Excellence in Sales
Twenty-three years into it, Jarrel Watkins is still learning about the industry he was born into
When Jarrel Watkins began his career in medical sales 23 years ago, he thought it was all about selling his products. He has since learned otherwise.
“I wish I had known 20 years ago the value of consultative selling,” he says. “It’s so much more productive and sustainable to have a conversation with a customer rather than a sales call.”
Watkins, account executive for McKesson Medical-Surgical servicing Jackson, Mississippi, and surrounding areas, is the recipient of this year’s Repertoire/HIDA Excellence in Sales Award for a distributor.
Work ethic
Watkins was born and raised in Jackson. His father, Angus “Dan” Watkins, was a Korean War veteran who worked for most of his life in the medical distribution industry, first with Whittaker General Medical, then Stover Co. – both of which are now McKesson Medical-Surgical.
Dan Watkins was a sales rep for a while, then vice president of operations for General Medical. Later, he ran operations for a small Jackson-based medical supply company named Healthcare Suppliers. His son, Jarrel, worked in the warehouse during summers while attending college.
Dan Watkins died at age 52, when Jarrel was 18, but not before teaching his son some valuable lessons about work and life.
“My father prided himself in knowing every item he had in inventory, no matter what the computer said,” says Watkins. “I don’t know if there was ever a time when he wasn’t working a spreadsheet at his desk at home. He also taught me humility. I don’t ever recall him talking about himself, because it was never about him.”
His father’s sudden death taught Jarrel another valuable lesson – the fragility of life and how quickly one’s circumstances can change.
Following his father’s death, Jarrel’s mother, Cleo, demonstrated amazing strength and toughness, he says. Not surprising. She had been one of 13 kids growing up in rural Mississippi, where she worked in the fields on the family farm. “She said the only reason her parents had so many kids was for the free labor,” he says. “Again, strong work ethic. She even built a beauty salon on the front of our house when I was around nine or 10, just to have her own money.”
The call of medical sales
Graduating from the University of Southern Mississippi with a degree in business administration, Watkins took a job as a sales representative for a small food manufacturer in Mississippi. “They had a representative for their retail market, but needed [someone] for food service,” he recalls. The owner had previously used a broker, but wanted to build more direct relationships with distributors.
But medical sales called. His father’s former employer, Healthcare Suppliers, needed a rep to call on freestanding dialysis centers in Houston. Watkins took the job and moved there.
After a couple of years, his former employer, the food company, invited Watkins to come back to Jackson and assume a position with more responsibility. He did so. But after being back a few years, he realized he missed medical sales.
“Being around the warehouse with my father as a child and working there with him while I was in high school” was one reason he missed the industry. “I just liked that there were so many different products I could sell. I always felt like I belonged here. I also think part of me felt it kept me close to my father in some way.
“So I decided if the right opportunity came available, I would try to get back into the industry I missed so much,” he says. In 1995 he saw an ad in the local paper for a position with General Medical. “I could not believe it. It was like it was meant to be.” He interviewed with Alan Ramsey. “I think I called him every day for six months, asking for the job.” He was hired in March 1996.
Selling style
“Jarrel has amazing customer relationships,” says Scott Cunningham, area sales manager for McKesson Medical-Surgical, who once competed with Watkins in the Jackson territory when Cunningham was a PSS rep. (McKesson Medical-Surgical acquired Jacksonville, Florida-based PSS in 2013.) “He has figured out that this is a relationship business, and he has spent years developing the trust it takes to be successful in this industry. He is consistent, prompt with follow-up, and offers a consultative selling style.
“I would also say that he understands precisely the ever-changing landscape of healthcare, and has a very diverse customer base,” he continues. “Not only is he proficient with the independent market, he has navigated quite nicely into the IDN market space, the ambulatory surgery care market, and the physician office laboratory.
“Jarrel has a lot of respect for our manufacturing partners, and he works closely with them to bring solutions to his customers,” adds Cunningham. “He is open to working with all of them, but he has excelled by focusing on the POL and working closely not only with our laboratory partners, but also our own McKesson resources.”
Watkins was an early adopter of the technology McKesson has developed to help account executives navigate and streamline their business, he says.
Watkins himself believes that technology is the driving force behind many changes taking place in healthcare today, including the electronic medical record, changes in reimbursement and other things.
“With all these massive changes, it’s more important than ever for my customers to have access to as much information as possible to make successful decisions for their practice or organization,” he says. They want to know where their spend is going, better ways to manage their business, and how to keep control of their budget.
“That puts me in a great position, because no company in our industry makes more analytics available to their customers than McKesson.”
Empathy
Watkins knows how to build strong relationships with his manufacturer partners, says Andrew Price, territory portfolio manager for Midmark.
“Jarrel has an ability to empathize with others,” he says. “It’s a fast-paced business. You can be doing 20 things one day, a hundred the next. He gets that. He understands that most likely, the person he’s contacting is just as busy as he is. So it’s not, ‘What can you do for me now?’ but ‘How can we coordinate our efforts?’”
With customers, Watkins goes above and beyond, adds Price. For example, if a practice says it needs an exam table, Watkins doesn’t merely fill the order, but instead takes the time to learn why the practice is looking for a table. “Sometimes he has a better understanding of the customer’s needs than the customer. He’s not just checking boxes and trying to fill orders.
“He’s not an account manager. He’s a solutions provider.”
Says Watkins, customers are busier than ever, and they don’t have time to sit down and talk about the kids or their vacation. “But they will have time for you if you come with a purpose. If you’re focused, and you know what you can bring to the table – that’s how you build relationships. That’s when you become more of a consultant.”
Twenty-three years into his career, Watkins is still learning.
“I think medical sales is one of the most diverse career paths out there,” he says. “From equipment and diagnostics, to technology and everything in between, there is unbridled opportunity. And the caliber of people you get to meet and interact with is as diverse as the products. It makes it a lot more fun.”
One of his greatest sources of joy is his 15-year-old daughter, Zoe. “Her sense of humor, kindness, and toughness make me excited for her future and mine as well,” he says. Another source of joy is his partner of the last four years, Lisa. A single mother of three children, she moved to America from India in 1996 at the age of 26. “Her ability to ‘just get it done’ knows no bounds,” he says.
So many mentors
When asked about mentors, Jarrel Watkins points first to Drayton Holley, whom he worked with in Houston for Healthcare Suppliers. “That guy was unflappable in front of a customer, and he had a great business acumen,” he says. And at McKesson Medical-Surgical, he points to many peers and team members who were strong in sales and eager to help others succeed.
“Guys like Mitch Schidler and Will Stone on my first team; David Songy, Bobby Kahn, Scott White, Chris Walter on my second team; David Gentry, Don Davis, Tim Hicks on my current team. And so many others along the way.”