Industry Focus: Two decades ago, I made the deliberate choice to focus on the healthcare IT industry. At the time, I was recruiting IT professionals for a start-up and wanted to combine my IT and healthcare recruiting expertise. I stay up to date with industry developments and possess in-depth knowledge about the solutions hospitals are acquiring and the companies that are experiencing growth as a result.   I’m very choosy about my clients and only work with the top companies in their respective niches.  Moreover, I have built a reputation that precedes me, which enables top sales talent in healthcare IT to not only take my calls but also consider potential career moves with my guidance.

I typically categorize the industry into ambulatory, acute care, payer and life science segments.  In the ambulatory environment, I consider myself an expert in software sales staffing. Over the past 20 years, I have successfully placed over 300 EMR Sales Executives, including 80+ sales executives and sales leaders for a client that generated over $1 billion in revenue!

Additionally, I have placed hundreds of sales professionals who specialize in the acute care hospital environment. These solutions encompass both clinical and financial aspects and can be targeted at new logo acquisitions or existing/install base environments. I possess a deep understanding of the qualities that differentiate successful candidates in these two distinct roles. Furthermore, I recognize the distinction between a true “C-level sales executive” and a “departmental solutions sales exec” who seeks final approval from the C-level.

With the emergence of Value-Based Care and Reimbursement impacting the industry, my focus has expanded to include healthcare finance and process improvement software and services vendors. These entities assist hospital systems and payers in safeguarding their margins. Two notable recent achievements:  built an entire sales org (47 placements) that drove a company’s valuation from $200M to $1.2M and let to their acquisition and was retained by the top healthcare IT PE firm to do a rebuild on their largest ever acquisition.  We have rebranded and rebuilt the sales team with over 25 recent hires that are producing incredible results!   I’m very proud that our placements’ efforts enabled this client to achieve their first quarterly number in over 7 years.

Lastly, many of our clients have moved toward the life sciences industry as they de-identify patient claims data that is used to develop new meds and treatments. As such, we are now building Real World Evidence sales teams for our clients.

Process:  We are a specialized boutique sized firm.  I maintain quality control by being the  gatekeeper and screening every candidate before they are sent to our clients’ hiring managers. I maintain an active database of over 16,000 healthcare IT contacts, along with an additional 10,000 passive network contacts via LinkedIn. My sources for candidates include trade shows such as ANI, HIMSS, RISE and ISPOR, event attendance lists, company rosters, industry association membership directories, and a valuable network of other recruiters.

References: I have worked diligently to establish myself as a referenceable professional. For over twenty years I have consistently delivered outstanding results. Historically, my 3-year retention average has ranged between 80 and 90% (excluding start-up RIFs). Additionally, during the hiring process, I do not bombard my hiring authorities with an overwhelming number of candidates.  I do not subscribe to the “when in doubt, send them out” approach that mediocre agencies employ.  

My Send-Out:Placement Ratio is less than 4:1, which is a testament to the efficiency of this approach.  Lastly, I spend time really getting to know my candidates and hiring managers.  I’m choosy in this area as well and have a “no jerks” rule.  Research indicates that the primary reason sales executives switch jobs is due to a strained relationship with their manager. Hence, I invest significant effort in matching candidates with hiring managers with whom they will connect well from the very beginning.

Saving the best for last, five years ago I was honored by being selected for membership in The Pinnacle Society, an exclusive invitation-only best practices recruiting group comprised of 75 members from various industries. Invitation to this society is extended only to those whose production ranks within the top 2% of all recruiters.