My conversation with Ray Cohen gave me a chance to understand the experiences and principles behind a career that has now reached its 46th year in the medical device business. Ray is known for four exits totaling more than $5 billion and serves on the boards of eight medical device companies, with that number continuing to grow.

What stood out to me was how consistently he came back to a few simple ideas: work hard, stay close to the details, treat people well, take responsibility, and keep going when things get difficult.

Learning to Work for What You Want

Ray work ethic developed long before he entered medical device sales. 

His parents worked manual-labor jobs, and he became the first person in his family to graduate from college. He started working at 13 years old in a sandwich shop, riding his bicycle to nearby salons to take lunch and coffee orders.

That experience taught him an early sales lesson: being polite, friendly, and willing to approach people could lead to business.

More importantly, he learned that things wouldn't simply be handed to him. If he wanted something, he had to work for it.

Breaking Into Medical Device Sales

Ray did not enter the medical device sales industry because of a family connection or clinical background.

His first sales job involved selling consumer electronics at trade shows. Then, in 1981, he met an entrepreneur with a medical product who offered him the opportunity to earn more in commissions.

Ray decided to take the chance.

That simple decision started a career that would eventually take him from salesperson to sales manager, national sales manager, vice president of sales, and CEO.

Leadership Has to Be Earned

One point Ray made very clearly is that a leadership position is something you earn.

A degree by itself does not automatically make someone a manager. You have to prove yourself through your work.

For people carrying the bag in medical device sales, that starts with how you use your time. Ray believes field-based professionals should be in the field, meeting customers and prospects, while planning and administrative work should be organized around that responsibility.

Showing up is only the starting point. The real difference comes from the effort you put in after you show up.

Be Accessible and Transparent

Ray leadership philosophy was shaped by a difficult experience early in his career.

During his first training class, he questioned a policy that required him to give half of his commissions to the person who previously had his territory. When he did not receive a clear answer and asked again, he was fired and sent home.

Instead of forgetting the experience, Ray used it to shape how he would eventually lead.

He decided that if he ever reached a leadership position, he would be transparent. If someone asked him a question, he wanted to give them a direct answer.

That philosophy continued even when he became CEO. He believes leaders need to remain accessible, understand what is happening inside their organizations, and stay involved in the details.

Persistence Means Collecting No’s

Ray path to becoming a CEO was not handed to him either.

When he came across Cardiac Science, it was a distressed publicly traded company with a valuation of $1 million. He saw potential in the technology, proposed becoming CEO, and took on the challenge of financing and rebuilding the company.

When I asked him how he learned to bounce back through difficult situations, his answer was simple: persistence.

His approach to sales is to collect ‘no’ responses. 

Whether you are selling a product, raising capital, or working on a major transaction, Ray  believes you need to move through the rejections until you reach a yes. He would rather get a clear answer than stay stuck in a maybe.

Your Health Has to Be Part of the Plan

Ray also talked openly about something he learned later in his career: success requires stamina.

After undergoing triple bypass cardiac surgery, he changed how he approached his health. At 67, he works out with a trainer three to four times a week, usually starting at 6:30 a.m. when he is not traveling.

He does not describe it as work-life balance. For him, it is work-health balance.

Without your health and energy, you cannot be useful to yourself, your family, or your company.

Final Thoughts

What I took away from Ray W. Cohen’s story is that long-term success in medical device sales and leadership comes from consistent effort, responsibility, persistence, and a willingness to keep learning. His career did not come from waiting for someone to hand him the next opportunity. He worked, took risks, stayed involved in the details, learned from difficult experiences, and kept moving forward. Whether you are trying to break into medical device sales, grow into leadership, or build something of your own, the lesson is simple: show up, do the work, stay accountable, and keep going.

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