CUSTOMER-CENTRIC TRAINING – By Susan Baltrus and Sean Grant
Understanding clients can be invaluable
It’s no surprise that the highest-rated and most engaging workshops are often those that feature actual customers. In the world of life sciences training, where innovation drives progress, success of field sales teams hinges on their ability to understand and connect with their customers on a deeper level.
In pursuit of this goal, an emerging trend is reshaping traditional training methodologies – a new breed of “voice of the customer” workshops.
- Representatives want to hear from prescribers.
- Field reimbursement managers want to hear from practice managers.
- Payer account directors want to hear from pharmacy directors.
- Key account managers want to hear from health system population health directors.
These workshops go beyond putting a customer behind a podium to deliver a one-way presentation to a large audience. They immerse sales teams in the world of their customers. They bring the customer into the classroom, virtually or in person, for interactive discussions, so field sales teams can gain invaluable insights into the needs, preferences and underlying concerns of their customers.
More importantly, learners practice conducting conversations with customers in a safe environment, which enables them to build their confidence and fluency.
Empathy-Driven Selling
At the heart of these workshops is the concept of empathy-driven selling. By understanding the pain points and aspirations of customers, sales teams can tailor their approach to deliver messages that resonate deeply. This customer-centric mindset not only enhances the effectiveness of a call, but also fosters long-term relationships built on trust and mutual understanding.
Voice of the customer workshops serve as a reality check for field sales teams, bridging the gap between perception and reality. Without hearing directly from the customer in a controlled learning environment, it would be easy for sales professionals to become disconnected from the everyday experiences of their customers.
However, by immersing themselves in the customer’s world, sales teams gain are newed appreciation for the complexities and nuances of their customers’ work, ultimately leading to more informed and empathetic interactions.
Challenges and Solutions
Why isn’t the voice of the customer format used more often in live and virtual workshops?
Concerns we’ve heard are:
- Learners need to apply information, yet customer presentations are focused on knowledge acquisition.
- They’re too expensive.
- We can’t get our legal reviewers to agree to this format.
- These workshops are too complicated to orchestrate.
- Too many learners listening to one customer feels like a boring lecture format.
- If you’ve heard one customer, you’ve heard one customer.
Here are three ways to bring the voice of the customer into your training, while addressing common concerns.
First, through conversation stations, a panel of customers is introduced briefly from the front of the room, and then splits up among individual tables. A theme or discussion topic is assigned to each customer. Small teams of learners rotate among the customer stations and conduct 20-minute conversations with each customer that are focused on that customer’s theme.
Second, in a sales simulation activity, small teams of sales professionals take turns asking high impact questions and delivering messages to an actual customer in a structured format. The goal is to persuade the customer to prescribe their product, add their product to formulary, or a similar challenge. Customers are encouraged to provide immediate and direct feedback, and momentum moves swiftly to the next team to pitch their message.
Third, in virtual ask-the-expert sessions, two customers present their nuanced perspectives, which are frequently opposing. These sessions are organized around three distinct questions that are posed to the customers. A handful of meaningful slides are developed to help the customers get their points across, and the customer discussions are punctuated by ask-the-audience questions and frequent breaks for Q&A.
As these examples illustrate, voice of the customer workshops can be:
- An effective forum for application and verbalization practice; they don’t need to be limited to one-way didactic presentations.
- Cost efficient; to be even more economical, they can be conducted virtually.
- Accepted by legal reviewers if the customers are interviewed in advance and reviewers get a sketch of what customers will say in the work shop.
- Easy to run.
- Designed to accommodate small group conversations.
- A reality check.
High-Impact Format
Voice of the customer workshops represent a transformative approach to training. By placing the customer at the center of the learning experience, we can empower learners to understand and empathize with customer needs, while building listening, questioning and conversation skills.
As competition intensifies and customer expectations evolve, investing in customer-centric training programs is not just a strategic advantage – it’s a necessity for long-term success in our dynamic world.
Susan Baltrus is president and CEO of Engage Rx Learning. Email her at sbaltrus@engagerxlearning.com or connect through linkedin.com/in/susan-baltrus-6910542.
Sean Grant is vice president of client relations, Engage Rx Learning. Email him at sgrant@engagerxlearning.com or connect through linkedin.com/in/seangrant77.
