How Can Sales Training Help Healthcare Companies Differentiate?

Sales performance improvement

Written by: Ben Taylor, MBA, Content Marketing Manager, Richardson

Published: November 9, 2026

Bausch + Lomb, a leading global eye health organisation, implemented sales training from Richardson Sales Performance to build trusted advisor relationships, grow market share, and enhance differentiation.

Key Takeaways

Differentiation in healthcare selling comes from how sellers use product data, not from the data alone.
A consultative approach helps sellers connect facts and figures to customers' real needs.
Positioning insights helps sellers become thought leaders in the eyes of customers.

Why doesn't strong product data differentiate on its own?

In recent years, Bausch + Lomb came to realise that its selling model was outdated. Sellers no longer had the tools to succeed, and differentiation remained a problem. The company felt continued pressure to set itself apart from others in its space.

With that goal in mind, Bausch + Lomb prepared to launch several new products. First, though, it would need to redesign its selling framework to better communicate the value of those new offers. The company had volumes of impressive statistics and data to share. Sellers needed new skills to connect the facts and figures to the real-world needs of customers across several markets.

Other healthcare research points the same way. A ZS study of oncologists found that 60% preferred a rep who knows their clinic or institution over one with deep clinical or product expertise.

The image shows one large card with the number 60 percent. It reads that 60 percent of oncologists preferred a rep who knows their clinic or institution over one with deep clinical or product expertise. The source is a ZS study of oncologists.

What does a consultative approach change?

A consultative approach seeks to understand the detail behind customer needs to win the sale. Sellers and managers both learned how to use the Six Critical Skills of that approach: Presence, Relating, Questioning, Listening, Positioning, and Checking.

The same skills helped Bausch + Lomb pursue its goal of differentiation. Teams learned how to position insights so they become thought leaders in the eyes of customers.

The image shows six numbered cards in two rows of three, each naming one skill of a consultative approach. The skills are Presence, Relating, Questioning, Listening, Positioning, and Checking.

How do you change a selling culture across a company?

Bausch + Lomb chose a broad-based approach that engaged groups across the company, from sellers to managers to marketing.

Start with a baseline. Before training began, the company took a "thumb-print" of its sellers' existing capabilities using Richardson's sales competency and skill assessment tools. The baseline gave Bausch + Lomb a starting point for measurement. It also signaled to sellers that the company was resolute in its drive for improved performance.
Train sellers. Sellers took the Building Trusted Advisor Relationships programme over two days.
Coach through managers. Managers took the Developmental Sales Coaching programme over one day. Hollister, a medical products company, describes what that kind of coaching makes possible (pull quote below).

"We're able to coach specifically to, hey, how are reps doing with understanding needs? How are reps doing with connection? How are reps doing with recommending our products?" — Darnetta Daire, Sales Enablement Manager, Hollister

With so many people involved, Bausch + Lomb gained complete organisational buy-in from the top down.

See what's changing for healthcare sellers

Healthcare sellers face a growing buying team, a higher bar for value, and less access to healthcare professionals. The brief shows the skills that help sellers adapt to each.

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What results did Bausch + Lomb see?

The image shows three rows, each with a measure on the left, a large number in the middle, and a result on the right. The first row is revenue performance at 70 percent, where participants reported that revenue performance had increased post training. The second is customer usage at 69 percent, where surveyed customers reported increased usage of Bausch + Lomb products. The third is selling skill proficiency at 19, a 19-point improvement. The source is a Richardson case study of Bausch + Lomb.

Measure	Result
Revenue performance	70% of participants reported that revenue performance had increased post training
Customer usage	69% of customers surveyed reported increased usage of Bausch + Lomb products
Selling skill proficiency	19-point improvement

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