AGFA HealthCare supports leading healthcare providers in maximizing their use of patient imaging across the enterprise-wide continuum of care. The company is renowned for its Enterprise Imaging Platform, which delivers clinically efficient, scalable, and sustainable imaging data management. The platform has been installed more than 950 times worldwide.
Inconsistent messaging and storytelling
To better meet the needs of its customers, AGFA HealthCare’s sales organization had recently switched to a buyer-aligned selling approach, a strategy that aims at better understanding and adapting to the buyer’s journey, and aligning sales activities to the buying readiness of the customer.
Although this was the right strategy for the organization at the time, AGFA HealthCare sales representatives lacked coherent messaging in their sales tools to support their sales conversations, especially for the earlier stages of the sales cycle. Salespeople were often building their own slide decks, which led to inconsistent storytelling, and to lost time at the expense of their core selling time.
It’s tempting for salespeople to remain in the comfort zone of feature-selling, without having to dig too deep into the worries and needs of the customer.
“We’re in the complex business of healthcare, and we are dealing with complex technology. This makes it tempting for salespeople to remain in the comfort zone of feature-selling, without having to dig too deep into the worries and needs of the customer,” says Willy Rosé, Head of Regional Marketing at AGFA HealthCare. “Our sales decks were often taken over from product management. These decks were much too technical for use in sales conversations, and not adapted to a non-linear customer journey.”
Buyer-aligned messaging
AGFA HealthCare enlisted the help of Perpetos to adapt their messaging to the new approach of buyer-aligned selling, and to the concept of the Buying Clock®, which had also been introduced by Perpetos. The Buying Clock® abandons the idea of the linear customer journey, but instead uses the intuitive analogy of the clock to determine the customer’s buying phase. Sales people can use the Buying Clock® to instantly assess buyer readiness and link this with the most effective strategic action.
In close collaboration with the AGFA HealthCare team, Perpetos developed a comprehensive messaging kit, that could be used as the basis for a wide range of sales enablement materials, including presentations, brochures, case studies and more. The kit offers a uniform storyline for the global sales team, and covers talking points for the entire buyer journey.
Conversation skills and implementation
In addition to the development of sales enablement tools, Perpetos also guided the team in using the tools during sales conversations, and helped them to develop conversational fluency based on the new messaging. This was done through individual coaching and interactive group sessions. One of the methodologies used was the intervision method, a structured, group-based reflection process where participants collaboratively discuss and analyze their professional challenges to gain new insights and improve their practices.
To make sure the new messaging got embedded into the organization, Perpetos implemented changes to the CRM to make reporting according the Buying Clock easier. The new buyer-aligned messaging is also embedded in the onboarding process of new employees.
More confidence in sales conversations
“Making our messaging stick in the organization will be a continuous effort,” says Willy Rosé. “The important thing is that we now have a customer-centric sales methodology that offers our team a useful framework, preventing them from freewheeling during sales interactions. We can now face our customers with a solid story, one that starts from their needs and demands.”
Perpetos was able to instill confidence in our sales team again. Our team now knows which messages to bring to the sales conversation, and they know how to handle objections. They own their story now.
The AGFA HealthCare team particularly appreciates that Perpetos offered training and support in multiple languages, invaluable for a global sales team, and that the new approach can be applied to the different regions where the sales organization is active.
“Perpetos was able to instill confidence in our sales team again,” says Willy Rosé. “Our team now knows which messages to bring to the sales conversation, and they know how to handle objections. They own their story now.”
