5 Characteristics of High Performing Teams with Amanda Rodner

Danielle Cobo  0:05  
Hey, beautiful. Welcome to dream job with Danielle Cobo podcast. I am Danielle Cobo, elite career coach, and I believe every woman has the power to step into their dream job, earn the salary they are worth, and live the life they desire. Each week you join me, you're going to hear from these inspiring women who have overcome adversity and leveled up their career. You're going to learn how to eliminate that inner critic that is holding you back from pursuing your dream. How to build confidence, create healthy boundaries to transition burnout to re energize and gain clarity on how to accelerate your career. It's never too late to pursue your dream job. The time is now. Are you ready? Hey, everyone. Welcome to another episode of dream job with Danielle Cobo. I am your host Danielle Cobo, and today's guest is Amanda Rahner is an award winning sales leader in the esthetic device and surgical space. She has a diverse background in marketing, finance, product launches, and sales force development. In addition, she worked for them some of the top esthetic companies on the market including Medicis Allergan mentor and endo esthetics. She started her career as an individual contributor in the injectable division, then in our sales before she climbed the corporate ladder to management. Now Amanda is the West Area Director for endo esthetics and innovative company creating a new segment in the aesthetic place dissolving cellulite, which I'm sure most women would like to have. So thank you so much for joining today, Amanda.

Amanda Rodner  1:48  
Hi, Danielle. Nice to see you.

Danielle Cobo  1:51  
Well, I had the pleasure of working with you for some time in the aesthetic space. Tell us a little bit. You've had a very successful career in medical esthetics over the past 20 years. Tell us a little bit about your career journey and how you got to where you're at today?

Amanda Rodner  2:05  
No, absolutely. Um, you know, I always tell people that, you know, it was a very, very diverse background. And before that, I was in real estate development, which Funny enough, I actually think really prepared me for a lot in the esthetics business, because it was all about understanding financials and things like that. Um, but you know, you know, I started my esthetics, career and Medicis. And, you know, for those who don't know who Madison's is now, this is actually the company that launched restyling out in the market and perlane, which is now called lift and Dysport. And I was an individual contributor, I'd only been in sales and medical sales for a short period of time. And I really loved it, because it married my you know, my love of kind of understanding medical, but also being able to really work with customers and seeing their business grow and being really a part of their practice. So I love that. And I would did that for quite some time. It was fantastic launching restyling, which was an amazing product. And I did that for seven years with Medicis and was involved in lots of different projects there, and decided that I wanted to keep, you know, growing my, you know, curiosity for aesthetics and the business and then I went into surgical. So people always asked me, Well, why don't you just stay in medicine? Or, you know, why didn't you go into management, then, I just knew for myself that I wasn't ready to go into management, I want to be an individual contributor, and I wanted to really learn all aspects of the aesthetic market. And as you know, the aesthetic market is very diverse and very different in each segment. And so I wanted to get that, that surgical background and understand the surgical market and capital equipment market. And then it just kept going, going from there. And now I'm like, Wow, I can't believe I've been in the market for 20 for 20 years, and the markets changed so much. And it's always evolving, always evolving.

Danielle Cobo  4:13  
One of the things that is unique about your background is you have worked as an individual contributor as in management in the injectable side of the business and the O R side of the business. What are some of the similarities and differences amongst the different segments in medical esthetics? Because it is very different than your traditional pharmaceutical capital equipment type background. So tell us a little bit about that.

Amanda Rodner  4:39  
Now, absolutely. I mean, I would say the similarities with esthetics is first of all, I think customer service for anything is number one and understanding and remembering that the customers it is medical and so you need to understand the clinical, the scientific there's regulatory there. guidelines, but also that the customers are paying for it out of their pocket and their cut, and then their patients are also paying for it out of their pocket. So there's almost like more of this fiduciary obligation to, and that's no matter what you're selling, and it's debits and understanding that if they're purchasing something that, you know, you're really obligated to train them, make sure that they are, you know, very well versed on your product, so that they can also do the best for their patients, who are, you know, calling them and wanting to see, like, I spent this much money on this product, you know, I want to make sure that it's working. And so there's that obligation, no matter what you're doing in medical esthetics, I would say the differences and, and esthetics from, you know injectables, to surgical is just is really just understanding the practice that you're calling on. So medical esthetics, what's interesting versus you know, if you're selling like a urology product, you're only calling on urologist. Medical esthetics is a wide range of specialties. So you have your core, which is your dermatologist, or facial plastics, or plastic surgeons, and they all run their businesses very differently. They come from different mindsets. And the what's involved is also like very different. So they say when I went from injectables, to surgical sales, so I had implants. And at that time, there was the aesthetic side, but there's also the reconstruction side where you're on hospitals. But on the aesthetic side, you have to understand all the other costs associated and the time that goes into things, and how do they figure out different sizes, all sorts of different things. And, you know, there's our time and a number of different things, that it's just a different, just a different segment of business. So the mindset is very different, and understanding how they're pricing things for their patients, you know, what their patients are asking for, and also, is that something that's permanent? Is it something that's temporary, and it's, those are the things that you have to really look at that are very, you know, different. And also, when I was in surgical sales, you also have emergencies that you don't have an injectable, because, say for breast implant, whether it's reconstruction or cosmetic, you never know what's happening, you know, when they search and goes in, and maybe they need something different. So if you're someone who doesn't want to be called and say, I have a patient that's going to be on the table, I need to change an implant, I need you to find this particular implant, it might not be the best thing for you, because that can be nerve racking for some people. So surgical can be a lot more of a pivot for people and you're on call, not to the same extent that you are for trauma bay, that cell phone there, you've got to react very, very quickly. Um, you know, so I mean, I think some of the key things is, you know, and I would say, and you worked in skincare for a long time, I think some of the skincare reps are some of my favorite because you have to differentiate yourself in a really big marketplace, and how do you set yourself apart and, and really make sure that your customers know, this is this is the right product for their patients and that but also remembering that these are still patients, they're not customers going into Sephora, or something, it's still patients or if they're going to have a reaction, you've got to prepare. And it's still medicine. It's a statics, but it's still medicine. And that I think is the most important thing like for everybody to always no matter what segment of the statics they want to go into. It's still patients.

Danielle Cobo  8:54  
There was one thing that I remember that was a differentiator for skincare is you're competing, you're your competition is on multiple levels. The first one is is your patients either have a choice to go to Sephora, Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom to get product, or online or the influencer that they follow or any celebrity out there that's now has a skincare line. So there's that avenue, right? And then once you convince the physician that there's value in bringing skincare into the office, then there's probably 25 different skincare brands that they can then bring into the office. And then from there, you're suggesting why is ours the best? And then in addition to that, why should every single patient be going home with that skincare product? So there's multiple layers to that sales process? Depending on where that physician is when it comes to bringing in a product and choosing the product that's right for their practice. No, absolutely.

Amanda Rodner  9:49  
And you know, in skincare in particular, I used to tell people like okay, you're doing a facelift. They've invested all this money for a facelift or laser treatment. You've got to manage that investment and skincare is the best way to do that. But it's also one of the best ways to provide preventative so that you can push off those really expensive procedures down the road. And it also brings in, you know, for, you know, a customer, it brings in, you know, it's it's bringing in a different clientele. And I think in aesthetics, it's about, even for the customers and, you know, physicians, it's having a diverse mix of patients in their practice, too, that are coming in for different things. Maybe they're just starting off with, okay, I want to, you know, I'm just dying, dipping my toe into esthetics, what are the things i What are the things I can do, to maybe hold off on doing some injectables down the road, but I, you know, want to feel good I, you know, I want to, you know, you know, make sure I'm doing all the right things to keep my skin looking great. So that I don't have to do a facelift or something else sooner or later.

Danielle Cobo  11:01  
That's what I say started Botox when I was 30 years old. And everyone goes, why you started young? Yeah, because I don't I want to be preventative, I don't care. I know that maybe eventually, because I care about the aesthetics of how I look. But I maybe don't want to get a facelift, that 40 years old, maybe only 5060, whatever it is, but if you take good care of the health of your skin, now, then that's what's gonna set you up for success in the long run. 

Amanda Rodner  11:28  
It's like eating well, too. So what you're putting in your body, it's like taking care of yourself. So that down the road, you know, you know, things aren't falling apart, it's, you know, you've got to take care of your house. It's not, you know, it's preventative. It's, you know, doing all the things right from the start, and which has been the most wonderful thing to see the evolution of this statics market in general is that people, I think, just like in general health care, where they're doing things earlier, to take care of themselves, which I think is phenomenal. And I think there's really good education out there. Really good education out there.

Danielle Cobo  12:09  
Yeah, there definitely is. And I like how we're moving more towards this preventative movement versus reactive type treatments, and whether aesthetics or medical. So you are now in a west area, Director roll, and you have built teams, where you're leading teams of individual contributors, as well as leading first level leaders. So and you've built them from the ground up to either taken over teams or built from the ground up. So what are the things that you look for? When it comes the people that you're bringing onto your team? What are the qualities that you look for?

Amanda Rodner  12:45  
Sure, and, you know, and there's something that I look for the same whether it's an individual contributor, a sales rep, or a manager, and, you know, just talking about my most recent experience, and which has been phenomenal, and it was great to be able to build something from the ground up. And so first and foremost, the management team is really kind of the heart, I always think that they're this the heart of everything. And, you know, we've all heard the, you know, adage that people don't leave companies, they, you know, they leave leaders. And I do believe that that's true. And so when I came on here, one of the most important things was, I need to hire, that's the most important hire that I can make. And I take a lot of time. So a couple of things that I look for in managers is somebody who doesn't let their ego get ahead of them. Because when you go into management, or the higher you go, it's not really about you as much anymore. It's about your team. And I'm looking at people who are authentic, that they care about their team, that they're strategic. But I'm also looking for people, you know, obviously I want them to have a record of success. But I'm also looking for people that are not afraid to hire people that are different than them. And I think the best managers are those that hire the right people for that position, that territory, that market area, and they're just looking at what's right for the customer. What's, you know, will they be successful? Is this the right role for them? So I'm really looking at people who, and that part of that's putting your ego aside because being a leader is not about being boss. It's about getting a group of people to an end result and motivating and coaching and pulling them all together. So I look for people who really, you know, they they want to do this, because one of the care about their team and they are not they're not afraid to be wrong, too, because we're all wrong at some point and it's, you know, It's about pulling everybody together. And, and, you know, getting getting a fantastic result. But I think the empathy, the drive being strategic, and I think someone who leads by example, that's the most important thing to me, I'd say someone who leads by example, you can't expect things, people to do things for you that you're not doing for the team, and people that aren't afraid to get their, their hands dirty, as well.

Danielle Cobo  15:28  
That was one thing, one quality when my husband, so my husband joined the military 32 years old, eight months after he got married. And, and one I'll never forget, when he was talking about one of the leaders that was most influential at basic training, so he's 32 years old. And most of people that are going through basic with him are 18 years old, you know, early 20s. And he said, I'll always remember the person that got the leader, that guard, the drill sergeant that got in the trenches with them. And this is somebody who's been in basic, has already served several years of their time, but is still getting in the trenches with these newer members. Because it's, I'm not going to ask you anything that either I haven't done myself, but I'm also gonna go along with you through this process, and be that boost of motivation and be there to support you and link arms with you and go through the trenches with you.

Amanda Rodner  16:21  
Absolutely, and, and it's sometimes it's, and you need people to that are going to have tough conversations, because unfortunately, you know, as leaders, you know, your favorite is when you can have those fantastic conversations about how well someone's doing. But you also have to have tough conversations. And I think that you kind of have an obligation, people want to be developed, you know, and I, if you really want someone to succeed, then sometimes you've got to sit down and really be real with them. But part of that, first, you've got to build the trust, because your team needs to know that, you know, you have their back that you are, you know, there to help them. It's not about you, it's about, you know, their success. But that, you know, but that you but they are taught to trust that you're going to be open and honest with them, too. And part of that is sometimes just sitting down going, Hey, listen, you know, we got it, what's going on here, but digging in. And, you know, first you got to come from a place of understanding, like what's going on? And, you know, and you know, and you and I have talked before, I mean, you can't want something more than somebody else wants it to, I mean, no matter how great of a leader you are, you just can't, and you will, you know, zap all of your energy. But you know, if you know that someone's got that drive and energy, like, I feel it's a personal obligation to help coach and develop them, even though the conversation sometimes are not tough, but it should be coming from a place of you want to see them do well. And you know, that they want to do well, too.

Danielle Cobo  17:56  
Yeah, there's, there's something to be said, where your manager in your leader can show you the way he can give you guidance on what steps to take to get to where you want to go and help provide some clarity around that. And what steps that work, the avoid the ones that don't, ultimately, when it comes to accelerating your career, when it comes to getting promoted, taking that next level, it's gonna come down to you doing the work.

Amanda Rodner  18:23  
Absolutely. It's about Yeah, it's about ownership. And, you know, that's one thing, you know, when I look at, you know, and here and, you know, and most places that I worked, I mean, even when I'm hiring, we're hiring reps, you know, the managers, you know, it's ultimately their decision. But you know, we do a lot of panel interviews, one because, you know, we want, you know, it's good to have a lot of different eyes. And, and also, it's good for the person being interviewed, like, I know that if I'm going to make a change and go to another company, I want to kind of see not just the person I'm working for directly, but what's the company about, but one thing, you know, especially, you know, hiring people here, but also, at every company is I always look for the things that you can't train. And that's one number one is a sense of ownership, right? You know, as a company, we have a obligation to train you and do all these things. But there's also an ownership that you have, whether you're a medical student sales, aesthetics, or anything you do, you're ultimately also responsible and I tell this to my son, I said, You know what, you're gonna have good teachers, you're gonna have bad teachers, you're gonna have great bosses and bad bosses. But at the end of the day, you're responsible for the result. So, you know, and sometimes you've got to do some things on your own, but you have to own it too. You know, you have to own your own success. So I look at an ownership whether someone has experienced or not I look at, you know, what's kind of the story of their history whether, you know, and I think a lot of people just Go, you just want to hire people and esthetics. Like, not necessarily sometimes, you know, hiring someone who's been in esthetics or one role for a very long time. You know, you wonder, okay, can I? Can they look outside, out of the box? Can they do things differently, I'm looking for people who always like, take ownership, they're in charge of their own development, as well. And when they wanted to do something, or grow, they ask, you know, they, they speak to their manager. Also people that are self aware, too. And I always ask people, I say, you know, what are, you know, what are, you know, two things that, you know, your current boss would say, are fantastic about you, and what's one area development? And one thing, the caveat, or was put out a go, Listen, everybody's got an area development, there's nobody, there's no people at the top of their game, always have Area Development. It's knowing that you have in their area development, and then and then back to the ownership. And then what are you doing, to, you know, to grow in that area, because I think self awareness is incredibly important. It's important for customers, it's important, you know, for if someone's coachable. So those are the things I'm always looking for things that you can't, you can't train and drive. You can't, you can not, you know, you can't create drive, you can't create motivation. You know, you can help it grow, you can foster it, that someone who is really, really cares about the customers, who is seeking to understand and who's a problem solver, and they found so generic and basic. But it's shocking how many people come to interviews, and they don't, they don't have that. And, you know, those things will make you successful in the long term. Because you're gonna have ups and downs and a company, there's not a single company out there, there's not an up and down. So you're looking at people who take ownership, keep drive, you know, can pivot and have a great attitude. And for me, the one thing I will know, you know, we always look at what do you look for things are my absolute nose is no drama, and no ego. If you've been number one, somewhere, that's great. But if you're bringing an ego, that's bigger than life, and that's the most important thing that's going to be destructive to the team. And at the end of the day, we're all still responsible for doing the right thing. And you know, you don't get a pass because you're number one. So I said, the ego is the No, and everything else, it's just like, you're just looking for that individual person. And and if they're, if you know, and you know, do they care about the customers,

Danielle Cobo  22:54  
We will be right back to today's episode, whether you want to get a promotion, find a new job, increase your sales performance, the feeling of clarity on how to accelerate your career is priceless. The risk of uncertainty is missing out on promotions, lacking leadership experience, unclear on how to break through that glass ceiling, you're left feeling stuck, frustrated and discouraged. 74% of employees feel like they're not achieving their full potential because of lack of development opportunities, it becomes a lot easier to get there. When you know where you're going. How would you feel if you knew exactly where to go and how to get there. With 15 years of experience in corporate America, and a certified leadership coach, I've helped 1000s of professionals transform their mind from self doubt, to confidence and courage and gain clarity on how to accelerate their career. I invite you to go to my website, Danielle cobo.com, at CEO Bo and schedule your career discovery session with me. Thanks for tuning in. And back to today's episode. So one of the things that when people would often ask me in hiring, I only hired I think in my seven years as a hiring manager to people from ascetics. Yeah. And it was interesting, because a lot of these I still see companies, I still see hiring managers going, I want aesthetic experience or their or their hiring managers and dental and I want this specific experience. And what happens is, is you're not bringing diversity to that team. Yeah. And one of the things that I always that I work with hiring managers when they're building out their teams is look for those intangible characteristics, drive motivation, teamwork, collaboration, adaptability. I mean, especially through this pandemic, that is an extremely valuable characteristic to have an empathy. You can teach somebody the industry, you can teach them the products, you can, industry, all of that stuff. teachable. You can't teach somebody to wake up in the morning and say, I want to make a difference.

Amanda Rodner  25:07  
Exactly, exactly. And you know, and something you said there, too, some of the most successful people that I've hired are the ones that had very little esthetics experience or no aesthetic experience. But they have this drive and energy, and they wanted to figure things out. And they didn't come with any preconceived notions, too, because I think that's one thing I look at, too, is, and I think, doing so many diverse things in esthetics is that, you know, what made me successful one place is not necessarily going to make me successful here, there are things that you can pull from just like any role that you've ever had. But you have to look at that particular role and go, Okay, what do I need to do to be successful in this role, and come at it with fresh new eyes. And so sometimes hiring someone from outside of aesthetics is a new, fresh set of eyes, because this market is still fairly young. I mean, it's evolved so much. But the only way you move forward is by having diverse experience and people who aren't afraid to do things differently. And, you know, gets back to, you know, when you're building the team, you don't want everybody to be the same, because you're going to become stagnant. And you want people that challenge each other in a positive way. And, you know, when we were hiring our teams, we would all meet and we're like, okay, you if you've got this position open, what do you feel is like missing from your team best, someone who's just amazing, and marketing or is from this type of experience, like what's missing from your team, because you want to give everybody an opportunity to grow, and you grow from people who are different, not from being around the same, the people that are all the same.

Danielle Cobo  26:53  
And this was something that we had talked about kind of jumping in, before getting into this episode is you've worked for brands that are very well established when it comes to their portfolio of their products. And now you're working for a brand where you're completely making a new segment. And that in itself, thinking about the skill sets that are that really helped people thrive in different roles, whether it's capital equipment, or sales, skincare, sales, injectable, okay, now, let's also talk about is this a very well established brand is this, a newer brand is it's a completely new segment market, where that's going to, that's really going to take new skill sets, people that can thrive in launching new products, or come up with creative ideas and can pivot very quickly as you're creating that new segment. And those are some skill sets to look at as well. So it's not just a one proach one size fits all, there's so many. And I think you you've said this before, is really understanding the needs of the customers, the territory and the organization. And it may be different from one company one rule to another.

Amanda Rodner  28:03  
Absolutely. And I think the other thing, too, is, you know, not going in, you know, because, you know, you've been in esthetics and I think they're, you know, sometimes laser capital equipment, they can get a bad rap, or, you know, everyone's pigeon holed right, and which is terrible. But every single segment, somebody brings something to that market, and in our teams, we have a mix of everything. esthetics, monostatic, capital, equipment, skincare, everything, but what you're looking for, especially when, you know, like, what we're doing now is is not for the faint of heart. I'm building a new segment. I mean, I tell people like listen, though, toxin Wrestlin. It wasn't like everything was just flying off the shelf from the beginning before, like, I'm not doing that I'm not putting that in. It's never easy to launch in a new market. It's exciting. But it takes a different type of personality. And it's okay, if it's not for you, some people would much rather go into a market that's just established, and they're kind of managing their customers maybe growing the market a little bit. But when you're going in, and it's something very new and you know, you know, you know, exam for example, cellulite, not everyone understands cellulite. Many women think it's their fault, which it's not. And 90% of women have it, but there's a there's a lot of education to the market. So when you're hiring people you're looking at, um, I really dig in to okay, what's the hardest thing you've ever, you know, had to launch or what's been the most challenging part of your career? And how did you get through that because there's going to be ups and downs, you know, with a launch and you know, and kind of what gets you out of bed, you know, every day and, you know, I think people forget like, it's okay if this certain position is not the right thing for you. It's also recognizing when you go in to interview and you're like, oh, I want to be in esthetics or I want to go to this other company that, viewing it as if you okay, what do I need to do to be successful in this role? And looking at it completely different and doing your research? And that's one thing I look for in candidates and like, what's the research that you've done? Like? How do you know this is what you want to do? You know, you want people that are not obviously not running from something, they're running to something. But they know that, you know, are they going in with their eyes wide open, as well. So it's it launching is a lot different than something that's established. Or even just a segment that's established even launching a new skincare product, at least skincare, you're like, Okay, if people know how to do that, you've got to establish, you know, why your products different, which is a whole other set of challenges. And, you know, but it's also like, if you're just building the segment, and really getting people to understand like a completely different modality, or how to do something completely different. It's, you know, who you target as a customer is different, how you manage those customers, everything is completely different.

Danielle Cobo  31:19  
So when it this is, this really speaks to going into the interview when you are interviewing for a new role, a new company really understanding the business because I know that I've helped several people interviewed through the end that through the process with endo esthetics in some other companies in the aesthetic market. And a lot of the conversations we have is around your marketing plan and your business plan and really going into that strategy. Because when you're launching a new product, you're looking at the segments of okay, who are your innovators, early adopters, your majority adopters, your late adopters, and who's never probably going to jump on the bandwagon. So and having a strategy for each of those, or if you have an existing well marketed brand, and how are you going to position yourself differently than some of the other competitors out there. And every single, every single medical company, every single and even in the aesthetics, even though it's an aesthetic industry, what you bring to the table in your interview is going to be different. When you're working with Endo, when you're working with Allergan, when you're working with Galderma, MERS, all that and that's a lot of where I focus a lot of time with my clients on is, let's build the strategy and the marketing strategy really strong. Because if you can go in and you can show that you understand this business, you are the top candidate.

Amanda Rodner  32:42  
Absolutely, absolutely. And it's doing your it's doing your research, not only for yourself, because you want to you want to be successful, and whatever role you're going after. So you want to do your research to make sure you understand that because it's not the company's responsibility to make you successful, it's your own responsibility make you successful. And it could be things from, you know, territory, size, I mean, we're going to facial filler injectable company, their territories may be very small. And that might for your personality, your lifestyle would have been much better to manage. But, you know, other markets, you go to skincare surgical, you know, the territories are much larger, maybe it's fewer customers, but it's really, you have to look at the entire scope and then doing that research then going okay, how would I tackle this to be successful? How would I manage this? How, if you're bringing on like, you have no established customers? Who am I going to go after? And why am I going to go after them. And, you know, they might be a great thought leader for facial injectable that, if they don't do anything with the body is that the right person to go after is it going to be much more difficult to get them up and running. So, you know, you're looking for people who are really kind of thinking and processing because every customer and esthetics is different. And you've got to do research on each one of your customer. So back to what you're saying. Like I'm looking for people who at least, like who did their research, because if they're going to go out and feel I feel like I always feel an obligation to make sure we're putting the best people out there for our customers because that's our reputation, right? They don't, you know, when they and I think it's important for people who are wanting to go into sales or go into a different role and esthetics is realize that you're representing that company. So if you're not doing your job, well, that's a reflection on on all of us. And I've always taken that, you know, to heart, you know, no matter what, no matter what role and then but make sure you're doing your research because you should be doing your research on your customers to to make sure you understand their business, and how your product fits into their business. And if it makes sense, you know if it makes sense for them to so what you do in the end View is also telling people how are you going to be in the field, this is your best showing.

Danielle Cobo  35:06  
And that that really does be I'm so glad that you mentioned that. Interviewing is such a small step of really setting yourself up for success in the long term. Because all we're with clients and we go through the whole strategy and get put together this business plan, and now it's like, okay, well, now you got the job. And now what, that's when the deep dive goes into, okay, let's look at your territory. Let's do a SWOT analysis. Let's look at contribution margin, let's look at where, you know, where are you going to spend your time. And, again, it's so much strategy in this business and setting yourself up for success. And when you've when you have a clear understanding of where the opportunities are, and how you can work smarter versus harder, and adding value every step of the way. That's what successes.

Amanda Rodner  36:00  
I 100% agree. And I tell people all day, every day I go, I don't care if you went to work at 10. And you came home at three, it's about, you know, what was the output? What, you know, are you successful, it's about being efficient. It's not about getting a job. People go, oh, I work so hard and work so many hours. I'm like, but are you effective. And part of that is taking a step back and being really strategic about what you're doing. And that takes a lot of time in aesthetics. And I always am looking for the strategy. I'm like, Okay, what's your strategy? How are you going to go tackle this? I don't expect you to have all the answers because you haven't been trained on everything in the company. But I want to kind of see how you went about it. So I always dig in when I you know, with people like we're no matter where they worked. I'm like, Okay, well, what made you successful? How did you go after new customers? How did you do this? And not necessarily looking at, oh, just, you know, esthetics, I'm looking at how do they process to make sure that they're successful? And I think that's the thing that people just forget, all the time, is there so much strategy involved in this business, so much strategy, and it's not like a disease, state where you're like, Okay, there's this many patients that come in your door that you know, need to come in, and, you know, have this prescription written for them, it's a completely different animal. It's a completely different animal, and you have to have, you know, the medical app, but you have to have that business hat. And you also have, in every practice runs very differently to, and so you have to figure out, Okay, what's going to work for this individual practice to so you've got to be a chameleon.

Danielle Cobo  37:44  
I'm extremely grateful for the years of experience and what I learned working in esthetics, because that really was the foundation of understanding how to be successful in growing a business. I'm most entrepreneurs don't build a six figure business within the first five years. But when you're able to do within the first years, because you're able to understand the strategy and what it takes to be successful, and being smart as to the foundation that you're laying, that all came from the experience and aesthetics. So it is the core of the business.

Amanda Rodner  38:22  
It really is. And it's funny, because everyone's you know, people want to get in there, like, oh, it's glamorous, it says, I'm like, listen, esthetics is great, but it's business. And it's, and it's medicine, no, but it's really hard work, you work very, you know, you work incredibly hard. And, you know, and the whole goal is to build a long term successful business. And, you know, and for the customers too, because it affects, you know, you know, and, and your reputation too. So when people want to hop to different aesthetic companies, I mean, it's a small world, too. And so your reputation is everything, and there's so much value that you can bring, you know, to your know, your business, your practice and, and, you know, and I tell people go listen, you don't have to be nicer, you have to listen, you have to research and you have to, you have to seek to understand to number one, and if you're just going and doing your own thing and never taking a step back long term, it's you're gonna run into struggles. And but it's a great industry because it's always evolving to it's always evolving. And you know, there's a lot of people that depend on you because you know, your thing things better than anybody else. And there's nothing better to see a practice that you first bring something into. And, you know, you really train them well and they're getting really good outcomes and they feel really confident. But you know, it's can be a very satisfying business tool, but it's It's like anything, its ups and downs. And when the markets go up and down, that business goes down too. And you, you know, you have to be able to pivot, you know, for your customers, as well.

Danielle Cobo  40:14  
Well, we've talked from everything from how to get into aesthetics and different qualities that you look for in people that you're bringing onto your team. We've also talked about how to be successful in sales. And we've also talked about some of the skills that you look for when it comes to promoting people into leadership type roles. So a lot to come packed in is grateful for I could talk to you for hours, I love I love the conversation that we have. What are three things you want to leave our listeners with that maybe they could potentially implement walking away from our conversation today?

Amanda Rodner  40:49  
Sure. Well, I'd say the number one, and I have six, I got this from Kelly, for who, you know, I know, she was one of my favorite leaders I've ever had. And she is one of the most empowering leaders I've had, which by the way, it's the first day of like, women in Women's History Month. But she always said be your true authentic self. And I think it's really important is, one be authentic, just in general, it fails, but you don't have to be salesy. Be authentic, and be true to who you are, as well. And I think whether you're male or female, like don't be something somebody else wants you to be, but I because it will come across, you can tell when people are authentic, and they're not comfortable. So, number one, be your true authentic self. And, two, I'd say don't apologize for any lack of experience that you have in a certain area. I think everything that you do in life is you learned from it. And every you know, everything you've done from a career standpoint. So if you're looking to go into another role get into esthetics, anything, I think it's looking at all of the experience that you do have and what have you learned from it, because that's the most important thing is how are you growing and how you developing and never apologize for and be confident. And I would say be in charge of your own development to no matter if you're the number one salesperson, you know, at your company, 10 years down the road, that doesn't necessarily mean you deserve a management position. Because the skills it takes to be a good manager are very different than what it takes to to be a good salesperson. But if you want to be a manager, when I say be in charge of your own development, I mean, like find a mentor, find people you trust, take on projects, don't wait for everything to come to you. Because that's just not going to happen. But if you're willing to put in that work, you will find people that will, you know, let you come on to projects, who will mentor you, but be in charge of your own development. And if you want something like Go for it, and don't be shy to go, Hey, can I be part of this? Or how can I learn? Because, you know, you know, we nobody owes anybody anything. But if you want to move forward, it's the best way, it's the best way to do it, the best way to do is be in charge of your own development. So the thing that I think is the most important piece of advice that I can get.

Danielle Cobo  43:22  
That is excellent advice. And for those of you that are listening, really asking yourself, How would you feel if you had clarity on where you want to go in your career? And what would it looked like if you knew exactly what steps to take, and what to avoid. Because if you can have somebody that you can lean on that you can have open, open authentic conversations with and can guide you through the process and bounce ideas off of. I mean, I've always had a mentor throughout my entire career, I have a business coach now. And I will always and I'll always invest in personal development because I know if there's certain areas in my business or my life or my career that I want to achieve, then it's a matter of investing the time. And when you invest in time and having a foundation and you know what works and what doesn't, that's what's gonna get you faster there.

Amanda Rodner  44:16  
Absolutely. And especially if you've got a mentor who cuz you want a mentor who wants to see you do well, but is also going to be honest with you, because you've got to be open to really good feedback and, and anything in your career. You've got to be open to feedback, and that's how you grow and develop. And, you know, I always I'm always looking for, you know, new mentors. I'm always asking questions like, Be inquisitive. You know, that's, that's how you learn. That's how you learn. So and you know it and don't be afraid to get outside of your comfort zone to ask a lot of questions. And I think you'd find that, you know, some people are like, how do I get a mentor? Look at people that you respect, and I think a lot of times if you just ask they'd be very Honor may be really honored, you know, to be a mentor to you, but definitely someone you trust. And someone who gives you a really good honest feedback as well. And as you know, and as looking out for your best interest.

Danielle Cobo  45:13  
Yeah. Well, thank you so much for joining today. Amanda, you shared very valuable insights I know our listeners are probably going to be if you're driving right now, then ensure that when you get to your destination, listen to this episode again, take some notes, of course, I will include on some of the highlights in our show notes, so you can click on there, but thank you so much for joining. No, it was great to see you, Danielle. Yes. Well, for those of you that are listening, I invite you this is obviously a great episode for anybody who is looking to take that next step in their career, whether it's in sales performance, or in their stepping up into a leadership type role or getting a new job. So share this episode with your friends, your peers, be that person that sets them up for success and inspires them so share the episode and of course, I'd love it for if you were to write a review that would mean the world to me. I'd love to hear what you guys are taking away from each episode and what you see as the most insightful from each episode. So thank you for tuning in and create an intentional day.