Qiagen — QuantiFERON-TB Gold

Launching a Diagnostic Test

Category
Advertising, Content Marketing, Design, Featured, Product Management
About This Project

Situation:

Qiagen® developed a new immunodiagnostic blood test, QuantiFERON®-TB Gold (QFT) to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that cause tuberculosis (TB). The challenge was to convince institutional buyers and healthcare professionals to switch to QFT over the cheaper well-established tuberculin skin test (TST), which had been around for decades. Physicians and institutions were comfortable using TST and were resistant to change.

Task:

Train sales force and implement sales strategy through effective messaging, objection handling, and customer segmentation. Sales aids and training materials had to be developed for the sales force and evaluation tools for the managers. The transcript had to be developed for internal (sales teams) and external audiences (healthcare professionals, correctional institutions, residents of long-term facilities, etc.). All tasks needed to be performed following strict corporate brand guidelines.

Action:

A three-prong approach was instituted; sell the superiority of the QuantiIFERON-TB GOLD vs.TST in three areas:

 

  • accuracy (better sensitivity and specificity)
  • utility (faster, easy administration requiring only one patient visit)
  • economic (more cost-effectiveness due to fewer false positives which leads to unnecessary treatment and follow-up care)

A variety of sales tools and aids were developed: sales training tools, sales proficiency tests, role-playing, product brochure, ads for scientific journals, posters for tradeshows, invitations to events, postcards, coding and payment guides, product spec sheets and reference packs. We developed copy for the website and developed guides for healthcare professionals on how to properly administer the test. We also provided economic rationale to hospital administrators and P&T committees to adopt the new test. Material was also developed for co-marketing initiatives with strategic partners.

Results:

QuantiFERON became Qiagen’s largest revenue generator with over $150 million in sales and annual growth rate of 25%. The co-marketing initiatives resulted in customer-specific growth of 75%.