Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Nick Urban believes the voice of the customer is critical to adapting to market changes.
In unprecedented times, Nick Urban, Vice President of Sales, Thermo Fisher Scientific, learned the conviction it takes to change business strategies to adapt to the market, all while remaining focused on how to best support Thermo Fisher’s customers.
“During the pandemic, I got heavily involved in the day-to-day operations of the supply chain, supporting my commercial organization, increasing my visibility with all customers, and also really hearing first-hand how the company could better support these customers,” he said. “We then infused the voice of our customers to make real-time adjustments to adapt to the market.”
Successful transitions
Urban stepped into the role of VP at a time when the company was navigating both pandemic and post-pandemic strategies, such as real-time inventory, supply chain KPIs, and increased tolerance for overhead/stock to further support customers – all of which changed Urban’s leadership focus to increase partnerships with both customers and colleagues.
Moving into a new role can be an intimidating experience for any business professional, no matter the market conditions. Fortunately, Urban has had experience taking on new tasks. Earlier in his career, Urban made the move from sales rep to sales leader. According to Urban, the biggest impact he experienced from moving from a sales rep to leader was the jump from being an individual contributor to leading people. “Instead of influencing your own ‘outcome’; coaching, developing, and driving others toward outcomes becomes the most critical aspect of the job.”
Guiding, coaching, and driving others toward success means knowing when to step in and knowing when to let an individual learn. It also means that positive feedback and recognition for teams, as opposed to seeking recognition as a leader, is most important, said Urban.
To be successful and gain recognition as a sales rep, key business tactics include confidence, readiness and ability to learn, being willing to win, and exceptional presentation skills are all intangibles.
As for other keys to developing teams of high-performing sales reps, “As a VP, I operate with transparency and with the mindset of ‘I will not ask you to do something you won’t see me do,’” said Urban. “Leaders have the responsibility to develop high-performing individuals.” For Urban, that includes increasing exposure and responsibilities for high performers, tasking them with a stretch assignment, and shadowing and mentoring opportunities.
Navigating the current marketplace
Today’s marketplace is constantly changing because of post-pandemic disruptions, trends, and technology. To be successful in gaining a customer’s attention and trust, companies must recognize this, and tailor their messaging to fit the customer experience.
“To be successful in the industry, employees must incorporate the customer (and colleagues) experience and voice; they cannot be static, they must constantly be adapting to the market trends, especially in healthcare which has been quite dynamic over the last few years,” he said. “Our customers are at the tip of the spear, infusing firsthand knowledge into shaping the business is critical.”
Industry challenges including labor shortages, wage inflation, and healthcare aggregation continue to reshape the market. The introduction of new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), lab automation, and products that support point of care testing are also forcing organizations to rethink the way business is done. Companies must evolve in the face of those changes and challenges to meet customers’ needs.
As for advice for sales reps in the industry, Urban said: “Increase your connectivity, relationships across the continuum of care are extremely valuable, never take for granted the breadth, scale, and complexity of supporting the supply chain of a healthcare system or customer, always be a partner, and be visible and be fully entrenched in the industry.”