Christina Keith

I attribute my success to being consistent and structured in my approach. I'm a checklist person, and my background as a school teacher trained me to develop my calendar, make sure I'm doing the right steps with the right goals and procedures, and have an agenda for the day. I don't just wake up and hop in the car - there are steps you take. You have to pre-call plan and post-call plan, and even on a personal level, I make checklists for everything, whether it's going to the grocery store or making sure my dogs go for walks at certain times. My husband's a pilot, so I get a lot of the analytical stuff from him. I never used to be a checklist person, but I am now, and it helps. It keeps you organized when you're multitasking, and you have to prioritize your day as well.

The best career advice I've received is to be true to yourself. No matter what industry or profession you're in, you want to be able to just be true to who you are, and success will follow. My most successful mentors told me to use your resources and the people you have to help be successful, but always be true to who you are for your career. Don't try to be someone that you're not, or change your path to accommodate others. And be happy in your career - if you're not happy in what you're doing, don't do it.

Don't get discouraged. It's really easy when you get out of college and want to get into this profession - it's highly competitive and really hard to land the job. It's important to be true to yourself, value yourself, and don't take it personally if you don't get that opportunity. Just keep asking questions like 'what information can I provide for you to help me land this job?' It's really easy to get distracted and take things personally when you get a rejection for a job. You think 'oh my gosh, it's me,' when in reality, it's just that your credentials or experience aren't matching what they're looking for. Stay positive and stay on trend. Make sure you research your company, know a lot about it, and be able to ask questions. And again, it goes back to being yourself - don't mold who you are for somebody else. The biggest thing is do not get frustrated because it's so competitive and challenging. If you have a dream, it doesn't mean it's not going to happen, it just is not going to happen today.

The biggest challenges in my field right now are that corporate accounts are becoming more prominent. Veterinarians who used to be one-doctor practices are now selling to corporate, which has changed the landscape. Hospitals are having corporate accounts lead them and dictate medicine and what they can or cannot buy. Post-COVID, it's changed to getting owners to come back in with their pets - pet visits are down substantially, so it's becoming highly competitive where everybody's trying to get a section of your business in a declining market. A lot of people buy their products through Chewy, or they go to Dr. Google to prescribe their own medicines and go holistic. This has changed the whole landscape of the industry. There's also a high turnover rate, high burnout rate, and on the veterinary side, a high suicide rate as well. Vets are dealing with depression because they're not equipped to handle payroll, setting up their clientele, developing and maintaining clients, and being competitive with corporate pricing structures. That's why you see a lot of practices being bought by larger practices. Back in the day, it would be really easy for me to go in and have time with the vet and sit down and talk to them. Now you have gatekeepers at the front, so the landscape has changed a lot over the years.

I'm faith-driven, and that's very important to me. I was the only person in my whole family that ever went to college - I'm first generation. My grandparents raised me, and for me, it's about being successful and determined, not taking things for granted, wanting to do more for yourself, and furthering your education. I've always been motivated and high energy - I'm a total I in a DISC profile, though now I've morphed to a DI the longer I've been in sales. What drives me is being self-disciplined and self-driven, not something that's forced. It's about being consistent, structuring your day, and making sure you're doing the right steps with the right goals and procedures.