and empowered you to be successful.

Ultimately, that’s why you bring these guys in.

They’re talented, and they’re going to go out and get things done.

So you want to give them the power and ability to do that.

But you also want to be someone who is willing to put boots on the ground, roll up your sleeves, and come help in the field if needed.

That’s what I try to do.

We work collaboratively.

I’m not a micromanager at all.

I wouldn’t be very successful as one.

That’s our dynamic here.

Samuel Adeyinka (Host):

Okay.

Talk to us about a day in the life of this kind of role.

Think about one of your reps, or think about when you were a territory manager.

What time are you waking up?

What are you normally doing?

What is the day-to-day?

By lunchtime, what are you doing?

By 3:00, what are you doing?

By 5:00, when does the day end?

Are you working weekends?

Give us the whole picture.

Shawn Mertes (Guest):

There’s a lot of variety in this role, for sure.

I’m a big sports guy, and one of the things that makes people successful is something that doesn’t really show up on the stat sheet.

It’s getting your day prepped before the day starts.

When I was in the role, I was probably getting going around 7:00 or 7:30.

I always wanted to see what orders came in the night before.

If I had someone I’d been working with for a while and they finally took some equipment from us, I wanted to get out there and follow up as soon as possible to make sure it was going well.

I would review my stuff from the day before.

If I had any quotes I was bringing out to anybody, or any equipment I was going to demonstrate, I was getting all of that together at that time.

I was making sure my day was prepped and ironed out.

I would say I was probably making the first call around 9:00 or 9:30.

There’s kind of a sweet spot of the day between 10:00 and 2:00, maybe 10:00 and 3:00, where it seems to be the best time to catch people.

So if I had some key accounts where I really wanted to get in front of them, I would go out during that time and use that prime window where I was more likely to see them.

Samuel Adeyinka (Host):

Before you move forward, give us an example.

What type of account would that be?

Who are you showing up to?

Where are you going?

What are you talking about?

Shawn Mertes (Guest):

Let’s say we’re focusing on a group of skilled buildings that we’ve been trying to get in with.

There’s a lot of changing hands, so that makes it interesting sometimes.

We might be meeting with an administrator at one of these buildings.

These guys are in meetings all day.

They’re getting 80 plus emails a day.

So we’re trying to catch them.

Hopefully, we already have a set meeting with them, but sometimes that’s not always possible.

So we’re trying to get in front of them, bring in the equipment, and show it to them.

One thing that makes this job a lot of fun is that you can meet with a central supply guy at a hospital in the morning, then go to a meeting with a hospital executive at 11:30, meet with a respiratory manager at a hospital at 1:00, and meet with an administrator of a skilled building at 2:30.

You’re a different rep at each one, if that makes sense.

Samuel Adeyinka (Host):

Gotcha.

So go back to the day.

You’ve met with these call points.

It’s noon.

Give us the rest of the day and when you’re ending.

Shawn Mertes (Guest):

Usually you’re wrapped up in the field between 3:30 and 4:00 most times.

Again, being a one-person show, you’ll get some accounts that say, “Hey, we need you to train our night shift,” or, “We need you to come in at 4:00 or 5:00 to train the staff that doesn’t come in until then.”

There’s a lot of variability.

Some days you might start at 6:00 a.m. to catch a night shift.

I’ve done trainings on a Saturday for weekend staff.

I’ve done trainings at midnight for a night shift.

I used to work nights at the hospital, so I know that at 6:00 or 6:30, I wasn’t really trying to hear any training.

So I always offered to go in later at night when maybe they were at their peak performance.

I would say around 3:30 or 4:00, you’re making your last call in the field.

Once you get home, you have your field notes to put in.

If you need to get some quotes together or send follow-up emails, you’re doing that.

You’re probably wrapping up around 5:00 or 5:30 depending on drive time and how far out you were that day.

If you’re a little closer, it might be a shorter day.

But some of our accounts are two and a half hours away, so it might be a longer day.

Samuel Adeyinka (Host):

I hope you’re enjoying today’s episode.

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Samuel Adeyinka (Host):

In a lot of medical device, pharma, and even biotech fields, the relationship with the customer can get really intense.

You’ve almost made them family.

You’re hanging out on weekends and things like that.

Is it that intense in your space?

Or is it more that everybody keeps it between working hours and the relationship ends there?

Shawn Mertes (Guest):

I’d say it’s very relationship heavy.

Medical sales in general, and the healthcare world in general, is a very small world.

The more friends you have, the better things are.

The more you can understand what your people need.

To give you an example, I had a lady at a building I worked with for several years.

When I first met her, she gave me the cold shoulder.

She wasn’t interested at all.

I was like, wow, okay, I guess we’re not going to be friends.

Fast forward a few years later, she was no longer working at the facility she had been at.

She called me at 7:30 and said, “Hey, I’m working here now. I know we don’t work with you guys, but my mom’s on hospice, and I had a respiratory question. I was wondering if you could help me out.”

I thought, man, that’s awesome that you thought of me in that situation.

So it’s very relationship heavy.

And I think the more you can leverage your relationships, the better.

If you work with someone at a building, have a good relationship with them, do a good job for them, and they’re happy with your service, it can be really helpful to ask, “Hey, I know you’ve got some contacts over here. Would you mind introducing me?”

That has been a great way for me to get into places.

Samuel Adeyinka (Host):

That’s awesome. I love that.

I love going deeper into your world.

Give us a time when you were just doing your job, and something happened where you said, “I love what I’m doing. This is it. I love that I’m here because of experiences like this.”

Shawn Mertes (Guest):

I’m super competitive.

That’s definitely what motivates me.

A lot of people look at sales and say, “Oh, it’s money. It’s good money.”

And yeah, that’s all true.

But to me, it’s the competitive part that makes it fun.

If you do a good job and control what you can control, the financial part is going to come.

For me, it’s always when somebody tells you, “They’ll never work with you,” and then a couple years later, they’re your best account.

That’s what really gets me fired up and excited to go out every day and do this.

I think it’s super important to believe in the company you work for and what you represent.

That’s what really motivates you to go back a tenth time, an eleventh time, a twelfth time after somebody told you no.

Because you’re like, “Hey, I know I have something great. I know you’ll love it. You just need to give me the opportunity to show you that.”

Samuel Adeyinka (Host):

And your job is mainly meeting with administrators, not as many clinicians?

Or is it a mix?

Shawn Mertes (Guest):

It’s a mix of both.

We meet with a lot of clinicians and a lot of end users.

It’s definitely a good mix.

Samuel Adeyinka (Host):

You spoke earlier about access being one of the biggest challenges for your company specifically because you don’t have that name recognition.

Give us another one.

What’s another challenge in your space that people should absolutely know about if they’re thinking about working in this kind of space?

Shawn Mertes (Guest):

In medical device in general, it’s really being able to differentiate what you offer versus what somebody else offers.

You’ll get a lot of people, especially as you get higher level, who just want to look at a number and a price.

They’ll say, “Okay, this one is this amount. This one is this amount. They’re both wound vacs. We should probably just get the cheaper one.”

So it’s really about being able to showcase, “Hey, maybe ours isn’t the cheapest, but healthcare is generally not very black and white. There’s a lot of gray area.”

Would it be fair to say that if we prevented one infection for you, you’re probably going to save a lot more money than those couple dollars you would save on a lesser product?

It’s about being able to get in front of people, show that, and sell that difference.

Samuel Adeyinka (Host):

Gotcha.

Now the money.

What’s the base pay range in this space?

What’s the commission range?

What can first-year reps make versus five-year reps?

Shawn Mertes (Guest):

Medical device has a pretty wide range.

Coming in out of the gate, I would say you’re probably going to be between $70,000 to $80,000.

That would be base plus commission, depending on the immediate success you have.

You could be over six figures in the first year or first two years.

For reps with five plus years, I would say probably mid $100,000s, around $125,000 to $140,000.

We’ve had some reps go well over $200,000.

So there’s a pretty good range.

Samuel Adeyinka (Host):

Just to be really specific, you said medical device earlier.

Everyone listening, this is medical device DME and acute care.

So this is not general medical device.

This is specifically DME and acute care, and this is specifically working for a distributor.

One thing I want to ask.

As a distributor, are your reps W2 or are they 1099?

Shawn Mertes (Guest):

Our team is all W2, all full-time employees.

Samuel Adeyinka (Host):

That’s good to know too because I think a lot of people believe distributorship automatically means 1099.

You are a living example that no, it doesn’t.

It can vary, and you’re an example of a W2 distributorship.

That is fantastic.

Samuel Adeyinka (Host):

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 by visiting our site.

Fill out an application, schedule some time with one of our account executives, and allow us to get you where you need to be.

Stay tuned for more awesome content with amazing interviews on the Medical Sales Podcast.