IAM1886 – Consultant Helps Make the Healthcare System Better

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Albert Ho Teaser 00:00

If I had to share one nugget to a fellow CEO or entrepreneur, it would actually be in terms of how you manage your time. I consider time to be one of the most valuable resources, right? It's something that constantly kind of flows. You can't stop time and you can't buy more of it.

So I've really become more mindful of, you know, how you spend time with people.

Intro 00:22

Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview?

If so, you've come to the right place, Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of.

This is the IAMCEO podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:49

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh from the IAMCEO podcast, and I appreciate you listening to this episode. If you've been listening this year, you know that we hit 1600 episodes at the beginning of this year. We're doing something a little bit different where we're repurposing our favorite episodes around certain categories, topics, or as I like to call them, the business pillars that we think are going to be extremely impactful for CEOs, entrepreneurs, business owners, and what I like to call the CB nation architects who are looking to level up their organizations.

This month we are focusing on operations. The systems will set you free. So think about systems, think about flow, sustainability, potentially working out in your morning routine, waking up early e-commerce, and different business models. Think of the operations in the models that basically set up the foundation to allow the creativity within organizations, but also to make sure the trains are running on time and things are going as they should.

Now, this is extremely important because we often turn to the sexy parts of business and forget about the operations and how important that is. I really want to focus this month on this specific topic so sit back and enjoy this special episode at the IAMCEO podcast.

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the IAMCEO podcast. I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Albert Ho of Healthcare Heroes. Albert, it's awesome to have you on the show.

Albert Ho 02:09

All right. Thanks Gresham, looking forward to a great conversation.

Gresham Harkless 02:12

Definitely looking forward to having a great conversation with you as well and hear about all the awesome things that you're doing. Before we jump in, I want to read a little bit more about Albert and his wife, Sandy. So you can hear a little bit more about what they do.

Sandy and Albert are a married couple from Toronto who are both authors and keynote speakers. In this podcast, couples can learn how to support each other to help them achieve their dreams and goals. Sandy's award-winning newly published book is called The Money Master: Inside Secrets on How to Make Your Money Grow and Stay Safe, which focuses on helping female millennials create wealth through investing. Albert helps healthcare professionals generate one million in sales within one year.

Albert, are you ready to speak to the IAMCEO community?

Albert Ho 02:52

I am definitely ready.

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Gresham Harkless 02:54

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Let's do it then. So to kick everything off. I wanted to rewind the clock a little bit, hear a little bit more on how you got started. Could you take us through what I call your CEO story? What let you get started with your business.

Albert Ho 03:03

Sure, so I started my career actually as a medical secretary and so did that for a couple of years and then I'd always had an interest to go into nursing school. So I became a registered nurse and I was working in a hospital here in Toronto. After a few years, I started getting involved with larger and larger projects, and I started working as a project manager. So, again, to use those skills to make the health care system better.

I also got involved with a medical device business, and that was the inkling when I felt that there was basically a gap in how do you sell to doctors? And that's why I wrote that book, Checkmate, How to Win the Sales Game, which you just mentioned, which is just published this year. That was one of the things people told me I was good at. I was good in sales and that's why this book is specifically targeted to pharma sales reps medical device sales reps to help them become better in sales.

Gresham Harkless 03:58

Awesome. So I want to drill down a little bit deeper and hear how you serve the clients that you work with. Could you take us through more of that and explain how that process works?

Albert Ho 04:05

Perfect. Yeah because I was actually a medical device sales rep myself, I was thinking at that time I wish there was a book to help me. I have a sales process that I teach to people that are in the healthcare industry. So I think still some of the physicians is one aspect of it. So, I'm very surprised that the people that work in pharmaceuticals and medical device sales, they actually don't know much about the healthcare industry. So, this is my way of sharing my expertise in terms of who the key players are, how to connect with physicians, how to speak in sort of their language and how to promote your product or service. Whatever it may be, it could be a new medication, new medical device or new software.

Those are the types of clients that I typically work with. And so I do a bit of one on one coaching and consulting as well. Sometimes companies hire me to a company, I believe they're in the U. S. and I want to penetrate the Canadian market. So it was a physician scheduling software. So those are the types of things I help with. And then now I'm also trying to branch more into keynote speaking because I was getting asked to speak to different types of audiences. So it's mainly, I would say, healthcare providers that work in hospitals, governments, and then pharmaceuticals. Obviously, those are the three kinds of groups I speak to now.

Gresham Harkless 05:20

Nice. That's definitely awesome. And of course, when you've become a subject matter expert, or you showcase yourself as one, which might be a better way to say it, you get that opportunity to speak to more and more people and people wanting to get as much information from you as possible.

I don't know if you found this. I almost feel like from a sales perspective, it seems like the consumer is so much more informed and knowledgeable that it's definitely to your benefit to know more about the industry so that you can speak to and in their same language, so to speak, so that you're actually communicating and providing a solution.

Albert Ho 05:51

I found that's one of the tricky things in health care. The industry is changing so quickly. There are always new medications coming out. I'm sure you've heard about the new code vaccine that just became available. So this is all very brand new and people don't know how even physicians themselves may not know much about that medication.

So imagine if you were a pharmacist sales rep trying to inform those physicians of both that new medication. There is a constant continuous learning that I feel needs to occur. I'm just glad to be a part of this. The ultimate reason why I'm doing it is to make the healthcare system better, and because I've always wanted to help patients to make them healthier. That was the true calling that came from inside.

Gresham Harkless 06:34

Yeah, absolutely. That mission that you're that everything falls in line with, it allows you to really hone in and be able to provide a tremendous amount of value.

And so do you feel like your ability to be able to obviously have that healthcare industry knowledge, but also have that sales knowledge and the understanding of the potential clients that you're working with, do you feel that is your secret sauce, the thing you feel sets you apart and makes you unique?

Albert Ho 06:59

It's something that I fell into. I had no idea of writing a book if you'd asked me in early 2018. It actually started as a New Year's resolution. I was happy where I was at, I've owned a business before and I thought, great what am I going to do with that expertise? And that's when it started off exactly like you described a New Year's resolution in 2018. My wife, even if you ask her, she'll tell you that she had no idea. There's no intention of writing a book either, but we both just saw the potential. We started meeting other authors and it just became that inner calling. What do I want to give back to this world?

We felt the book was one of the ways that we could do that and we actually did it. We both just published earlier this year. Since then, it's been a whirlwind of journey, actually getting to talk to podcasters like yourself, getting media mentions and just people that are seeking out that information. And it's just, we're still talking about the same things, but it's just speaking to larger and larger audiences. So it's been really grateful the experience we've had so far.

Gresham Harkless 08:00

Yeah, absolutely. And I love that you mentioned kind of that quote and quote legacy piece to get an opportunity to give something back to the industry, to the world as a whole. To be able to be like what we've talked about before in alignment with your mission. I think, getting the opportunity to really do the work, so to speak, and then be able to teach others and empower others as well, too, is definitely a phenomenal thing that you and your wife are doing.

Albert Ho 08:20

Thank you. Yeah.

Gresham Harkless 08:21

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. I wanted to switch gears a little bit and ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an app, a book or a habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient.

Albert Ho 08:33

So, something I definitely love to tell people about is simply actually Google tools. So, for example, Google docs and Google calendar. So, my wife and I, as I mentioned, we both have extremely busy schedules. We're juggling our full-time job. We also have our sort of side business as we call it. And even just using that simple collaboration tool just really helps us to keep organized and we actually schedule almost everything in our life. So, even the things like exercising.

We recently had a goal of increasing the number of times we exercise from 3 times a week to five times a week and we're like, oh, okay it sounds like it's gonna be a bit of a challenge, but with a bit of creative scheduling. Sometimes we fit it in first thing in the morning at six or sometimes we fit it in after work. So that's something I think that people should definitely use, especially for couples. Because if you don't know when your spouse is available is actually gonna be very difficult to spend time with them and or do work with them. For example trying to do podcasts together. We've done a few of those together so far.

Gresham Harkless 09:31

Yeah, and that's huge. I think I'm a big believer and big proponent of the power of the schedule and how it allows you to align things. But I think so many times we think of our schedule and just us being able to find time for whatever we need to do, whether it be working out or this meeting or this podcast or whatever that might be. But you bring up a really valuable point where it also allows people around you, the people that are closest to you often to be able to find a time, but also for you to be able to find a time on their schedule when you're on the same page and allows really phenomenal things to happen.

Because if you have a goal of being able to work out five times, like you all did, it doesn't become, how do I make this work? It just becomes, what do I have to move around to make that happen? Because everything's in one place.

Albert Ho 10:12

That's right. Yeah.

Gresham Harkless 10:13

Awesome. So I wanted to ask you now for what I call a CEO nugget. This could be a word of wisdom or a piece of advice, it might be something you would tell a client, or if you hopped into a time machine, you might tell your younger business self.

Albert Ho 10:25

If I had to share one nugget to a fellow CEO or entrepreneur, it would actually be in terms of how you manage your time. I consider time to be one of the most valuable resources, right? It's something that constantly flows. You can't stop time and you can't buy more of it. So I've really become more mindful of how you spend time with people. So, for example, I'm very careful about who I let into my network and who I spend time with as well as activities. I mentioned exercising is one of the sort of priorities and values that I have as well as leisure activities. So really actually being mindful of how you spend that time.

I even think, back to, let's say, high school. I wish that I had actually spent more time developing those friendships because I felt that during high school, I was focused on just getting good grades and getting into university. So now sometimes you have groups of friends from, let's say, high school, the university, but that's one thing I missed. I don't really have a core group of high school friends because I just wasn't focused on at that point in time. But some of those relationships and friendships, I really value now. So hopefully that's something that should hopefully help people to focus on.

Gresham Harkless 11:40

Yeah, that's absolutely huge. I think so many times that sometimes we forget why we do the things that we do. Sometimes it's not apparent to us, and it evolves as a matter. It's not to say that the grades and getting those things aren't important because absolutely it's important. That's why we're having the conversation. You're doing so many phenomenal things today, but I think so many times as we grow older, as our businesses evolve, we start to change our priorities or maybe mesh our priorities together even more.

I think having that at the forefront is so important and it allows us to work backwards and understand how we're going to spend our time to most effectively get to our goals and get to the vision that we have for our lives and ourselves as individuals.

Now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. We're hoping to have different quote and quote CEOs on the show. So, Albert, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Albert Ho 12:33

So, my official title, I like to call myself the Chief Hero Officer, because my company is called Healthcare Heroes. And, the reason why I started the business was just as a way to give back and influence the next generation of healthcare leaders. I may not look like it, but actually, I consider myself a mid-career leader. You're at that point where you start to think how can I get back? And it really means, harnessing that experience. For me now it's motivating, right? Motivating that next generation, because, it's that next generation. It's going to hopefully make those changes.

For example, in Canada, I'm sure you've heard about our universal health care system, but there have been things that have been just talked about for years and years that have never actually occurred. A great example is a national Pharma care plan, which means that the government would fund a certain portion of those medications. It's been talked about for decades and it's something you would think would have been implemented by now, but unfortunately hasn't. It's going to cost a lot of money and it's hard to make it equitable across from coast to coast to coast. So it's those kind of dream systems that we have to trust the next generation to implement and continue.

So, that's sort of my life mission and, and it's led me to the things that I'm doing now. So, hopefully that gives a good explanation of what it means to me.

Gresham Harkless 13:53

Yeah, absolutely. I definitely appreciate you for explaining that and touching on those specific types because I'm a big believer in entrepreneurship and business and being able to solve problems. I think that so many times we think of the widget or the thing that we have in our phones and those evolutions and those improvements that we see. But I think so many times we don't look at those things like the health care system as an opportunity for entrepreneurial people or people that are entrepreneurial-minded to create those solutions.

I appreciate you for not just thinking of the benefits that you can provide, but the benefits that you can have to impact those future leaders. Because I think that if we always have that focus on our legacy and the actions that we're taking towards our legacy and the impact that we can have, then it makes the world an overall better place. I appreciate you for reminding us of that, and of course, doing that in your book and your work and all the awesome things that you mentioned today.

Albert Ho 14:45

The way that you describe it makes it sound so much bigger, but for me, it's just a part of my day-to-day life. So wow. Thank you for paraphrasing it in that way.

Gresham Harkless 14:53

Yeah, absolutely. I think when you're right in alignment, it never seems as big. But I think when you're doing what you're supposed to be doing, your gift as I would like to call it, then it may seem small to you, but it makes a huge ripple effect and impact. So I appreciate you for doing that and reminding us of that.

Albert, for those people that want to get a hold of you, is there anything additional you want to let our readers and listeners know and ofcourse, how best people can get ahold of what you, your wife and your team are working on and get a copy of your book?

Albert Ho 15:19

Sure, yeah, the first thing I always like to talk about is my charity partnership. I am partnered with the Canadian Cancer Society. Basically the sale of each copy, I give a $2 donation and actually for real special for your listeners, I actually feel they give away digital copies, so they can go to www.checkmatebook.ca. Again, they can freely get a downloadable version of Checkmate out of in the sales game.

I'm on social media as well, so Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You can just search checkmate book and you'll find my handle. So those are some great ways that I interact with readers and followers. Then for my wife, I'll just mention sandyyoung.com as well. You can also get a copy of her book. You can see it behind here, inside. Free downloadable. So those are 2 ways that you can definitely connect with us further.

Gresham Harkless 16:10

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. I truly appreciate that. We will have the links and information in the show notes. So we'll get a copy of both of those books, but appreciate you again, my friend and I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

Outro 16:20

Thank you for listening to the IAMCEO Podcast powered by CB Nation and Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co. IAMCEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Don't forget to schedule your complimentary digital marketing consultation@blue16media.com.

This has been the IAMCEO podcast with Gresham Harkless, Jr. Thank you for listening.

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