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Anyone who makes their living in sales will probably tell you it’s a demanding career. And a company’s culture makes all the difference in the world when it comes to growing their careers. Culture is just one of the many reasons sales consultants love their job at CHG.
Embracing difficulty
Mitch Lyle is a sales consultant with Weatherby Healthcare, a division of CHG Healthcare. His job is finding physicians to work in temporary assignments, or locum tenens, across the United States. He’s been with Weatherby for more than four years and in sales for almost a decade. But 2020 was a year like no other. The onset of the pandemic was devastating to his book of business.
Mitch admits he was scared as he watched his sales plummet when hospitals and clinics cancelled their requests for doctors.
“We heard about our competitors laying off salespeople,” he says. “I didn’t want to panic, but there was no way to know what the pandemic would bring.”
He felt he had to decide whether he wanted to hang on and try to build his business back up again or call it quits. He chose to stay. His reasoning: “This is the best company I’ve ever worked for.”
“This is a difficult job, and nobody will tell you otherwise,” Mitch says. “Any sales role where there’s great opportunity, there’s also going to be a lot of stress. Weatherby and CHG realize that. They don’t sugar-coat it, but they do take care of us.”
Mitch says there is plenty of training, leader support, and no micromanaging. “I feel like when there are issues, leadership hears that and addresses it,” he shares. “We get the opportunity to offer feedback.”
With the support of his leaders, Mitch managed to create a sales strategy built around the availability of doctors during the pandemic. He partnered with a colleague who represented the hospitals and clinics — specifically in underserved communities — to put these physicians to work. The result was one of his best sales years ever, even in a pandemic.
Simply put, Mitch says, “It’s just fun!”
Compensation
Let’s face it: when you’re in sales, you’d like to see your efforts pay off. And for these CHG salespeople it has — and in a big way. But their payoff didn’t come without a lot of hard work.
“This is an opportunity where there’s going to be some hard work,” Alvin Powell, sales consultant at Weatherby. “I don’t want to sugarcoat it. But I never anticipated making this much money in my entire career. It’s really possible with CHG.”
Megan McLamb, sales consultant at Weatherby, says success in sales comes with consistent, hard work. “What makes you successful is how hungry you are. How hungry you are to make the money, to work hard, and you get a couple doctors placed in a couple jobs. Then you start seeing that money come through and it’s even more motivating.”
Senior provider rep Simon Parsons, who works at CompHealth, another division of CHG, agrees. He says if you’re driven, you’ll see the payoff. “I don’t see any reason you couldn’t be a six-figure earner in your first year.”
Earning enough money to provide for her son and having a long sought-after lifestyle are what motivate Tess Smith, placing manager at CompHealth. “We’re able to camp, climb, travel, and do the things that feed your soul outside of the grind.”
Balancing work and life
Maria Savage agrees. Maria is a sales consultant for another CHG division, Global Medical Staffing. She specializes in finding physicians who are interested in overseas assignments. Prior to joining GMS in 2018, Maria was in the hospitality industry.
Nervous about transitioning industries, Maria says the support she got from her leaders and co-workers helped her achieve success in staffing. “My manager has been here all the way, and we have a great training department,” she says. “I always felt I could ask anything, and they would help.”
Maria says this kind of support has helped her feel at home. Another important consideration for her is the way CHG helps her maintain a productive work/life balance. “I know if I need some flexibility to accommodate whatever is going on in my life, my needs will be heard,” she explains.
Mitch adds, “CHG invests in people. My leader gives me a voice, listens, and asks my opinion.”
For Maria, CHG’s core values are not just a slogan on the wall. She says, “They have genuine concern for their employees.”
Want to work for a company that cares about its people and their success? Check out our current job openings. You may be just who we’re looking for.
