Episode 48
Continuous Learning, Grit and Authenticity with Kristin Shunk
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In this episode of the Science of Selling STEM, I’ll be talking to Kristin Shunk, the Senior Director of Sales at Hyperfine, a company whose mission is to make MRI accessible to every patient, regardless of income or resources. Their Swoop® Portable MR Imaging System™ addresses the limitations of current imaging technologies. Swoop wheels directly to a patient’s bedside, where it plugs into a standard electrical outlet and uses an Apple iPad® for control. Images display within minutes, enabling critical decision-making capabilities across various clinical settings such as neurointensive care units, emergency departments, pediatrics, and more.
Kristin is a transformative leader whose career spans startup, midsized, and large medical device businesses that specialize in general neurosurgery, neurology, epilepsy, neuro-oncology, functional neurosurgery, spine, and neurocritical care management. She specializes in building high-performance teams and developing effective commercial strategies. She’s passionately committed to improving patients’ lives by offering game-changing, disruptive medical technologies. Kristin believes that transformative medical devices in the hands of physicians can change the lives of many and she certainly makes that happen in a big way. Stay tuned as she shares how she has built such an incredible sales career and the tips and strategies we can use to achieve the same.
And if you need help with any sales or leadership issue don't hesitate to book a complimentary clarity session with me HERE
On Today’s Episode of the Science of Selling STEM:
- Her leadership experiences working for startup, midsized, and large corporations (02:24)
- The core competencies to keep in place as a leader no matter the dynamic environment you’re working in (04:55)
- Finding the WHY: Making sure sales is about serving and helping people (08:28)
- Getting into medical device sales even before it was even a thing (09:48)
- Transitioning from the operating room into companies doing cutting-edge work (13:42)
- Challenges associated with learning new technologies and building sales teams around them (16:57)
- Why hiring salespeople who have grit and authenticity is important (18:22)
- Coaching salespeople to be the best according to their specific skill sets (21:41)
- Building a team of excellence and the excitement of scaling their business (25:02)
- Being proud of her accomplishments as a leader in the medical device industry (28:34)
Connect with Wesleyne Greer:
- Wesleyne’s Website
- Wesleyne on LinkedIn
- Wesleyne on Facebook
- Wesleyne on Twitter
- Email Her at wesleyne@transformedsales.com
Connect with Kristin Shunk:
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Transcript
As a sales manager, you are judged by the
Wesleyne Greer:performance of your team, and you're praised when they do
Wesleyne Greer:well. But one thing that you've not been able to figure out is
Wesleyne Greer:how to get everyone on your team consistently hitting quota every
Wesleyne Greer:single month. On the Snack size sales podcast, we discuss the
Wesleyne Greer:science of selling stem sales leadership in the science,
Wesleyne Greer:technology, engineering and manufacturing fields is
Wesleyne Greer:difficult. You will learn from sales managers just like you
Wesleyne Greer:that will give you actionable insights and tips on how to
Wesleyne Greer:develop as a leader and achieve your revenue targets every
Wesleyne Greer:single month. So pop your headphones in and get ready to
Wesleyne Greer:listen to my guest today. They will give you information and
Wesleyne Greer:inspiration to ensure that you have actionable insights that
Wesleyne Greer:you can put into place today. Hello, and welcome to another
Wesleyne Greer:episode of the science of selling stem. Today I have the
Wesleyne Greer:great pleasure of having Kristin. Skunk with me that I
Wesleyne Greer:say it right, not skunk Shunk sorry, chunk. There we go.
Wesleyne Greer:Kristen sharp names are important. How are you today,
Wesleyne Greer:Kristen?
Kristin Shunk:I'm doing great Wesleyne Thanks for having me.
Wesleyne Greer:Awesome. So let me tell you guys a little bit
Wesleyne Greer:more about Kristin. She's the senior director of sales for
Wesleyne Greer:hyper fine, where she's supporting the commercialization
Wesleyne Greer:of the world's first portable MRI hyper find swoop brings MRI
Wesleyne Greer:imaging to the patient's bedside. Kristen is a
Wesleyne Greer:transformative leader whose career spans across startup,
Wesleyne Greer:midsize and large medical device businesses. She specializes in
Wesleyne Greer:building high performance teams and developing effective
Wesleyne Greer:commercial strategy. She's passionately committed to
Wesleyne Greer:improving patients lives by offering game changing
Wesleyne Greer:disruptive medical technologies. She likes to say a
Wesleyne Greer:transformative medical device is the EU This is a big word. How
Wesleyne Greer:do you say that our matricaria
Kristin Shunk:in the hands basically, it's an armamentarium
Kristin Shunk:of a physician
Wesleyne Greer:armlets harian? Oh, a few clinicians can change
Wesleyne Greer:the lives of so many. So I'm gonna have to start at the end.
Wesleyne Greer:Because that was such a big word. Where did that come from?
Wesleyne Greer:Tell me about that word.
Kristin Shunk:So an armamentarium is really, you
Kristin Shunk:know, the tools, the devices, all of the things that these
Kristin Shunk:physicians have at their disposal in order to help
Kristin Shunk:patients. It's kind of what they have in their bag to get their
Kristin Shunk:business done. And to help those patients.
Wesleyne Greer:I love it. So your career has spanned across
Wesleyne Greer:startups all the way to large corporations tell us the
Wesleyne Greer:differences between each one a startup, a midsize and a large
Wesleyne Greer:corporation?
Kristin Shunk:Yeah, so you know, a startup really is. It's
Kristin Shunk:really incredible environment where it's a very fast paced,
Kristin Shunk:incredible environment where, you know, you bring a lot of
Kristin Shunk:people together in order to create this synergistic kind of,
Kristin Shunk:you know, foundation of what we're going to create, how are
Kristin Shunk:we going to do it, and it's this incubator of sorts, you know,
Kristin Shunk:whatever, you're creating a business and the product, the
Kristin Shunk:midsize company is probably a player in the space that I think
Kristin Shunk:personally, you know, for me was where I learned a lot where the
Kristin Shunk:stomping grounds, kind of, you know, I kind of got my place in
Kristin Shunk:the world around medical device, it's where I learned a lot,
Kristin Shunk:because, you know, there weren't a lot of processes in place.
Kristin Shunk:And, you know, in contrast to those larger companies, that
Kristin Shunk:they have all the resources, they have all their processes in
Kristin Shunk:place, and they tell you how it's done. And so I think, you
Kristin Shunk:know, for me in my career, each one has served such an impactful
Kristin Shunk:purpose in who I am not only as a representative medical
Kristin Shunk:devices, but as a leader.
Wesleyne Greer:So when you think about your leadership
Wesleyne Greer:throughout the different types of companies, how does it
Wesleyne Greer:change?
Kristin Shunk:Well, I don't know if it changes necessarily,
Kristin Shunk:I think that I'm one of those leaders that I'm fairly
Kristin Shunk:consistent along among all the companies. And the difference
Kristin Shunk:between the small, the medium, and the large. I feel like
Kristin Shunk:leadership is you have to change your style based on what type of
Kristin Shunk:environment you're working in. But a lot of those core
Kristin Shunk:competencies as a leader that you have, I think that those
Kristin Shunk:stay in place throughout whatever dynamic environment
Kristin Shunk:that you're in.
Wesleyne Greer:So you mentioned core competencies, what are some
Wesleyne Greer:of the core competencies that are important to you and your
Wesleyne Greer:leadership style?
Kristin Shunk:Well, number one, it's really the center of why we
Kristin Shunk:do what we're doing. that is the core of what I always lead with.
Kristin Shunk:It's not what we're selling. It's not what we're doing every
Kristin Shunk:day. It's why we're doing it. And I think that that is the key
Kristin Shunk:motivator for me. And it should be within the team that I lead,
Kristin Shunk:why are we doing it? Why are we creating this process? Why are
Kristin Shunk:we creating this product? Those types of questions are really
Kristin Shunk:the core of what I do every single day.
Wesleyne Greer:So typically, as a leader, it's easy for you to
Wesleyne Greer:understand or figure out the why, right? Because you have
Wesleyne Greer:you're the bridge between the company and the salespeople. But
Wesleyne Greer:how do you translate that out to the team? Like, how do you help
Wesleyne Greer:them develop their why?
Kristin Shunk:Well, I think that, you know, when you ask
Kristin Shunk:people why they're doing what they're doing, everybody's story
Kristin Shunk:is different. I've come across people who maybe have had a
Kristin Shunk:family member that has a particular disability, or maybe
Kristin Shunk:they've had a medical challenge, and it's why they're doing what
Kristin Shunk:they're doing. Some people feel that, you know, it's incumbent
Kristin Shunk:upon them to make a very good living, because they have, you
Kristin Shunk:know, children, and they want to make sure that, you know, those
Kristin Shunk:kids are taken care of. So the y is always a little different for
Kristin Shunk:people. But I think as a leader, I think what I do is, although
Kristin Shunk:your why's are different, there has to be a core why we do in
Kristin Shunk:our company as to why we do it. So for example, you know, here
Kristin Shunk:at hyper fine, where I'm leading a team, why we're doing what we
Kristin Shunk:are doing is very clear, MRI imaging is a challenge, it is a
Kristin Shunk:challenge to get access to, and not everyone has it. So not even
Kristin Shunk:just thinking about the US but thinking about the world over,
Kristin Shunk:it's a very small part of the population that actually has the
Kristin Shunk:chance to, if they have an ailment to have their brain
Kristin Shunk:imaged, why we are doing what we are doing and stating that
Kristin Shunk:purpose to your team, so that everybody is moving in that same
Kristin Shunk:direction is important. And for me, as a leader, why we are
Kristin Shunk:doing this is because we want to give access to MRI imaging to
Kristin Shunk:everyone, to anyone, anywhere. And that is you know, stating
Kristin Shunk:that purpose, and really leading a team around following that
Kristin Shunk:purpose. And that why is critical.
Wesleyne Greer:Wow, that I mean that to me that that's so heavy
Wesleyne Greer:and so deep, right? Really understanding that what you're
Wesleyne Greer:doing is impacting lives, not just the lives that you can see,
Wesleyne Greer:but those lives, the people that you will never meet or
Wesleyne Greer:encounter. And I was actually asked the question recently,
Wesleyne Greer:like, how do you get people over, like the negative
Wesleyne Greer:connotation in sales, right? Like, it's sleazy, it's pushy,
Wesleyne Greer:all of these things. And I use exactly what you say it is, what
Wesleyne Greer:we're doing is we are helping someone solve a problem, right?
Wesleyne Greer:Whether you're selling a pen, and you're helping them to write
Wesleyne Greer:better, because your ink is better, or you're selling a
Wesleyne Greer:medical device, and you're helping their quality of life,
Wesleyne Greer:you're helping them be diagnosed with something that is what you
Wesleyne Greer:should think about. That's what sales is all about. It's about
Wesleyne Greer:helping, it's about serving, it's not about you're not
Wesleyne Greer:selling somebody, something they don't want. And if you're doing
Wesleyne Greer:that you're doing the wrong thing, right, whatever we're
Wesleyne Greer:doing is we are doing it to serve and to really help.
Kristin Shunk:Exactly, that's exactly and that's why I
Kristin Shunk:actually came to selling medical devices is that I, you know,
Kristin Shunk:always had a really strong sense of self. And I wanted to impact
Kristin Shunk:the world in a bigger way. And I knew that I could do that by
Kristin Shunk:offering things, widgets, whatever, I could change people,
Kristin Shunk:I had done some sales before, you know, in my early years,
Kristin Shunk:working for my mother's business, and realize that you
Kristin Shunk:could really sell something to someone and it really impact
Kristin Shunk:their lives in a very positive way. And when I had the chance
Kristin Shunk:to sell a medical device that inherently changed the
Kristin Shunk:trajectory of a patient's care, it really resonated with me. And
Kristin Shunk:I do say that as well. I tell people, you know, you can sell a
Kristin Shunk:pen, you can sell a car, but selling that car is gonna help
Kristin Shunk:that family, maybe it helps that family maybe it helps that
Kristin Shunk:person get from point A to point B, you know, get from home to
Kristin Shunk:work every day. But you're you're supporting their
Kristin Shunk:lifestyle. It's not just about how fast it goes or the wheels
Kristin Shunk:on the biggest engine. It's about, you know, really what it
Kristin Shunk:means for that person in their life.
Wesleyne Greer:Hmm. So you said you this, you decided to get
Wesleyne Greer:into medical sales. What did you do before you dipped your toe
Wesleyne Greer:into this world?
Kristin Shunk:Yeah, so I'm a product of an engineer who was
Kristin Shunk:very science motivated. And an artist. My mother is an artist
Kristin Shunk:and so as my stepfather So I decided to go the logical route
Kristin Shunk:in college and decided to get a business degree. But I had
Kristin Shunk:really been exposed through my parents art, that you know what
Kristin Shunk:the impact of, you know, art can do for people in the world over
Kristin Shunk:and really grew up in this very creative environment. And I
Kristin Shunk:remember right before I finished college, I drove by this dentist
Kristin Shunk:office, and there were devices that I knew could be sold to
Kristin Shunk:this dentist office. And at the time medical device wasn't a
Kristin Shunk:thing, you know, selling medical devices wasn't a thing,
Kristin Shunk:pharmaceuticals was more mainstream. And I thought to
Kristin Shunk:myself, you know, somebody has to sell them all those little
Kristin Shunk:devices in their dentist office, and I started researching
Kristin Shunk:device, you know, selling products, all those different
Kristin Shunk:things. And I, I came across this ad for, you know, Johnson
Kristin Shunk:and Johnson, and they were looking for this medical device
Kristin Shunk:sales. And I just started contacting big companies. And I
Kristin Shunk:contacted Johnson and Johnson, I asked them, if I could contact
Kristin Shunk:the rep. And when I contacted that rep, that rep actually gave
Kristin Shunk:me the opportunity to go into the operating room and be with
Kristin Shunk:him and the surgeon. And in that environment, I realized that it
Kristin Shunk:is exactly who I was. It was the engineering of the device, it
Kristin Shunk:was the selling opportunity. And it was, you know, this really
Kristin Shunk:great way that you could impact patients. And I realized very
Kristin Shunk:quickly that that's who I was, I was meant to go into medical
Kristin Shunk:device, and selling that medical device really resonated with me,
Kristin Shunk:because I could impact a patient's lives, I could serve a
Kristin Shunk:surgeon serve the nurses serve the clinicians, and sell
Kristin Shunk:something that really was a true benefit to the hospital.
Wesleyne Greer:Hmm, I love that this was. So for any of our
Wesleyne Greer:younger audience that's out there. This was before the days
Wesleyne Greer:of LinkedIn. Right? So you can go on LinkedIn and say, Okay,
Wesleyne Greer:I'm going to find a medical device rep, or I'm going to find
Wesleyne Greer:the CEO or VP of sales at a company, you have tenacity,
Wesleyne Greer:right? You're like, I'm gonna find this person, can I talk to
Wesleyne Greer:them? What do I need to do? And they must have seen something in
Wesleyne Greer:you. Because for somebody to say, Come to work with me,
Wesleyne Greer:right? Come see my world. And really, that opens your eyes up
Wesleyne Greer:into what this is. And I think that, really, when I heard their
Wesleyne Greer:story, and I'm thinking about your background of that creative
Wesleyne Greer:versus that engineering, it's really what a medical device is,
Wesleyne Greer:right? It's an engineered solution, but you have to be
Wesleyne Greer:creative in the way that you use it. Because no two providers, no
Wesleyne Greer:two doctors are going to use the medical device in the same exact
Wesleyne Greer:way. Right. And it's up to you as a salesperson to think
Wesleyne Greer:outside the box and get into their world.
Kristin Shunk:Exactly. And I also think there's an artistry
Kristin Shunk:to what surgeons do, and nurses and clinicians are, there's a
Kristin Shunk:real artistry to it. You know, one anatomy, anatomy is not the
Kristin Shunk:exact same as the other anatomy, one patient is not the exact to
Kristin Shunk:the other patient. And there is a bit of an artistry in that.
Kristin Shunk:And I really respect that I respect what they do. And all I
Kristin Shunk:want to do is provide some type of solution, some type of
Kristin Shunk:something that can make that artistry better, and those
Kristin Shunk:patient outcomes better.
Wesleyne Greer:That's good. I love it. I love it. So it seems
Wesleyne Greer:like you started in the operating room. And now you've
Wesleyne Greer:transitioned to a company doing really cutting edge work. What
Wesleyne Greer:was that transition like through your career?
Kristin Shunk:Well, I was really, I guess, Lucky. You
Kristin Shunk:know, I always people always tell you know, you know how
Kristin Shunk:lucky you are right? But it really you have to invest in
Kristin Shunk:yourself. And whenever I was with a midsize company called at
Kristin Shunk:the time it was a mid sized company, it's a much larger
Kristin Shunk:company now called Integra. There are all these devices that
Kristin Shunk:you know, a neurosurgeon used. And Integra probably had one of
Kristin Shunk:those in their bag. And it really gave me the opportunity
Kristin Shunk:to really get some really good experience with all types of
Kristin Shunk:devices in neurosurgery and be at the bedside and work with
Kristin Shunk:neurosurgeons both in the operating room in the ICU. I did
Kristin Shunk:really well at that company and was very proud of what I was
Kristin Shunk:able to accomplish. But my mother has a saying she says, If
Kristin Shunk:Kristen isn't challenged, she's not happy. And so I had a really
Kristin Shunk:unique opportunity to take a leap of faith and take a lot of
Kristin Shunk:risk and go into startup. And that's where I feel that I got
Kristin Shunk:my stride. Being in a really disruptive technology. The next
Kristin Shunk:company that I was part of was visual lace. It was a device
Kristin Shunk:that inherently offered patients a minimally invasive option.
Kristin Shunk:There was nothing in between there was an open craniotomy and
Kristin Shunk:then there was medical management and visualize offer
Kristin Shunk:patients and minimally invasive options. So we really changed
Kristin Shunk:the complete continuum of care for the patient. And that's
Kristin Shunk:where I got a taste of what disruptive technology can do for
Kristin Shunk:the patient continuum of care, not only from the device aspect,
Kristin Shunk:but from the business aspect, in developing a business around
Kristin Shunk:that, the processes, the procedures, the, you know,
Kristin Shunk:building a team, building marketing material, and really
Kristin Shunk:the engine that fuels a startup. And sure enough, they did, in
Kristin Shunk:fact, they were acquired visually, it was acquired by
Kristin Shunk:Medtronic, I was part of the integration, supporting that
Kristin Shunk:integration, and then ultimately ended up the US sales manager of
Kristin Shunk:that business unit. But Medtronic was a wonderful
Kristin Shunk:company, tons of resources, I am so grateful for my time there.
Kristin Shunk:But just like my mom says, I needed another challenge. And
Kristin Shunk:that's when I came to hyper fine. Being part of, you know,
Kristin Shunk:another truly disruptive technology that's going to
Kristin Shunk:change the patient continuum of care is really remarkable. And
Kristin Shunk:now, you know, we're developing an entire organization around a
Kristin Shunk:portable MRI, which is very different than the other, you
Kristin Shunk:know, widgets or technologies that are out there. And scaling
Kristin Shunk:that organization is very important to us right now. And
Kristin Shunk:getting the word out that to physicians and hospitals that
Kristin Shunk:this is available.
Wesleyne Greer:So you have taken leaps of faith and started
Wesleyne Greer:teams from scratch. And you know, now you're in this
Wesleyne Greer:position with hyper fine. So thinking about when you said,
Wesleyne Greer:Hey, okay, pretty much on board, it's time for me to try
Wesleyne Greer:something else. What are some of the the challenges that you
Wesleyne Greer:experience is taking over a learning new technology building
Wesleyne Greer:a team? What are some of those challenges?
Kristin Shunk:I think that the core focus of it is, is that
Kristin Shunk:whenever you're taking on a new technology, you have to get to
Kristin Shunk:the root of again, that why right? What is that need? What
Kristin Shunk:does that need? When you're selling something your customers
Kristin Shunk:know? What is their need? What exactly is that niche, what
Kristin Shunk:drives them to need that device. And I think that once you get a
Kristin Shunk:better understanding of that of where it fits, and how the
Kristin Shunk:customer is going to use it, and the value that it brings, you
Kristin Shunk:can really craft an organization around that, and develop an
Kristin Shunk:organization around that. And, you know, build a team with
Kristin Shunk:inherent skill sets and relationships. And around that,
Kristin Shunk:why and around that value that the product brings. And I find
Kristin Shunk:that that is, you know, the most, you know, successful teams
Kristin Shunk:that I've seen is that when you can bring people with two skill
Kristin Shunk:sets that are focused around that why and around that
Kristin Shunk:product, it becomes an environment that is set for
Kristin Shunk:greatness.
Wesleyne Greer:So when you're building your team, this is
Wesleyne Greer:something that so many sales managers, sales leaders have
Wesleyne Greer:this question, okay, I'm either building a team from scratch, or
Wesleyne Greer:we're in growth mode, and you said you get a balance of skill
Wesleyne Greer:set. How do you figure out how many industry outside versus
Wesleyne Greer:industry insiders versus senior and junior? What is your Do you
Wesleyne Greer:have a magic formula for that? Or what are you looking for?
Kristin Shunk:So what I think you're looking for is a grit. To
Kristin Shunk:be honest, I think that grit is so important. It's not
Kristin Shunk:necessarily that, you know, I need people with relationships,
Kristin Shunk:you know, I don't know, relationships are definitely a
Kristin Shunk:plus. But it's the person that's going to go out there every
Kristin Shunk:single day, and not only be gritty, to be able to be
Kristin Shunk:motivated to get something done. But also, I think that you know,
Kristin Shunk:somebody who's willing to challenge the norm, and say, you
Kristin Shunk:know, I know that you might be doing this, but I have this to
Kristin Shunk:offer. And really finding that person that is gritty can
Kristin Shunk:challenge people to think differently. And the third thing
Kristin Shunk:is authenticity. I think that the authenticity piece is really
Kristin Shunk:important to customers, customers don't want someone to
Kristin Shunk:come in and say, This is the best device. And you know, you
Kristin Shunk:should buy it now and buy it now and walk away. The authenticity
Kristin Shunk:part really creates the connection with the customer.
Kristin Shunk:And if you're not authentic about what you're doing, and how
Kristin Shunk:you're doing it, and what you're providing to them, it's not
Kristin Shunk:going to go well for anyone. So it's those three things. It's
Kristin Shunk:the grit, the challenge, you know, people who are willing to
Kristin Shunk:challenge others, not only customers but themselves and
Kristin Shunk:their peers. And then thirdly, it's that authenticity that I
Kristin Shunk:find really important.
Wesleyne Greer:I love that and what I love the most about what
Wesleyne Greer:you said is you didn't say they must have this experience. They
Wesleyne Greer:have to have been doing this they have to have this book of
Wesleyne Greer:business book Because so often I think that's what happens when
Wesleyne Greer:we're so tunnel vision focused on they have to come from the
Wesleyne Greer:industry, you know, my favorite work term that I love to say is,
Wesleyne Greer:you know, your, your competitors reject. So, and when you don't
Wesleyne Greer:have to think about those competitors rejects. And you're
Wesleyne Greer:like, our technology is good. Our scientists are good. Our
Wesleyne Greer:engineers are good. We know our product, we can teach it to you,
Wesleyne Greer:what we need is for you to come in and buck the status quo,
Wesleyne Greer:right. And I think that when somebody especially when you're
Wesleyne Greer:selling to doctors, or engineers, or any of these
Wesleyne Greer:really smart people, you have to have that tenacity when they
Wesleyne Greer:say, leave me alone, to keep going, you have to have the
Wesleyne Greer:tenacity when it's hard, or you know, you have to push a little
Wesleyne Greer:bit harder, or think about a different way of getting in, you
Wesleyne Greer:have to keep going. And that's really what that grip boils down
Wesleyne Greer:to.
Kristin Shunk:Exactly, exactly. And I'm gritty, I'll admit it.
Kristin Shunk:I'm very gritty. I came out of school. And you know, I figured
Kristin Shunk:out okay, I want to do this and I was gritty, I reached out to,
Kristin Shunk:you know, companies, I contacted reps that said, No, you know, go
Kristin Shunk:find somebody else to talk to you got to be gritty, you got to
Kristin Shunk:be gritty in the beginning of your career
Wesleyne Greer:and throughout, like, No, it doesn't mean No, it
Wesleyne Greer:just means not right now, right? And so they say, Okay, I'll put
Wesleyne Greer:you on the shelf. Maybe for a month or two months, or maybe
Wesleyne Greer:even three months, I've had people that out of the woodworks
Wesleyne Greer:six months later, I come back, and they say, okay, so yeah, now
Wesleyne Greer:I'm ready. But again, it's not to be that annoying salesperson,
Wesleyne Greer:right? And so as a leader, how do you coach each person to
Wesleyne Greer:their specific skill set to what makes them tick?
Kristin Shunk:Well, I think culture is important. I think
Kristin Shunk:culture is important within an organization. And I think that
Kristin Shunk:coachability is important. And not everyone is coachable. But I
Kristin Shunk:think that you know, my, my suggestion to everyone is that
Kristin Shunk:you should always be coachable. We're always learning we're on
Kristin Shunk:this planet, not as people who know everything we learn every
Kristin Shunk:single day, and I tell the people that I coach, and that I
Kristin Shunk:lead, and that I mentor that is that you should have a keen
Kristin Shunk:curiosity about life, about what you're doing, about, you know,
Kristin Shunk:being a parent, whatever that is, and learn every single day,
Kristin Shunk:learn something new every single day. So when I'm coaching
Kristin Shunk:others, and whenever I'm mentoring others, and leading
Kristin Shunk:others, I come from that place. And as long as they know that
Kristin Shunk:I'm coming from that place, and that they should be coming from
Kristin Shunk:that place, we're learning every single day, it makes that
Kristin Shunk:inherent coachability a little bit easier. Because all I want
Kristin Shunk:is I want them to be, you know, the best that they can be at
Kristin Shunk:whatever they're doing. And if they're under the idea that they
Kristin Shunk:want to be the best that they can be with, you know, what
Kristin Shunk:they're doing every day, and they're leading based on
Kristin Shunk:curiosity, and willingness to learn. I think that when you
Kristin Shunk:come from that foundation, and when you work with others who
Kristin Shunk:understand that you're approaching it that way, they
Kristin Shunk:are, in fact more coachable and more willing to learn that we
Kristin Shunk:both agree that we don't know everything, and that we are
Kristin Shunk:going to learn together, you're going to teach me I'm going to
Kristin Shunk:teach you and we're going to be our best selves.
Wesleyne Greer:Do you know, as a salesperson, I think sometimes
Wesleyne Greer:it's hard to admit that I don't know everything, right? Like, I
Wesleyne Greer:need help, too. And even as a leader, a lot of times, I think
Wesleyne Greer:that that's one of the challenges that we have, we
Wesleyne Greer:don't stop and say, I need help, too. Right? So I think that
Wesleyne Greer:really say, Hey, as long as you're coachable, we can work
Wesleyne Greer:together. And a lot of times I say, what is the key that you're
Wesleyne Greer:looking for when you're working with people, and I'm like, one
Wesleyne Greer:thing doesn't matter what your industry is, or what you do, the
Wesleyne Greer:propensity to change, if you have the propensity to change,
Wesleyne Greer:then you can grow, we can grow
Kristin Shunk:together. Exactly. And you know, it's a
Kristin Shunk:hard conversation. Sometimes when you're selling something,
Kristin Shunk:and as a salesperson, your measure is by the revenue, the
Kristin Shunk:quota, the target, and we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to
Kristin Shunk:hit those things, which we should, that's our job. Our job
Kristin Shunk:is to do a lot of those things. That's part of our job. And I
Kristin Shunk:feel like sometimes whenever sales, people are feeling that
Kristin Shunk:pressure, they're unwilling to try new things. Let's try new
Kristin Shunk:things. Let's try something like something isn't working, let's
Kristin Shunk:try something else. And you know, rather than stay in the
Kristin Shunk:same place that we're at, and I think I've always been open and
Kristin Shunk:receptive to that, you know, it Kristin, if this isn't working
Kristin Shunk:even as a leader, if this isn't working, this is what could
Kristin Shunk:work. And I think that if salespeople are open to that, I
Kristin Shunk:think that they'll see that they're able to hit those
Kristin Shunk:targets, hit those quotas, learn from each other, and really meet
Kristin Shunk:those goals and those KPIs.
Wesleyne Greer:Hmm. I love that. So hyper fine is going
Wesleyne Greer:through a transition right now. Tell us about what the trends
Wesleyne Greer:mission is and your role in it. Yeah, so
Kristin Shunk:I'm actually building a team. So hyper fine
Kristin Shunk:was FDA approved in 2020. So the first part of our year here in
Kristin Shunk:2021, was really about commercializing the technology.
Kristin Shunk:There was a lot of research and development over a number of
Kristin Shunk:years that was be developed. And now the decision has been made
Kristin Shunk:that we are in fact commercializing. So we have been
Kristin Shunk:building a team of excellence as what we have, and we were
Kristin Shunk:developing processes and procedures in order to meet the
Kristin Shunk:market need. We actually announced in July that we are
Kristin Shunk:going public as a double stack with a technology called
Kristin Shunk:liminal. And these technologies previously existed within a
Kristin Shunk:incubator company called the Four catalyzer. And, you know,
Kristin Shunk:right now, what we're doing is we're scaling, we're scaling, it
Kristin Shunk:is so much fun, we are in a really exciting time. And we're
Kristin Shunk:scaling. So we are developing a team, I am hiring on the West
Kristin Shunk:Coast. And we're developing a team around offering a portable
Kristin Shunk:MRI to hospitals. It's very, very exciting.
Wesleyne Greer:Wow. So talk about excitement. You just got
Wesleyne Greer:FDA approved, you are going public, and you are building a
Wesleyne Greer:team. I mean, this sounds like a lot of excitement. And I know
Wesleyne Greer:this is what keeps you on your toes. So when you think about
Wesleyne Greer:all of the different balls that you have up in the air, which is
Wesleyne Greer:the one that excites you the most.
Kristin Shunk:Hmm, I have to be really frank, what excites me
Kristin Shunk:the most is that patients that are seemingly difficult to
Kristin Shunk:transport from the ICU, if you can kind of imagine that, you
Kristin Shunk:know, this patient, we've all known people heard of people
Kristin Shunk:heard of stories that you know, this patient is in the ICU and
Kristin Shunk:may have, you know, lines and all types of things. And getting
Kristin Shunk:that patient to an MRI is really challenging. And it's
Kristin Shunk:challenging for the nurses and all involved, and being able to
Kristin Shunk:bring a portable MRI to that bedside in the ICU, that really
Kristin Shunk:excites me. So it's one thing to have an idea, it's one thing to
Kristin Shunk:create a product, but to actually scale that product so
Kristin Shunk:that it's accessible to everyone throughout the US worldwide.
Kristin Shunk:That's what excites me the most is going to be that access to
Kristin Shunk:imaging, I will say that I really looking forward to
Kristin Shunk:leading this team, because we are building an incredibly
Kristin Shunk:motivated team around that idea of the why. And the team that
Kristin Shunk:we're putting together and our leaders that are leading us,
Kristin Shunk:even at the executive level are all focused on that. So really
Kristin Shunk:the team aspect and the synergy that we're going to create is
Kristin Shunk:something that I am also excited about.
Wesleyne Greer:And that my friends is how you bring it all
Wesleyne Greer:back to your why Kristen started our conversation talking about
Wesleyne Greer:why and when I asked her what excited her the most she brought
Wesleyne Greer:it right back to her why which she has embodied as a company
Wesleyne Greer:why and really her passion around developing people and
Wesleyne Greer:getting people to help her see this way. And this vision. I
Wesleyne Greer:love it. And so usually I asked people, what is the thing that
Wesleyne Greer:you're most excited about have accomplishing or have done in
Wesleyne Greer:your life thus far. But you've given us so much golden nuggets,
Wesleyne Greer:I don't know if there's anything else that you want to share with
Wesleyne Greer:us?
Kristin Shunk:Well, I think outside of my my business, I
Kristin Shunk:will say that I'm a mother, and I'm a woman. And when I started
Kristin Shunk:in this, in this world of medical device, there weren't a
Kristin Shunk:lot of women involved. And so outside of you know, hyper fine,
Kristin Shunk:these dynamic companies, the why of the technologies and things
Kristin Shunk:like that I am most proud of what I've been able to
Kristin Shunk:accomplish as a female in the medical device industry and a
Kristin Shunk:leader of females as well. I speak at women's leadership
Kristin Shunk:events and things of that nature. But also being a mother,
Kristin Shunk:my child is going to see be able to say that his mom was
Kristin Shunk:courageous. She was a leader, and she impacted the lives of
Kristin Shunk:many. And for that I am most proud of showing him what that
Kristin Shunk:looks like. Ah,
Wesleyne Greer:that gave me chills. I mean, guys, I'm a mom
Wesleyne Greer:of boys too. And it is amazing for them to see us walk in our
Wesleyne Greer:passion, and really do the things that we love. Oh man,
Wesleyne Greer:this has been a jam packed episode. Thank you so much for
Wesleyne Greer:sharing your time, talent, expertise and inspiration with
Wesleyne Greer:us. If people want to get in contact with you want to chat
Wesleyne Greer:with you a bit more. What is the one best way for them to do
Wesleyne Greer:that?
Kristin Shunk:The best way for them to connect with me is on
Kristin Shunk:LinkedIn. You can just look up Kristen shank. My last name is S
Kristin Shunk:h u n k connect with me online Then messaged me. Follow me on
Kristin Shunk:LinkedIn.
Wesleyne Greer:Awesome. Well, thank you so much again for
Wesleyne Greer:joining us. I have thoroughly enjoyed and you've taught me so
Wesleyne Greer:much about really focusing on your why. Thank you again. Thank
Wesleyne Greer:you, Leslie. And that was another episode of the science
Wesleyne Greer:of selling stem. If you enjoyed this episode, click below leave
Wesleyne Greer:us a review, drop a comment or like and remember in everything
Wesleyne Greer:that you do transform your sales. Until next time.
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