CHALLENGE
Our client launched a new product that was not gaining the traction they expected. Convening an Advisory Board seemed a good first step to gather insights, but prior Ad Boards they had conducted themselves had gotten bogged down with participant debates and groups becoming sidetracked with niche issues. They needed an outside facilitator who could not only extract key attendee input, but also keep the group moving and focused, in a limited timeframe.
IMS SOLUTION
Prework
First, we collaborated with our client and physician leaders to understand the participants’ backgrounds and preferred nomenclature on the discussion topics. Then, we developed short prework modules to refresh the group on the subject matter, along with a brief survey to gather their past practices and opinions. This allowed us to customize our schedule and questions to use the Ad Board time as efficiently as possible.
The Ad Board
We facilitated the 2.5-hour workshop as a neutral third party, deferring debates for later and guiding participants to elaborate on their assumptions, preferences, and positive and negative experiences with the client’s products. Our methods encouraged humor, blunt opinions, and camaraderie throughout the session – allowing everyone to enjoy the event as we dug deep to reveal significant findings.
Post-Event Takeaways
The information we uncovered allowed our client to understand why their product positioning wasn’t working and how they needed to shift their customer profile to reach the right decision-making audience. We provided a comprehensive summary of the results and a playbook for success including:
- Practical applications
- Items for further study
- Potential pivots needed
- Routes to success