
hospira
health care and life sciences
Hospira is a leading provider of injectable drugs and infusion technologies.

the challenge
Hospira, the world’s leading provider of injectable drugs and infusion technologies, had evolved rapidly since spinning off from Abbot Laboratories. To sell a broadening portfolio that now included comprehensive medication management solutions, Hospira’s major account executives and corporate national account executives needed to effectively engage hospital executives.
When it became apparent that these sales teams were experiencing challenges in having consistent and meaningful executive conversations, Hospira identified the following causes:
- The new solutions required larger capital outlays, and customer decision-making and approval had now shifted to executive levels within accounts.
- Sales personnel were challenged to reach hospital executives and build requisite relationships to grow market share.
- Internally developed sales training was overly product-focused to be effective helping sellers understand how hospitals make investment decisions.
- Marketing collateral wasn’t resonating with healthcare executives and supporting sales conversations at that level.
the solution
This multi-month learning plan kicked-off with a structured, online pre-work assignment designed to ready participants for attending a one-day, face-to-face workshop. Sales and marketing teams attended together, working side by side to holistically change Hospira’s go-to-market strategies. Designed to impart a hospital executive’s perspective, the workshop set the stage for subsequent monthly virtual classroom sessions that culminated in a second face-to-face workshop.
Team members utilized time between sessions to practice skills learned, and prepare engagement plans for their actual accounts. Each virtual session, a handful of individuals were randomly chosen to present and role play their sales strategies with Consultant leading the session. Receiving feedback from the Consultant and peers alike created a learning experience not just for the individual presenting, but for all in attendance. Each successive session saw participants make stronger and more relevant linkages between Hospira’s solutions and the business metrics important to hospital executives.
New hires who joined the team mid-learning plan utilized Corporate Vision’s online learning framework to efficiently catch up on prior training missed.
- More senior or executive-level exchanges. The group emerged better equipped and confident to understand an executive’s world and have relevant, meaningful conversations.
- Clear improvement in business plans and business cases developed by the company.
- Team members now enjoy strategic relationships with hospital CEOs and CNOs where they help to reduce errors, thus lowering re-admission rates, removing costs and improving patient safety; reduce process time between doctors, pharmacists and patients in administering drugs, thus increasing productivity and reducing error rates; and reduce write-offs, thereby increasing net revenue.
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