David Brozik: A gifted performer

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — If David Brozik were a football player, he'd be a first-round draft choice. Instead, he's an HME sales rep that his colleagues at Mon Health Care see as a gifted performer. “Everybody talks about qualities like follow-through, but it's remarkable how few make good on it,” said Pamela Kaehler, Mon executive director. “David's follow through is exemplary. I consistently get positive feedback about him. He knows how to balance good business with good service.” Initially a hospital-based respiratory therapist in 1975, Brozik established Mon Health System's home care business in the mid-1980s and served as the company's executive director until moving into full-time sales in 2000. Making the transition from management to sales got Brozik's “business adrenaline pumping,” and since then he has vowed to make customers, not sales. The approach has yielded high dividends, he said. “You can make a solitary sale, but if you make a customer, you get continuous sales,” Brozik said. “You do that by being reliable, dependable and honest. If you are those three things, you will get the business.” Additionally, a positive attitude cannot be dismissed when dealing with a customer base that works under enormous stress, Kaehler said. “David is always upbeat. He doesn't wear his problems on his sleeve,” she said. “When he's working, he's on. People naturally want to work with him and buy from him because he's a positive person in the rush-rush world of healthcare.” Brozik's territory includes a 60-mile radius of Morgantown, W. Va., and he cites the 80-20 rule when determining which accounts get the most attention. About 80% of the company's business comes from about 20% of its customers, he said. And while that referral source base is pretty stable, occasionally one will switch providers. Disappointing as that may be, Brozik urges other sales reps to be cautious with the reaction. “Too often a sales rep will take that personally when they should be taking it in stride,” he said. “Don't burn bridges — go out on a good note.” Parting ways amicably can return as a future reward, Brozik said, using one of his clients as an example. “A nursing home that was a longtime customer of ours signed a contract with a national chain, and we bowed out gracefully,” he said. “The arrangement didn't last long, and they called us back shortly afterward. So you never know.”