4 Real-World Examples of Mobile Sales Enablement for Med Tech

Companies that have a strong alignment between sales and marketing achieve an annual growth rate of 20 percent, according to Kapost. Mobility is growing rapidly as a business priority as more companies recognize the need for sales enablement. Here are four real-world examples of mobile sales enablement medtech companies should reference from across the Life Sciences industry.

1. Pfizer Saves Big

Pfizer projected in 2011 it would save about $500,000 per year by giving its sales reps iPads to use out in the field, according to CBS News. That adds up to about $6,000,000 by the end of 2016. By no longer needing to print out manuals and textbooks for training purposes, not only did they save on print/fulfillment costs, but reduced compliance risks from out of date “trunk stock” content.

2. Stryker Goes Digital

Stryker decided to take their printed brochures to a digital distribution platform in an effort to speed up the content production and distribution process as iPads became standard for sales reps. Not only were production timelines decreased from 3 months to 3 weeks, but cost was reduced by an astounding 80 percent. Most importantly, there was strong adoption now that sales reps had a simple solution for their needs. “Stryker was able to take a massive amount of dense information and transform it into a tool that salespeople not only needed to use, but actually want to use.”

3. Medtronic Improves Patient Access

Medtronic was one of the first companies, let alone Life Science companies, to embrace the iPad for its sales force. A case study previously featured on Apple’s website when it comes to stressing the benefits of the mobility, highlights the advantages Medtronic gained through the iPad and sales enablement over the years.

“We’re working every day to help more patients have access to our therapies,” said Linnea Burman, Director of Marketing, Drug Delivery Systems in Medtronic’s Neuromodulation division. “[The] iPad helps us communicate with clinicians; it helps our stories come to life. The sales representative can pull up information quickly and use graphics to tell a story in a very memorable way.”

4. Sunovion Learns Sometimes Less is More

The pharmaceutical company was one of the first adopters of the iPad, integrating it into their sales enablement strategy back in 2011, according to Medical Marketing and Media. Initially, they offered too many features, a bit of “kitchen sink” approach, that made it difficult for reps to find what they needed. But eventually by focusing on what reps really needed, they greatly improved efficiency.  

With an increase in the number of stakeholders involved in the buying process, the average sales cycle has increased more than 22 percent over the past five years. It’s more critical than ever to ensure field reps have the content, information, data and tools to engage not only with physicians, but every stakeholder in this complex environment.