Trying to predict where the healthcare landscape is headed? These days, a magic eight ball can feel like your best bet. While the shift to value, accountable care organizations and alternative payment models continue, it sure feels like a whole lot else is up in the air.
Over the last few years, the Life Science Trainers and Educators Network (LTEN) has been an invaluable resource for me as I’ve attempted to make sense of it all. And of all the resources LTEN offers its members throughout the year, the LTEN Annual Conference is by far the most valuable. This year’s conference happens next week in Nashville, Tennessee. It’s the largest gathering of pharmaceutical and medical device commercial trainers in the United States.
This is Bottom-Line Performance’s third year as a Preferred Industry Partner with LTEN. Whether we are speaking, networking or attending sessions, our focus at this year’s conference is simple:
- When a sales rep is detailing to a physician, what are the three (or two, or four…) things they need to say?
- What action do they need to perform?
- The prerequisite knowledge required to effectively partner with physicians and lab directors is substantial. But in the moment, how will reps deliver a clear, effective value statement to the right person at the right time?
If these are questions you want answers to as well, the seven-session suggestions below may be of interest to you. And if you will be at this year’s LTEN Annual Conference, be sure to say hello at one of our sessions or stop by and chat with our team in Booth 407. You can enter to win an Apple Watch in our booth.
1. Training Strategies to Improve Market Access and Optimize Customer-Facing Roles
Presented by: Michelle O’Connor, L. David Harlow, III, Steve Owens & Dee Fullowan
Tuesday, 6/6: 10:15 AM – 11:45 AM
In a time of rapid change, sales teams need the knowledge and skills to present a meaningful value proposition to engage providers and payers. To maintain a clear competitive advantage, companies must have a training strategy in place that keeps all customer facing roles up-to-date with the skills and abilities to meet the changing needs of their customers. Healthcare and industry training experts will describe some of the latest challenges that are affecting product selection and reimbursement. They will also explain training strategies they are using and segmenting by role to equip their teams with the just-in-time knowledge they need.
2. Bonus Session: 10 Product Launch Training Best Practices
Presented by: Steven Boller
Tuesday, 6/6: 1:00 PM – 1:20 PM
Are you preparing to launch a new medical device or pharmaceutical product? If so, you likely already know it takes careful planning to ensure that reps deliver the right message at the right time for each of your customer types. In this session, we will share ten product launch training best practices based on several global launches. You’ll leave with a quick reference guide to use for your next launch training.
3. You Successfully Launched a New Global Training Initiative – Now What?
Presented by: David Davis & Laura Baginski
Tuesday, 6/6: 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
You have spent a lot of time and effort in developing and launching a new global training program. Now, how do you sustain the momentum from the launch? In today’s training world, with limited resources and short time frames, developing a sustainment strategy is key to ensure that your new initiative is not merely an event but a long-term sustaining process. This workshop will explore how to sustain a global launch through follow-up programs, manager involvement. and other key processes. Bristol-Myers Squibb recently launched a highly successful new selling skills program globally and they will share some of their experience.
4. Account Management Perspective: Driving a Cohesive Strategy for Product Launch Implementation
Presented by: Heather Katz & Jennie Coughlin
Tuesday, 6/6: 4:15 PM – 5:45 PM
Workshop table discussions will focus on the following areas: 1) Collaboration across cross-functional teams and establishing customized Market Access Training aligned to commercial strategy. 2) Optimizing all training resources to maximize impact and engage the Market Access Teams in a manner that reflected their real-world customer challenges and objectives. 3) Execution of live training including Product Certifications specifically designed and developed for Market Access Field. 4) Measurement of the success of the training to demonstrate value to stakeholders.
After this session, Directors and Managers will be able to define the key components necessary to develop and execute effective Market Access Field Sales for a product launch. They will also be able to understand the methods used to modify and enhance training to align with the unique strategic business objectives.
5. Reinforcement 101: How to Help Reps Say and Do the Right Thing
Presented by: Leanne Batchelder & Steven Boller
Wednesday, 6/7: 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
Do you have a strategy for ensuring behavior change after a product launch event? What about a plan for sustaining the learning? Too often, training reinforcement is a task reserved for regional sales affiliates who lack the vision and resources to execute on the business unit’s goals.
Leanne and Steve (part of BLP’s team) will explore a variety of approaches and tools to training reinforcement. Participants will see examples of how other life science organizations use training reinforcement and compare the results of these approaches. Through facilitated discussion, participants will use a worksheet to plan a training reinforcement strategy given a specific business goal.
6. Taking Learning Global – Is Your Learning Truly Global Ready?
Presented by: Marquitha Gilbert & Penelope Morman
Wednesday, 6/7: 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Guide participants in the considerations needed when planning, developing and executing global learning solutions. Challenges participants to think about global learning in another way than current convention. How do you consider creating learning solutions for one country versus many? When working in a global landscape that varies country to country, do you consider whether countries are appropriately resource equipped to execute, the size of the country, flexibility of your solutions, and readiness to execute… If you do consider, how does it impact your global learning strategy?
7. Instructional Design Strategy: What’s Hot Now
Presented by: Bob Holliday & Carrie Schaal
Wednesday, 6/7: 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
This is an interactive discussion on training industry trends, with a focus on pharma’s application of these trends. Comparative analysis of trends will provide an opportunity for participants to share stories about what’s working and where there are opportunities to introduce new trends. Participants will be able to uncover new ways to engage their learners based on the following criteria: field force responsibilities/competencies, learner preferences, technology influences, and business acceleration. This workshop will also include an activity and/or an example outside of pharma for discussion and analysis purposes.
