Ultimate Insider
Kim Soler is smart on the phone
Kim Soler
As a student at Kean University in Union, New Jersey, Kimberly Soler had a goal – to be a journalist and start a magazine, perhaps one focused on urban hip-hop. Public relations was another option. Either way, she wanted a future in communications.
As it turns out, she eventually got it, though not in the way she had expected. As HME inside sales lead for McKesson Medical-Surgical, Soler spends the better part of everyday speaking and problem-solving with providers of home medical equipment and home health agencies.
Born and raised in Sicklerville, New Jersey, Soler is the youngest child of Robert and Stephanie Kirby. Her father is a three-tour Vietnam vet and retired postal worker, and her mother retired from Rowan University as the executive assistant for the alumni department.
“They raised both my sister, Nicole, and I to be leaders – never to follow,” she says. “They did so by making sure we excelled at school. We were on the path to college success by middle school. Their main interest was for us both to have more success and achieve financial stability sooner in life than they did.
“They worked incredibly hard for us, and we didn’t need for anything. The push wasn’t overwhelming. It was motivating, and that’s why I’ve been able to fulfill many of my goals today.”
After graduating, Soler – then living in South Jersey – got a job as a senior sales specialist for computer-maker Dell. “I really excelled at it,” she says. “It didn’t feel like work; it was just a natural process for me.
“I love to talk and to socialize, and that was my job. I loved digging down and getting to know my clients. I enjoyed talking with them, making them comfortable. And I got the sale! It was easy for me to uncover what they really wanted.”
At Dell, she learned that to be successful in sales, you have to know what you are selling – its benefits and advantages, all the details. And you have to know the competition. The experience taught her that the three most important traits of a successful inside rep are persistence, perseverance and drive.
In 2010, Soler began applying those characteristics as a sales administrator for McKesson Medical-Surgical, supporting the long-term-care and home-care sales teams. She became inside sales account manager, homecare, in 2012; and last year, was named HME inside sales lead.
Customers’ challenges
HME providers and home care agencies face plenty of challenges – challenges that McKesson Medical-Surgical can help them meet, says Soler.
“The biggest challenge facing providers today is finding a way to increase revenue year after year, when reimbursement is declining even faster. The second biggest challenge is reinventing their businesses. What worked for providers seven years ago, five years ago, even three years ago, will not work today.
“In the past, the brick-and-mortar HME provider was the No. 1 place in the community to get home care products,” she says. “In my opinion, they still are. They are knowledgeable, hands-on and always available to discuss the needs of patients or their loved ones.” But they are facing stiff competition from big-box retailers and online suppliers.
To meet that competition, successful HME providers are modernizing their stores to attract customers, adding storage and floor space, as well as plenty of windows and lighting. Many are trying to connect with their communities by working with local charities, assisted-living or long-term-care facilities, even schools.
Inside account managers can help providers diversify and streamline everyday processes, says Soler. By offering tools such as electronic ordering and online visibility to purchase history and inventory, “we help them keep their costs down and profits up, allowing them more time to focus on patient care and outreach.”
Soler and her husband, Frank, a contractor, live in Philadelphia. They like to travel, and later this year, hope to make it back to Jamaica. When she’s not working or traveling, she might be cooking. “I love Latin food. I make what they call pernil – which is slow-cooked roast pork to die for.
“And I’m only getting better at it.”
Hip hop insights
Editor’s note: As a college kid majoring in communications, Kimberly Soler thought about starting an urban hip hop magazine. Her career took a turn, but her enthusiasm about hip hop, and her ability to write about it, remained strong. Repertoire asked Soler to write a brief review of the person she considers to be the most exciting hip-hop artist today. Here’s what she wrote.
Rapper Casanova hit the music scene in 2016, catching the attention of Memphis Bleek (former Roc-A-Fela artist), and music mogul Jay-Z. Managed under Jay-Z’s Roc Nation management company, Casanova is making quite a name for himself.
With a tone similar to Busta Rhymes combined with the rawness of 50 Cent, Casanova is catching the ear of the older hip hop generation with his new school “Trap” flow.
Though his style is intriguing, it’s his past that makes him more exciting. Casanova lived his youth as a gangster until it cost him eight years in Riker’s Island. There is no excitement in incarceration, but I admire anyone that takes advantage when given a second chance at life. Using his past as a foundation, it stimulates authentic rap lyrics that provide realism through his rhymes.
Though his story is not original, it is motivating when one can turn a life of negativity into success.