Life Science Marketing Radio

I spoke with Brian Thomson, HR consultant and leadership coach, about leadership, hiring, retention, and culture in early-stage life science companies. Brian’s practical insights offer a roadmap for building and sustaining a thriving company from the ground up.

The Importance of Modeling the Right Behaviors

From the beginning, Brian emphasized a key concept: intentionality. In his view, leadership is not just about making the right decisions; it's about being intentional in how you model behaviors and build culture within your organization. This is particularly crucial in the fluid environments of startups, where the pace is fast, and the stakes are high.

He pointed out that it’s not about whether a particular culture is right or wrong—what matters is that it’s intentional and authentic. This intentionality shapes hiring, retention, and performance management, all of which are crucial for the long-term success of a company. He argued that strategic planning should not just be a buzzword but a disciplined practice that informs every decision, from the type of culture you want to build to the kind of people you need to hire.

The Rule of Threes: Core Competencies in Startups

Brain has a rule of threes when it comes to what founders of early-stage life science companies need to focus on: disruptive science, a strong core team, and a high degree of intentionality around culture. While it’s easy for founders to get fixated on the science—because it’s their passion and it’s measurable—the other two elements are just as critical.

This resonated with me, especially considering how often we see startups with groundbreaking science but no clear direction on how to build a team or a culture that can sustain the business. The science might make headlines, but it’s the culture and the team that will drive the long-term success of the company.

Strategic Planning: More Than Just a Process

Brian’s sees strategic planning as more than just a process; it’s a foundational practice that lends clarity, focus, and discipline to an organization. He mentioned that in his role as a coach, he often works with early-stage organizations to develop a strategic plan that is as concrete as possible. The goal? To ensure that at any given moment, everyone in the organization knows the top priorities.

Be very disciplined. Be very focused. Make your plan. Make it as concrete as possible. At any given time, if I go and ask two of your employees, anywhere in the organization, “What are the number one and what's the number one and what's the number two topmost priority that the company has at that moment?”

If they can't answer that, it indicates to me that you haven't done a good enough job of being very clear and being very focused.

This approach to strategic planning directly feeds into the hiring process. By being clear on the values and culture you want to create, you can ensure that the people you bring into the organization are aligned with those goals. Hiring isn’t just about finding people with the right skills; it’s about finding people who will thrive in the specific culture and environment of your company.

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Hiring: An Internal Competency, Not a Task to Outsource

Many startups make a mistake by outsourcing their hiring processes. Hiring is too critical to be left to an external agency, especially in the early stages of a company’s development. The first 10 to 15 hires set the tone for the entire organization, and if those hires don’t align with the company’s culture and values, it will create long-term issues.

Brian argued that hiring should be an internal competency, with the leadership team taking an active role in the process. This ensures that everyone who joins the company is fully aware of the environment they’re stepping into, whether it’s a messy startup with lots of ambiguity or a more structured environment.

The Value of Transparency in the Hiring Process

Brian shared a story from his time as Chief People Officer for a small biotech spinout during the Great Resignation. Despite the mass exodus of employees across industries, his organization navigated that period with zero regrettable turnover and zero R&D turnover. The secret? Radical transparency.

From the first conversation with potential hires, Brian and his team were upfront about the realities of the company’s environment. This honesty helped attract the right people—those who were excited about rolling up their sleeves and getting their hands dirty—and it also helped filter out those who weren’t a good fit. Brian emphasized that transparency in the hiring process not only attracts the right talent but also helps candidates self-select out if the environment isn’t right for them.

Retention: A Balancing Act

When it comes to retention, 100 percent retention isn’t the goal, nor is it ideal. A little turnover can be a good thing, as it brings in fresh perspectives and prevents complacency. However, the key is to ensure that the turnover is natural and doesn’t result in the loss of essential talent.

Brian talked about the importance of building a talent engine within the organization—an environment where employees are developed and prepared for their next roles, whether within the company or elsewhere. This approach not only boosts retention but also enhances the company’s reputation as a place where people can grow and develop their careers.

The Power of a Coaching Culture

Finally, we talked about the value of creating a coaching culture within an organization. Brian argued that this is one of the most effective ways to develop talent and increase engagement. Instead of relying on traditional training programs, which can be expensive and often ineffective, he advocates for on-the-job learning and continuous development through coaching.

In a coaching culture, managers act as mentors, helping their employees navigate their careers and develop the skills they need to succeed. This not only empowers employees but also creates a more dynamic and engaged workforce. This approach doesn’t require a huge budget—it’s more about a shift in mindset and behavior.

Final Thoughts: Intentionality Is Key

As we wrapped up our conversation, the theme that kept coming back was intentionality. Whether it’s in strategic planning, hiring, or building a coaching culture, being intentional about your decisions and actions is crucial for the success of any startup. The best companies are those that are clear about who they are, what they value, and where they’re going.

Your deepest insights are your best branding. I’d love to help you share them. Chat with me about custom content for your life science brand. Or visit my website.

Issa Kildani is the founder and principal consultant at Ambrosia Ventures. Our conversation centered on his journey from metabolic and cardiovascular research into the consulting world. Even if you are not planning on becoming a consultant, one can learn a lot from his approach to acquiring skills and building relationships with customers.

Transitioning from Research to Consulting

You don’t need an MBA to become a consultant. I’m sure it helps in some areas, but there is a lot to be said for rolling up your sleeves and figuring it out. Issa started his career in metabolic and cardiovascular research as a graduate student at Vanderbilt University. He eventually realized while working at startups that his longer-term goal was to help people and companies rather than stay at the bench.

Transitioning into consulting requires a diverse skill set, including project management, strategic thinking, and analytical skills. There was a lot to learn but he saw a path to make it happen by being self-driven and inquisitive, eager to learn and explore new areas, one of which was strategic thinking.

Strategic Thinking

I’m always interested in what it means to think strategically. Issa shared his experience at a neurofeedback and biofeedback startup in Michigan. Working closely with the CEO, he learned the importance of strategic thinking by understanding different markets and thinking ahead about potential expansions. With multiple opportunities for expansion, how do you choose where to focus? Issa considered what were the emerging markets and where that would put them 5 years down the road.

So you want to jump on it just now, you know, like the AI and machine learning, things like that in drug discovery.

These are hot topics, but which one is going to take you a lot further in the company and what's your long-term vision? Does it align to your long-term vision? Do you plan on selling five years from now or do you plan on growing to a bigger company? Those are the kind of decisions that play into it and help them align to that strategic goal.

Understanding Industry Dynamics

Beyond understanding markets, one also needs to understand how the industry works. There are many components to the life science ecosystem. Issa talked about the unique challenges faced by biotech companies, such as funding issues, regulatory hurdles, and clinical trial recruitment problems.

In the early stages, refining their pitches and helping them communicate their value more effectively is a key for success. At later stages, the focus might be more on regulatory issues or broader strategic goals. My overall impression is that Issa is very good at talking to potential customers and figuring out in detail what their current challenges are. That is a skill in itself.

Building Relationships and Winning Business

Issa takes a very long approach to building relationships and winning business. He emphasized understanding clients' needs, being genuinely interested in their success, and maintaining long-term relationships. It can take a long time to land a client. Issa’s process involves regular check-ins, understanding the client's challenges and milestones, and providing insights so potential clients can understand the value he brings to help them achieve their strategic goals.

The Value of Mentorship

We talked about the value of mentorship. He described how his mentor, who was also his boss, played a significant role in his development as a consultant. By being upfront about his desire to learn and improve, Issa received invaluable guidance and feedback that helped him fine-tune his skills. The key thing here was simply to ask. Sometimes this may seem like a bold move. “Can I really ask a senior executive to be my mentor?” (It’s not the only way but as an older parent, I can tell you nothing gets your attention faster or makes you feel better than when a young person asks for your advice.)

Even if they don’t have time to be your mentor, it will put you on their radar as someone who is looking to do more for the company. You can’t lose.

If you take away nothing else from this message, being curious and asking for advice will take you a long way regardless of your goal. I challenge you to find some one and talk to them this week.

Opportunities and Challenges in Smaller Biotech Ecosystems

Issa is based in a smaller biotech ecosystem, Ann Arbor, Michigan. While smaller ecosystems may lack the resources and investment opportunities of larger hubs like San Francisco or Boston, they offer a chance for a consultant to make a significant impact. Add to that the possibility of connecting with larger hubs and applying those insights locally, you can make a difference to foster growth and innovation in these emerging ecosystems.

The Broader Implications of Consulting

From my own experience, the best thing about being a solopreneur or consultant is the opportunity to see what’s happening across all of life science. If you are the person who feels that life at the bench is too slow or too narrow, this may be the path for you. I enjoy the feeling of helping others in life science directly. I may not find the cure that affects millions but I get to build relationships and see the value I bring t people I actually know. At the same time, I know they are helping millions.

For anyone considering a career in consulting Issa's journey offers valuable lessons. Check out Issa's website and blog for more insights and resources.

Your deepest insights are your best branding. I’d love to help you share them. Chat with me about custom content for your life science brand. Or visit my website.

In this episode, I spoke to Cassandra Rix, the owner and chief leadership coach at The Resonance Coach. Our conversation centered around understanding individual motivations and expectations within group efforts, especially in the context of company acquisitions. I think you will find the insights applicable to many situations at work and at home.

Cass's Background and Expertise

Cass has spent over 20 years working with businesses either in the process of being acquired or on the tail end of an acquisition. She specializes in service agencies selling expertise and time, such as consultancies and communication specialists. Her focus now is on helping founders looking for investment or seeking an exit strategy, and the businesses interested in investing in them. She believes that many acquisitions fail despite thorough due diligence because the underlying human motivations and behaviors of the individuals involved aren't fully understood.

Understanding Motivations

While people may outwardly agree on a common goal, such as selling a company, their underlying reasons can be very different. These differences will show up during times of significant change (after the investment or acquisition). Everyone’s motivations are influenced by their own personal experiences and beliefs, which drive their decisions and behaviors.

Cass's own interest in understanding motivations stems from her background in sales and marketing, where she worked with buyers and wanted to comprehend why people made specific purchasing decisions. Our beliefs drive our behavior, and it's crucial to recognize that we often make assumptions about others' motivations based on our own perspectives. We expect them to act the way we would. I’d like to look deeper into this in future episodes.

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The Challenges of Assumptions

It’s risky to assume that everyone's motivations are similar. Cass used the analogy of wearing someone else's shoes – just because you're in their shoes doesn't mean you understand their journey. This is especially relevant in business settings, where assuming that all founders or team members share the same motivations can lead to conflicts and dysfunction.

Cass illustrated this with an example of how misaligned expectations can derail an acquisition. For instance, if one founder decides they have enough financial security post-acquisition and leaves, the remaining team dynamics can be severely disrupted:

So the things that fall apart there is, well, we all think we've agreed to sell this business or invest, have investment in this business so that we can carry on.

What does carry on mean? What if that means that one person has generated enough income in the acquisition process, not to need to stay throughout the earn-out. And suddenly you go from a leadership team or founding team of four to three or three to two. What if the other two people in that business were beautifully balanced by that third individual?

And so the relationship that they're left with is dysfunctional. They don't really like each other. They don't know how to communicate with each other. They've never had to without that third person as a foil. And probably the most flawed thing is the assumption that the rest of the business, whether you're talking about another twenty people, fifty people or thousands of people, the assumption that those people don't know.

This scenario can lead to conflicts and a decline in business performance, which affects everyone's livelihoods.

The Role of Vulnerability and Communication

As individuals climb the corporate ladder, they often create personas that might not align with their true selves. This can lead to exhaustion and dissatisfaction, as they try to maintain an identity that doesn't reflect their genuine motivations.

Cass said that vulnerability is not a weakness but a strength. When leaders and team members are open about their true motivations and feelings, it fosters understanding and empathy. She shared that when people reveal their authentic selves, it often leads to relief and better teamwork. This openness can help teams navigate change more effectively, as everyone understands each other's perspectives and can support one another.

Practical Implications and Real-World Examples

Cass pointed out how small habits and cultural norms, such as which hand you use to hold a fork, can shape our perspectives and lead to emotional attachments about how things should be done. If we feel that strongly about cutlery, imagine the intensity of our feelings about approaches to business where the stakes are much higher.

Translating this to business settings, she explained how deeply ingrained beliefs about success and behavior can affect decision-making and team dynamics. Differing motivations for making money can lead to misunderstandings. Some people might want to make money to retire early and spend time with family, while others aim to leave a legacy or achieve a prestigious position. These differing goals and expectations can create friction if not openly discussed and understood. Whether you are the acquiring/investing company or the company being invested in, understanding these things can make a huge difference in your long-term happiness (money, legacy…).

The Courage to Be Disliked

Our conversation concluded with a serious reflection on the importance of self-awareness and the courage to be true to oneself. Cass recommended the book "The Courage to Be Disliked," which explores the concept that what others think of us often reflects their own beliefs and insecurities. She encouraged leaders and individuals to focus on their own motivations and well-being rather than constantly worrying about others' opinions.

Her final thought: "The most liberating two words in the English language are 'let them...'" Letting go of the need for external validation and embracing one's true self can lead to greater fulfillment and success, both personally and professionally.

Let them.

Your deepest insights are your best branding. I’d love to help you share them. Chat with me about custom content for your life science brand. Or visit my website.

In my recent conversation with Larry Kaplow, we talked about brand strategy in the life sciences, why, when and how.

Defining Brand Strategy

We kicked off the discussion with Larry describing the danger of not having a strategy. In a world overloaded with information, a brand has to cut through the noise and make its value clear. Even if a company has groundbreaking technology, it’s easy to be overlooked if the brand strategy isn’t aligned with the audience's needs. People—whether researchers, investors, healthcare professionals, or patients—are primarily concerned with their own interests.

A brand is the sum of all associations that audiences have about a company. This definition, which he credited to Uli Applebaum, highlights that every touchpoint, from sales calls to investor decks, contributes to building these associations. As a result, a deliberate and intentional strategy is crucial for creating consistent and meaningful connections with the audience.

Simplifying the Brand Message

Larry argued that while nuances might change, the core brand message should remain consistent. He likened it to owning a space in the audience's mind—when they think of your company, they should think of one defining characteristic. This consistency makes it easier for the audience to remember and relate to the brand.

Here is a real-world example. Thermo Fisher faced the challenge of convincing diverse audiences to switch from traditional methods to mass spectrometry in toxicology. By identifying two primary audience groups—those looking to grow their business and those pushing the boundaries of research—they could tailor their brand message to resonate broadly. This approach allowed them to lead with a brand-focused message about pushing toxicology forward, which connected with all their target audiences. It took doing some homework to get there. This involves understanding the audience's motivations, barriers, and pain points.

Larry shared another example from a different company in the medication management space in hospitals. The initial tech-focused message wasn't resonating. Hospitals were resistant to new technology because new tech often means a lot of work. By shifting the narrative to focus on patient and hospital safety, they aligned their message with what was truly important to their audience. This not only made the brand message more relevant but also helped position the technology with respect to existing budgets for safety initiatives.

Personality Archetypes for Commoditized Products

Brand personality archetypes can differentiate a company in a commoditized market by mirroring what's important to them or by representing something they aspire to be. For instance, McDonald's uses the "Innocent" archetype, creating a sense of happiness and nostalgia. In contrast, Burger King has struggled with consistency, resulting in a less impactful brand presence. As I look at it, BK is focused on the burger, McDonald’s is focused on the experience.

Crafting a Long-Term Brand Vision for Investors

If we think about smaller biotech firms, even prior to commercialization, crafting a long-term brand vision is crucial, especially when communicating with investors. Larry noted that investors are people too, influenced by compelling narratives. Investors looking for long-term returns want to see a cohesive brand strategy that promises sustainable growth and market relevance. A strong brand story in the investor deck can be as important as the technical details. The other lesson here is knowing what kind of investor you have or are looking for.

Brand Architecture - Balancing Messages Across Different Levels

We wrapped up the conversation by discussing how to balance messages across different levels—company brand, technology, and specific applications. Larry differentiated between brand architecture and communication structure. Brand architecture involves categorizing and integrating different brands, especially post-acquisitions, whereas communication structure focuses on maintaining a consistent brand story across various touchpoints.

He highlighted the importance of having a comprehensive brand position that can be communicated at all levels, from the high-level mission and vision to the detailed technical aspects. This consistency not only strengthens the brand but also adds credibility and value over the long term.

Final Thoughts

Larry’s insights were a masterclass in brand strategy, particularly for the life sciences sector. His emphasis on consistency, relevance, and the importance of doing the homework provides a clear roadmap for any company looking to strengthen its brand. For me, the takeaway was clear: a well-defined and consistently communicated brand strategy is essential for cutting through the noise and making a lasting impact. And for those in the biotech space, understanding and addressing the needs of all your audiences, including investors, is key to building a strong, sustainable brand.

Your deepest insights are your best branding. I’d love to help you share them. Chat with me about custom content for your life science brand. Or visit my website.

David Ormesher, the CEO of CGLife, and I had a conversation about communicating science broadly to the public and within the scientific community. David went immediately to the power of storytelling in making science approachable. He highlighted the hero’s journey, the narrative arc used in literature and film, as a powerful tool to engage various audiences, whether they are scientists, physicians, patients, or the general public.

That narrative of the hero’s journey applies to patients and caregivers as well as scientist looking for breakthroughs. Not only can it help demystify science but it can also create emotional connections that make complex scientific concepts more relatable and engaging for the general public.

I think it’s important for society to understand and appreciate the work of scientists as well as understand how science is done especially when the details might not seem immediately relevant to them. By highlighting the human element and the persistence required in scientific exploration, we can help the public understand that scientists are ordinary people with an extraordinary commitment to solving complex problems. This can shift the public perception from seeing science as something inaccessible to recognizing it as a collective effort aimed at improving lives as well as simply appreciating the universe we live in.

What does this mean for life science marketers? David gave us a complete primer on the journey of a new medical product from inception to market launch. I was roughly aware of the roles various teams play in bringing a new drug to market. He covered the spectrum and filled in the details for me. Market insight, brand development, and market shaping involves understanding the needs of both physicians and patients, conducting extensive research, and building awareness through unbranded communications. As has come up several times over the years on this podcast, the importance of early engagement with healthcare professionals and patients before a product is approved can not be overstated. It helps ensure that by the time a drug is approved, there is demand and a well-informed audience.

It's that ability to personalize content that is also key. And this is where not only the agencies of the future that we need to help shepherd these products from clinical development through approval, launch and growth, they need to understand the science. They also need to understand that digital component of targeting, segmentation, (and) personalization.

Data and analytics play a critical role in this process. By capturing and analyzing data from the early stages, companies can refine their marketing strategies, personalize content, and measure the effectiveness of their campaigns. This data-driven approach ensures that the communication is relevant and impactful, reaching the right audience with the right message at the right time.

One aspect I found particularly interesting was the preparation for day zero – the day the FDA approves a new drug. David described having all the marketing materials ready, including a “day one” website and direct email marketing. At the same time, a launch team needs to be prepared to very quickly make any changes required for labeling, etc. when the approval comes along.

Finally, we touched on the challenges of educating physicians about the latest medical advancements. For a doctor who completed medical school 20 years ago, and has been seeing patients all day every day, keeping up to date is near impossible. Highly targeted communications including bite-sized, relevant, and easily accessible content, such as short video interviews and 3D animations can help physicians keep up with the latest developments.

As marketers, there is plenty of work to be done to keep both the public and people in the healthcare sector educated on the value of the science being done, ultimately helping patients find the treatments they need.

Your deepest insights are your best branding. I’d love to help you share them. Chat with me about custom content for your life science brand. Or visit my website.

By now, I imagine most of you have interacted with ChatGPT in some way. You can use it to summarize a document, brainstorm a campaign or plan a vacation away from technology. The capabilities are mind-boggling and the BS (if you detect it) is amusing. All that aside, how can you use an internal vertical GPT to serve your customers?

I spoke to Ian Birkby, CEO of AZONetwork about Azthena, the internal vertical GPT they built as an AI assistant deployed on their various websites to help users find relevant news and product information. If you are not familiar with AZONetwork, Chat GPT describes them like this:

The AZoNetwork is a company that specializes in digital marketing and content solutions within the science, healthcare, and technology sectors. They provide a range of services aimed at connecting scientific, medical, and technology communities globally. These services include content creation, marketing strategies, and communication solutions designed to disseminate knowledge and promote products through various online platforms. AZoNetwork operates several websites that publish articles, news, and resources relevant to professionals in these fields, helping them to stay informed about the latest developments and technologies.

As a media and marketing company, AZONetwork has a lot of content, over a million assets, by Ian’s estimate. This is the content was used to train Azthena to to answer users queries.

The value of this type of GPT is that the data it has been trained on has been reviewed and vetted by humans in the course of publication over many years. The same can’t be said for everything one finds on the internet, some of which ends up in the answers to your ChatGPT queries, not to mention outright hallucinations.

General LLMs, if I'm going to exaggerate, are a mile wide and a few inches deep. We're trying to be, you know, maybe 12 inches wide, but three foot deep… - Ian Birkby

Azthena took nine months to build. That was impressive to me given that includes putting some structure around all of their content.

The quality of the output should enhance the customer experience by providing specific answers to queries along with relevant references.

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Ian and I discussed what this will mean for companies, buyers and human creativity broadly.

External GPTs trained on the same broad collections of data may all end up homogenized. How will you differentiate your company to be a source of unique and valuable (essential) information? Building your own specialized GPT is one possible answer.

We agreed that the buyer’s journey will change. Once people adapt to the new approach (this will take some time but too much), they’ll expect to find answers and recommended next steps regarding what to look for or look at along the way to a purchase. No more clicking through multiple links hoping to find the best information. As I write that last sentence, I’m stunned at how quickly we are spoiled by new technologies. I’m old enough to remember mailing away to get a catalog or brochure from one vendor! If you are a marketer, you should be thinking about what comes next.

In reaction to this change, big information providers e.g. The Guardian, etc. are blocking crawlers from sucking up their information. Models built on search might also change. Will we have to pay for things that were free for the last 20 years?

Finally, I asked Ian about the future of human creativity.

…emotional intelligence… that's definitely an area where, you know, the human has still got a role I think, in that, very pure form of creativity… seeing what nobody else has seen before and thinking something different. You know, that I still think there's mileage in, in humans having a role to play there. However, there's probably 80 percent of the drudgery-related tasks that we all face that are going to end up sitting on the desk of AI.

But for those routine tasks, the efficiencies will be too attractive to pass up. The next question is where is the line that makes a task routine?

Your deepest insights are your best branding. I’d love to help you share them. Chat with me about custom content for your life science brand. Or visit my website.

Susanna Harris is the Director of Community at Breakout Ventures. She is also the Founder of PhD Balance, a collaborative community empowering graduate students to build their personal and professional resilience and the 2023 recipient of the SAMPS Young Person of the Year Award.

This episode is a little different. For the last couple of years, I have interviewed the winner of that SAMPS award on this podcast. Susanna has been a guest before and although we’ve chatted a few times since and both live in the Bay Area, we had never met face to face. Susanna mentioned hiking in one of our calls so I thought this would be an opportunity try something new. I suggested we meet up for a hike and record some stuff along the way. Thank you Susanna for being game for one more experiment.

We had a free-flowing conversation covering our inspirations in science, science communication, marketing, career paths, longevity, mental health, and more. AI, psychedelics and The Andromeda Strain all came up as well. Give it a listen to find out the context.

I typically focus these episodes around a theme and try to point toward a specific takeaway. While there is a thread to the topics we discussed, the takeaway for me this time was simply about the value of conversation. I trust that the listeners to this podcast will learn something about each of us and may be prompted to think about something they heard from a new perspective.

As a listener, you don’t have to be part of a conversation to benefit from it. That’s the magic of this medium. You can listen in as if you were there. Taking that beyond podcasts, consider the value of people listening to your team members, executives and subject matter experts in their natural, unscripted style. Podcast listeners report (and I can verify this both as a host and a listener) that they feel like they know the people they hear from regularly. There is a level of know, like, and trust that is hard to replicate except face-to-face.

Finally, one never knows where having a conversation will lead in the long run. I don’t even remember how Susanna and I connected initially. Yet here we were, 3 years later, hiking the hills, sharing our experiences in science and creating unique content along the way. If we get a chance to help one another out in the future, that would be icing on the cake. It all started with a conversation.

Mentioned in this episode:

Books: Where Good Ideas Come From by Steven Johnson

The End of the World is Just The Beginning by Peter Zeihan

Movie: The Andromeda Strain (also a book by Michael Crichton)

Your deepest insights are your best branding. I’d love to help you share them. Chat with me about custom content for your life science brand. Or visit my website.

Jeffrey Kiplinger is the co-founder and partner at Selling Science, a consulting firm dedicated to helping life science, contract research, and tools companies boost revenue by building and optimizing their scientific sales teams. He is also the author of the book "Expert to Entrepreneur."

Jeff shared his personal journey from obtaining a PhD in organic chemistry in the late '80s to his corporate experience with Pfizer. He highlighted the frustrations he faced being siloed in his role and the desire to take his expertise on the road.

I appreciate his perspective on the disconnect many scientists face when building businesses. I guess I would say, your expertise is the product, but it is not the business. I’m still chewing on that one as I think there is a lot to be learned from that. Jeff emphasized the importance of viewing the business as an entity itself, separate from the scientific expertise it offers, and focusing on growing the business side.

Personally, I find marketing easy (talking about what I do). But sales is hard (asking for money). We talked about that and how to find the right people for your offering, stressing the need to identify the ideal customer and tailor marketing efforts to address their specific problems.

What is, what do you do that's provided real value for your customers in the past? And the easiest way to find that out is to ask them. And that's also something that we're terrified of doing.

I asked him about a quote from Brian Tracy. “Sales is just a transfer of enthusiasm.” When you believe in what you have, you can have a conversation and talk about why you are enthusiastic. But first you need to find out if the person in front of you has a problem you can solve.

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Thanks for spending some time here, either way.

The conversation also touched on hiring experienced salespeople, both within and outside the scientific domain, and the critical factor of finding the perfect customer. Jeff outlined the significance of defining an ideal customer profile, which guides marketing efforts and ensures a more focused and effective approach. Does the salespersons skills and experience match what you are trying to do? Do they have the right mix of science and sales expertise? For example, selling from a catalog is different from selling a solution comprising components from a catalog.

If you're buying somebody's expertise in your science and they can't sell, that's a wasted investment. If you're buying somebody's network and their network isn't your ideal customer base, that's a waste.

…I guess what I see is when people hire experienced sales reps or senior people who've already got field experience, very frequently they're not looking at whether that person is a match for what you're trying to achieve. They might be a match for your company, they might be a match in terms of the revenue they've produced in the past, but are you really checking them against what the company is trying to do?

If you are on the road to selling your hard-earned scientific expertise, you should definitely give this episode a listen.

Your deepest insights are your best branding. I’d love to help you share them. Chat with me about custom content for your life science brand. Or visit my website.

Note: For this episode, I asked ChatGPT to write a summary based on the transcript of our conversation. I enjoy doing these interviews and consider myself a decent writer. However, it takes a lot of time each week to write a summary that I find minimally satisfying and acceptable. You deserve better and I can put my efforts to better use elsewhere or upgrading the whole experience here. I did lightly edit this to make it sound as if I could have written it. This is my second attempt following some feedback from a respected colleague (you know who you are). I’m beginning to see how my own style differs from ChatGPT, even if what it produces is perfectly readable, but somewhat less memorable. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Miranda Lipton is a talented freelance writer, photographer, and multimedia storyteller. In this episode we talked about earned media from a freelancer's perspective, focusing on how companies can collaborate with freelancers to get their stories published in widely read publications. Our discussion centered around Miranda's recent success in securing a feature in Fast Company about cultivated meat from fish. Our conversation should be enlightening for both freelancers and the companies that work with them.

Miranda's Journey into Freelance Writing

Miranda journey into freelance writing began in high school, and continued at the local town newspaper, a path that eventually led her to major in journalism at Ohio State University. Her desire to explore different facets of storytelling, including writing and photography, drove her to the freelance world.

The Genesis of the Lab-Grown Fish Story

Miranda's fascination with food sustainability and innovation in the past few years led her to investigate the idea lab-grown fish. The idea for the article emerged from a deep dive into the world of lab-grown meat, a concept that had been around for nearly a decade. Miranda recognized a gap in coverage, particularly in the realm of lab-grown fish, which was an emerging and innovative field. This, combined with her passion for food sustainability, created the perfect recipe (ChatGPT made a pun!) for a compelling story. She did her research and interviewed folks at relevant companies, eventually leading to the publication of her story in Fast Company.

The Art of Pitching to Publications

I was curious about the pitch process. How did she get an articled idea accepted at Fast Company? She utilizes a consistent pitch outline, typically comprising two to three paragraphs that encapsulate the essence of the story. Miranda stressed the importance of familiarity with the publication's focus. In her case, she had been an avid reader of Fast Company for years, allowing her to confidently identify the magazine as an ideal platform for her lab-grown fish story. .

Navigating Interviews with Companies

While pitching to publications can be challenging, arranging interviews is more straightforward. Companies are generally eager to discuss their work. Her process involves reaching out to individuals at relevant companies, often beginning with CEOs or co-founders identified through LinkedIn. Of course, it’s important to gather a diverse range of perspectives to provide a well-rounded view of the subject.

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Feedback and Challenges

I asked her if she had gotten any feedback. While direct feedback from readers is not common, she occasionally receives emails from individuals who have read her articles. The overarching response to her articles on topics like lab-grown and 3D-printed food often revolves around skepticism and the novelty of the subjects. Many readers express interest in these innovations as well as uncertainty about trying them. The unfamiliarity of concepts such as 3D-printed food explains their hesitation. She thinks that as research in these fields progresses, more people will embrace these innovations. I have similar feelings of hesitation. I did an episode several years ago on the SDBN podcast.

Guidance for Companies Seeking Media Coverage

For companies without extensive PR resources, it is still possible to secure media coverage. Miranda recommended using platforms like Muck Rack to connect with journalists directly. The key is to reach out to journalists who cover topics relevant to the company's work. Tailored and timely pitches can catch a journalist's attention and pave the way for a mutually beneficial collaboration.

Collaborating with Freelancers

To get the writer’s attention and interest, you need a story with a clear angle and a sense of timeliness. Timeliness is one of the most critical factors. A story needs to be relevant in the current moment or have enduring relevance. Other elements, such as impact, prominence, proximity, and oddity, can also contribute to making a story compelling and newsworthy.

Understanding the freelance writer's perspective and the dynamics of storytelling can be instrumental in building successful media relationships and getting your stories into the limelight.

Your deepest insights are your best branding. I’d love to help you share them. Chat with me about custom content for your life science brand. Or visit my website.

All of us in the life sciences are in the business of making the world healthier. The instruments and reagents we sell and the technologies and therapies that result save lives.

A scientist (after a lot of research) will look at a disease or problem and say, “I think I can find a way to fix that.”

Can we, as an industry, look at trade shows like a scientist would, and ask, “How can we do this better and stick to our mission of making the world at least less sick if not healthier?”

If you’ve been with me for a while, you know I have a love-hate relationship with trade shows. When I was a MarCom director, events were by far the biggest part of my budget. I imagined all the other awesome campaigns I could execute with that money. And then there is the waste. The stuff that ends up in the hotel trash before you get back on the plane and the shipping of huge amounts of equipment all over the world.

On the other hand, if a lot of customers are going to be in one place at the same time… it makes sense to take your offering to them. And human connection is important.

I know it’s important because this episode came out of my trip to ADLM, the event formerly known as AACC.

Stuart Warrington is the CEO of Envoke. They create virtual demos to make your instruments accessible at more events and present a consistent story across the customer journey. More on that below.

Stuart is a filmmaker. He has been created videos for the likes of Thermo and Bio-Rad. Videos used to have a longer useful lifespan. Then his customers wanted new content at a faster pace that was more engaging. Stuart suggested video games.

“No. That’s not it.”

“How about a virtual demo?

“Yes!”

It turns out those are basically the same thing just packaged differently. (They are both virtual experiences that tell a story with the user as the hero.) Stories are the key here. (The crowd cheers.)

People need to tell their own story, right? And sales and training and all that is about that. It's like, how can I communicate the message of what this thing does in the most accurate possible way? And you need to give people freedom to craft that story. And that's why we do things the way we do them.

We make this story block library and it's loads of little clips. And in each clip tells its own individual message. And then your user, your sales rep, your engineer, your trainer can take from that library and craft this story. It might be about a really specific bit of qPCR on the qPCR devices in the platform. And you know your customer only really cares about that. So we give you the opportunity to just pull those bits in and tell a story that is about your product with your product rather than PowerPoint presentations and brochures and videos and things like that. It just takes that to a slightly higher level and it also then starts saving you loads of money on shipping. Right?

The result is that consistent experience for the user from the web to sales to training to maintenance and service. We talked about training people the same way pilots train. On a simulation. They can make mistakes without breaking an expensive piece of kit.

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Thanks for spending some time here, either way.

In addition to the contribution to sustainability without shipping products, the ability to customize a story improves the sales process.

So one of our customers built a storyline for the event from the story block library. So they built something that was like, this is what we want to talk about. This is the story we're telling here. But then what it also did was they put on a QR code, so that you scan the QR code as your customer, and what you do is, you walk away with a different storyline that's specific for you, that's just about the thing that you were talking to him about.

It's all come from the same place, we've just pitched it slightly differently. So it's all come from that story block library, we've just created specific storylines for different environments. And one of those environments is, “I need something a little bit better to take away and show to my boss.” And they take, they scan the QR code, they get their demo, and it's just for them, it's tailored for them, and they walk away and they show their boss, and it's a path to sales, right?

This sounds better than walking away with a PDF or printed literature that the boss has no interest in reading.

What is the path to this magical virtual future? For now, Stuart thinks companies will continue to send at least some products to events. The change comes from the bottom up where they no longer send instruments to smaller shows or remote locations.

At some point, customers and salespeople see the benefit of this approach and hopefully, we all get more creative about how to use our space at larger events. Instead of bringing one instrument or a few, companies could present their entire catalog or larger configured solutions.

This is only one way that we can improve the trade show experience and get a better return on investment. In an upcoming episode, we talk a little bit about the interactions that happen in the booth and how they can be improved as well.

Your deepest insights are your best branding. I’d love to help you share them. Chat with me about custom content for your life science brand. Or visit my website.

Intro Music stefsax / CC BY 2.5