Ms. Welton, what has changed in your job since the launch of the B. Braun—the next decade strategy?
We have made many changes at B. Braun Australia as part of the B. Braun—the next decade strategy; previously, some customers might have been visited by several B. Braun sales managers with different product ranges. This was because before, we had two separate departments. Now we've successfully merged them, so we’re a cross-functional team with one sales director, one vision, one strategy and one goal. This makes the sales process more fluid and transparent for both the customer and the sales representatives.
What changes have you found difficult?
Sometimes it was difficult for us as employees because we didn’t know what exactly would change as a result of the strategy. Questions came up for many, like: Is my job still safe? Who will my supervisor be? Will I still like my new role? Will I sell different products?
What contribution would you like to make to the B. Braun—the next decade strategy?
Good communication in the team is critical during these periods of change. Otherwise, turmoil ensues, sometimes leading to people making up their own version of what’s coming, which can create a lot of confusion. That’s why I would like to offer my experience to subsidiaries at other sites that have not yet started this transformation process, to let them see for themselves. Change is good. And change can be shaped.
Where do you see further need for change?
The COVID-19 outbreak has considerably changed the way we work. Above all, personal contact with customers suffered. However, at B. Braun Australia, we have been very fortunate that our sales figures have not been affected by the decline in face-to-face meetings; customers seem to do their own research and contact their B. Braun representative when needed, so they only really need face-to-face service for new, technically complicated products. So, we need to think about how best to engage customers in the future and develop our sales teams digitally. For employees who have trained for years to read body language and develop in-person sales strategies, this is an especially daunting challenge. In the future, I would like to see more online training and support for our sales force.
