Top Performers Spotlight featuring Lori Viar, Senior Director, Global Integrated Medical Communications with Senté labs
Being an account manager is like having your own business. The more you put in, the more you get out. Our potential is limitless, and I have experienced first-hand & have taught thousands of salespeople just like you. I’ve earned 4 back-to-back Presidents' Circle and led the historically poorest performing sales team to #1 in the nation within 2 years.
So let's get you thinking like a business owner.
In this interview series called “Top Performers Spotlight,” I am talking to sales representatives who have also excelled and have been recognized as the top performers in the medical industry. They share their expert insights with sales professionals who want to achieve the same success. As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Lori Viar.
Lori Viar is the Senior Director, Global Integrated Medical Communications with Senté labs, a
medical-grade skincare line sold through Plastic Surgeons, Dermatologists, and Medical Spas. Lori has over 10 years in the medical sales industry, among the most recent 4 years with Senté. In addition to Lori’s current role, her roles have included Director of Training and Education, National Field and Education Manager, Region Manager, Field Account Manager, and Aesthetician within the medical aesthetic industry. Lori has a proven track record of success earning Presidents Circle as a top performer.
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Tell us about your career journey and how you transitioned into medical/ pharmaceutical sales?
I spent my early career in non-profit fundraising before working with my family’s business in video and live television news production, then licensed consumer product sales in Europe. One thing that struck me as very different was the European approach to skincare – while skincare, especially 20 years ago, was thought of as a luxury in the US, it is just what you do there – take care of your skin, get facials at a spa – it’s just “wellness.” When I came back to the US after selling our licensing business, I wanted to do something different. I worked in marketing for a few years, then got my Esthetician license and worked in a Plastic Surgery practice for 3 years before deciding I wanted to work in sales. I looked at my experience that would be a strength in medical sales, then tailored my resume to that.
Given that I once worked in fund-raising, marketing, and medical esthetics, I just decided that’s what I would do next and never doubted that it would work out. Sometimes, being naïve to what might not work out so quickly pays off. I interviewed with a couple of medical skincare companies at the time, but I had already decided that I would land at SkinCeuticals. Going way back to my teen years, it was a distant dream to work at L’Oreal. It is surreal now to think about those things that crossed my mind a long time ago and came to fruition.
What do you love about the industry within medical sales you work in (dental/general med/ medical aesthetics/ pharmaceutical)? Medical Esthetics is a very positive and rewarding industry to be in. We deal with esthetic practices helping people address things that genuinely concern them, and we get to be a part of assisting Physicians in helping their patients reach their goals. For the most part, patients aren’t unwell, so the practices have a very light, positive environment. They are focused on solutions and what’s new and working to help them continue to grow their esthetic offerings.
What is a common myth about your job or field of expertise?
Many people think that aesthetics is just for people who want to look perfect or have very few visible flaws and want to keep enhancing their appearance. What I learned very quickly from my time in a plastic surgery practice was that most – 95% of esthetic patients have something that just impacts their confidence, even if others don’t even notice it. Most of them (of us) just want to see a reflection in the mirror that looks as young as we still feel on the inside. Even since I started working in a surgery practice 14 years ago, the secrecy around having procedures such as injectables, laser, even surgeries has completed shifted from pretending that you’ve had nothing at all to telling everyone that follows you on IG what you’ve had done, where, who and how much. It has also led to more products at more diverse price points, which has improved the accessibility of esthetics to more people. Not everyone will pay $150 or more for an anti-aging product or $700+ for an entire regimen. Making good products available at multiple price points and types of retail settings has genuinely changed the esthetic industry for the better.
Tell me about the three most influential people in your life and how they impacted you?
My parents always told me to work hard, be the best at whatever I do, be honest without apology, and never follow anyone, but always lead the way even if no one follows me.
My nephew – I got to watch him grow up and see the world through his experiences. Because of him, I’m a huge soccer fan! It’s also been enlightening for me to reimagine the work/life balance based on how he and his age group prioritize their time. He’s half my age and has excellent insights into why we are on this earth, how we all are interconnected, and our impact on the planet.
Angela Boyd – she was the first manager I interviewed at SkinCeuticals. I showed up for the interview with a full face of bronzer (which were not as well made and subtle then as they are now) by accident. She is the consummate-focused professional, who not only gave me my first experience in medical KOL relations, but she also had confidence in my ability to do the work with minimal instruction. She truly trusted me with everything she asked me to do, which let me know that I was capable, and it, in turn, grew my self-confidence.
What has led to your success? “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity” - Seneca. What looks like luck to those who only see success is the result of always being prepared for the opportunity that will come along. When I worked in field sales, there were very few local reps for competing brands for a year or so. However, I worked as hard as I would have if every single brand had a representative in the territory so that if and when one did come along, I had a solid foundation of customers, prospects, relationships, and reputation that would do the selling for me when I wasn’t in their office, reminding them of why they didn’t need that other brand. This practice of being prepared for the opportunities you dream of keeps you on top of your game now and ready for that opportunity when it arises.
What’s your biggest failure—and what did you learn from that experience? Honestly, every day is failure, learning, trying again, succeeding. I can’t recall any vast failures. I would say that overall, I have learned that when I have the sense that something isn’t a good idea, I need to speak up. I’ve learned over time never to doubt my instincts.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned over your career?
There is no substitute for being a decent human being, doing the right thing, keeping your promises, and treating everyone like they are your very best customer. Those who try to get by with anything less ultimately do suffer some consequence of that.
What advice would you give someone who wants to earn Presidents Circle?
Put your customers first, and they will put you first. Build relationships by asking questions about their practice, what works for them, what hasn’t worked, and why. How can you help them improve patient experience, results, return to purchase? The top sales reps don’t sell – they ask questions, learn the practice, educate the practice on what they have that can help them solve problems, and constantly build relationships with the practice that support them by addressing patient needs and staff concerns. Always make it as easy as possible for a customer to say yes to your product and quickly start recommending it to patients. I like to give the practice tools that will help them guide the patient through the purchasing process as far as possible, so they just have to say yes, and it’s in their cart and out the door.
What is your favorite leadership development book? I don’t read leadership development books. I tend to read biographies or histories. There is a lot to learn from people who work in other industries, how they approach challenges, and the greatness they achieve in their work that can be applied to any job. However, The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team is very interesting. So many issues we face in trying to make our goals, grow a company, launch a product, etc., are caused by lack of communication, lack of teamwork, and a lack of everyone involved to recognize or admit their role in those shortcomings.
What is your next big goal, and how will you reward yourself when you achieve your goal? To build on what I’ve learned to help others who want to work in our industry. It is a fun and rewarding career to be able to help our practices help their patients. I’m not sure exactly what that will look like or when it will happen. My reward will just be knowing that I did something to help someone else reach their goals.
Thank you for these really excellent insights, and we greatly appreciate the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success and good health!
Meet Elite Career Coach, Danielle Cobo
Danielle has gone from clothes stored in trash bags to leading a team for a Fortune 500 company with no previous management experience. She's spent 15 years in medical sales, earning four back-to-back Presidents’ Circle as an individual contributor, and led the historically poorest performing sales team to #1 in the nation within two years.
At 2 years young she was kidnapped by her mother, met her dad at 15 to then lose her mother to suicide. Through these challenges, she has learned how to transform self-doubt into resilience, drive, motivation & confidence.
Since then, she has taught thousands of people how to do the same in their career acceleration, sales performance, and company culture so they discover their vision, recognize the power within & create the life they desire.
Danielle is a sought-after speaker, published author & podcast host. As seen in...
Women’s Quarterly Magazine, Authority Magazine, Modern Aesthetics, Practical Dermatology, FOX News, ABC World News, and Morning Blend, Dress for Success, Women in Tech, and Chamber of Commerce
Get in touch with Danielle today to speak about the potential of a keynote speech, corporate workshop, or coaching options.
