Mike Ludwig: A student of the art and science of selling

For Mike Ludwig, field sales consultant, Henry Schein, every moment has the potential to be a learning moment. He learns from his customers, his colleagues, his family, and the world around him. It’s a trait he might have picked up from his mother, Kathy, who was a fourth-grade teacher. Or his father, Dave, a psychology professor and clinical psychologist.

Wherever he got it, continual learning – and then sharing his insights with others – are the accelerants to his selling style. And they are part of the reason Ludwig is receiving this year’s Repertoire/HIDA Excellence in Sales Award for a distributor.

Ludwig differentiates himself from others with his industry knowledge and “constant thirst to be ahead of the curve of knowing what is ‘next’ in healthcare,” says Chris McDougald, regional sales manager, North Carolina market, Henry Schein. “Mike is constantly initiating discussions and sending me articles and white papers of developments as well as new strategies and solutions that are presenting themselves within our industry. He always is looking for ways to be a part of the discussion internally within Henry Schein as to how we are preparing for the ever changing landscape that we work in to ensure we (Henry Schein) maintain our status of being an industry and market leader.”

Henry Schein Medical Vice President and General Manager Brad Connett learned all this about Ludwig soon after Connett hired him in 1990 when they both worked at Roane Barker (acquired by Henry Schein in 1997.)

The two were at an ABCO (now NDC) show, barely a month after Ludwig joined the distributor. In addition to the distributor reps on hand, a hundred or more manufacturers were showing literally thousands of products.

“After three days of meeting people and late nights, I was tired,” recalls Connett. “But we had an afternoon to burn before leaving.” At one point, Connett heard knocking on the door, only to find Ludwig there with virtually every single sample and product he had received at the show. “He asked me to go through each one,” says Connett “I thought I was done, but he had a thirst for knowledge and perseverance. He wanted to win.”

Says Ludwig, “Everything is a learning moment – and a teachable moment – for me, whether it’s with my peers or customers. I try not to get in over my head. What I teach may just be supply chain management tools. But I am really passionate about that, and about spreading best practices models.”

He does so on a daily basis in his territory, which extends from Greensboro, N.C., southwest on I-85 toward Charlotte.

First lesson in sales

Ludwig was born in Fort Wayne, Ind., but was raised in Hickory, N.C., where his father had a teaching job. He graduated from Lenoir Rhyne College in Hickory in 1990 with a major in business and minor in economics.

He was inspired to become a salesman while lifeguarding at a local pool. “There was a guy there one afternoon, when no one else was there. He had a beautiful house by the pool. So I asked him, ‘What do you do for a living?’ He said, ‘I’m in sales.’ Sounded like a great deal to me.”

Back then, pharmacy sales was the rage, he recalls. People who wanted to get into medical sales gravitated toward it. But Ludwig ran into Chris Poole, a med/surg rep, with whom he had played basketball. “He told me, ‘You really need to consider this,’” says Ludwig, speaking of distribution sales. “He explained the dynamics of it. It was my first lesson in sales, on what reps have to offer, namely, value.” The interview with Connett followed.

“Once you realize your value in the process, that’s when the ‘aha’ moment came for me,” he says. “I wanted to be a valued salesperson.”

He credits his father for being his first mentor, and Connett the second. “Brad shaped and molded me, and still does in a lot of ways,” he says. “He has a lot of great insights, is a great manager, really cares about his sales reps, and has built a team around that philosophy.”

The third mentor? Henry Schein colleague Bruce Brown, who also has a territory in North Carolina. “We talk daily,” says Ludwig. “He can break down any scenario and encapsulate it for you. He’s a greater-good type person.” Ask sales reps who they would want as their rep if they were a provider, and chances are, they’ll answer “Bruce Brown,” he says.

The system-ness of things
Ludwig looks at himself not only as part of a selling team, but as part of a larger system, encompassing Henry Schein, the provider, manufacturer partners, and others.

Says Connett, “He is definitely a student of the market. He studies what customers are facing, takes the time to learn their challenges, listens to them, and then brings in the proper experts, consultants or manufacturer reps who can help that customer respond to those challenges. He looks after the customer and what their needs are, and adapts his selling to them.

“He’s not a closer-driven type. His success is based on customer relations and becoming a trusted advisor.

Says Ludwig, “In the early 1990s, we focused on the individual – his or her knowledge and abilities. Then the emphasis was on the team effort. “Now, we have to humbly step back and ask, ‘How do we fit into the system and how can we get feedback to improve our system approach?’ Instinctually, it feels as if you’re not as important. But it’s the most important thing we can do.”

That system involves supplier and provider, as they work to align themselves on patient care, patient outcomes, patient satisfaction, as well as supply chain efficiencies, he says.

“The provider and medical education world is shifting, slowly,” he says. Medical schools today are less interested in candidates with strong science backgrounds and more interested in those with high emotional IQs, that is, people who can work with others and who understand that they alone are not the sole owners of medical knowledge. It’s the empathy and ability to collaborate that will win out – those are the individuals who will be successful.”

Manufacturers are an integral part of the system, says Ludwig. “The system sell is exciting. You bring in new technology and see the light bulb go off on the provider side. It’s a huge win for everyone.

“Now more than ever, our relationships with manufacturers – especially key manufacturers that deliver value – are stronger. We are part of a more intimate system.”

Supernatural?
Ken Spence, now with Provista, recalls meeting Ludwig some time ago at a sales meeting, when Spence worked on the manufacturer side. “I talked to him and told him, ‘If you ever have an opportunity and need help with one of your accounts, let me know,’” he says. A couple of months later, Ludwig did indeed call about an account that needed assistance with exam and surgical gloves, and asked for Spence’s help. “That’s the type of person he is. He’s a big writer, but he was reaching out, working hard for his accounts. He’s not just an order-taker; he wants to go in and find solutions to make that account run more efficiently. And he gets manufacturers to help when needed.

“After that one time, when he sent me into the account, we were able to convert the entire office, which led to another seven or eight conversions,” says Spence. “From then on, any time Mike needed something, he would give me a call. ‘Ken, I want you to ride with me for a day; I have some accounts who really need some help.’”

Lori McCann, MS, RN, HACP, director clinical operations, Carolina Asthma and Allergy, believes that Ludwig “has a supernatural sense” for figuring out what his accounts need. An independent practice, Carolina has 11 locations in and around Charlotte.

“I provided Mike with my vision and goals for managing our supply costs and efficiencies, and he provided me with an outline of what Henry Schein could provide,” she says. “He even staged the process to make it manageable, so it wasn’t overwhelming to the front line staff. He went above and beyond by providing one-on-one training, and he is always available to us.”

Customer-centered
Frank Kelleher, controller, Eagle Physicians & Associates, Greensboro, N.C., recalls when Caligor (formerly Roane Barker, now Henry Schein) won a five-year bid to be its med/surg and pharmaceuticals supplier. Eagle has 49 doctors, 10 mid-level providers and 280 staff in seven physical locations in and around Greensboro.

“He was not popular with the clinics that had to give up their relationships with the losing bidders,” recalls Kelleher, who gave Ludwig three months to “make all of our buyers happy.”

“He was able to win their trust by showing that standardization on most supplies across Eagle would bring down everyone’s costs. He then began to communicate savings opportunities on which his company was increasingly focused.

“His communication skills and customer-centered, fundamental way of being have only gotten better over the years,” continues Kelleher. “Our offices would revolt if there was a whiff of suspicion that I was shopping around for a replacement for Henry Schein.

“He listens not only to what our buyers say,” says Kelleher, “but what they mean. He waits until he has enough information to offer a solution or resolution to a problem. And he lets us know when he cannot help.

“There is more to tell, but this captures the essence of why Mike is excellent at his job. When I look at other vendors and service providers, he and a few others set the standard for what I have come to expect from the key links in Eagle’s value chain.”

Says McDougald, Ludwig is a leader at servicing large IDN customers. “He likes the challenge of truly understanding the needs of the large, complex IDN customer and building out a customized strategy and solution that addresses all of their needs. He almost looks at these large accounts as a huge puzzle with which he is constantly striving to ‘crack the code’ on what the perfect service model looks like.”

At quarterly business reviews, “Mike’s accounts have consistently commented on how they appreciate the partner they have in Mike, and how committed he is at bringing added-value to their entire supply chain,” continues McDougald. “The common theme I hear is that Mike has his finger on the pulse of what their needs are and is able to quickly identify a solution that helps to address those needs. I have been told that he has become much more than just a rep for many of his customers, and is viewed in most instances as a valued member of their team.”

Carpe diem

“There is no more fascinating industry to get into,” says Ludwig, speaking of medical products sales. “You need great people. You need open minds.” Young people considering a career in medical sales need to have an interest in being part of a system, have empathy, and have the ability to coordinate and collaborate. It’s as rewarding as you make it.”

Ludwig has made a point of not letting adversity beat him, even formidable medical challenges that faced one of his two sons. “He’s an introspective guy, a deep thinker,” says Connett. “We’ve had conversations about the preciousness of life. He’s got a smile on his face and a presence about him that says carpe diem.”

Ludwig and his wife, Stephanie, have two sons: Stephen and Jacob.