Product launches: why is it important to go beyond standard training?
In the animal health and pet food sector, conveying the right scientific message during customer appointments is crucial for any successful product launch. Despite a strong technical background, it can be difficult for sales teams to turn their knowledge into relevant sales arguments. Launch seminars and training modules don’t always provide the right tools for practical application in the field. And in the field, veterinary representatives are increasingly short on time when it comes to promoting all their solutions to demanding professionals. Sales visits are brief: every minute counts and an unsuitable sales pitch can quickly compromise the sales meeting.
Immersive training to boost knowledge retention
Sales training can be segmented into two main categories:
- product-centric training aimed at providing salespeople with information about the product, its ecosystem and its competitors. At the end of these sessions, veterinary representatives know the main characteristics of the product, such as the percentage of omega-3 fatty acids contained in a puppy food for example.
- performance-based training that aims to develop practical skills in trainees and provide sales techniques. Knowing the fatty acid content of a nutritional product is essential, but it’s especially important to be able to explain it clearly and highlight the benefits for the customer.
A combination of these two types of training is essential for the commercial success of products, and while teams may have a perfect understanding of the content, it’s sometimes the way in which this content is delivered that is crucial. This is why we’re seeing more and more immersive training courses using technology to immerse trainees in interactive and realistic environments.
As a result, they retain information better and significantly improve their problem-solving abilities. According to a study conducted by PwC in 2020, participants in a virtual reality training session were up to 275% more confident in their ability to apply what they had learned and were four times more focused than e-learning trainees.
In the animal health and pet food sector, immersive training courses are created by veterinarians and learning engineers to help sales forces transform technical concepts into clear and impactful commercial messages and become true consultants for their customers.
2 ways to use immersive animal health training
Conversational simulations to develop sales techniques
In animal health, sales simulations integrate cutting-edge technologies such as video, virtual reality and generative artificial intelligence. They provide salespeople with immersive, realistic experiences to develop their sales pitch methods. By practising using various scenarios, they learn how to powerfully present the distinctive benefits of their products and effectively address specific customer needs. These dynamic simulations allow them to quickly adjust their strategies according to customer reactions and questions, thus boosting their confidence and performance in the field.
A well-integrated practice at Royal Canin
To give their sales force the necessary tools to understand- what’s required when visiting a breeder, Royal Canin has developed a virtual reality experience (interactive 360 video). The salesperson is immersed in a scenario in which they accompany a dog breeder in managing every aspect of their breeding business, from the maternity area to the food storage room, applying biosafety rules such as the ‘go-forward’ principle. Thanks to its ability to adapt to the choices made during training, this virtual reality tool optimises technical knowledge recall.
Immersive situations to develop technical skills
Here, the objective is to develop the technical skills of salespeople by immersing them in realistic situations so they can perfectly master the use of a product and its ecosystem.
Placed in practical situations, they’re able to recommend appropriate actions and good practices enabling their customers to make the most of the product. These real-life scenarios help salespeople to:
- Fully understand products and their benefits.
- Master demonstration techniques and use them in sales arguments.
- Anticipate customer questions and objections.
- Adapt to the specific needs of each customer and the context of care.
By speaking the same language as their customers and demonstrating a deep understanding of technical needs, salespeople build stronger and more credible connections with animal health professionals. This not only strengthens veterinarians’ confidence in the recommended products, but also improves the quality of discussions and the recommendations made in the field.
Immersive clinical case study: a specific example of an immersive situation
Using virtual reality technology, immersive clinical case studies can simulate interventions on animals and explore the multiple applications of a product. For example, if the product is a drug for joint problems, the clinical case study could present three separate scenarios — hip dysplasia, juvenile arthritis, and post-traumatic injuries — allowing salespeople to refine their presentation based on the different applications of the product and hone their technical expertise.
