Why Nurses Make PERFECT Medical Device Sales Reps

0:00Are you going to be able to wake up

0:02every day and not know where you're

0:03going to go and have to have

0:04conversations with people you don't know

0:06because you're used to the opposite of

0:08that. When I made that switch and I had

0:10started bringing that energy, that tone

0:12of voice, eye contact, that presence,

0:14you feel it and people feel it too on

0:16the other end of the conversation, the

0:18room or if it's just one-on-one. Even if

0:20you have the best way to handle an

0:22objection, if you're not bringing that

0:23energy factor, these people aren't going

0:25to want to work with you. The path that

0:27I was on was not sustainable. It was not

0:29filling my cup. In the nursing field, we

0:31all know what we signed up for. I wasn't

0:33prepared to give any more in that

0:35capacity. I was I was running low. I I

0:37felt that slipping. Even going through,

0:40you know, my divorce, that was a season.

0:42It has a start and an end and there's a

0:44phase, a phase in and a phase out and

0:48that's okay.

0:49Critical care nurse of 10 years, single

0:52father, new to medical device sales

0:53member who just broke in well over six

0:56figures. John Koola, welcome to the

0:58podcast.

0:59Happy to be here. Thank you. I'm so

1:00excited to have you on today because I

1:02know so many people are going to be able

1:04to relate to your story

1:06and I know you're going to be able to

1:07drop a lot of gems for all of our nurses

1:10and people who want to get better. And

1:12so let's start with who is John? So I'm

1:15a John Koola. I've been a critical care

1:17nurse for 10 and a half years and I'm a

1:20I'm a single father

1:21and a man of faith and that's that's

1:24basically who I am in a nutshell and

1:25kind of, you know, dove into investing

1:28the time and energy to find another path

1:30for me cuz what I was doing wasn't going

1:33to work out long term and so here I am

1:35with you after everything that we've

1:36gone through, so. Yeah. Well, let's

1:38first off, nothing makes me happier than

1:41sitting here in Miami where you're from

1:43and seeing you on the other side. It

1:45makes me so happy because I know you've

1:47gone through a very challenging year

1:49and to see you completely change your

1:52life and also change your mindset

1:54to become the person you are today is

1:57what I can't wait for everyone else to

1:58see.

1:59And so, before we dive into all of that,

2:02let's talk about you be becoming a nurse

2:05and your journey of wanting to be a

2:07nurse. Yeah, so

2:09like I said, I was a nurse for 10 and

2:111/2 years. I actually moved to Miami

2:15back in 2014

2:17uh to become a nurse, for nursing

2:18school. Um, my parents had moved here at

2:20the time, so that's kind of why I left

2:22Texas and and came here.

2:24Uh fast forward, you know, went through

2:26nursing school, did an accelerated

2:28program because originally I wanted to

2:30be a physical therapist.

2:32Uh ultimately didn't want to pursue that

2:34route, uh pivoted to nursing school,

2:36ended up in an accelerated program

2:37because I already had a bachelor's

2:38degree.

2:39Uh so, kind of in and out of nursing

2:41school in about four semesters and got

2:44into the ICU right away.

2:46Um, it's funny because they always tell

2:48you in nursing school that you can't get

2:49into critical care.

2:51Uh you got to do

2:53med surge, step down, they they name

2:55everything else, but

2:57that's what I wanted and that's what I

2:59got. And I I'll never forget I used to

3:01write handwritten letters on a, you

3:03know, a simple little resume and slid it

3:05under the director's door. And

3:07eventually, when I had the courage to

3:09call her, she she answered and she knew

3:11who I was just because of that. And so,

3:13that's how I broke into uh critical care

3:16right out the gate. I love it. Well,

3:17that just first off shows you the person

3:19you are, of the go-getter, not also

3:21letting everybody tell you what you can

3:23or can't do.

3:24You continue to push the envelope, but

3:26let's talk about what drew you to

3:28nursing.

3:30So, my mother was a nurse. Uh she was a

3:31surgical tech and then became a nurse

3:33and then she then became a PA. And my

3:37father, he's a he's a physician.

3:39Um, he's a anesthesiologist. And so, I

3:41come from a family of, you know, with

3:43the healthcare background. Yeah. And so,

3:46it was kind of what I was surrounded

3:47with growing up, uh being in the

3:49offices,

3:50um just being around that. And so I knew

3:54that I always wanted to

3:55be in the healthcare industry. Just

3:57didn't really know what.

3:59And

4:00I was a athlete in high school. So I had

4:02some sports injuries. Ended up in a lot

4:05of physical therapy offices. So that's

4:06kind of what drew me to physical therapy

4:08originally. And then I was actually

4:10living in Tulsa, Oklahoma for a summer

4:12doing an internship.

4:14And

4:15I ran into a nurse in this cardiac and

4:17pulmonary rehab center.

4:19And she kind of took me under her wing

4:20for a couple days and she was the one

4:23who

4:24kind of planted that seed that that was

4:25an option. And

4:28talked to my parents about it and kind

4:30of sat on that for a little bit cuz it

4:31wasn't on my radar. I didn't really know

4:33much about it. But I really loved that

4:36you're going to be able to help people.

4:38You're going to be able to work 3 days a

4:40week, 3 12s.

4:42That gave me 4 days off. That's double

4:44the amount of time off that most people

4:45have. So there's extra opportunities

4:47there.

4:48Whether it's you want to be a present

4:50father or, you know, a present husband,

4:54a present family member, a friend. Like

4:56there's just so many more

4:59you know, hours in a week and days in

5:00your week that you now capture with that

5:02profession. And so,

5:04you know, day shift, night shift.

5:05There's so many like dynamics to it that

5:07were very attractive to me as a young

5:08man. So

5:10that's ultimately why I chose nursing.

5:12You were able to go make that impact and

5:14you did the 3 12s and you were able to

5:16go live the nurse life.

5:17>> Mhm.

5:19What made you start thinking about

5:20medical device sales?

5:22Believe it or not, it wasn't on my

5:23radar.

5:25Um

5:26I knew that nursing wasn't a long-term

5:28play. I mean, even 1 year, 2 years in,

5:30you're looking around the unit and

5:31you're saying

5:32you know, you're looking at the older

5:33nurses and you're like, "Dang, man."

5:35You know, they look

5:37like they've gone through it. You know,

5:38they're limping. They're tired. They

5:40It's like that's not I can't be that.

5:42Whatever

5:43comes with this,

5:45this I I I can't pursue this forever.

5:48And so I always had that in mind.

5:50Ultimately Originally I was thinking

5:52anesthesia. I even pursued that, applied

5:54to some programs, and then COVID

5:56happened and that kind of shook things

5:57up.

5:58And then ultimately

6:00with COVID, as sad as it is, you know,

6:02it was it was a tough time for everyone,

6:04but

6:05it did ultimately become very lucrative

6:08for a lot of nurses in terms of

6:10traveling opportunities and um that kind

6:13of changed my trajectory. And ultimately

6:17I sat down and kind of pursued

6:20alternative options, you know, and with

6:24all that extra capital that I

6:25accumulated I invested in real estate

6:28with my ex-wife, and then

6:31pivoted into entrepreneurship. I opened

6:34up a

6:35I opened, operated

6:37mobile IV company for almost 3 years

6:40here in in Fort Lauderdale.

6:42Uh when my son was born, then again that

6:46that cost-benefit analysis was there and

6:48I was like, "I can't do this and be

6:51the father that I want to be." So I fell

6:53back on nursing at that time, but

6:55a friend of mine, fast forward, to make

6:58a long story short, a friend of mine

6:59calls me one day. He's like, "Dude,

7:01you're not going to believe this. I just

7:02broke into medical device sales, and

7:04you've got to

7:06you've just got to look into it." That's

7:08kind of what he said. He just planted

7:09the seed. That was where that's the

7:11origin. Yeah. Fast forward, I my you

7:14know, your algorithm them starts

7:15changing.

7:16You know, you the your phone hears your

7:18conversations or you start looking up

7:20things online, and so you start getting

7:22your funnel changes to what you're

7:24seeing. And I came across your page and

7:27got on your website, and what really

7:30took me over the the the line where I

7:33was like, "No, this is it." was your

7:34testimonials. I mean, it's like I don't

7:37know how many testimonials total, but

7:38it's

7:39>> Hundreds.

7:39>> Yeah, it's the the pure volume of it was

7:43it stood out to me as like, "Hmm, that's

7:45different." Like I can't ignore that.

7:48And so, that's why

7:49ultimately booked a call with you and

7:51here we are. Here we are. You're making

7:53well over six figures in medical device

7:54sales. No, I love that. I just

7:57I always think it's very interesting

7:58because the thing you just told me was

7:59what I hear the most from our nurses is

8:01number one, they always tell me they saw

8:03a retirement party

8:05of like 30 or 40 years and every single

8:07nurse that we ever talked to always says

8:10that can't be me. Mhm. It's interesting,

8:12right? Cuz my mom just retired, just

8:14celebrated 30 years at her hospital and

8:17she's a diabetes educator and she she

8:19started as a nurse, right? And it's very

8:21interesting. My mom is the sweetest

8:23woman in the world. Mhm.

8:25But she loved just working at the

8:26hospital. Mhm. Right? That was she loved

8:29it it fit her world, but she also had

8:31three kids and she was a single mom.

8:33So, she wasn't trying to go to the next

8:34level in certain areas, right? A lot of

8:37times she was just trying to survive.

8:39And so, I say that because

8:41we get this all the time as nurses when

8:43I help people, but then we hear the

8:45burnout of

8:46well, I'm an hourly employee. I don't

8:48get treated very well.

8:50I'm doing one to one a lot of times. I'd

8:52love to do one to many and have a bigger

8:53impact, but also

8:56we all can work the same shift, but one

8:58works 10 times harder than the other

8:59person, but we're both going to get paid

9:01about the same. Mhm. And then you know,

9:04even though you guys are doing three

9:0512s, if you want to make more, you have

9:07to take more shifts, which then your

9:09time gets eaten up. And so, this is the

9:11consistent thing we hear from nurses and

9:14that's why when we get to show them you

9:17Mhm. and we were just talking about this

9:19off air where you're now working less

9:22and you're making more and the

9:23opportunity is you literally started at

9:26six figures and that's the least amount

9:27of money you're ever going to make

9:28because in your career you're only going

9:29to grow.

9:30I just hope nurses always get to hear

9:32that and like you said, usually just

9:34comes from

9:35"Hey, what is this?" And the one thing I

9:37do just want to touch base is why we put

9:38so many testimonials out there is

9:40because exactly what you said. I've been

9:42in programs. I've been on the exact same

9:44side or on the on your side wanting to

9:47get into things, but I'm like, is this

9:48real? Mhm. And we understand the the

9:50landscape of the world. But I always

9:52make the joke, when's the last time you

9:53bought something like this so much, took

9:54a video, sent that person, told them how

9:56much you liked it, let them put your

9:57first and last name on it, and all the

9:58videos?

9:59And then they're going to go and see

10:00your face on it. Mhm. And then my

10:02favorite is and then they'll say, "Well,

10:04let me call them and see if they say

10:05anything different." Mhm. Right? And

10:06it's like, I share that because we just

10:08try to put so much proof out there.

10:11Because with you taking

10:14the next step,

10:15we're now sitting here in Miami. Yeah.

10:17And you've changed your whole entire

10:18life. Literally.

10:20Just like that. In so many ways, but

10:22let's talk about this real quick.

10:24>> Mhm.

10:24When you went to make that change, doing

10:26the safe nursing, again, you had already

10:28done a little bit of entrepreneurship,

10:30but now you're like, "Hey, I'm going to

10:31go into medical device sales." Right?

10:34Was it scary to make the jump?

10:37Good question. Um

10:40me personally,

10:43I just kind of wrapped up a really tough

10:45season of my life, and so I I was almost

10:48seeking out some clarity on what to do

10:51next.

10:52And so for me personally,

10:54it wasn't scary to make this jump.

10:57Uh I've made, you know,

10:59I feel like I've made harder

11:02decisions in my life personally. And for

11:04me, like I said, I was going through a

11:05really difficult season in in in my

11:07life, and so for me I was like, I

11:10let me be more intentional with my next

11:13steps because what I'm doing right now

11:15is not working. Yeah. And it was it was

11:18almost like I was seeking

11:20that jump, that leap. Yeah.

11:22>> You know, that that investment that that

11:24uh something to lean on and and guide me

11:27through that that time.

11:28Yeah. And I guess one thing I asked you

11:30that is because you had a friend

11:32break into medical device sales. What

11:34made you actually get on a call with us

11:36and want to join us

11:37instead of just calling a couple more

11:39reps and seeing if you can just do it on

11:40your own like all the other nurses where

11:42you just apply. Yeah, so

11:46hearing the enthusiasm in his voice one

11:48was like I said that's the origin story

11:50of like what made me start looking into

11:52this as an as a career option. The

11:54second point was my friend when he told

11:57me

11:58that he had broken in

12:00I asked one of my first questions was

12:01well how did you find out about that?

12:03You know, it was a friend of his and I

12:05was like well how long did it take you?

12:08And he told me well it took me

12:11almost two years

12:12to get in and I was like dang.

12:15You know,

12:16if that's what it takes like I'm willing

12:17to do it if this is actually like what I

12:19decide to do but I'm not someone who's

12:22afraid of fast-tracking a process,

12:24right? And if it makes sense and it

12:27aligns with my my goals. And so

12:29ultimately I was seeking out mentorship.

12:32And when I came across your your your

12:34page and your feed the blogs the

12:36testimonials

12:38I was like this is exactly what I'm

12:40looking for way to

12:42intentionally move forward and and kind

12:45of fast-track this process and honestly

12:47get out of the other end of it more

12:49prepared than I would have been if I

12:51just kind of did this on my own. Yeah,

12:52and I guess one quick question I have is

12:54now that you've done the program you're

12:55placed and you've you're in the field do

12:58you feel like this set you up to go have

13:00success inside of the industry as a

13:02nurse with no background inside of

13:04medical device sales? 100% I mean

13:08throughout the program you're one of the

13:10models is do the job to get the job and

13:14it's also you know when you're joining

13:15the course or the program

13:18it's

13:19everybody both parties have has skin in

13:21the game.

13:22And so knowing that you're going to

13:26navigate through it differently through

13:28that time period and everything's very

13:29intentional and you develop this

13:31blueprint that's ultimately

13:33full proof, but it's only if you

13:37put the work in. Yeah, and I just asked

13:38that because again many people get

13:40afraid cuz they're like I'm a nurse, I

13:41don't know what to do. Right? But our

13:44biggest thing is like you say we teach

13:45you how to do the job to get the job and

13:47everyone will see that, but we actually

13:48are telling you like for example, we're

13:50having you reach out to a hiring

13:51manager, we talk about hey once you're

13:53actually in the industry, this is the

13:55surgeon and this would actually make it

13:57Mhm. play, right? And so I just I share

13:59that for anybody listening to go into

14:01it, but let's go back into all right,

14:02you're a nurse.

14:03>> Mhm.

14:04You're also a single father. Yes.

14:07Mhm.

14:08Tell me about the transition of hey I'm

14:10a nurse and I'm trying to make this

14:12transition

14:14as a nurse into medical device sales,

14:16which is a hard industry to get into by

14:17itself, but as a single father.

14:21Well,

14:22you know, it definitely changes the the

14:25calculus, right? So as a single dad

14:28sharing custody of my son,

14:30it's not

14:32the the program wasn't as

14:34straightforward for me, you know,

14:36because the my timeline was just

14:38naturally different. I'm working full

14:40time,

14:41uh sometimes overtime

14:43and

14:45um you know, I

14:46have a house to put a you know, roof to

14:49put over our head um

14:51having to move and having to

14:54you know, put food in our our our

14:55bellies and and like you know, just like

14:57life stuff that kind of that pressure

15:00that you have in life and being a single

15:02dad, the program it did take me longer

15:04to get through the the modules and

15:07networking, but really what it comes

15:09down to is if you do have additional

15:11pressures in your life or if you're

15:13struggling to find time, it's not that

15:15you don't have it, it's just a matter of

15:17being more intentional. So and that's

15:19where the coaches come into play for me.

15:21I really leaned on the coaching and that

15:23mentorship because

15:25you know, it's like a whirlwind. You're

15:27like super excited once you first start

15:29and you're going through everything and

15:31you're starting the networking process

15:32in that journey.

15:33And then

15:35you'll you're inevitably be inevitably

15:38going to run into like headwinds, right?

15:41So, it's really just a matter of

15:43being realistic with it your own

15:45expectations and then also leaning on

15:48the coaching.

15:49You know, that's what y'all are there

15:50for at the end of the day, but you know,

15:52what a lot of people just don't want to

15:54bother you or you don't want you know,

15:56you don't want to come off like you're

15:57not capable and so it's really just to

15:59having honest conversations with

16:00yourself

16:02and leaning on your mentors, leaning on

16:04your family and really blocking off the

16:06time. You know, for example, networking

16:08for me, I wasn't going to be able to

16:11shoot off a hundred messages in a day

16:14cuz then now messages are coming back

16:17and now I can't make I can't make all

16:18these calls and it's like you're almost

16:20you

16:21over you overdid it. You overshot. And

16:24now instead of underselling and

16:26over-delivering, you oversold and now

16:28you're under-delivering and that's a

16:30that's a big problem, especially in this

16:32industry. Yep. And so, I really leaned

16:35on the coaching

16:36and I really sought feedback. And if

16:39you're open to feedback, if you're

16:40seeking feedback

16:42and you're open to that, then it's

16:46you're going to find your way because

16:48you can't just you're not going to just

16:50figure it out. Yeah. You're going to

16:51waste time. Yeah. And that's what people

16:53really miss and we talk about this all

16:54the time is it's either time or

16:55investing in yourself, yeah, right? Cuz

16:58you'll figure it out, but like you could

16:59have been doing this for two years. And

17:01yeah, I didn't want that.

17:02>> Yeah, and probably won't be where you're

17:03at even today after two years. No.

17:06Right. And so, let's actually talk about

17:07this now for my nurses watching, right?

17:09They're going to be like, "Okay, John,

17:10that's great, but what about me being a

17:13nurse actually makes me a good

17:14candidate?" Because many people get

17:16told, "No, you need to go get B2B sales

17:18experience. You have to have sales

17:19experience compared to we love nurses.

17:21We know you all make great candidates

17:23for medical device sales because there's

17:25a thing called the clinical specialist.

17:27And there's also we've had nurses go in

17:29as associate sales reps,

17:30full line sales reps, or clinical

17:32specialist. So, what about nursing gives

17:35you such a great background to be a

17:37competitive candidate? Okay. That's a

17:39really good question. I What comes to

17:41mind is

17:42um

17:44at least in the critical care space,

17:46you know, that's my that's my

17:48background, so I can only speak to that.

17:50Personally, every day that you're

17:51showing up for work, you never know what

17:53you're really going to get, right? Could

17:55be a good day, it could be a bad day.

17:57Medical device is very similar. You

17:58really don't know how your day's going

18:00to pan out. So, the the dynamic

18:04um like work environment,

18:06you're already doing that. You're

18:07probably doing it on a level that's not

18:09even going to be required

18:11in the medical device space.

18:13So, that's first thing. Second thing is

18:16being able to perform at a high level

18:18under pressure. So, in the critical care

18:20environment,

18:22lives are on the line.

18:23Medications are all lined up, they're

18:25running. You're programming everything,

18:27you're managing I mean, you're a

18:28manager. You're managing a patient's

18:30life.

18:32That's

18:33not nothing, right? I mean, that's

18:35that's a big deal. And it's not just one

18:37patient, it's two.

18:38And

18:39you know, it might be three depending on

18:41you know, if you're in Florida or

18:42California and the ratios, you know,

18:44that kind of thing. But,

18:46um I would say

18:48your

18:50the dynamic situation at work, the

18:52pressure that you're put under day in

18:55and day out for 12 hours.

18:58And the third thing is your

19:00communication skills, I would say is a

19:02huge factor because you're constantly

19:04communicating your assessments,

19:06your findings, reporting that to the the

19:09the people that need to to hear it. And

19:13you're communicating with physicians

19:15on a high level, on a low level, where

19:17it's just, you know, more social,

19:19and on a high level, where it's like

19:22lives are on the line. And so,

19:24being able to communicate very clearly,

19:26concisely,

19:27and to multiple different um

19:31people in the mul- multi- uh

19:33disciplinary

19:34uh team,

19:35you know, that's that's huge. And and

19:37it's all to better the patient outcomes.

19:40And at the end of the day, in medical

19:41device sales, you're communicating with

19:43your multi-disciplinary team

19:45in in-house, with the company you work

19:47for, and

19:48uh out in the field, with the with the

19:50surgeons and the medical team that

19:51you're working with.

19:53And if you can

19:55have the patient in mind first,

19:57and be that patient advocate,

19:59uh communicate clearly, then ultimately

20:03you're you're already doing the job.

20:05Yeah. You know, you just have to it's a

20:06mindset, really, that you're kind of

20:08just pivoting into a different industry,

20:09and the workflow's very different.

20:11>> Yeah. And one other thing is you all are

20:13doing sales, even though you don't think

20:14you're doing sales, because every day

20:16you're already talking to patients,

20:18you'll also be talking to doctors or

20:19surgeons, and having those

20:21conversations. And many times you have

20:23to go to battle for certain things,

20:24which is selling. Yeah, that's true. You

20:26know, uh

20:27you know, you might have an assessment,

20:29and you pitch it to the doc or the

20:31resident, and they don't listen to you,

20:33and then patient's deteriorating,

20:37or they could have gotten better care

20:38that they didn't And you're so you might

20:41circle back, and so it's like that

20:42repetitive,

20:44you know, and and you're you might have

20:45a road block, and then you have to maybe

20:47approach the physician in a different

20:48way.

20:49You know, maybe they're data-driven,

20:50maybe they

20:51need to see it with their own eyes, you

20:53know? Um so, yeah, that's that's a huge

20:55selling point. You are selling a

20:57patient's assessment to the to the team.

21:00Yeah. So, you kind of are selling. You

21:01Well, you're 100% selling, because this

21:03is what people don't think about, right?

21:05Nurses have such a great background,

21:07because they're a wealth of knowledge.

21:08And many time nurses

21:10think their background doesn't matter.

21:12They think it's just for nursing, right?

21:14But what many of them don't know is

21:16their background is extremely valuable.

21:19And many companies find it extremely

21:20valuable that they already know the

21:22products that they've already used the

21:23products, but they also know how to talk

21:25to physicians cuz exactly what you just

21:27said about are they data driven? What's

21:29the background that they're looking at?

21:30That's exactly what you do in medical

21:31device sales. You have to know if the

21:33surgeon is worried about hey, the time

21:36that they spend in an OR or how long a

21:38pro- uh procedure's going to take or the

21:40cost for it. Like there's a lot of

21:42different places that you have to see.

21:43Do they want the research? You have to

21:45figure that out and it's no different

21:46than what you all do as nurses.

21:48The one thing I've seen most commonly

21:50with nurses and clinicals

21:52is they all think their background is

21:53only specific to that. Nobody else would

21:55find it valuable.

21:56And then number two, what I've seen is

21:59like you just said, they don't even see

22:00it as sales. And even though you are

22:02doing sales, you might not be able to

22:03put a quota to it. You might not be able

22:06to put a dollar amount to it,

22:08but you are doing sales every day. And

22:10that's what many people miss. And then

22:11lastly, what I always want to just put

22:13out there for everyone is

22:15also, many times clinicals think their

22:17background is only valuable to the

22:19companies, aka their background is

22:22valuable to just nursing. And if they

22:24ever try to leave nursing, they threw

22:25away their four-year degree

22:27four-year degree, two-year degree, all

22:29their background, and they think they

22:31just threw and wasted all of it away

22:33compared to

22:35it's actually just stacking on top to

22:37make yourself a better candidate for

22:39future opportunities.

22:41And so I just I always put that for

22:42nurses to start considering because you

22:44do have a great background. You do have

22:46a great knowledge base. You have done

22:48sales. But what many people miss is

22:51again, to be a nurse, we've learned as

22:53long as you have a heartbeat, a

22:54certification, and you can talk, you'll

22:57probably find a job. Right? We hear that

22:59all the time. I didn't even have have

23:00interview or I got one or two interviews

23:01and I had a job.

23:03Medical device sales is not that.

23:05It's a lot of interviews. Real quick,

23:07how many interviews did you do?

23:08I did a total of 12 for the position

23:10that I got. Yeah. And I say this because

23:12we've posted that

23:14and people have been like, "Oh, I would

23:15never.

23:16I would never do that many interviews.

23:18If that's what it takes, I don't want

23:19it." But I just want this to be said.

23:22You make way more now than you ever did

23:24as a nurse.

23:25You're making the least amount of money

23:27you're ever going to make.

23:29Would you say right now after the 12

23:31interviews it was worth doing the extra

23:3310

23:34to get where you're at today? 100%.

23:36Yeah. I mean, the 12 interviews

23:38was it

23:40I I went into it knowing there was going

23:41to be many, many rounds, right? I mean,

23:44that's kind of like an industry

23:45standard. They're trying to weed people

23:46out. You know, they

23:48they

23:49have to make a decision that's best for

23:51the team, you know, cuz if they onboard

23:54somebody

23:55it's their

23:57you know, their pocketbook that's also

23:59going to get hurt, too. And the company

24:00and the representation and everything in

24:03between. And so

24:05now that I'm on the other side of it

24:07you know, it it makes sense that there's

24:09that many interviews.

24:11It It It would be

24:13more of a red flag if it if it wasn't,

24:15right? So yeah, going through 12 it was

24:18it was challenging, but it was it was a

24:20it was a marathon, not a not a sprint.

24:22And

24:24you know, you just have to kind of take

24:25it for what it is. Yeah. And uh enjoy

24:27enjoy the process because as soon as you

24:29get the offer and you you you get in,

24:31it's you know, that's that's a rush, but

24:34it lasts for only a moment. What looking

24:37back, you know, the most exciting time

24:39really was that unknown journey.

24:43You know, that's 99% of it, so um you

24:46have to enjoy that part. Yeah.

24:47Otherwise,

24:49what are we doing? Well, it's fall in

24:50love with the journey cuz like you said,

24:51even what I tell people is once you get

24:53the offer, you guys are all excited for

24:5424 or 48 hours. It's amazing. And then

24:57it doesn't really hit you yet. And then

25:00first week of training starts. And then

25:01I always make the joke, the hardest

25:02thing you'll ever do is breaking into

25:03medical device sales, and then the

25:04hardest thing you'll ever do is being in

25:06device sales. It all changes, right?

25:08It's all relative. But like you said is

25:09enjoying the journey and learning the

25:11skills that's going to help you be

25:13successful inside of the industry.

25:15But to that point of what you're saying

25:17earlier with nurses and just being able

25:21to

25:22change your life, but it was 12

25:23interviews. Many of them think, oh now I

25:26have to do 12 interviews. And what you

25:27have to understand everyone is normally

25:29we see three to five to seven is pretty

25:32common.

25:3310 to 12 is pretty excessive, and I'll

25:36just be honest, John had the most we've

25:37ever seen. 12, I've never had anyone

25:39else do 12 interviews.

25:41>> Yeah, no, I thought I mean I felt like

25:42it was a lot, but it was like

25:44man, like I feel like it's coming, like

25:48I felt like it was right around the

25:49corner, right around the corner, so

25:51you know, it can be it can you can get

25:52in your own way. Yeah, but let's make

25:54this clear for everyone listening to is

25:56because you had to stay where you

25:57currently were, right?

25:59>> Yes. And so many people miss this,

26:00right? We get a lot of individuals who

26:02reach out to us and they're like, well,

26:03do I have to relocate? Do I have to

26:05travel a lot? Can I do this if I have a

26:06family? And it's yes, it just depends on

26:09the company, the division, what you're

26:11looking. And I always say this, hey, if

26:13you need to stay in one location, it

26:15could take a little bit longer, right?

26:17But also, let's make this clear is John

26:20also had a family.

26:22And it wasn't he could just take any

26:23job. We had to make sure it was the

26:25right fit for him and his family so he

26:26could actually see

26:28his kid.

26:29So we could actually provide what he

26:31needed to. And so that's what I just

26:33want everybody to hear. And then also

26:35from the 12 interview side of your

26:36company,

26:37they weren't ready at the moment.

26:40Some companies are ready to go, and

26:41we've gotten people hired in 2 weeks.

26:44But we always say that's not the norm.

26:46Every company's different, and it's just

26:47like sales.

26:49A no just means no today. Mhm. doesn't

26:51mean a no in 3 months.

26:53And so, that's just one thing I want

26:54everybody to hear because many nurses

26:57will hear that and then they get scared

26:58cuz they're like, I don't even know if I

26:59could do 10 interviews. What would I do?

27:01How would I prepare? But, each one's

27:03different.

27:03>> Mhm. And each company's different, and

27:05each division's different. And then,

27:07yes, you can make those jumps and you

27:09can change around whether you have

27:11family, don't have a family, you want to

27:12stay, you want to move. There's all

27:14that. But, let's talk about Now, you're

27:16making that shift. You're going through

27:17the interview processes, right?

27:19>> Mhm.

27:20What's the biggest hurdles

27:22you faced as being a nurse and the

27:24pushback you got for why you might be

27:26not the right candidate for them when

27:28they had someone who had sales

27:29experience, for example? So, throughout

27:31the entire interview process,

27:34um

27:34with this company and the other company

27:36I I interviewed for,

27:38the one of the common threads was Okay,

27:41yeah, you know, you have a great

27:43clinical background. That's cool.

27:45But,

27:46and there's the but. It

27:48doesn't mean that you're prepared for

27:51the dynamic

27:53day-to-day that this position is is

27:56going to be, right? And so, that was the

27:58common thread. Are

28:00are you really capable of of this

28:03because as a nurse,

28:05you're in a unit,

28:08you know, you're kind of dedicated to

28:09this one space. You have your 12 hours,

28:12you clock in, you clock out. And so,

28:14they were trying to make sure that I had

28:17the mindset going into it that you were

28:19I was going to be able to have a a very

28:22um

28:23unstructured, you know, daily schedule

28:26because nurses we you know, like I said,

28:28you clock in, you clock out. You're on

28:29that unit. You know everybody.

28:32When you're out in the field and as a

28:35device rep, it's not that at all. You're

28:37constantly saying, "Hey, how's it

28:38going?" Introducing yourself. Every day

28:40is different. The staff's always

28:42changing. The hospitals are like, how

28:43many accounts do you have? And so, I

28:46would say that I was the the main

28:48objection that I I personally received

28:50was

28:52"Are you going to be able to wake up

28:55every day and not know where you're

28:56going to go?

28:57And have to have conversations with

28:58people you don't know."

29:00Because you're used to

29:02the opposite of that.

29:03So, my rebuttal actually, me personally,

29:05I I work in a I worked in a float pool.

29:08And so,

29:09that's how I leveraged and and handled

29:11that objection personally was, "Well,

29:14yeah, I might be a nurse and I might be

29:16in a unit, but I'm also in a float pool,

29:18so I'm credentialed at four hospitals

29:22in this health system. And so,

29:24they're calling me at 4:30 in the

29:25morning or texting me at 4:30 in the

29:26morning tell me tell me where I need to

29:28report.

29:30It could be a unit I've been in. It

29:31could be a unit I haven't been in. And

29:32so, I'm constantly I was kind of already

29:34doing what they're describing. And so, I

29:36was, you know, even though it wasn't

29:38objection, that's how I handled that

29:40objection was like, "Well, no, I'm kind

29:42of already doing what you're describing.

29:44Going to a different place every day.

29:46Meeting new people every day. Having

29:47show up with the same energy and patient

29:50first mindset." And so,

29:52that's how I handled that. Yeah. Well,

29:54first of all, I want everyone to hear is

29:55you're going to get objections. Those

29:58objections are just meant to be handled,

30:00right? Many times nurses get told, "Oh,

30:02you don't have what it takes." or

30:04whatever the objection is.

30:06And they're not used to fighting

30:08the objection or just reframing the

30:10objection so you can put your leverage

30:12of your background to show why you're

30:14the right fit.

30:15>> Mhm. Right. So, I just want to put that

30:16out for nurses. If you hear that, that's

30:18just a test. You need to be able to

30:20overcome it. But, one thing I also want

30:21to put is, let's say they're not a

30:23float, right? They're not floating.

30:25It's the same thing because I laugh,

30:27"Yeah, you might be going to the same

30:28floor." Mhm.

30:30You don't have the same patients every

30:32day or every week or every month.

30:34>> the same family members that are

30:36associated with those

30:37those patients. So, yeah. Exactly. So,

30:39you're always dealing with new

30:40individuals, new humans, right? And it's

30:43That's the thing I think we always want

30:45to get across to nurses.

30:48In this industry, you can be proactive

30:51and it can make your life a lot easier.

30:53Many times as nurses, you already are

30:54proactive, but many times it's also

30:56reactive, right? You're reacting to

30:58what's going on with the patient. You're

31:00having to try to fix them. There's a

31:01problem that just came on. You have to

31:03think on your feet. Mhm. Right? And so,

31:05I think there's such a power to that

31:07because

31:08one of the things I don't see nurses

31:10talk about enough is you've probably had

31:12some pretty traumatic or challenging

31:16experiences being a nurse. Mhm.

31:18And my favorite is well, are you sure

31:21you can work

31:2210 to 12 hours and not know where you're

31:25going? And it's like, you've already

31:26been working 12-plus hour days for the

31:28last how many years, taking on extra

31:30shifts, and you've had family members

31:32come and yell, you've had people that

31:33are upset, you've had patients that

31:35aren't happy to see you. Mhm. You've

31:37already dealt with problems and you

31:38probably had some challenging times.

31:40Mhm. You already have the experience

31:42that you can be able to talk to them.

31:45They just need to know that, right? And

31:46I just want to put that out for nurses.

31:48That's why your background is so great

31:49because again, going back to this is the

31:51whole job of a medical device sales

31:53interview is to try to weed you out. Is

31:55to show that you're not a good fit for

31:56them. And you have to show that you're a

31:58fighter because it's the exact same

32:00thing with surgeons or doctors.

32:03Just because you tell them what you have

32:04doesn't mean they're going to take it or

32:06use it. They need to know why, and you

32:08have to continue to be persistent

32:09because again, a no today doesn't mean a

32:11no tomorrow. And so, just want everyone

32:13to hear that because

32:15that is such a good point for when we're

32:16trying to have people overcome

32:19many times with your background you

32:20already have. Mhm.

32:22And let's talk about

32:24so, you're going through the interview

32:25process. You're starting to get some of

32:27those objections, right?

32:29How are you able to handle them like you

32:31just did? One of That's an example, but

32:32how did you continuously go through the

32:35interview process with different

32:36companies, continue to network, and have

32:38yourself stand out to where they're

32:41excited

32:42about connecting with you.

32:44One of the things that comes to mind

32:46immediately is

32:48um we got we actually hopped on a call

32:50um

32:51in a kind of a rough patch that I was

32:53going through.

32:55You were like, "John,

32:56but

32:58there's

33:00there's a tone in your voice that you

33:02you have right now that is not the John

33:05that I remember meeting on our

33:07consultation.

33:08And you really need to start bringing

33:09that back because what I'm not hearing

33:11from you is the energy that you should

33:14be providing in these conversations. And

33:16if you're low energy in these

33:17conversations, then you're not going to

33:18move forward. It's going to be harder.

33:21And even if you have the best way to

33:24handle an objection, if you're not

33:25bringing that energy factor,

33:28these people aren't going to want to

33:29work with you. And so, that's what comes

33:31to mind. And so, I remember you telling

33:33me that.

33:34And

33:36that also brings me to a second point is

33:38you there's a strategy behind this as

33:41well. You know, there's the

33:43the the alter ego, right? And kind of

33:45maybe putting on a

33:47this alter ego to to handle these

33:49moments that you might not be used to or

33:51comfortable with.

33:52You know, Clark Kent, Superman.

33:54Bruce Wayne, Batman. You know,

33:57it's one person, but they're different,

33:58right? How they handle things. And so,

34:01kind of putting on that that that other

34:04hat when you're networking and

34:06interviewing is a huge X factor in

34:10making a in delivering a message because

34:12everybody could all the candidates could

34:14be saying the same thing, and very

34:15likely they probably are. It's just like

34:17slight deviations from the mean, right?

34:20And the tone in your voice, the energy

34:22that you bring into that moment, that

34:24that could be it. It could be as simple

34:26as that.

34:27Yeah, I just want this to be said as I

34:29remember that call.

34:31Very well. I remember exactly where I

34:32was. And I just want everyone to know is

34:36this is why it's so important to have

34:38other people on your side.

34:40Because what I've learned, even with all

34:43of the different coaching that I've gone

34:45through, I coach people every day, but

34:47a lot of times we think we're showing up

34:49differently than we actually are. Mhm.

34:51And we're always going to usually give

34:52ourselves the benefit of the doubt.

34:55But what people don't understand is the

34:57energy is what makes the biggest

34:58difference. 100%.

35:00>> And let's just put this out there

35:01because people will hear that and

35:02they'll be like, well, what does that

35:03actually mean, the energy? It's like if

35:04you go talk to a monotone person who

35:06doesn't seem very happy, you say, "Hey,

35:08how's life?" And you're like, "Just

35:09getting by." Mhm. My favorite is, "I'm

35:11just living the dream." And I just want

35:13to put that out there for anyone who

35:14says that. Anyone I've ever met who says

35:16living the dream is never living the

35:17dream. So Never. I just want that to be

35:19out there. So maybe just change what you

35:21say, "Living the dream." But I I put

35:22that out there because

35:24people want to be around

35:26energy lifters. There's There's either

35:28energy givers or energy takers. Mhm. And

35:31it's your responsibility to be an energy

35:33giver Yeah.

35:34>> in every way. And what people miss the

35:36most is like you say, we we spend a lot

35:38of time on again, a lot of mindset and

35:40changing how you guys think is also that

35:42alter ego because

35:44you might be a nurse and you might be a

35:45little scared coming in here. And you

35:47might be a little scared going on some

35:48of these calls.

35:49But if they hear that you're scared,

35:52it's going to be a challenging time.

35:53Yeah. But if you can actually get

35:55yourself to be like, oh, this is how

35:57someone who's confident would show up.

35:59>> Mhm. And then we talk about all the

36:00extra stuff we have you guys do to have

36:02yourself become that, Mhm. then you can

36:03show up who you're supposed to be. And I

36:05just want this to be said,

36:07you did that. You changed it.

36:10How fast did you start seeing success

36:11after you made the change of you're

36:13going through a hard patch to then we

36:15have that talk?

36:18Man, when we had that talk that that

36:20day, you hopped on the the phone with

36:22me,

36:23I think it's also important to be to to

36:25state that you have to be willing to

36:27take feedback throughout this because if

36:30you're not willing to take feedback then

36:32you're going to miss

36:34opportunities and I I was able to take

36:37that feedback that criticism not

36:39personally but as a critique like oh

36:42he's kind of right I am not I'm bringing

36:44low energy right now.

36:46And so when I made that switch and I had

36:48started bringing that that energy that

36:50that tone of voice the the eye contact

36:53the presence

36:54you feel it.

36:56You feel different and people feel it

36:58too on the other end of the conversation

37:00the room or if it's just one-on-one.

37:03And in my personal life

37:05and in my professional networking

37:08journey to get into medical device

37:11just like that. I mean

37:13it was that you know that night I sat on

37:15that that advice but moving forward

37:19everything's changed. I mean like I said

37:21in my personal life too I'm I'm

37:22attracting different you know people and

37:25energy and conversations and and moments

37:28and in the networking journey it almost

37:31fast-tracked it. I mean I literally went

37:34right after that I went into interview

37:35process and then I've made it to the

37:37final interview ultimately got um didn't

37:40make it because of you know they chose

37:42someone that's already in the industry

37:43but again

37:45are you able to take feedback or not?

37:46Took the feedback kept all those doors

37:48open sat on the bench for that position

37:50as they say and then I took two days to

37:54kind of sit on that you know absorb the

37:56the the the the moment and then

38:01got back right on it put that alter ego

38:04back on that energy brought it back

38:06and then I was in another interview

38:08process and

38:1012 interviews later

38:12I brought the energy I showed up

38:14prepared that's another thing just the

38:16preparation piece like let's not you

38:19know skip past that but that that

38:22energy, that that tone, that

38:24consistency, that changed

38:27everything. That might have been like

38:28the biggest piece for for me personally.

38:30>> Yeah. No, and why I asked you that is

38:32because it is one of the biggest pieces.

38:34Because most people aren't coachable.

38:37And what people have to understand is

38:38you're coming into a new industry you

38:40don't know. That's like moving to Spain

38:42and saying this is how we do it in

38:44Miami.

38:45It's not going to go over well, right?

38:47And that's what people miss, right? Is

38:49when you are coming here

38:51anything in life whenever I still have

38:53mentors. And the whole job of a mentor,

38:55a coach is to give you feedback to get

38:57you better cuz they see the potential of

38:59you. But what many people will do is

39:01like you were saying earlier is many

39:02people actually can't take feedback or

39:04coaching or they look at it as criticism

39:07when it's just coaching.

39:08And then they take it personal attack

39:10compared to it's has nothing to do

39:12personally. It's just hey, if you make

39:13this change, you'll get a result. And

39:14you did that, right? But I say that

39:16because many times we have to have those

39:17conversations as we do the coaching, but

39:19some of them might feel like we're

39:20attacking them or we're we're getting a

39:22little too deep on hey, this this hurts,

39:25but it's like you have to grow. And

39:26that's what people don't understand is

39:28the whole process in here, you're

39:29maturing. You're growing cuz you're

39:31becoming a person who's going to make a

39:32double plus the amount of money you're

39:34currently used to. You have to change.

39:36Yeah, you can't be the same. And you're

39:37also going to have to change because

39:39you're coming into a different industry

39:40with a different background and

39:42there's a lot of stuff that goes into

39:43it. So it's us preparing you, but I just

39:44put that out there for everyone because

39:46many times it's interesting.

39:49Many people want to go into something

39:50brand new, but then tell them how

39:52they've done stuff in the past all the

39:53time.

39:54And that's the easiest and fastest way

39:56to know that you're fail.

39:57That you won't have success. That it's

39:59going to delay you and take longer.

40:00Because

40:02the people we get hired the fastest are

40:04the people who are the most coachable

40:06and they just do exactly what we say.

40:08Right? And there's no ego involved for

40:11the fact of they're just wanting to

40:13learn. And that's what I can sit here

40:14and tell you as we just interviewed

40:16someone who has been extremely

40:18successful on the financial side of

40:19medical device sales and grown

40:21businesses.

40:23All he talked about was he still gets

40:24coaching. Mhm. He still has

40:26conversations. We actually go grab

40:28lunch.

40:29And he's giving me coaching. Hey, are

40:30you open to feedback?

40:32Mhm. And that's what people miss is the

40:34most successful individuals are always

40:36open to feedback. Mhm. Compared to what

40:39many people do is they feel like if

40:40they're getting feedback, it means that

40:41they're not enough, that they stink,

40:43that it's something more personal.

40:45When it's not. And I just want to put

40:46that out there for someone because

40:49I learned that with basketball. Mhm.

40:51High school, I had the most supportive

40:52coach.

40:53Went to college.

40:55They don't care. Mhm. If you do a good

40:57play cuz you're actually expected to do

40:58the good play. That's why you're there

40:59on scholarship.

41:01Right? They're paying you to do that.

41:02And so I just share that to people is

41:05you have to start learning

41:07why people are on you. And for example,

41:10my coach got on me one day and I started

41:11having a little attitude and he pulled

41:13me aside and he said, "You're lucky that

41:14I'm on you because I see your potential

41:16and I see where you could go."

41:18And you can't take it personal. Mhm.

41:20And he's like,

41:21"When you need to get worried is when I

41:22stop getting on you."

41:24Because that means I gave up on you.

41:26Right. And I just share that is we're

41:28not that hardcore in our program where

41:29we're like, "We're just giving up on

41:30you." But we we do have to give feedback

41:34because otherwise it's just going to

41:35prolong Mhm. the experience. Yeah, if if

41:39if you can just keep that in mind,

41:41not taking things personally, not being

41:44sensitive,

41:45just taking the advice for what it is,

41:48which is advice.

41:49All the coaches in this in this program

41:51and even the other people that are in

41:53the program, it's super supportive. And

41:56just keep that in mind. That's That's

41:57how everyone else is,

41:59you know, framing conversations.

42:01And if you

42:03uh lose that, then you're kind of

42:06missing the point. Yeah. Well, I just

42:07want to put this out here because we've

42:09helped a lot of people break in and make

42:11well over six figures.

42:12And the fastest way to know that you

42:14will struggle making six figures is

42:15being defensive. Mhm.

42:18And I just want that to hit for

42:19everyone.

42:21The moment you're very defensive, it's

42:23almost a guarantee that you're not going

42:24to make a lot of money.

42:26Because

42:27think about it from a hiring manager.

42:29If they hired you on their team,

42:31you don't know everything. No. And

42:33they're there to help you.

42:35And if you always want to tell them why

42:37and justify why you did something wrong,

42:40you're not going to be at that company

42:41for a long time. No. Because nobody

42:43wants to be with somebody who can't take

42:44feedback

42:46and who always has to justify

42:47themselves. Because again, justification

42:51just comes from ego

42:53and feeling like you have to always be

42:54right. And I'll just tell you as a young

42:57s- guy in this industry to where I'm at

43:00today, I've continued to learn that

43:02lesson. Mhm. Is we don't know

43:04everything. But the one thing I will say

43:06is we have helped a lot of people break

43:07into medical device sales. We do know

43:08that. So, we just say, "Hey, trust us."

43:10Right?

43:10>> Yeah, trust the process, for sure. Now,

43:12you're going through the interview

43:13process. You're a nurse. What's your

43:16advice to other clinicals as they go

43:18through this interview process?

43:22That's a good question.

43:24I would say

43:26being patient.

43:29Um

43:31sitting down and actually thinking about

43:33your why you're doing this.

43:35Super important out of all the

43:37interviews.

43:39That's another common thread.

43:41Everybody's always going to ask you why.

43:43So, if you don't have a why,

43:46you're going to run into um you're going

43:48to be embarrassed, right? Because that's

43:52It seems like a simple question, but

43:53it's actually pretty profound. They're

43:54really seeing if you've even thought

43:56about it, right? And if you don't have a

43:58why,

43:59then why would they want to onboard you?

44:03Why do they want to give you any more

44:04time? And so, I would say really sit

44:06back and think about who you are,

44:09what you want,

44:11forecast, you know, and it doesn't take

44:15long to do this, but it does take

44:18moments of like silence. Go retreat to

44:22the room. Go

44:23to the library. Go to the beach or

44:25whatever wherever you live, find that a

44:27space, sit down, think about it, and be

44:31honest.

44:32And And that's going to kind of reveal a

44:34lot of things, and then you can, you

44:35know, things to pay attention to and

44:37things to to not. And then And then

44:39that's where the coaching kind of comes

44:40into play. Yeah. And I think something

44:42that's really important for everyone to

44:44understand is if you don't know your

44:46why,

44:48why would they hire you? Yeah. And that

44:50moment makes sense. Yeah, they need to

44:52know that you're in it. One example we

44:54always give is our single mother.

44:56She's going to get hired in 14 days.

44:58Mhm.

44:59She has a big why. You,

45:01single dad,

45:02we know your why. Not only because you

45:04love to help people cuz just so we're

45:05clear, every clinical that we ever work

45:06with, nurse, any clinical background,

45:09you all love helping people. That's why

45:10you got into health care.

45:12But what's the other bigger reason,

45:13right? One of the questions I got asked

45:15as a personal trainer, well, you already

45:16help people, so why don't you just stay

45:17doing that?

45:19And they're going to challenge you. And

45:20so, just understanding your why, and

45:21like you said, go go sit about go sit

45:24around and think about it. Mhm. Go take

45:25time to to think where you're at. But I

45:27want everyone to think about this

45:29because

45:30to give you an example,

45:31I was just talking to somebody that's

45:33going through an interview process,

45:35and I said, why

45:37should they choose you? Mhm. And why do

45:39you want this job?

45:41And the response was,

45:43well, it's close to my house,

45:46and I don't have anything else.

45:49And I had to have that conversation. I

45:50said, real quick, I want you to think

45:51about it an employer.

45:53You're hiring.

45:54If somebody gave you that answer,

45:57would you hire them?

45:59And they're like, absolutely not. And I

46:00said,

46:01so I think we should look into it a

46:03little deeper."

46:05Right? And I just want everyone to think

46:07about that real quick. Is the answers

46:08you're giving, if you heard it, and

46:11you're responsible for paying someone,

46:14would that actually move the needle for

46:16you to push them onto another interview?

46:19And because many people

46:21will just talk, but they don't even

46:22think what other people might think of

46:23it. And the easiest way we always talk

46:25about this is especially like

46:26follow-ups. Many people will reach out

46:28to me and say, "Hey, how do I do a

46:29follow-up to someone I already talked

46:31to?"

46:32And I'm like, "Okay, great. Let's think

46:33about it." I've had people literally

46:35send me a message saying, "Hey, what's

46:37up?"

46:39And just understand, if I didn't really

46:41create a big relationship with you, and

46:43you just got that from a random person,

46:45or maybe someone you talked to 6 weeks

46:47ago, and you talked to them for 10

46:48minutes, would you respond?

46:50Absolutely not. Mhm. But then that's

46:52what people will send to other people.

46:55It's like, "What would make you want to

46:56respond?" Mhm. And if you just put the

46:58lens on from that side,

47:00it can help you go through that process.

47:02Yeah, absolutely. Another thing to the

47:04why is

47:06when you're sitting when you're sitting

47:07on that question, it's really important

47:10to realize what the reason you're doing

47:12that is you're you're kind of

47:13accumulating proof

47:16that you are who you say you are.

47:19And

47:21that's very important when moving

47:23forward in your career and

47:25professionally.

47:26It's very important that you have proof

47:29that you are who you say you are.

47:31And when you're sitting about sitting

47:33down and thinking about your why, that's

47:35really what you're doing is accumulating

47:37that proof.

47:38And if you don't have any,

47:40go get it. Yeah.

47:42Yeah.

47:42And when you say go get it, I hope

47:44everyone knows that just means put in

47:46the work. Yeah. Go make go build the

47:48confidence. Go be the person you keep

47:50saying who you are. Mhm. And show that.

47:53But let's talk about this real quick.

47:56You've made the jump. You're now in

47:57medical device sales.

47:58Was it worth it? It was definitely worth

48:00it because for me

48:04the

48:05the path that I was on was not

48:07sustainable.

48:09It was not filling my cup.

48:12At the bedside

48:14over time

48:16you're

48:17you're giving.

48:19You're giving. And that's what you're

48:20there for.

48:21I know what I signed up for.

48:23We all in the nursing field we all know

48:25what we signed up for.

48:27It is to advocate

48:29and to provide the care so they can get

48:31better, right? But by doing so you are

48:33giving. By nature you are.

48:36And

48:37at some point when the burnout sets in

48:41cuz ultimately it will

48:43that's just a sign that your cup you

48:44have no you're you're kind of running

48:46out of fuel.

48:48And I was reaching that point where I I

48:51wasn't as I wasn't prepared to give

48:54anymore in that capacity. I was I was

48:56running low.

48:58And I needed

49:00I needed to find a path where I could

49:03still

49:04be a giver and uh

49:08and a and assist patients in getting

49:10better

49:11and help them in that way and advocate

49:13for them that way, but at the bedside I

49:16my cup was becoming

49:19less and less full

49:20and I would I I felt that slipping

49:24for me personally.

49:25>> Yeah. I'm sure other nurses know exactly

49:27what I'm talking about. But coming in it

49:30becomes harder and harder. And you have

49:33less and less energy and it really

49:34starts to bleed over into your personal

49:36life.

49:37And then now you're not being the best

49:41at home or you're not being the best

49:42with your family, your friends. Like

49:45those key relationships start to get

49:48impacted, right? The the you have with

49:51yourself It's impacted. You start losing

49:53your identity.

49:54And

49:55I kind of started seeing that happen.

49:57And so

49:59to all that to be said is it was

50:02important that I found something that

50:05I was still able to help patients

50:08without the that that that same personal

50:11burden that I was I was getting at the

50:13bedside. Because at the end of the day

50:17you kind of highlighted it. It I mean,

50:18if you have a certificate, if you have a

50:20license

50:22Yeah. in certain nurse, you know? And I

50:24was also kind of just tired of not

50:27feeling

50:29you know, the efforts that you're

50:30putting in

50:31is not what you're getting out of it.

50:33Yeah. You know, and that was a big part

50:34of making that transition and seeking

50:37this opportunity in this career path was

50:39what you put in

50:41you get out.

50:43At the bedside

50:44you can put in a thousand percent

50:47but you're not going to get that in

50:49return. And so there's that there's this

50:50give and take that happens under the

50:53radar.

50:54And that that was like the main the main

50:57thing for me. Yeah. And how much has

50:59your life changed from when you were a

51:00nurse to now that you're in medical

51:02device sales?

51:04When I come home at the end of the day

51:07that cup

51:08it's not empty anymore. It's still full.

51:12And now it's bleeding over.

51:14And it's impacting

51:16what I can and cannot do outside of of

51:18my professional life. So, my

51:20friendships, now I'm communicating with

51:22my friends more. I'm communicating with

51:24my family members more. I'm with my son

51:27more presently. You know, and him and I

51:30are, you know, what we've we're bonded

51:32and we always have been, but it's like

51:35I can give him the best part of me now.

51:38Whereas before I was really having to

51:41find that

51:42to to give it.

51:44And because I I had already given it all

51:46at work. and I didn't like that feeling

51:48anymore.

51:49And so

51:51not to not to doom and gloom nursing,

51:53but

51:55this path that I'm on on now is is the

51:58complete opposite of that. I'm able to

52:00go out there and deploy myself, my

52:02expertise, and build relationships, and

52:05get devices in the right surgeon's

52:06hands, and make an impact on patients'

52:08lives,

52:10and still come home, and still have the

52:11energy to to fill my family's cup up.

52:15And so now my cup is bleeding over.

52:17Yeah. And also let's just talk about

52:19this financially.

52:20Right? Because I always want this to be

52:22said. Many times we talk about with

52:23nurses, if people talk about money,

52:25they're like, "No, we shouldn't uh it's

52:26all this." But

52:27>> of gatekeeping.

52:28>> Yeah, gatekeeping, but it's What I want

52:30to everyone to understand is we all

52:31don't work for free. Nobody listening to

52:33this works for free, and they wouldn't

52:34work for free.

52:35And I just say is you have to find

52:37spaces

52:39that can change your life. For example,

52:41personal training wasn't going to be

52:42what was going to change my life

52:44financially compared to medical device

52:46sales. That was one of the things I

52:47would always say, "If I'm in the top 10%

52:48of personal trainers, that's a different

52:50life if I'm in a top 10% of medical

52:52device sales." Mhm. And so just

52:54understanding the avenues. But we also

52:56talked about there's perks that you got

53:00that most people don't understand. We

53:01talk about usually the packages by the

53:03time you get a car, they pay for your

53:04gas, they pay for your insurance, they

53:06also give you a lot of benefits.

53:09It can round up north of 10 plus

53:11thousand dollars easily. Mhm.

53:13Tell me about that just real quick of

53:15going from nursing paying for everything

53:16to now also the benefits side and

53:18financially just the change that you've

53:20had in your own life.

53:21Yeah, so on the financial point,

53:24not only are you making more, like you

53:26just said, but your expenses are now

53:29being offset, right? I mean, they say

53:32you should only put 30% of your income

53:34into housing, and

53:36uh you know, they

53:38typically, you know, generically break

53:39down different percentages for different

53:41parts of your life.

53:43In medical device,

53:45these like big chunks of your income are

53:47now being subsidized by your employer.

53:51So, not only are you making more,

53:53you're spending less of it out of your

53:56pocket to do your daily activities. And

53:59so,

54:00this is it's it's compounding already.

54:02Like, your income just by the simple

54:05fact that they're now helping you with

54:07your

54:08you know, your car and your gas and your

54:10insurance and and this and that. And so,

54:13it it

54:15it's

54:16um

54:17it's so relieving because now you can do

54:21other things and pursue other things.

54:22And you can just navigate life

54:25so differently. Yeah. And we always want

54:27people to understand that because

54:30I always tell nurses, even if you had a

54:33job for 100k and you got into medical

54:34device sales at 100k, it's not a

54:36one-to-one. No.

54:37>> It's way different. You're going to make

54:38way more in the medical device sales

54:40offers way more than even if you made

54:42less money in medical device sales than

54:43you took home as a nurse. Mhm. That's

54:45number one what they miss. But, also one

54:47of the things we always share is some

54:49companies will give you a car. Some of

54:50them will give you a car stipend.

54:52They're they're very different. But, for

54:54example, we've had people like myself,

54:56when I worked at my first company

54:58Medtronic,

54:59they gave me a car. Mhm. And so, that

55:01allowed me to sell my current car,

55:04which then put more cash into my pocket.

55:07And then from there,

55:09I didn't have to do gas. I didn't have a

55:11car payment. I then took all of the

55:13money I was spending on that, and then

55:15that would go into my retirement. Yeah.

55:17And you just move that money to

55:18somewhere that's going to be more

55:19beneficial for you. Mhm. And that's one

55:21of the biggest things that we work with

55:22our members on is like, "Hey, once you

55:24start making more, what do you do with

55:25it?" Because most people the money will

55:27go somewhere, right? But, most people

55:29just put it on eating out more or

55:30whatever it is. Compared to, like you

55:32were saying is, if you do the right

55:34things with it,

55:35you can actually have the same

55:36lifestyle,

55:38save more while you're making more. Mhm.

55:40And that's what I love about this

55:41industry is you also can make a massive

55:43impact while setting yourself up

55:46financially. And the last thing I just

55:48want to put out there cuz I've had this

55:49talk with many people is most

55:50individuals that talk to us they're

55:51like, "Well, I got to do this for 30

55:52years."

55:54Most individuals aren't going to do the

55:55same thing for 10 years.

55:57If you just look at the averages and

55:58where people are at.

56:00And so I just share that is

56:03one thing I want to put out there for

56:04nurses is I always say worst-case

56:05scenario, you try it and you made more

56:07money and then you go back.

56:09Right? For example,

56:11even if you did this

56:13and you got into medical device sales

56:14and let's say you again you made the

56:16same amount of {quote} money you would

56:18actually make more from what we just

56:19shared.

56:21You would get more experiences.

56:23It would make you a better candidate.

56:25And then if you hated all of that, you

56:27still could go back and just real quick

56:29you'd probably make more cuz you left

56:30your one hospital and you're going to a

56:31new one. Yeah. And you'd make more.

56:34And now you just have a better

56:36opportunity compared to again most

56:38people think of what if and they go

56:40you're homeless. Most of the nurses I

56:42talk to they think they pay money and

56:43they're homeless that day. They lost it.

56:45They have no money. They're going to be

56:47throwing away 4 years' worth of degrees

56:49and all the money they spent compared to

56:52they're just adding on to it and now

56:54what happens cuz you'll be able to talk

56:55to this.

56:56All of my nurses who come in and now see

56:57the other side Mhm. of the industry,

57:01you don't even have to stay where we're

57:02currently at, but you could still go use

57:04everything you're learning and you see

57:06the other sides of health care that you

57:08don't have to go back to nursing, but

57:09you can still leverage all of your

57:10background and still financially set up

57:12a life for you and your son Mhm. in the

57:14future. Yeah, absolutely.

57:16It's uh it's so interesting cuz

57:20it really is that. You mean if

57:22worst-case scenario, you make the jump,

57:24you make the leap, make the commitment,

57:25you break in.

57:27If you don't like it, which is

57:31not likely to happen. It's is like so

57:32we're clear, I actually haven't had

57:34anyone who was a nurse get in not like

57:36it and go back to nursing. I have yet to

57:37have that happen.

57:38>> why I'm smiling right now because it's

57:40just hard for me to imagine that

57:41scenario.

57:43But

57:44whoever's listening to this, where you

57:46are right now,

57:48if that's your backup plan, like that's

57:50a solid backup plan. Like you're already

57:53you're already at that point. Yeah.

57:56Right now, real quick, I want everyone

57:57to hear this because this is the biggest

57:58thing.

57:59You're already at worst-case scenario.

58:01Yeah, this is your worst-case scenario.

58:02You're

58:03Well, just so we're clear cuz this is

58:04what we always have to like help people

58:05with with mindset is they play all the

58:07what ifs and then I always tell people

58:09people reach out to us. No one ever gets

58:11on a call with us cuz they love their

58:12life.

58:13Yeah. Nobody has ever got on a call said

58:15I'm super fulfilled, I make the money I

58:16want, everything's great cuz otherwise

58:18we would say, "Great, just go do that."

58:19Mhm. They always get on and then

58:21complain about where they're at.

58:23Don't like where they're at.

58:24And then we always say, "Do you want to

58:25stay there or do you want to change it?"

58:26Mhm. And just so we're clear, everyone

58:28loves to stay in their own misery.

58:31It's easier to stay on the path that

58:33you're currently on. Exactly. Well, cuz

58:35also people love to suffer together,

58:37right? Well, if I'm going through the

58:38struggle, guess who else is going

58:39through the struggle? Other nurses. Mhm.

58:41Other people and we can all

58:43have our struggles together.

58:44Right? What happens if you start doing

58:46better? Mhm. Well, now you're you might

58:48get pushed out of that group.

58:50But going back to what we just said is

58:52they all tell me what they don't like

58:54and it's the equivalent of you get in a

58:56relationship and then you just bag your

58:58partner

58:59the whole time to then just stay with

59:01your partner. Mhm.

59:05If that's what you want to do is go out

59:06and tell people how much you hate your

59:07partner Yeah. and then go back to that

59:09partner, you're the one who looks like

59:11the silly goose. 100%.

59:12>> And so I just want to put that out there

59:14for everyone is

59:16nobody ever thinks about it the way we

59:17just put it, but worst-case scenario is

59:21you go in and then you go exactly back,

59:23aka you're already living worst-case

59:25scenario. So, the only upside is you go

59:27try it. Yeah. And you learn Mhm. if you

59:32like it. And I would just tell you, if

59:34this is anything you're considering,

59:35you'd actually be better off from a

59:37mental standpoint to go try it and know

59:39in 3 months that you don't want to do it

59:40than wonder the next 12 months or 2

59:42years or 3 years, what if?

59:44Yeah, there's you never want to go

59:46through life and then you the what ifs

59:48start piling on. I mean, just look at

59:51you read a biography, you listen to a

59:53other podcasts, you have conversations,

59:55you see people at the end of their life

59:57or at the end of their careers, it's

59:58always the same feedback.

1:00:01The the regret aspect that is, right?

1:00:04It's always

1:00:06well, I wish I did I wish I spent more

1:00:08time with family. That's like probably

1:00:10the key one and then I oh, I wish I did

1:00:12this. I wish I did that. And

1:00:14you're never going to know unless you

1:00:16try. And

1:00:18to your point, it's you're already at

1:00:20your worst

1:00:21case scenario, which is your fallback

1:00:23plan. And it's like not a bad fallback

1:00:24plan.

1:00:25>> But

1:00:26there's so much more out there for you.

1:00:27You are capable. You just have You have

1:00:30to start surrounding yourself with with

1:00:33uh people who think that way, too,

1:00:34because really what it is is you're very

1:00:37likely surrounded by people that don't

1:00:38want you to change because they don't

1:00:40want to change.

1:00:41And when you are in that phase where

1:00:44you're where you're kind of pivoting

1:00:45your life in a big way, in this case

1:00:47like nursing to medical device,

1:00:50you're going to start speak You're going

1:00:51to start speaking differently. You're

1:00:52going to start thinking differently. And

1:00:55some of the people that you're around

1:00:56you might not see eye to eye anymore.

1:00:57You might not be having those same

1:00:58conversations anymore.

1:01:00And that's okay.

1:01:03I think people think we're supposed to

1:01:05have relationships for a whole life.

1:01:08And what people don't understand is

1:01:10sometimes relationships are for a

1:01:13reason,

1:01:14for a season, Yeah, season.

1:01:16>> a lifetime. Start thinking about life in

1:01:18seasons. I think that's a good point

1:01:19because even even going through

1:01:23um you know, my divorce, it that was a

1:01:26that was a season.

1:01:28It has a start and an end and there's a

1:01:30phase a phase in and a phase out. And

1:01:34that's okay. Yep. It's okay to go

1:01:36through those seasons. Yep. But come on

1:01:37the on the side of it and enjoy the next

1:01:40season because now it's here.

1:01:42And take advantage of it. When it's

1:01:44cold, it's cold. Stay inside. When it's

1:01:45hot, get out. Yep. And so just

1:01:50you have to start thinking about life

1:01:51that way.

1:01:53Otherwise, you're going to you're going

1:01:55to waste time and you're going to have

1:01:56regrets and you're going to be that old

1:01:58person

1:01:59having those uh those thoughts and

1:02:01you don't want to be that in that

1:02:03situation. One thing I just want

1:02:04everyone to know is every person I know

1:02:06that's continued to grow has lost

1:02:08relationships of people who didn't want

1:02:09to watch them grow. Mhm. Because when

1:02:11you grow, it makes other people realize

1:02:13if they're not or not or if they are.

1:02:15And if people aren't happy for you going

1:02:17to the next level,

1:02:19people will show you their true colors.

1:02:20Mhm. And I just put that out there cuz

1:02:21we see it all the time with nurses. We a

1:02:23lot of times say crabs in the buckets.

1:02:24Mhm. Because I always say nurses are

1:02:27literally the best ones. They could all

1:02:28do it, but I remember being in medical

1:02:29device sales in the OR and nurses would

1:02:31have comments to say and I'm like,

1:02:33you're literally the best person. I

1:02:35would tell them how to do it and they'd

1:02:36be like, oh, I don't want to. Mhm. And

1:02:38so they'd take shots at people

1:02:39and then they'd also complain about

1:02:41things.

1:02:42But when you gave them the pathway to

1:02:43change theirs, they didn't want to. Mhm.

1:02:45And so I'm just sharing that to everyone

1:02:46is it is okay to make those changes.

1:02:48Yeah. And

1:02:50just in life, I'll just be honest.

1:02:52I don't talk to almost anyone from high

1:02:53school.

1:02:55Why?

1:02:56Cuz I'm not in the small town of 2,000

1:02:58people drinking beer in the Midwest.

1:02:59Mhm. It's not my life anymore.

1:03:02And a lot of times when we first start

1:03:03in life,

1:03:04you're friends with who you grow up

1:03:06because of proximity. Mhm.

1:03:08Logistically.

1:03:09Yep. Proximity is

1:03:12you know, don't don't undervalue your

1:03:14proximity. The people around you. It

1:03:16does make a difference. It does. And so

1:03:18I just share that for people as you

1:03:19continue grow, right?

1:03:20>> Mhm.

1:03:20John making double the amount of money

1:03:22he is, he's not going to be the same

1:03:23John. Mhm.

1:03:25Right? And John in this season of life

1:03:26isn't the same John in the past season

1:03:28of life. Right. And so that's what I

1:03:29just want people to hear. Now, how I

1:03:31want to end this podcast is

1:03:34if there's a nurse listening

1:03:36or there's a clinical

1:03:38background listening

1:03:40and they're like

1:03:41John, what's your advice to me if I want

1:03:43to do medical device sales?

1:03:45If I want to make that jump or I'm

1:03:46thinking about it.

1:03:47What's your advice?

1:03:51If I could sum

1:03:53If I could just choose one or two things

1:03:57it would be

1:04:01it would be to maybe

1:04:03stop chasing things that you don't want.

1:04:06Sit in silence

1:04:08and let let the thoughts cross your

1:04:11mind. There's golden nuggets in there

1:04:13and there's garbage in there, but let it

1:04:15let it

1:04:16let it shift or let it sift.

1:04:19I feel like a lot of us are

1:04:21kind of dialed in too much and plugged

1:04:23in too much and I think if you unplug

1:04:27and just kind of listen to your inner

1:04:29dialogue or the feelings that you're

1:04:31that kind of bubble up

1:04:33that's going to

1:04:35don't underestimate that.

1:04:37Cuz that's going to really help you make

1:04:40those key decisions and

1:04:42um it's not nothing.

1:04:44So that would be one one takeaway is

1:04:46just kind of really sit

1:04:49in in in silence and and and think about

1:04:51what you want in life because

1:04:53you're not going to you're not going to

1:04:54find out what it truly is if you're just

1:04:56constantly on the go or

1:04:59chasing things that don't matter.

1:05:01It's okay to say no

1:05:02to invitations and nights out or

1:05:06whatever it is that you're involved in.

1:05:09So I would say it's okay to sit in

1:05:11silence and have a like a little

1:05:13uh a lonely chapter, if you will.

1:05:15You know, so you can find out really

1:05:17what matters to you.

1:05:19A second thing would be you are more

1:05:22capable

1:05:25of

1:05:26any

1:05:27opportunity in medical device

1:05:30industry

1:05:31than you than you think you are. You are

1:05:33already doing more

1:05:36and handling more and overcoming more

1:05:40at your current position at the bedside

1:05:43with the chaos and the hectic nature of

1:05:46it and the feeling that you don't

1:05:48matter.

1:05:50That's hard to overcome and you're

1:05:51already doing it. Every day you clock in

1:05:54and every day you clock out. If you can

1:05:56handle that,

1:05:58you're more than capable

1:06:00of joining a team of people that don't

1:06:03have a zero-sum mentality.

1:06:06They're always trying to feed or the

1:06:08people in the medical device industry

1:06:10are always trying to help each other

1:06:12out, I've noticed.

1:06:13And so it's all it all stacks on top of

1:06:16each other and people are always going

1:06:18to

1:06:19be very supportive in in in in in this

1:06:21industry where you don't get that in in

1:06:24nursing. And so if you can handle the

1:06:26day in and day out grind and the the

1:06:29lack of support, if you will,

1:06:32just imagine how you're going to feel or

1:06:35what you can accomplish for you and your

1:06:37family if you make the jump if you make

1:06:40the leap

1:06:41into this industry because you're going

1:06:43to be in an environment that is super

1:06:45positive

1:06:47and encouraging and and

1:06:51the relationships that you're able to

1:06:52build, I mean, it's it's

1:06:55it's unlike anything that you're ever

1:06:57going to get in nursing. And so I would

1:06:59say trust your trust your instincts,

1:07:01sit on who you are, think about your why

1:07:04and and to when you make the jump,

1:07:08you're going to you're really going to

1:07:09make a a a big difference for those

1:07:12patients still just in a different

1:07:13capacity. Yeah.

1:07:15And John, I want you to know I'm so

1:07:17proud of you. Thank you. Oh, thank you.

1:07:19Seriously, it changed my life and

1:07:22I remember the day I started.

1:07:24I remember the day I got the offer and

1:07:26it's an amazing community and um I look

1:07:29forward to keeping in touch with

1:07:30everyone and uh

1:07:33you know, just continue to grow as as as

1:07:36you know, I'm just getting started. So,

1:07:38Yeah. it's exciting. You're going to

1:07:40continue to grow and you're going to

1:07:41prosper in this industry and I know

1:07:42that. And it's because you're coachable,

1:07:44you are hardworking and you want to just

1:07:45truly help people. Mhm. I just want you

1:07:47to know it has been a true honor

1:07:50watching you grow. Thank you. And

1:07:51watching you take yourself to the next

1:07:53level and watching you I learned so much

1:07:55through a hard season of your life

1:07:57and how you showed up every day.

1:07:59And you didn't let that define you.

1:08:02And even though you went through that

1:08:03super ta- challenging time,

1:08:06I'm sitting here in Miami with you today

1:08:09as you've truly changed your whole

1:08:10entire life and the future is only

1:08:12extremely bright and I just want to know

1:08:14I'm truly so proud of you and I know

1:08:16without a doubt

1:08:18you will be so successful in this

1:08:20industry. Thank you.

1:08:22Thank you. Seriously. Yeah. I just want

1:08:24you to keep chasing it and we're going

1:08:26to be here every step of the way.

1:08:28Appreciate that. All right. We'll see

1:08:29you guys on the next one.