Supporting veterinary clinics to accelerate the adoption of an innovative solution

While the 2021 launch of the PHOVIA® innovation got off to an auspicious start, its commercialization slowed down in 2022. Why did this happen? Because the implementation of any innovation takes time, and resistance to change is high. The animal health laboratory Vetoquinol, the originator of the solution, called on Wolf Learning Consulting to support its veterinary clinic sales force. The aim: to understand the obstacles to PHOVIA® deployment and give them the right tools to overcome them.Ingrid Morize, Marketing and Technical Director at Vetoquinol, tells us more .

First of all, what’s the PHOVIA® solution? “It’s a unique combination of a chromophore gel and an LED lamp”, explains Ingrid Morize, Marketing and Technical Director at Vetoquinol. “PHOVIA® stimulates the skin’s regeneration mechanisms, complementing traditional treatments such as antibiotics, to reduce their duration of use”. The solution’s potential for healthcare quickly convinced veterinarians. The proof? 1,000 of the 6,500 clinics in France invested in LED lamps in less than a year. To maintain this momentum, Vetoquinol called on Wolf Learning Consulting, with whom the laboratory had already collaborated, for a two-stage project: updating the PHOVIA® presentation to highlight all the added value of the innovation, and building a diagnostic tool dedicated to veterinary clinics

The challenge: understanding the low turnover of PHOVIA® kits

Vetoquinol noted that clinics having purchased PHOVIA® had only slightly replenished their supplies of chromophore gel. This served as proof that the use of PHOVIA® hadn’t yet been fully integrated into therapeutic protocols. “So we approached Wolf Learning Consulting with a new challenge, which was to help veterinarians understand what was going on in their facility and what was holding them back”, says Ingrid Morize. “To this end, we asked them to design a training package for our representatives, focusing on the needs of veterinary clinics. Our aim was to increase our sales staff’s ability to help their customers implement innovations. “

Phovia Vetoquinol kit

A jointly developed training package focused on the needs of veterinarians

Vetoquinol and Wolf Learning Consulting worked closely together to develop the training material. “A long joint brainstorming session was organized, to imagine the design of an interactive support and the possibility of presenting content with drawers, to really adapt the message to the customer. The challenge was also a public health one, to establish PHOVIA® as an effective alternative to antibiotic therapy, and to generalize its regular use in dermatology protocols”, describes Ingrid Morize. From there, Wolf Learning Consulting proposed an initial project, fine-tuned with the marketing team and the team responsible for coaching the in-house sales force.

They made sure that this support met their main expectation: to offer conversational content centered on the customer, to help him diagnose his practices, and focused on his structure. “The work was carried out with a real desire for co-construction, because we wanted to continue to master the subject. The audit support was shown to the delegates, so that they could make it their own. They made it evolve a little, so that it corresponds perfectly to the time they can give their customer. Veterinarians are, in fact, very busy with their work. The tool is educational, so it focuses on the essentials, and was designed to be distributed at lunchtime, a convivial break from the many daily consultations. This is also a time when veterinary assistants can follow the session.

An audit tool in which the veterinary clinic is the hero

“The tool designed by Wolf Learning Consulting is really very interactive”, affirms Ingrid Morize. “It’s been designed as a test, like those you find in personal development magazines”. As the questions are asked, the veterinarian and their team work to enhance managerial practices and customer communication, for example, and the outcome really depends on their answers. This way of using the tool already has the advantage of bringing the whole team together at the same time, allowing everyone to express their feelings. Above all, it enables us toidentify the structure’s main obstacles, in terms of internal and external communication and clinic management, and to draw up a typical profile. The Vetoquinol representative can then offer more in-depth support.

“This can be an action plan defined on the basis of forms to be completed, or on more specific points. For example, if the issue concerns digital communication, one of our expert collaborators will propose a dedicated tool kit. Finally, the delegate receives a didactic PowerPoint presentation illustrating how the PHOVIA® solution can help the veterinary team to meet its challenges, in terms of internal motivation and commitment, increasing customer satisfaction and the average basket, and optimizing working time and comfort, for example”.

Increase in sales

Added bonus: showcasing the expertise of Vetoquinol salespeople, with sales that are back on the rise

This way of supporting veterinary clinics has been particularly well received by sales representatives, who feel they are doing their customers a favour. The audit tool enables them to gain an overview of veterinarians’ activities and better understand their problems, whether managerial or organisational. “Our representatives aimed to support five to 10 clinics in their sector. Mission accomplished, since 150 of them agreed to undergo the audit, with a convincing result: they were twice as likely to order a new PHOVIA® kit as those who weren’t supported by our representatives!”, explains Ingrid Morize.

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