Original Date: 08/14/2000
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

To maintain a strong sales personnel base, Howmedica Osteonics developed an innovative and effective Sales Training Program designed to enable sales representatives to learn quickly and retain information. Key to the program is the focus on student participation. As a result, the Sales Team is not only affluent in communication and business skills, but also knowledgeable in orthopaedic products, process technology, and medical terminology associated with orthopaedic surgery techniques.

As with any business, aggressive marketing and competent sales personnel enable a company to develop new clientele and maintain present ones. In the highly competitive industry of orthopaedic implants, however, technological advancements in material and medical sciences flood the industry daily. To maintain a strong sales personnel base, Howmedica Osteonics developed an innovative and effective Sales Training Program designed to enable sales representatives to learn quickly and retain information. As a result, the Sales Team is not only affluent in communication and business skills, but also knowledgeable in orthopaedic products, process technology, and medical terminology associated with orthopaedic surgery techniques.

The Sales Training Program does not employ a traditional classroom environment. Instead, the program applies Participant-Centered Training Techniques which were largely modeled from two literature sources: Accelerated Learning by Dave Maier and Creative Learning Techniques by Bob Pike. These resources, plus ideas from the Sales Team, enabled Howmedica Osteonics to develop the techniques for its Sales Training Program. Key to the program is the focus on student participation. The course provides students with knowledge, information, facts, and data designed for immediate implementation. A supportive environment is also created for exploration, struggle, and discovery so that insights are gained through the student’s own involvement. Each segment of the program provides an equal distribution of time for instructional content, student activity, and review. In addition, each course is orchestrated by the trainer to optimize student participation in the learning process.

All courses in the Sales Training Program follow the same design. Howmedica Osteonics provides this training to its new as well as existing sales representatives. Courses range in length from two days to two weeks. Classes average around 16 to 20 students with a maximum of 25 attendees. Classroom attention is very high and a course-content retention of 90% has been attained using this Sales Training Program.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.