3 Essentials for Medical Device Sales Training

Medical device sales presents its reps with many unique challenges.  Aside from the sheer volume of training content to be learned, device reps have to attain an unusually high level of mastery in order to effectively articulate the ins and outs of the products they sell.  They have to successfully communicate complex value propositions to highly technical individuals within their industry, while simultaneously maintaining strong command over a body of regulatory information.

This is why industry leading organizations put such a premium on learning, and are achieving their numbers by implementing solutions that enable the 3 key ingredients to successful medical device sales training.

Digestible Content

Let’s face it, video is the most effective way to disseminate large amounts of information to our teams, yet nobody really enjoys watching those hour-long training videos.  Research has shown that longer videos simply don’t hold people’s attention as well as shorter, more digestible ones that lend themselves to perusal.  It’s not to say that we’ve been getting it wrong in how we deliver much of our training content to employees – it’s just that recent advancements in technology now allow us to do it better.

Medical device sales professionals are already benefiting from these advances.  Companies using sales learning platforms, which have a just-in-time video component, are able to build a library of short videos that reps can access between sales calls for a refresher on anything from product features to regulatory information.  They can even see examples of other reps in their company delivering this information in short peer-generated tutorials by doing a quick search in the platform.

This kind of access has proven to be invaluable for industry leaders.  When it comes to selling medical devices, what you know can give you the edge.  The products and regulations are complex, and enabling reps to refresh their knowledge with that one piece of crucial information right before a sales call can be the difference between success and failure.

Mobility

In order for device reps to access the kind of bite-sized training content that is necessary for their success, organizations have to adopt sales learning platforms that are mobile-first.  With such geographically dispersed teams where reps are constantly on the road, it is a must for any company looking to remain competitive that they take advantage of the mobile revolution.

However, in today’s environment it’s not enough to just employ solutions that can work on mobile devices, organizations must employ solutions that were made for mobile devices.  This is a key distinction.  Employees now expect the kind of smooth and inviting user experience they get with the consumer apps they use on their mobile devices at home, and a sales learning platform that doesn’t deliver on this simply won’t be utilized by team members.

Reinforcement of Regulatory Information

As we noted before, medical device sales professionals are held to a much higher standard of compliance when it comes to regulatory requirements.  This means that any sales learning platform being evaluated must have a reinforcement training component in addition to traditional curriculum learning.

Disseminating training content that emphasizes short video modules in a curriculum format is the first step to successfully preparing device reps for the regulatory environment they face.  However, studies show that much of the information received will be forgotten within a matter of weeks if it is not reinforced with continual compliance certifications, flash drills that show up as push notifications, and remote video coaching and role play.

Since all of these forms of reinforcement training can be easily implemented using secure, compliant mobile-video software solutions, organizations can also immediately add to bottom line when utilizing them.  By avoiding the cost of having to pull reps from the field and fly them to a central location to do it all in person, organizations can significantly reduce T&E (travel and entertainment) expense.

Implementing a sales learning platform that enables all three of these key ingredients is the surest way for medical device sales organizations to stay competitive in the rapidly changing markets of today.

For more on how industry leading companies are utilizing the Allego sales learning platform to accomplish this, schedule a custom demo today.