Todd Matthews: Customers come first
Todd Matthews (center) being presented the Excellence in Sales award by Repertoire’s Scott Adams (left) and HIDA’s Ian Fardy (right)
Todd Matthews learned what selling was all about on his first day in the field almost 25 years ago.
“It was the first account I ever went into,” says Matthews, sales rep for McKesson Medical-Surgical. “I was so excited. The lady slides the glass open and I said, ‘I’m Todd Matthews, the new rep for PSS.’
“She slid the glass back and said, ‘Please don’t come back.’”
At least she said “please.”
Things picked up after that, as Matthews – recipient of this year’s Repertoire/HIDA Excellence in Sales Award for a distributor rep – quadrupled sales in the territory in the 18 months he was there. “I gave some stability to the territory, proved that I could sell equipment, and proved I was ready for the next territory.”
Campus marketing rep
Matthews was born and raised in Mobile, Ala., and still lives in the area. His mother was a teacher, his father a contractor. “The reason I’m in sales is because I didn’t want to be in the construction business,” he jokes.
He attended the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa with one goal in mind – to graduate. But along the way, he picked up some skills that would prove useful later in life. He was the campus marketing rep for Coors Brewing Company. “You’re not encouraging kids to drink,” he says. “But you’re promoting a line, organizing events that were fun. I was excited about the opportunities, and I came up with some good ideas of how to market Coors on campus. Everybody thought it was the coolest job on campus – to be dressed up as the Coors Light wolf.” He worked with ESPN on an early “game day” event, hosted bands, and more.
He didn’t know anything about PSS (which was acquired by McKesson Medical-Surgical in 2013) until he visited the career center at Alabama. “Just like any other marketing student, I signed up for every job I could,” he says. He got an interview, no doubt because PSS recruiters were interested in the sales and marketing work he had done for Coors. He joined PSS on Aug. 2, 1990. “This is the only job I’ve had out of college,” he says.
Aug. 2, 1990, was also the first day of the Gulf War, following Iraq’s invasion and attempted annexation of Kuwait. The war disrupted PSS’s normal orientation procedure for new reps. So Matthews went to Columbia, S.C., where he lived and worked for seven months, pulling orders, running routes, cleaning up, pretty much “living every facet of delivery,” he says. After seven months, he got a call at 5 one afternoon telling him to be in Rome, Ga., the next morning and start working a territory. “That’s how they did it then,” he says. He and his then-girlfriend (and now wife) Leigh – who happened to be visiting at the time – got in the car and drove overnight to Rome, and he started next day … only to be met by the lady with the sliding glass door.
The territory needed some work – but work was something Matthews had never shied away from before. “I started knocking on doors, hoping somebody would listen to me.” They did, and the territory grew. Eighteen months later, he got a call at 4 one afternoon telling him to start work in Mobile the next morning.
Commitment to the customer
Among those who offered guidance to the young rep in Mobile was Buddy Smith, a veteran PSS rep (who just recently retired, says Matthews). “He began to teach me what it was to be a medical sales rep,” says Matthews. “A lot of it wasn’t telling me; it was showing me.” Smith demonstrated that successful selling is, simply, commitment to the customer. “Buddy showed that you moved heaven and earth to take care of that customer.” If it was a setup, Smith would show up that morning to hang things on the wall, making sure everything was perfect before the doctor set foot inside. “That’s the way I was ‘raised,’” says Matthews. “You didn’t work for the company, you worked for the customer. If you did that, you would take care of yourself.”
What Smith demonstrated almost 25 years ago remains the driving force in Matthews’s professional life today. “Truly taking care of the needs of the customer, means always being proactive in looking for opportunities, or possibly problems,” such as backorders or looming backorders. “I’ll do whatever it takes to help things run smoothly for the customer, and looking for opportunities for them to make money or to save money. I consider myself their business partner, and they know I am looking out for their best interest.
“I have always tried to excel at what I do,” he says. “I ask a lot of questions of people who have knowledge, I collect that knowledge, and I share it.” Perhaps it’s the influence of his mother, the teacher, he says. “I have always enjoyed working with young reps, mentoring those young guys, because people helped me when I needed it. And I take that seriously.”
He also takes seriously his work with manufacturers. Good, productive relationships with vendors depend on communication. “You have to have a conversation so that you understand each other,” he says. “You have to have a partnership of trust and understanding. You have to know how you are going to position your products and services to the customer. There is a way for the manufacturer, the distributor and the customer to win.”
As far as ride-alongs are concerned, it’s important to remember that “the goal is to sell the product and maybe solve a problem for a customer,” he says. “Customers don’t have the resources to know everything that’s on the market; they count on us to be the consultants. So the successful call means that you meet the needs of the customer, provide them a product, and the manufacturer and distributor sell something.”
Matthews is grateful for the support he receives from his family. His wife, Leigh, whom he met while the two were at Tuscaloosa, was herself a sales rep (for Steris), “so she understands the business,” he says. And she understands the highs – and lows – of selling. “She knows what it means to be self-motivated, and she knows how to pick me up, dust me off and push me out the door in the morning.” Together, they have two daughters: Madison, who attends Samford University in Birmingham; and Mackenzie, who is in high school.
For the past 15 years or so, Matthews meets with a Christian men’s group at 5:30 a.m. on Wednesdays. The group seeks out opportunities to help people in the church and the Mobile community. “It is something that keeps me motivated through the week,” he says.
Todd Matthews: Student … and educator
Todd Matthews, McKesson Medical-Surgical sales rep, is a student of the game, who understands the needs and challenges facing his customers and manufacturer partners, and strives to accommodate all, according to three manufacturer reps with whom Repertoire spoke: Jeff Gilliland, account sales consultant for Beckman Coulter in Alabama, Mississippi, northern Georgia and the Florida Panhandle; Dee Chapman, account executive for Alere, serving Alabama and the Florida Panhandle; and Chris Huppert, territory sales rep for Midmark, serving central north Florida, southern Georgia and lower Alabama.
Studies the business
“One thing about Todd,” says Gilliland. “He really studies the business. He understands all the aspects of customers’ decisions, what criteria they consider, and he brings informed, well-thought-out solutions to them based on his research and due diligence.”
Gilliland’s and Matthews’s paths have crossed many times since the mid-1980s, beginning with shared years at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Both began working for PSS after college, and while career paths have taken different directions they have worked together in several capacities over the years.
“Todd assesses the customer’s needs and the product offerings on the market. He looks at factors such as enhanced patient care, reimbursement, return on investment, and he brings solutions to his customers that enhance their practices. He has a deep and broad understanding not only of the product, but how it will benefit the practice from a business and patient satisfaction standpoint.”
Matthews makes a quick and genuine connection with customers, notes Gilliland. “He makes it a priority to establish relationships with customers. Quite often he knows their families and friends and they make time to share life events with each other. He knows how to balance humor and levity, and seriousness, and his customers appreciate that. They know he’s full of personality and a lot of fun in the clinic, but that when he turns the switch to business, he absolutely knows what he’s talking about – and they value that. His customer relationships are meaningful, sincere and valuable.”
Matthews also knows how to maintain strong relationships with manufacturers, beginning with the simple things like returning a call, adds Gilliland. “Sometimes we fall behind the veil of technology – email, texting. But Todd is a pick-up-the-phone type of guy, believing it’s just a more personal way of communicating.
“He understands what manufacturers’ reps are trying to do and what our challenges are. He is not selfish. He is realistic in his expectations and he knows that if all three parts of the triangle – manufacturer, distributor and customer – are pleased, there will be positive outcomes for all.”
Matthews’s willingness to study his customers’ decision-making processes, and to build meaningful relationships with many people, help him navigate some tough sales, says Gilliland, recalling one complex IDN sale he made with Matthews a couple of years ago. “Todd knew how to pull together all the people who needed to be involved in order to make a decision. He understands the different decision-makers – end users, financial decision-makers and others – and the needs of each one.
“He has a nice way of making the complex simple.”
An educator
Dee Chapman has been serving customers in Alabama and the Florida Panhandle for 20 years. She has known Todd Matthews for 19 of those years.
“In the beginning, we were competitors,” says Chapman, account executive for Alere. “I was with BioStar [which, through various acquisitions, is now Alere]. We sold direct; when Alere bought us, they decided to take all their products through distribution.” She says Matthews still talks about an emergency-care account, whose business he all but owned – except for their BioStar strep tests. “It aggravated him to no end,” she laughs.
Now that she and Matthews work as partners, Chapman has learned several things about her counterpart.
“He is most willing to educate everyone,” she says. That begins with the customer. “Todd asks, ‘What can I do to educate my customer so they know what’s coming in the future?’” she says. He studies healthcare trends and shares them with his customers, whether it profits him or not, she says. “They look to him as a leader in all things healthcare,” she says. “He brings them information, not just products.”
He does the same thing with his manufacturer partners, she continues. “The information he learns or gleans, he comes back and regurgitates to us, and asks, ‘Are you aware of this?’ ‘How are you going to react?’ ‘What will you do when this happens?’”
And he freely shares knowledge with his peers, she says. “It’s not, ‘I’m going to learn this information and use it to build a dynasty.’ Instead, he goes back and shares what he has learned. It is a selfless act, making sure everybody has all the information they need.”
Matthews goes on ride-alongs with manufacturers not because he has been told to, but because he believes the manufacturer can teach him something that he can use in future sales, says Chapman. But the knowledge-sharing isn’t a one-way street.
“I never go into a call with Todd where he doesn’t let me do some exploring. He has enough control in the account to let me wander about the lab. He knows we’re there on a fact-finding mission, to see if there’s something we can offer that will fit the account. And he’s very comfortable exploring new options or seeing things he hadn’t seen or thought of before.”
Matthews demonstrated his willingness to share his knowledge with others several years ago, when he was laid up for several weeks following rotator cuff surgery, recalls Chapman. “He was distraught that his customers wouldn’t be taken care of,” she says. So, he asked PSS corporate to send a rookie his way, someone who could call on his accounts in his absence – but under his direction. At night, the young rep would go to Matthews’s house for instruction … and some quizzing. “He was driving him to provide the same level of service as he would.
“I think that’s an example of excellence in sales, if there ever was one – to take your knowledge and make sure someone else benefits from it.”
Account control
When Chris Huppert – territory sales rep for Midmark in central north Florida, southern Georgia and lower Alabama – started with the company 11 years ago, he sought out Todd Matthews on the advice of a colleague. Having sold for HealthLink for seven years prior, Huppert knew to “always look for those key reps.”
Key reps, such as Todd Matthews, know how to balance the needs of two customers – the end user and the manufacturer, he says. “They have to prove their worth to the doctor and show them they’re doing right by them. At the same time, they need to make sure the manufacturer rep knows they’re protecting his or her interest as well. Todd does that as good as anybody in my area.”
Mobile, Ala., is a good six hours away from Huppert’s home base in Jacksonville, Fla. “I know when he calls me with an opportunity, he has already vetted it; he has qualified it. And I know that when I get in my van, this will be a real, real solid opportunity.
“I know with almost 100 percent certainty that this is going to go well, because Todd has great account control. He knows the decision-makers, the people we need to talk to. And from a manufacturer’s perspective, that’s what we look for. We rely on our distributors to help us along.”
On it
Several years ago, Rod Whatley and Richard Oyler, MD, both of whom worked in a local emergency room in Mobile, Ala., began meeting at Dr. Oyler’s house to discuss what it would take to get an urgent care center up and running. “We would sit at the dinner table and spend hours planning,” says Whatley, who today is clinic manager for Compass West Mobile and Compass Providence urgent care centers. “Many times, Todd [Matthews] was with us. He was instrumental in guiding us in what we really needed and what we didn’t.” And he has been there ever since.
“As a manager, it’s a huge comfort knowing that if I have a problem or I need something, or whatever the case, Todd is always here,” says Whatley. “He’s dependable, honest to a fault, and trustworthy. Todd has become more than just a sales rep. He has become a friend; we consider him to be part of our family.
“Todd will answer the phone at 9 p.m. Sunday night. In fact, I actually have called him then.” Whatley recalls. “My dad had emergency heart surgery, and I was going to miss work. I knew there was something I needed to order.” He called Matthews that night. “Todd’s exact words were, ‘Don’t worry, big daddy, we’ve got you covered.’ And I didn’t worry; I knew in Todd’s hands, everything would be fine.
“Todd met with Dr. Oyler the next morning and made sure we had everything we needed while I was out.”
Todd Matthews: Locked in
When McKesson Medical-Surgical acquired PSS in 2013, Jay Keene – McKesson Medical-Surgical area sales manager for Alabama and the Florida Panhandle – wasted no time calling Todd Matthews, the Mobile, Ala., rep for PSS. “We were excited about working together,” says Keene. The two knew each through serving on Repertoire magazine’s physician advisory council. But they had another bond: “We’re both big Alabama fans,” says Keene. “We tailgate fairly close to each other in Tuscaloosa on Saturdays.”
Since the merger, Keene has learned even more about Matthews.
“He is a very tireless, hard worker. He works extremely hard for his accounts. He views them almost as not accounts, but as friends. He builds relationships at a level that a lot of reps don’t. He also works with manufacturer reps extraordinarily well,” continues Keene. “He welcomes them in. He likes to learn from them. He has no problem sending them into his accounts, even if he can’t be there.”
Focal point
Matthews showed tremendous leadership skills during McKesson’s acquisition of PSS, adds Paul Lilly, McKesson Medical-Surgical account manager in Birmingham, Ala., and environs. “He was one of the guys who served as a leader to help bring the two teams together,” he recalls.
“We had a lot of people coming together who had been competitors; a week later, they were on the same team.” To make it work, all involved had to check their egos at the door and work together, he says. “Todd was one of the leaders in that regard. He kept a positive attitude, and he really kept the end game in mind. He didn’t get overwhelmed by the change and the moving pieces. Instead, he continued to focus on his customers and on helping the team improve by building camaraderie.”
Matthews has a tremendous work ethic and maintains his focus on the customer relationship and serving the customer, says Lilly. “He has a great ability to work with manufacturers to find the best fit for what a customer is looking for. He’s not just selling something because it’s on promotion or a hot new thing; he stays focused on it because it’s what the customer needs.”