Building Stronger Customer Relationships

I was approached by Bounce Medical Communications, specialists in Medical Affairs, to help with their client, a biopharmaceutical company operating in over 70 countries.  Bounce needed me to draw up a programme for a communication skills training programme for a specialist team of Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs)  and Field Managers, committed to advancing complex clinical conversations with both clinical and non-clinical customers.

The MSLs, academically grounded professionals, were seeking to build deeper scientific trust in resistant environments. The focus was on how to foster clarity and relateability through evidence-led conversations.

The mission was to:

• Have their Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs) become trusted advisors to the clinicians and non-clinicians with whom they meet.
• Apply Active Listening Skills along with rapport building techniques to establish trust and uncover customer needs.
• Build clinical confidence in the science through supportive conversations.

With 45 participants gathered from all over the USA, there was another request:

Add Improvisation Skills to embed the techniques, with a team assembled by Frankie Kemp.

Tall order?

Nope. Not for me.

The deep clinical knowledge of Bounce, with their innovative playful approach was a perfect match for the blend of creativity and psychology that we brought to the project.

Phase One: Preparation

Bounce and I tailored a detailed plan to submit to the client. The plan included the exact improvisation techniques that we’d use plus the psychological skills and neuroscience on which they were based.

Once this was approved, I gathered my two improviser / facilitators, and we met with Bounce for a thorough skills debriefing. Bounce and I also met with client’ leaders to verify outcomes and explain methodologies.

Phase Two: Workshops

Workshop One: Gathering in Florida, the day-long session included pair, small group and large group practice of skills, mixing science with work-based scenarios for everyone to experience the tools.

Workshop Two: Two months later, participants were already seeing the value of the communication skills in their work lives (as well as their personal ones)!  Leaders had decided to build on Workshop One with:

• Effective Communcation skills;
• Conversational Storytelling;
• Advanced Active Listening and uncovering resistance.

Phase Three: Quick nudge reminders of skills – on the go

Leaders wanted to further embed the techniques with my Tips by Text™.  I drew up all the key learnings into short texts, sent to the phones of all participants, over a period of several months.

Phase Four: Individual Skills Development

A selection of MSLs and Field Managers requested individual communications coaching with me.  We agreed a tranche of sessions, whereby requests could be made directly with me, at the click of a button. These sessions developed:

• The ability for all participants to mentor and support peers and reports.
• Gave opportunities to cover other skills such influencing upwards, managing challenging interactions and giving effective updates.

Client feedback reflects the participants’ success:

The MSLs reported an increased ability to surface underlying concerns and explore context-specific challenges, often unlocking clinical conversations that had previously stalled.

The client feedback is evidence of the ability of the MSLs to demonstrate success in building trust and advancing informed decision-making through strategic, consultative dialogue.

• 84% of the MSLs stated that they noticed conversations were longer, even with those how had previously been more curt or dismissive in their exchanges.
• 93% said that data was no longer their go-to way of persuasion, but active listening, reciprocity and other learned techniques were establishing greater credibility and connection.

In the words of the Field Director, S Stanley Phd, of the Immunology Gastroenterology MSL Team:

Frankie has played a crucial role in helping advance the communication skills of my team, which comprises 24 field medical professionals.

Her expertise in enhancing their abilities and comfortability, while promoting agile thinking during customer interactions has been invaluable. By introducing a variety of communication techniques and learning styles, Frankie’s training has significantly improved the team’s capacity to gather insights and build stronger customer relationships. Her fun and engaging instructional approach alleviated the nerves of those who typically feel anxious about participating in group “improv” workshops. The leaders on my team and I are currently working with her on coaching skills to ensure these newly acquired competencies continue to be applied in our team’s customer interactions.

Additionally, I had the chance to work with Frankie one-on-one to improve my presentation skills. Her recorded presentation training sessions are highly enjoyable, and I’ve applied many of her techniques to different business settings, both formal and informal. The personalized conversations and training sessions with Frankie have not only solidified my knowledge but also provided invaluable support in my new role. I particularly appreciated her flexibility in customizing the sessions to meet my specific requirements, rather than sticking rigidly to a structured program. I thoroughly enjoy learning from her!

 

Client name has been anonymised to respect confidentiality agreements.