Christina Izokovic — Be Better Than Yourself
When you’re #1, push to be better than yourself.
Christina Izokovic is the Number 1 Pharmaceutical Sales Rep, and Rep of the Year, for Avion Pharmaceuticals. She works in one of the toughest territories, that has a reputation for being a closed territory. By really diving deep and making a big impact, Christina has grown her numbers month after month, in all core brands, and every single product. She has received a couple of promotions within the last year and is now a District Sales Trainer, and is a part of the Marketing Board as well. Tune in to hear how Christina’s tips on being better than #1, and how to make an impact even with the toughest clients.
Shareable Clips & Quotes:
Key Takeaways:
[:29] Scott introduces his guest for this episode — Christina Izokovic.
[1:00] What are the top three things that have allowed Christina to get to the top?
[1:37] Christina’s #1 thing is persistence. Is there a point when she qualifies or evaluates prospects to see if they are worth pursuing?
[2:09] 2nd on Christina’s list is be better than the person she was yesterday. How does she make it a part of her process, and quantify that?
[3:53] Christina’s final point is to always treat everyone with respect.
[5:35] What is Christina’s role, and how did she get to #1?
[7:14] What does it take to be #1 at Avion? Christina quantifies her results.
[8:51] How did Christina get into this industry, and make the transition from being a nurse to being a sales rep?
[10:28] How is Christina managing her job, various roles, and being a mother to two young children?
[11:18] If Christina were starting over, would she have gone into sales earlier in her career?
[12:21] Christina shares her favorite sales story.
[16:31] What does Christina find to be the most challenging about selling?
[17:48] What are some creative strategies that Christina has used to get into closed environments?
[19:42] There is much to be said about the power of the handwritten note — people don’t easily forget who last sent them a handwritten note!
[21:55] Christina is a little bit of a night owl and a morning person — the rigors of her life demand it — but she’s become more of a night owl recently.
[22:38] What does Christina’s morning routine and process look like?
[25:14] How many offices does Christina typically get to in a day?
[25:22] What happens with her notes at the end of the day? How does she capture her “aha” moment?
[27:05] How is Christina’s evening structured?
[28:58] In the midst of all of that craziness, Christina is also working on a book. When does she get time to do that?!
[29:41] What was it about Christina’s childhood that has allowed her to be successful?
[31:15] What is Christina’s underlying motivation and driving force?
[31:43] On Sundays, Christina prepares for her week ahead. What exactly does she do to set up her week?
[33:33] How are sales measured in Christina’s industry?
[34:49] Christina explains how she prioritizes offices in her territory.
[36:02] What does Christina’s information diet look like?
[36:54] What are some tools and apps that help Christina out in her day-to-day?
[37:51] Is there a particular sales philosophy that Christina subscribes to?
[38:40] Christina describes her selling style.
[40:01] What is something that the average seller believes that Christina thinks is crazy? And vice versa?
[42:10] What were some decisions that Christina made and lessons she learned, that have made the difference in getting to the top?
[43:09] What advice does Christina have for others who are thinking about making the switch to sales?
[45:02] How is Christina thinking about and leveraging the idea of being better than herself last year?
[46:26] Christina talks about the one thing that she’s doing this year that she wasn’t last year, that is making a difference.
[47:29] Christina would like to know how other top sellers strive to be better than being #1.
[48:30] Who is the best sales professional Christina knows personally?
[49:17] Christina’s previous manager really helped her to achieve her success. What did he do that helped Christina get to the top?
[51:08] Christina is incredibly busy, all the time. Does she take any time at all to recharge? What keeps her going?
[52:20] Christina challenges you to not give up, and keep going! Look at the good days, and think about how you can be better.
[53:32] Get on the mailing list for the Sales Success Community! If you’re in the U.S., text “TOP1” to 444999 to make that happen — Get access to lots of great resources, and an exclusive bonus clip of Christina and her views on women in sales!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Top1.fm
Christina Izokovic on LinkedIn
Avion Pharmaceuticals
Pandora
MMIT Formulary