A competitive spirit and a sense of daring enhance her approach to sales.
Kay Kavert cut her teeth in sales right out of college, taking a job in Sacramento, California, as a corporate sales recruiter. She worked on gaining accounts that wanted to hire outside recruiters and helping them find sales talent – entry level to VP. “It was 100% commission, right out of college,” she says. “We got some sales training, but we were all green. Looking back, maybe it wasn’t the best way to enter the profession. But really, maybe it was. When else can you do something like that but when you’re 22?”
In the blood
Kay Kavert, McKesson Medical-Surgical account manager – and recipient of this year’s Excellence in Sales Award for a Distributor – was born in Norfolk, Virginia, but the family moved to Northern California when she was just a year old. She grew up on a couple of acres in Sonoma, California.
From her father, Tom Shearer, a native Texan and retired Exxon Shipping Company executive, she inherited a competitive Tomboy spirit, a love of athletics and outdoor activities, and a Texas-style name – Billie Kay.
In her youth she tried just about every sport and played softball throughout high school and afterwards in an adult league. She started lifting weights and running her junior year and still does so today. She has been doing yoga for about 10 years as well as snow skiing, paddleboarding, kayaking, hiking and mountain biking. She ran one marathon in her life – on her 40th birthday – and many half marathons too, has competed in four Spartan Races, including two “beasts,” which were 17-plus miles with 30-plus obstacles. “I will never stop moving,” she says.
From her mother, Raymonde Shearer, she inherited a sense of daring. Raymonde was one of 16 children in Quebec, Canada, and the only one of them to leave Quebec. She came to the United States with few English language skills, married Tom, gave birth to her two children – Mark and Kay – and after that, went to school and earned a nursing degree.
From both parents she inherited a strong work ethic and can-do spirit, and she learned from a young age that she could do or be anything she wanted. At one point, given her mother’s native French language and her own interest in business, Kavert contemplated a career in international business – though not the sales side. “I had young, preconceived notions about what sales would entail,” she says. “Who knew that was exactly where I belonged!”
At her first firm, she was working with clients and helping people find jobs. “That was the job,” she says. “But as I got into it, I realized there was a skill and an art to it. We got some sales training and I found it was kind of fun. After I got going and learned what I needed to learn about the company, things came naturally to me. I have no problem meeting people, I can relate to people well, and conversations come naturally to me.” And she found the concept of earning more money simply by working harder very appealing. “It all kind of clicked.”
Medical sales
Several years later, eager to get her foot in the door of a medical company, she took a sales job with IVPcare, a closed-door pharmacy specializing in fertility treatments. “They were a small, privately owned company with a reputation for being extremely ethical, customer- and patient-driven and great to employees.” (In fact, “IVP” stood for Integrity, Value and Passion for Care.) She called on physicians, RNs, clinical managers and administrators, and medical assistants in fertility clinics in Washington, Oregon and California.
“I learned foundational sales skills at IVPCare,” she says. “I learned how to continually bring value to my customers (and how NOT to sell on price), how to ask tough questions, how to get to the bottom of people’s needs (as they aren’t always obvious), how to navigate difficult conversations, how to negotiate, and how to make sure I was a consultant who my clients could always count on. They knew I was someone who kept up with industry news and information and who could help their business grow and evolve.”
IVPCare went through some changes and became part of McKesson Corp.’s McKesson Specialty Pharmacy before being acquired by Walgreen Co. in 2008. At that point, Kavert made the jump to McKesson Medical-Surgical.
“I was ready to grow and evolve my career,” she says. “I also wanted to start a family but was traveling way too much for that. I was gone two or three nights a week due to the size of my territory, which I knew I wouldn’t want when I eventually became a mother. The fact that the med/surg opportunity had a local territory was attractive and I was excited about all the opportunity McKesson had to offer.
A drink from the firehose
“The first thing I had to do was wrap my mind around the incredible number of products we sell, so I drank out of a firehose for about two years. Soon I realized that was just the beginning. I also had to learn about GPOs and contracts, how to manage pricing, and how to get through the doors of larger facilities with multiple specialties. I had to learn how an OR operates as well as how to understand the unique needs of each customer. I also had to learn how to juggle, as being a distribution rep often feels like being a quarterback, where you have 10 things going at once and you’re at the center. Moving into this business put my work ethic and foundational sales training to the test and I was able to build on it from there.”
Today, she calls on accounts in Sacramento, California, and suburbs and about 50-60 miles into the Central Valley. She also carries a couple of larger accounts that are expanding nationally.
Corporate accounts call for a slightly different approach than independent clinics, she says. “When you’re focused exclusively on local businesses, you get to know people very well and, in a sense, become part of the family. A lot of local customers see me as an extension of their team. With corporate customers, you’re dealing with the administrative level, and that’s a whole different conversation. You’re talking about bringing in new revenue streams, cutting costs, improving inventory management across all sites or creating ordering formularies. Then you must execute that corporate strategy at the individual account level. At the high level, it’s finance and strategic discussions; at the local level, it’s more of a service level discussion.”
But in the end, regardless of the size of the account, it’s about listening, guiding and differentiating yourself, she says.
“One thing I learned a few years into my career in med/surg was that you can do well in this field selling cotton balls and Band-Aids, but if you really want to set yourself apart, you’ve got to be strategic and bring unique solutions to your customers. For example, you can turn a request for a 224 table into a discussion about medical casework, tables with built-in scales that automatically transmit data into the EMR through connected vitals device, mobile workstations instead of mayo stands, and computer workstations as well. Once a customer falls in love with the equipment and workflow, you’ve not only increased your current sale, but you’ve set a precedent for future ones. It takes knowing your customers intimately and understanding the gaps in their business to provide solutions that are unique. And once you’ve brought an idea to them that turns into a success, they’ll keep coming back for more, and you become their most cherished consultant.”
Energy that’s contagious
Manufacturers are a vital part of the picture, she says. Working with vendors who are ethical, capable and customer-oriented help Kavert be more strategic in sales. And manufacturers take notice.
Midmark Portfolio Manager Brady Bernhoft says, “Kay is a passionate leader who makes healthcare better every day. Her character is the best and she always does what’s ethically right for her customers. She cares about her customers and patients, and her goal is to improve patient care and the experience for all. She will work around the clock to ensure this happens. Kay is intelligent, and her knowledge of clinical workflow, design, EMR integration and infection prevention are the best. The added value she brings to our industry is inspiring, and her positive energy is contagious.”
bioMerieux Account Executive John Butterfield says, “Kay’s dedication to being reliable and loyal to her customers is why her customers love her. She always maintains a customer-first attitude and ensures that every one of her customers is taken care of regardless of how big or small they are. The overarching traits that Kay demonstrates are dedication, loyalty and reliability. She is available 24/7 and will always respond quickly. Her relationship with the manufacturing community is on the same level as with her customers. She always treats everyone with respect.
“Kay has always been the rep who will volunteer to help train new reps and raise her hand to be part of a committee or focus group that her corporation thinks is important. She is always the SME for her team.”
Throughout six years of working with Kavert, McKesson Medical-Surgical Area Sales Manager Mike Ross says “she has given me countless levels of support and coaching to make me and the team better. Kay is a great listener and is very willing to ask questions – even the hard ones. She is very thorough and drives herself, vendors and customers to competition. She cares. Her listening skills are amazing, follow-up skills are crazy good, and her closing skills even better. Her style inspires her customers, her supervisors and co-workers to make good decisions.”
Kay lives with her husband, Shawn, in El Dorado Hills, California, with their two boys, Lucas and Logan. Kay and Shawn will celebrate their 20th anniversary in September.