Exact Sciences is recruiting heavily in an effort support the launch of Cologuard and development of our product pipeline. To support this effort, we'll be publishing Q&As with Exact team members in the areas we are hiring.

This interview features Mike Maus, a Market Development Representative. As part of his role on our inside sales team, Mike supports our field sales organization by triaging sales calls, calling prospective accounts, filling and calling upon uncovered territories, and other sales related activities. 

If you're interested in learning more about the Market Development Representative role, please visit the job description.

What attracted you to Exact Sciences? How did you come to work here?

A combination of things really drew me to Exact. After learning about the opportunities for career advancement and Exact’s mission to help play a role in eradicating such a deadly cancer, I knew I wanted to contribute. I also heard through word-of-mouth and my own online research that Exact was a great company to work for with a strong culture and sense of mission.

I set out to pursue a career there in late 2014. I met with the area sales manager in my former home of South Carolina and learned more about the company culture, mission and opportunities for advancement. Exact is a young, fast-growing, exciting place to work and I was really inspired by the mission to eradicate colon cancer. I made the move from South Carolina to Madison in December of 2014 and started what I knew would be a great career. 

Tell us more about the company culture at Exact Sciences.

It didn’t take long after starting my new job to realize I’d made a great decision. People here are incredibly passionate about what they do and that’s both inspiring and a great motivator. It’s clear how much everyone cares about the company and is invested in its common goal to save lives. This is true throughout the company, both in the Madison office and with the sales teams across the country.

The culture in the office is incredibly open and collaborative. I work side-by-side with people from all levels including top-level management. It’s not uncommon to run into a member of the executive team in the break room or hallway, and often they are up for a quick chat.

What are some of the opportunities you’ve had or skills you’ve learned since starting at Exact Sciences?

Exact is still young, and growing rapidly, which creates opportunities to advance within the company and grow professionally. Managers are very receptive to feedback and advice on how to help improve and grow. They regularly ask about our long-term career goals and are more than willing to help us learn and advance in our careers, whether it’s going out into the field for hands-on training or attending classes outside of the office that will help us be more effective in our current positions or achieve longer-term aspirations.

Personally, I hope to advance to selling in the field soon. I was able to extend an upcoming personal vacation to do a ride-along training session with a field salesperson. My managers encouraged this and gave me the flexibility to build it into my schedule. It’s clear that the company encourages and invests in advancing our careers.

What does it take to succeed as a Market Development Representative?

Being flexible, confident and positive is key.

The Market Development Representative’s role is always changing because we are at the early stages of commercialization and the company is in growth mode. While the scope of the work stays the same, to achieve the best results you have to be willing to try new things and adapt to new challenges. 

A big part of what we do involves talking with people over the phone, instilling trust that will help build solid relationships. Staying positive is the best way to keep people engaged—smiles translate even over the phone! You also need to be confident in what you’re selling as this is key to closing a sale, especially over the phone. Finally, bouncing back from a “no” and learning to close deals over the phone is something I have learned a lot about since joining Exact.