Life sciences have rapidly evolved from selling products to delivering value through better patient outcomes. However, the consulting industry in life sciences is still in many ways a cottage industry. The clients are mostly pharmaceutical companies or biotech firms that range from huge companies to startups. These firms—that have sales and marketing employees to drive adoption and usage of their products—rely on several outside vendors to assist in those endeavors.
Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced companies to work virtually and have their vendors serve them through virtual platforms. While some companies found the transition hard, Delta Point adapted nimbly to be able to teach and coach salespeople to effectively sell in a virtual, and at times, a hybrid market. Jerry Acuff (Founder and CEO of Delta Point) believes that this was as huge a shift for the company as it was for its customers.
With a proven approach molded in his years of experience in the marketplace, Jerry partners with pharmaceutical organizations to help them launch their products in a highly competitive market where their product must stand out and execution of sales is required. He is well-versed in sales and sales leadership expertise, organizational change, and creating compelling sales verbiage. Jerry has been leading Delta Point for almost two decades and has been one of the mainstays of the company since its inception.
In an intriguing conversation with Mirror Review, Jerry discussed his entrepreneurial journey, Delta Point’s prowess as one of the leaders in the industry, and his future plans. Here are some of the snippets from the conversation.
What are the factors that distinguish Delta Point from its peers?
I founded Delta Point in August of 2001 with my wife Maryann. Since the beginning, our focus was and has been improving the effectiveness of the sales rep when in front of the customer and doing it in many cases for a specific product. Our competitors rarely do exactly what we do when we are working on a specific pharmaceutical brand. They do offer sales training as we do, however, our work is backed by the content and beliefs espoused in my two best-selling books—The Relationship Edge in Business and Stop Acting like a Seller, Start Thinking Like a Buyer.
What are your primary responsibilities as a leader? Also, highlight some remarkable feats from your esteemed career?
As the founder and CEO, my role is to help develop the strategy of the company with our leadership team. I also function as a key producer of business development and as a consultant to our clients. We have done business with almost 20% of the top 100 companies in the world. Our client list since inception is the Who’s Who in the Pharma and Biotech industry and we have won numerous awards for our Strategic Consulting. Moreover, I have been named by Global Gurus as one of the top 10 sales experts in the world for 5 consecutive years.
How do you manage to keep the team productive and motivated?
The leadership philosophy that permeates all leaders at Delta Point is built around our team being a part of a family environment. We trust that our people will do good work, we always strive to have fun, we encourage creativity and new ideas, and we give our teammates the freedom to work and succeed within their authentic persona. The leadership changes have been primarily driven by the culture created by our President, Matt Murphy when he instituted a culture of one team and no silos. Even in a small company without the right leader silos can exist and be destructive.
What are the key focus areas for Delta Point in the upcoming years?
As we contemplate new service offerings, we are focused on 5 major areas viz. how to— succeed in a hybrid environment as a sales representative or a sales manager, master the art of storytelling to become more effective with others, utilize virtual training to drive follow up and accountability for skill development, teach sales leaders to be experts at teaching and coaching sales skills, and use emotional intelligence to drive better engagement in one-on-one interactions.
How will these services cater to the needs of customers?
All these services are crucial to individuals, teams, and companies reaching excellence. Excellence is more important now than ever because buyers have so much access to data and information that if excellence isn’t obvious in how you go to market and compete in a market, then your shelf life as a company can be negatively impacted for sure.
What would be your tips for aspiring entrepreneurs seeking to thrive in the industry?
My advice to anyone who wants to succeed in our industry is very straightforward. Firstly, fall in love with your team and treat them like a family. If you do that, they will make your company much better, and they will do it faster than if you chose to harness them in some way. Secondly, you must build valuable business relationships and do great work. If your work is great and your business contacts are solid you’ll have avid fans, and you will be successful.
Jerry Recommends: “Power of Consistency” by Weldon Long—a book that can transform your mindset and give you ideas that can make you wildly successful and even wealthy if that is one of your goals.
Read full issue: The 10 Influencer Business Consultants of 2023
