Meet Kris Fuhr, VP of Business Development
We’re spotlighting Kris, his background, his career highlights and how his motivation to “drive revenue with a sense of purpose,” has brought him to Dosentrx, where he has ownership of our commercial growth.
From volunteering as an engineering consultant for FEMA during Hurricane Katrina, to heeding his calling to solve real world problems to change people’s lives for the better. Kris brings with him a wide breadth of business development experience, as individual contributor and sales team manager, then rising to C-suite business development at a multinational corporation.
We discussed all sorts of topics, from why and how he was attracted to engineering (he wanted to design sports stadiums), to his love for running, spending time with his dog, and his endless hunt for new red wines and to what attracted him to Dosentrx. We also got him to lay out his tips for wanna be salespeople, too.
What attracted you to Dosentrx?
This opportunity at Dosentrx is everything I have been looking for. It’s the first time in my career that I am fortunate enough to offer a solution where every single stakeholder wins. I take great pride in that fact.
We offer a solution that has an enormous impact on lives worldwide. We help patients get better, help physicians give better care with less effort, help insurance companies and health system cut costs, and help industry drive more profit. There is not one part of the system that we do not change for the better. We actualize the full potential of treating people’s diseases.?
From the patient's perspective, we help them manage their complicated diseases accurately.?From the physician side, we’re able to provide a long-desired tool, an extension of their care, and oversight that provides comfort that patients are managing their complicated diseases compliantly and safely. Our solution is similar to having a nurse from the physician’s office helping the patient at all time, whether it be at home or on-the-go. Lastly, the working relationship between the combination of the pharmaceutical industry, hospital systems, payers/insurance companies, government, physicians, and patients can all be changed for the better by delivering a digital disease management experience that includes specialized medicines.
How did you get into the healthcare industry?
While the world needs salespeople who sell commodity goods and services, I sought out opportunities that make a true difference. I wanted to find an industry where I could do good; where I could actually make a difference and be rewarded for my effort. My first role at Shinogi Pharmaceuticals focused on helping kids with their seasonal allergies and, uniquely enough, head lice infestations! From there I went to Hologic, where I helped ensure a woman’s surgery went successfully by coaching my physician client (and associated healthcare systems) on how to use gynecologic medical devices more efficiently. That sale and support of that instrument gave women a better life by treating their abnormal uterine bleeding while at the same time growing a company’s revenue. While I had many roles of increasing responsibility at Hologic, helping GYNs and patients in the operating room, is still one of the most rewarding roles I’ve had in my career. Lastly at WCG, I helped patients get enrolled into clinical trials, making never-before available cutting edge treatments an options for those in need. This helped Industry, too, as faster enrollment leads to faster regulatory approval and commercial availability.?Part of the work we did at WCG in 2020 and 2021 literally changed the world.
You have an engineering background and started your career there, why did you make the switch?
During my engineering days, I volunteered to be a consultant for FEMA for Hurricane Katrina because I wanted to help people. I saw the devastation created by the eye of the storm, just east of New Orleans. There I hosted meetings, gathering people and managing expectations of the city and the federal government. I realized during that process, I enjoyed dealing with people and solving problems much more than engineering. I didn’t want to spend my days sitting behind a desk doing complicated math and designing things. I knew I had to get out there and be proactive providing meaningful solutions for those in need of help.
What’s your favorite thing about sales??
Simultaneously helping people and solving problems while growing company revenue.
Salespeople travel a lot, what’s the best location a job has ever taken you?
There are many! I am an odd guy in that being in airplanes and hotels and in new locales actually fuels me. Of course I love spending time at home with loved ones, but business travel is strangely something I actually enjoy. It’s so hard to pick just one but maybe I would start with Santa Rosa in Sonoma County. It has a San Francisco feel but with the peacefulness of wineries. Other top destinations - San Diego for runs on Pacific Beach, and Zurich/Basel for an espresso or glass of wine al fresco with gorgeous vistas of centuries-old buildings set against a backdrop of water and mountains. Can we go now? Let’s call Delta and get our flights, I’m ready!
What’s the most challenging thing to sell?
That has to be breakthrough technologies. When something is innovative, people do not know how to wrap their head around it. It takes some education to get people past, “What is this??What on Earth are you talking about?” and on to how the innovation can help them.
The ReX by Dosentrx is a breakthrough technology…. how do you get people’s heads around it??
ReX is a nurse in a patient’s pocket, helping them every step of the way. It helps patients manage their complex disease by assisting them during the time when they are most engaged with their illness —when they are taking their pills.?When caring for a patient, a healthcare professional is directly involved in patient care in every instance with the exception of taking medications at home. The amazing new medications that Pharma R&D provides to patients can often times cost over $10,000 a month. It seems crazy to me that patients are not provided any help managing these critical and expensive meds. Patients are left alone to manage their disease, including pills that cost the same amount as a Tesla or Porsche over the span of just one year.
The ReX Platform was designed as an extension of a doctor’s care to help patients get better by managing their entire disease, including taking their medicine as prescribed while simultaneously reducing the resourcing burden facing the healthcare system. ReX acts as a remote digital nurse allowing HCPs the ability to provide proactive clinical intervention with LESS effort. This is absolutely critical and groundbreaking. It’s hard to get people to “think outside the pill box” especially when the ReX physically delivers oral medication to the patient’s mouth AND ALSO captures real-time patient feedback, which enables proactive care team intervention if needed.?
What’s the future of healthcare in 10-20 years?
The future of healthcare is personalized medicine and gene-targeted therapies.?
Imagine you have some type of fungus or other chronic ailment. You swab your mouth, the sample is analyzed and you’re given a drug that only targets that problem. Treatment is focused and customized to you.
What advice would you give someone starting out in sales?
Sales is the ultimate test of discipline, focus, and perseverance.