Developing Sellers in a Complex Clinical Environment

The 3M Health Care Business Group connects people, insights, science, and technology to solve problems and make better health possible. They deliver practical, proven solutions that enable their customers to protect and improve the health of people around the world.

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With highly technical products and a clinical sales approach, 3M needed to ensure that their more than 1,000 sales reps could deliver key messaging effectively. An integral part of their sales process involved reps having in-depth discussions with medical professionals that covered not only product knowledge but also the supporting science and research. Additional challenges also developed when 3M faced patent expirations, changing the competitive landscape.

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3M implemented Rehearsal by ELB Learning to provide reps with a place to practice and perfect messaging in order to ensure success in an ever-changing technical sales environment. Video-based practice has improved new hire onboarding, as it provides sales reps a safe place to practice articulating technical product knowledge and supporting clinical information before facing actual customers. It also enabled a means to individually coach each new hire while providing leadership visibility to skills development progress.

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3M also found Rehearsal to be valuable for experienced sales reps when faced with product launches, or when new research required changes in messaging or sales strategy. Providing experienced reps a place to practice allows even top performers a space in which to improve their skills.

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Crafting and perfecting messaging around competitive products became critical when patent expirations resulted in the introduction of competitive products by other companies. 3M now had competition where they previously did not, making effective practice and coaching around competitive messaging even more important. To add to this, hospital economics change constantly, as institutions look to cut costs more and more. Video-based practice became critical as 3M had to ensure reps were prepared to face these challenging conversations.

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3M has seen more accurate and consistent messaging and has greater confidence in the effective delivery of that message. These improvements are credited to the creation of a safe place where reps can practice in addition to providing clear, individualized coaching and feedback. Reps are no longer forced to practice with actual customers, which can jeopardize not only individual sales, but customer relationships as well.

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Practice with repetition has been key to 3M’s success. When responding to scenarios, learners can make multiple attempts prior to submission. Reps are forming lasting skills which can be delivered with confidence and accuracy when it matters most.

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The Rehearsal platform also provides leadership with visibility into sales rep engagement and skills development. Field sales managers even request specific scenarios be deployed based on observations or the needs of individual reps.

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Also, the platform has highlighted mentor activity across even the largest of remote sales teams, helping to identify managers who would benefit from development themselves.

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Rehearsal has helped leaders manage the growth of a complex sales team to more than 1,000 reps in twelve roles across the globe in different sales environments and representing many products. The asynchronous nature of the platform will allow the deployment of content as needed, regardless of where teams are located.

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Having been historically heavy with face-to-face live role-play, 3M National Training Meetings are moving to a virtual format. As a result, they now look to conduct this critical training component by using Rehearsal. This will allow learners to not only participate but complete more role-play activities than would be logistically possible at an in-person meeting.

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