Focus Magazine - Fall 2012 - 18

COVERSTORY

traditional phases of advanced training such as Year 1 Workshop, Year 2 Workshop and so on. Instead, we’re going to provide a more individualized advanced skill development approach. In other words, a far There’s another more customized mutual approach that is in advantage that’s worth concert with the individual employee and their manager.” talking about in terms of iPad at brings us back to the iPad, a sales support: The Wow Factor technology that’s central to both the new-hire and advanced training plans. In addition to The “Resources” sub tab, training delivering the technology to eld professionals, Depomed has deployed its own tools for “On-Demand learning” for application, Create Great U (CGU, as in university), to house and deliver its mobile sales specialists. learning. “We’ve been technologically advanced as a company; one would say that is how we started,” Drummond said. “Keeping true with that philosophy, which is embedded into our company culture, the iPad made sense.” e advantages may be obvious, and they start with access. “ e iPad enables us to do several things,” he added. “From a user standpoint, it enables the rep and manager to do all training on the iPad, do all pre-call planning with the sales data on the iPad and then they sell with the iPad. Everything they do through the day now is through the iPad. One comprehensive tool basically.” “It’s enabled us within that tool to do more on-demand learning for sales specialists and The “Create Great U” training app, with eight tabs, pre-selected based on representatives,” level. Drummond added. “ ey’re sitting either in the car or in the waiting room, or waiting in the doctor’s o ce to go in and see the doctor. ey can literally open up the Create Great U app and pull up di erent types of skill builders to refresh on their closing statements, various probes, how to handle objections, di erent bene t statements, messaging, etc. e laptop really didn’t a ord that bene t. We also use it extensively for our planning meetings. All of the PowerPoint slides for workshops, prework requirements, certi cations, meeting agendas, and even logistics of their breakout room assignments are in the CGU app. is has enabled us to go green so to speak for our meetings which has been a huge savings.” ere’s another advantage that’s worth talking about in terms of iPad sales support: e Wow Factor. “Doctors like technology,” Drummond said. “You have something that’s really an interactive tool, instead of pulling out a four-color, glossy sales aid where their eyes kind of glaze over. When you pull out the iPad, and you’re able to sell from an interactive visual aid, or show a video on how the drug works, things like that, they get intrigued. Besides the message recall being above the industry norm as well as the quality of the message also being above the norm based on market research conducted, it’s actually extended the length of our selling time signi cantly.” at recall boost is certainly worth talking about: Depomed sales professionals now have nearly twice the face time with physicians. “ e average call was about 5.2 minutes,” Drummond said. “With the iPad it went to 9.4 minutes. So it’s extending the length of our selling time with doctors; almost doubling it.”

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Focus Magazine - Fall 2012

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