Game Changer

Training for Maximum Success Professionally & Personally

I have been in healthcare for as long as I can remember. By some standards that might mean I am officially getting old; but I’m not too old to remember how a college athlete who studied sports management completely changed her career path after 15 years in the sports world. If I had told my younger self that I would be a consultant in the healthcare field, I would not have believed myself.

So how does one go from being a sports marketing director of a Division 1 athletic department - who also once ran a professional golf tournament for the LPGA - to being a healthcare consultant?

It starts by keeping your options open and not being afraid to try something new.

That is super easy to say, but extremely difficult to do. My first major ‘open door opportunity ’ came when I was working in sales and marketing for an athletic department where my husband was also being considered for the top job as athletic director at that same institution. I knew I would not be able to work FOR him if he got the job, and I knew I would not want to work FOR them if he did not!

As it turns out, a VP at a local children’s hospital knew me from my work as the LPGA tournament director and reached out with a job opportunity for me as a physician liaison for her hospital. It was a sales job, she explained, and I would be calling on area providers to educate them all about the services and specialists at the hospital. It was my job to help them grow business for their hospital through building relationships with physicians in the community.

On paper, I would not be the ideal candidate for such a position, as I had ZERO healthcare experience. For so many people, even if given the opportunity to switch fields, they would NOT take it because of fear of failure. That thought crossed my mind and definitely made me pause. Could I actually do the job? I did not know the difference between a pulmonologist and an endocrinologist - much less what they do!

The VP explained to me that a consultant they were working with, Tiller-Hewitt HealthCare Strategies, would provide training for me. Well, that was all it took for me to say YES and start my next career in healthcare. I am not going to lie, I was nervous - but also very excited. I immediately stopped by my parent’s house to tell them the great news and was met with a hearty laugh from my dad. He actually was a super fan of mine – don’t get me wrong – but was not good at filtering his thoughts. Honestly, he was right, what was I thinking in taking this new role I know nothing about and to be expected to talk with doctors and drive business?

The title of this blog is Game Changer. Why, you ask?

Is it because I was involved in sports and now was changing to healthcare? That would be a good play on words and super clever. But NO! It was the training I received through Tiller-Hewitt Healthcare Strategies that was the GAME CHANGER!

The training gave me the tools to succeed in a whole new game. I learned personal time management skills and consultative sales training skills (which is FAR different than the typical sales training I had received in the past). I learned how to communicate more effectively by understanding personality and generational differences in communication (which as it turns out helps with getting past that ‘gate-keeper’). I learned how to win over and influence my internal team as well (that included everyone from the C-suite, management and co-workers who helped with issues that arose in the field.) Yes, Tiller-Hewitt training was a GAME CHANGER for me and just what I needed to set myself up for success in this crazy new healthcare world.

So how can you receive the same GAME CHANGING training?

Or maybe you’ve received all the training you need; but are you sure it’s still relevant? What is there to lose? You can always ‘sharpen your saw’ or learn from others in the field experiencing the same barriers and challenges. Tiller-Hewitt even has customized workshops for leaders of liaison teams.

Even better, as a leader of a liaison/outreach team, the investment in an onsite assessment and customized team training JUST FOR YOUR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM. This is an investment that will pay dividends!

For more information on Tiller-Hewitt’s Make It Matter sales training programs, check out tillerhewitt.com.

Kim Grant
Regional Manager, Eastern Region, Pediatric Growth Strategist and Onboarding Specialist with Tiller-Hewitt HealthCare Strategies
Executive Director of Dayton Children's Health Partners - a Clinically Integrated Network

Kim Grant has over 25 years of business development, strategic marketing, sales and physician relations experience. Her focus with Tiller-Hewitt HealthCare Strategies is on developing and managing sales teams directly related to physician alignment/relations for hospitals and health systems.

Kim has a BA in marketing from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio and an MA in Communications Technology from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.