Samantha McKenna

Founder @ #samsales l Sales + Cadences + Executive Branding on LinkedIn l Ex-LinkedIn l Keynote Speaker l 13 Sales Records l Early Stage Investor l Overly Enthusiastic l Swiss Dual Citizen l Creator, Show Me You Know Me®

I had my first exposure to competitive "sales" in sixth grade when my school raised money for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society.  Knocking door to door and delivering a pitch was the start of my education; I still have the portable TV that I won for second place, which fuels my competitive spirit.

I’ve spent my career in sales doing a few things – breaking records, putting others first, creating global sales programs, educating through peer interaction, and going to great lengths to make people feel valued.  I’ve launched new verticals, overseen the GTM strategy for some of the most successful initiatives in company history, and put in processes across businesses that redefine how each company works and succeeds.

As the founder of #samsales, I oversee an all-women team of 14 who believe in a manners-first and buyer-first approach. We:

•	Run sales trainings that cover prospecting via your likely under-utilized LI Sales Nav licenses, how to write great email copy, Show Me You Know Me™, perfect discovery calls, etc. all while being sales methodology agnostic

•	Speak at 100+ annual events - keynoting for SKOs, international conferences, and podcasts alike re: sales, social selling, and women in tech/sales/leadership

•	Write the content you have in Outreach.io, etc using our proprietary techniques + the most up-to-date data on what works to drive opens + replies

•	Teach social selling - as an LI influencer, ambassador of Sales Navigator, and former LI leader, I understand how to use the ecosystem to truly SELL. I've personally trained tens of thousands on the platform, ranging from 10-person teams to Fortune 500 brands. 

•	Build brands for C-Suites on LinkedIn.  If you want to build a brand on LI but don't know what to write, don't understand the algorithm, and don't have the time to manage, our full-service strategy will manage it exclusively like we do for some of the most prominent/highly visible execs you see on LI.

As a founder, I have one goal - to make as much positive impact as we can.  Since our inception, we’ve raised over 120K via personal donations + our annual charity events for incredible causes, and have given away hundreds of our trainings to the military and transitioning teachers, free of charge.

When you hire us, you're not just hiring a team, but rather investing in one who constantly puts good into the world.

Who am I, otherwise - 

Philanthropist, investor, dog lover, die hard competitor, writer, former Nickelodeon game show contestant, extrovert, expert in self-deprecating humor, and willing to walk through fire to make you laugh.

Limited Partner

Sign up for our newsletters, webinars, and all our content here www.samsalesconsulting.com 

We just fired off an update to every one of our LinkedIn Executive Branding clients on the changing nature of the algorithm and reach on LinkedIn. A quick snippet from one part of our email, if you're also looking for a bit of reasoning on the changes:

What we're seeing today:

Feed saturation: 20% more daily posts competing for the same space.

Rise of suggested and paid content: now ~35% of all feeds.

Quality filters: comments, saves, and profile clicks now count more than likes.

Audience fatigue: people scroll faster and engage more selectively.

How the Algorithm “Thinks” Now:

LinkedIn now groups every post into topic clusters (AI-based “buckets” like sustainability, leadership, or innovation). The stronger your connection to a clear theme, the more likely your content is to be suggested to new, relevant audiences beyond your followers.

That’s why keywords and consistency of posting matters more than ever. The algorithm looks to your headline, about section, and recent posts to confirm your expertise before deciding who sees your content.

Note, you might still see some posts doing tremendously well and wonder, am I the only one getting hit? One of the downfalls of social: easy to feel great about yourself when your content tanks...

But, it's important to keep in mind that you only see half the story: the engagement and comments, not the impressions. Some of my highest engaged with content gets the lowest views, but some of my most curated-for-my-buyers-thought-leadership gets the lowest engagement and highest sends/saves.

Take yesterday's LI/algo post: 86 likes but 12,000+ impressions and 35 saves and 19 sends on LI. 

Then there's also my Dumb and Dumber GIF with 123 likes and 55,000 impressions so...at least it was shared around? 😏 

But as always, do a quick check on your Dark Social score (impressions/likes) - if you're sailing above 50 on average, you're doing great. Above 70 (like the above) and it means your content is resonating and useful to broad audiences.

****************************************************************

The best I can offer is that this platform is like the gym. We get easy wins when we start but things fluctuate daily, we hit plateaus, and what worked then doesn't work now, but keep at it. I've been posting since 2011 and this platform has done more for me than I could ever pay back to it, even if it's a fickle little creature most days.

#samsales #LIEB

Sparkbound

We exist to unlock the potential of people to do more good, better.

Sparkbound is a leadership development academy disguised as a medical sales organization and medical device distributor. We are focused on going beyond transactions and enriching the lives of our people, partners, and practitioners.

Founder & Principal

Enovis

Sr. Salesperson building Sparkbound ❇️

Arthrex

Agency Sales Manager

Arthrex Extremity & Trauma Lead & Territory Manager

Upper Extremity Sales lead

Arthrex Clinical Specialist

Arthrex Technology Consultant | Sales Professional 

Empire Medical

Executive Sales Manager

P4L Fitness & Torque Sports Performance

Director of Sports Performance

Hospital for Special Surgery

Worked independently for Dr. Adele Boskey’s laboratory. Dr. Boskey is 	interested in tissue mineralization; the ultimate goal in the lab was to improve bone quality by providing insight needed for new 	therapies and tissue engineered products. My specific research project was focused on the role of proteoglycans in the bone mineralization process. More specifically, I looked at the effect of 	the interaction between the large proteoglycan, aggrecan, and aggrecanase (ADAMTS) and aggrecanase inhibitors (TIMP) on hydroxyapatite formation in a gel system. My work was paralleled 	with identical studies performed in this laboratory in a cell culture 	system.

Research Assistant

Weill Cornell Medical College

Presented and participated in weekly journal clubs. Partook in a Lab Techniques Workshop and Clinical Skills Workshop. Scrubbed into surgeries at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Gave an oral 	presentation at Leadership Alliance National Symposium and written and poster presentation of my research at Weill Cornell Medical College.

Intern

I help salespeople become sales leaders w/ the Salesblazer Method™️ | Executive Sales Leader

Over the last decade, I helped build multiple multi-million dollar medical device territories by developing new markets and strategic sales teams. I also helped customer-partners build their personal brands and land consulting contracts, which led to developing new products/techniques and enhanced patient outcomes.

Then, in 2023, I hit a fork in the road. Do I continue building someone else's company at the expense of my convictions, or do I risk my comfortable life to gain personal agency, take complete ownership over my future, and craft something worth telling a story about?

Building something on my terms and diversifying my income would be the best pathway towards control over my calendar, autonomy over the work I get to do, and the direct impact I can have.

While this pathway has not been easy, the results have been remarkable.

Since leaving a sales executive role with a great brand, I have been able to replace my income by working for myself with less effort (working smart).

I have launched Sparkbound, a medical sales & marketing organization that goes beyond the transaction and seeks to enrich the lives of others.

Sparkbound not only helps our people build influential careers, increase our partners' influence, or improve our practitioners' patient outcomes, but we also want to help aspiring difference makers become the change they wish they could make... and then help them make positive change happen.

My mission is to help you see that you're not stuck. You don't have to labor and live as others expect you to. My mission is to help you challenge the status quo, lead by design, and choose the impact you wish to have.

I love writing about leadership, specifically leadership without titles, about how high-impact professionals can earn personal agency, purposeful productivity (doing more good, better), and meaningful work.

Francisco Martinez

Character is king. 

Character > Competency.
Character > Credentials. 
Character > Commissions. 

Character lasts forever.

Making Leaders Remarkable | Follow for systems & strategies for effortless leadership & remarkable work | Founder & Principal building an 8-figure sales agency from scratch

The best medical sales reps don't sell. They serve.

After 13 years in medical sales, I've watched too many reps crash and burn trying to be the smartest person in the room.

Here's what actually works:

Stop trying to impress doctors.
Start trying to improve patient outcomes.

This mindset changes everything.

Here are the non-negotiables for high-performing medical sales reps: 

✅ Lead with patient impact, not product features
✅ Create opportunities to serve your customers. 
✅ Play the long game and build trust as you build your pipeline.
✅ Educate, educate, educate. 
✅ Don't knock the competition. 

Here's the interesting truth:

When you stop selling and start serving, your numbers go up.

In medical sales, we don't just move products.
We're integral to someone's healing.

Act like it.

What's the most important lesson you've learned about putting people before profit?

♻️ Repost if this resonates
➕ Follow for more on character-driven sales leadership

The wrong path looks promising. 

Until you are replaced. 

I used to think success came from putting in the most hours.

→ First in. Last one out.
→ Say yes to every opportunity.
→ Take work off your boss’s plate. 

The formula they sold us:
Be everywhere → Pay your dues → Trust the process

But here’s the problem:

Budget cuts happen.
Burnout persists.
And no one is looking after your career. 
One bad performance can make you replaceable. 

Now I focus on building what can’t be replaced:

1. Your Attitude
You can’t control every outcome.
But you can control whether people want you in the room when things get tough.

2. Your Wisdom
Thanks to ChatGPT, Knowledge is cheap these days.
But applying that knowledge? That’s hard-earned. 
Wisdom only comes from personal experience plus reflection.

3. Your EQ Skills
Tools change. Markets shift.
But people don’t. The ability to communicate and win with people will outlast AI. 

4. Your Character
Character can’t be bought. 
It is developed and tested over time. 
While others focus on competencies and credentials, build the foundation that no one else is. 

5. Your Discipline
Motivation can pack a punch, but has a short fuse. 
Discipline keeps your butt in the chair no matter how you feel. 


6. Your Leadership
Leadership isn’t a title.
It’s creating opportunities to initiate acts of service.

7. Your Point of View
A unique, well-reasoned perspective is a moat.
It sets you apart in a world drowning in copycats.

These 7 things made me indispensable.
No org chart. No market shift. No competitor can take them away.

You don’t need to protect yourself.
You need to build value that no one can replace.

♻️ Repost to help your tribe become indispensable
➕ Follow to learn how to become the one your company can't live without

Don't just pray for a great culture.

Be the answer to your prayer.

It's easy to hope for a healthy workplace—one where you feel safe, valued, and seen.

But culture isn't something you stumble upon.

It's something you help create.

Culture is not:

- Pizza, ping pong, or even pickleball
- Unlimited PTO or remote work
- A profitable business unit
- A mission statement
- HR department
- Core values
- The CEO

The success or attitude of individual contributors is not the measure of culture. 
But is measured by:

- Low burnout
- Employee referrals
- High retention rates
- People celebrate each other
- Alignment of all people and parts
- The way employees feel on Sunday night

Yet, no culture is perfect. Even great workplaces will disappoint at times.
And that's okay.

That's why what matters is how you carry yourself and champion the culture you wish you had.

You bring attitude, habits, and values everywhere you go.

The best cultures aren't found. Courageous people cultivate them.

So yes, pray for a great team, a mission you can stand behind, and a culture that breathes life.

But don't stop there.
Be the person who:

- Gives credit
- Has a bias for action
- Chooses to lead without a title.
- Praises the efforts and success of others.
- Isn't waiting to be asked to serve but creates opportunities to serve.

You're not just a recipient of great culture.
You're crafting it—every day.

How else can someone be the solution to a better culture?

If you want to work remotely, that's great.

If you want a hybrid workplace, that's awesome.

If you want to return to the office to be present with people, wonderful.

If you want to quit and work for a remote company, go for it.

If you want to bring everybody back from their home offices, own up to it.

If you want to go to a 4-day work week, that's also cool.

So many people are trying to fortune-tell the future of work.

Many are trying to push their version of success on others.

They pretend that one way of working is better or superior to the other.

Stop believing everyone's opinions.

You live in the digital revolution, which provides many options.

Determine the direction of your life and what works best for you this season.
Then get after it!

Be faithful no matter where you work.
That's true success.

99% of people overcomplicate career moves.

So, in 2023, I simplified the riskiest career decision of my life. 

What they won't teach you in school or corporate America is that all you need is:

1. Direction - where do you want to go in life? 
2. Anti-goals - what are you not willing to give up?
3. Convictions - Why and what must you do no matter what?
4. People - whom do you have as your personal board of advisors?

Things you don't need:

1. To listen to your heart.
2. 5 & 10-year plans.
3. Large network.

The key is to decide on your career before you need to choose. 

And no matter what, be excellent and intentional. 

Because none of this matters if you suck at your work.

What would you add to this career decision framework?

Character is king. 

You can't fake true character. 

The truth of one's character is revealed in time.

The best sales leaders don't obsess over numbers. 

They obsess over people (and their growth). 

Here's a simple playbook for developing your people: 

> Invest in everyone, not just top performers.
> Be the leader you wished you had.
> Know your people's strengths & weaknesses (personal SWOT).
Create an actionable development plan that drives better paychecks.
> Become a broken record with the company's mission, values, and vision.
Connect people's "why" to the company's purpose.
> Coach, don't command.
> Delegate to grow people, not just clear your plate.
> Lead from the trenches with daily rep face time.
> Make 1:1s sacred (& follow through).
> Celebrate effort, not just results.

The math is simple:
Better people = better culture = better results. 

Choose people over profit because people matter more. The byproduct? They generate profit. 

Do you agree?

"It's not personal, it's just business."

A common business philosophy that gets under my skin...

Business is not just business. 

Business is personal. 

Every deal, negotiation, & transaction has a person behind it. 

"Shrewd" businesspeople or bad bosses will seek to win at people's expense. 

True leaders generate value for the sake of people. 

When starting a business, career, or a new role, stop asking how it will benefit you.

Start asking how you can benefit and serve others. 

Nothing wrong with wanting to make money and provide for your family. 

Nothing wrong with doing things you are passionate about or good at. 

But people can feel who you're in it for. 

People can smell commission breath from a mile away. 

People first, then profit. 

Business is not just business. Business is personal when you deal with people. 

Make someone's day by tagging someone who exemplifies 'people first' leadership.

Trust me when I say:

- mastering influence
- excelling in your role
- crafting solutions as a niche
- teaching others to create success

And above all, being worthy of remark...

Will make it 100x easier to get promoted.

Waiting for an opportunity isn’t reliable. Go create a demand for your skills.

Caring isn't a strategy you implement. 

It is a lifestyle you embody daily.

So stop acting like you care. Start actually caring. 

❌ Don't perform empathy for your team 
✅ Genuinely invest in their growth

❌ Don't fake interest in customers
 ✅ Detach from profit and connect as humans

❌ Don't care for the applause 
✅ Care because it's a person you can impact

If you feel you are acting, tell yourself to care genuinely.

Do the work to make an impact, not just to impress.

What's one way to embody authentic care?

♻️ Repost to create a more caring world
➕ Follow and like for more unconventional musings

Want to quit your toxic company? Go for it. 

Want to make work easier for your bad boss? That's fine. 

Want to ask for a promotion? Do it. 

Want to jump ship for more pay? More power to you. 

If you are unhappy with the way your career is going or stuck with a mediocre compensation plan, one thing must happen:

Change.

Nothing changes if nothing changes. 

But change must start with yourself. 

- Change your plans. 
- Change your goals. 
- Change your habits.
- Change how you lead.
- Change how you work.
- Change your perception. 
- Change how you treat others.

Stop wishing for your company to change or your boss to leave, and start making change happen in your life and the areas under your control.

What else would you change?

Choose a leader instead of a job. 

The wrong manager can hold your career back for years. 

The right managers see your potential, help you unlock your potential, and champion your promotion. 

The best leaders are agnostic to the logo they represent. 
They are believers in the people they are responsible for. 

The best managers prioritize people first, then profit. 

I've worked for great leaders. 

- They believed I had potential.
- They asked about my wife & children. 
- They invested in me even when I deserved to be fired. 
- They designed comp plans around revenue goals, not quota.
- They created roles to solve problems that fit my passion and strengths. 
- They listened - and did not turn on me - when I considered outside offers.

I once struggled because I wasn't sure I wanted to be in this industry. 
My leaders noticed my decreasing excitement, put their arms around me, and said, "Where do you want to be? We'll help you get there." 

They are why I stayed when I was offered better financial offers. 
They are the reason I haven't quit the medical device industry.

Ultimately, their leadership has produced several promotions for me, bigger paychecks, and once-in-a-lifetime career opportunities. 

Choose leaders who want to see you grow today. 

Agree? Let me know your thoughts👇

The best ideas don't come from dreadful meetings. 

More brainstorming on a whiteboard won't move your business forward. 

Ideas matter.
All great things started with an idea. 
That was executed. Iterated. Reshipped. 

Whether ideas to improve the workplace.
Or ideas for new products or companies. 

Ideas accelerated my career. 

I went from being demoted to an accelerated promotion track due to the high-impact ideas I brought to the table and executed. 

But if you never make time to break away to generate ideas, you'll never make time to execute them. 

Here's my Idea OS:

1) Get outside
> Find a happy place. 
> Schedule it during the best time. 
> For me, it's sunrise mornings in the hills and trails behind my house. 

2) Have a plan
> Have an exercise plan: you can walk, ruck, or run
> Have a thinking plan: what are you listening to? Podcast? Music? Audio book?
> For me, it's whatever I am working on or wanting to create. 

3) Come prepared
> I get to my happy place and set time with juices already flowing.
> This means I have already read, prayed, and prepared my heart. 
> Getting out and moving takes it to the next level. 
> Bring the right tools: notepad & pen, notes app, podcast app, etc. 

4) Capture
> When an idea or thought arrives that I want to capture, I pause. 
> I use Ali Abdaal's Voicepal app to record and transcribe all my thoughts. 

5) Create
> Don't just waste this session by doing nothing after the fact. 
> When resolve is high, take action. 
> Make a plan to outline the next steps of the best and most crucial idea you had. 
> Take a step to execute the first thing in that idea. 
> Schedule the following steps. 

Commit to a place and time to get outside and move. 
Chart a course for your time there. 
Capture what matters most. 
Commit to execution. 
Craft a plan around the most essential idea. 
Create and execute. 

For me, not one week goes by without me getting out there at least once. 

What are your favorite ways to get your creative juices flowing? 

♻️ Repost to help your tribe ditch meetings and be more creative. 

Follow Francisco Martinez for more insights like this.

The most dangerous attitude in sales?

"I already know that" or "I don't need help."

I've seen sales careers, especially med sales, crash and burn with that attitude.

Earlier in my career, I saw my own ego get me demoted because of words like that.  

I've seen the most talented salespeople miss opportunities because of that attitude. 

Here's what I've learned about success in sales:

The moment you think you know it all or don't need help, you've already lost.

The top performers who succeed in the long run are the ones who:

↳ Still walk through their checklist before time with a customer
↳ Invite teammates to review your performance
↳ Ask "what would you have done differently?" after every encounter
↳ Read and learn daily
↳ Do not defend against correction from leadership

You only learn from every conversation in the field if you have a humble attitude.

An attitude that wants to improve. 
Craves to learn. 
Never comfortable. 
Is teachable. 

Being humble means:
- You haven't arrived (& never will)
- You can't get there without others

It's not about being weak.
It's about being wise.

Sales is hard and competitive. 

But if you stay teachable and humble
You'll overcome.

Before firing that employee, pause. 

The person you want to fire may be your next rockstar employee. 

Business gurus always want you to "fire fast."

But forget to tell you to take personal responsibility first. 

Before firing someone, ask yourself:

- Have I coached them?
- Have I measured them?
- Have I led them for their sake?
- Have I trained the necessary skills?
- Have I provided clear expectations?
- Have I customized their development plan?

Notice how each of these questions has one thing in common: 

You, the manager

What do you think about firing fast vs firing slow? 

-- 

♻️ Repost to help your network lead, not manage. 
➕ Follow for inspiration on being the leader you wish you had.

The most impactful leaders are the ones who serve. 

Leadership is not a license to do less but a responsibility to serve. 

But everyone gets servant leadership wrong.

It's not about being willing to serve.

But initiating acts of service.

Change from this:

- "If there is any way I can help you let me know."
- "I love helping and serving others."
- "Tell me how I can help."
- "Do you need any help?"

Initiate service this way:

- "I see the best way I can help you is by option a or option b. Which one is it?"
- "You have a lot going on. I am going to take this off your plate."
- "I knew you would say you didn't need help, but I showed up anyway and am ready for you to put me to work."

Most people will not ask for help or say they need it, even if you ask.

Servant-leaders know this and create ways to serve and surprise others.

How will you create opportunities to serve others next week?

A brutal truth:

Toxic workplaces come with massive opportunities. Let me explain.

Where there is chaos and disintegrating clarity, there are many different problems you can solve. 

First of all, not all toxic workplaces look the same. 
Toxic could mean the leadership is disoriented. 
Toxic could mean there is perpetual burnout. 
Toxic could mean there is a revolving door of players. 
Toxic could mean there is just terrible leadership. 
Toxic could mean teammates who run over each other to get ahead. 

Most of us have endured toxic workplaces. 
But we have endured without making the most of our time there. 

Leadership is disoriented? 
Be someone who knows and takes others in the right direction.

Perpetual burnout environment?
Create a system that lets people do great work effortlessly. 

Your company can't keep anybody? 
Craft a team culture where nobody wants to leave. 

Find one obvious, common problem that your strengths and unique skills can solve. 

It'll take time. 

You'll never regret trying. 

What do you think about this contrarian take? 

Let me know your thoughts below.

Don't quit. Don't give up. Turn that frustration around. 

Success is not a corner office, a title, or a bigger role. 

Thinking vanity metrics measured success almost destroyed my career. 

Thinking I could impact lives if I had that bigger role hindered my effort. 

I realized that it wasn't my managers keeping me from bigger and better things. 
It was me. 

Once I chose to be a salesblazer, making positive change happen right where I was and leading without a title, my career blossomed. 

Here's the mindset that finds success with or without titles:

- You make change happen for the sake of others. 
- You initiate solving common problems your way. 
- You think beyond your role. Create a rising tide. 
- You are willing to ask for help from your tribe.
- You are faithful with what you've been given.
- You detach from outcomes. Create systems. 
- You know what makes you unique. 
- You don't hate small beginnings.
- You adopt the 12-week year. 
- You aim to work hard. 
- You excel. 

The result? 

You build an impactful and successful career.

I've always had a love-hate relationship with medical sales. 

I've loved my job. I've hated it at times. But today...

I am thankful. 

And not just today, more days than not, I am thankful.

This is a harsh industry.
More sales mean more service. 
More service while maintaining growth takes a toll on you. 
Your body, your mind, relationships, and so much more. 

Despite wanting to leave this industry so many times, the Lord has blessed us so much through it. 

Not only that, I've grown and learned so much more during the tough days of medical sales. 

The Lord uses hard things to shape us into the people we need to be to fulfill the good work He has given us to do. 

And to all that hard, good, bad, and ugly, I am thankful to know my value and identity are not in any of those things, but in the goodness of God to show me His mercy and kindness in the salvation found in Jesus Christ. 

Happy Thanksgiving to you all! 

May your day be blessed, and may you remember where all these good things come from. 

Cheers.

taplio

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taplio

The Battle

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Francisco Martinez

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