Client Overview

Stryker is a global leader in medical technologies, offering innovative products and services across orthopaedics, surgical equipment, and hospital infrastructure. In Australia, Stryker supplies leading hospitals and health networks with high-performance medical implants, instruments, and integrated theatre solutions.

Challenge / Problem

While Stryker’s products were widely used and well-regarded by surgeons and clinical staff, commercial conversations with hospital executives often stalled. Procurement and finance stakeholders focused narrowly on upfront costs, overlooking the broader operational impact of Stryker’s technologies and services. Sales teams found it difficult to articulate value in terms meaningful to each hospital persona—especially those outside the clinical environment.

Symptoms Observed

• Sales interactions were dominated by discussions of invoice pricing and tenders, not value creation.
• Surgeons, nurses, and executives all valued different aspects of the offer, but this was not reflected in commercial messaging.
• Internal tools lacked a clear mapping between product features and economic value for hospitals.
• Up to 30% of customer-relevant value drivers were missing or undocumented.
• Value at Risk (e.g. delays, downtime, surgical cancellations) was not clearly communicated or monetised.

Strategic Impact

Without a systematic approach to value discovery, Stryker risked being commoditised in purchasing negotiations—despite strong clinical support and a differentiated offering. Misalignment between stakeholder priorities meant missed opportunities to influence strategic procurement, budget allocations, or reimbursement-linked purchasing decisions.

Internal Viewpoint

Sales leaders recognised that surgeons trusted Stryker, but non-clinical buyers (e.g. CFOs, procurement managers, and operational staff) required a different conversation—one grounded in operational efficiency, risk mitigation, and financial outcomes. However, the team lacked consistent frameworks, persona-specific messaging, and shared tools to support this deeper value conversation.

Objectives of the Engagement

• Identify and document distinct sources of value by hospital persona (e.g. surgeon, finance executive, CSSD manager, procurement).
• Establish a consistent process for conducting value discovery interviews.
• Build internal capability to communicate Value in Use and Value at Risk in real-world hospital terms.
• Support long-term adoption of value-based selling across teams and accounts.

Our Approach

Phase 1: Situation Diagnostic
We interviewed sales reps, product managers, and customer-facing teams to understand current selling behaviours and challenges. We reviewed past tenders, sales presentations, and customer feedback to pinpoint where and why the value message was being lost.

Phase 2: Customer Value Mapping
A series of in-depth value discovery interviews were conducted with stakeholders across a major hospital group, including surgeons, theatre nurses, procurement leads, sterilisation (CSSD) managers, and the CFO. Each persona was interviewed using the Value Driver Discovery Method and “flash cards” showing typical drivers of value. These were used to identify which drivers mattered most, which were currently met, and where Stryker could differentiate.

Key insights included:

• Surgeons valued global reputation, innovation, and seamless theatre integration.
• CFOs focused on throughput, reimbursement metrics, and reduction of surgical cancellations.
• CSSD managers prioritised training, tray standardisation, and instrument turnaround time.
• Procurement looked for supply continuity, audit compliance, and technical transparency.

The use of Value at Risk—such as cost of delayed surgeries or increased infection risk—proved a compelling lens for multiple personas.

Phase 3: Strategic Pricing and Negotiation Planning
Insights from the interviews were translated into value narratives and commercial arguments. These were incorporated into revised sales playbooks and hospital-specific value maps. The team developed persona-based positioning guides and began tailoring offers not only by product but by problem solved. This helped reposition Stryker solutions from technical tools to enablers of hospital efficiency, safety, and strategic performance.

Key Actions Taken

1. Conducted 10+ structured interviews across clinical, operational, and executive hospital stakeholders.
2. Developed persona-specific value maps showing the top 5–10 most relevant value drivers.
3. Introduced a visual flashcard method to help sales teams guide interviews and uncover hidden priorities.
4. Identified common barriers to value recognition (e.g. training time, unknown theatre costs).
5. Delivered coaching to Stryker teams on how to quantify Value at Risk and shift negotiation focus away from unit price.

Results Achieved (Within 12 Weeks)

1. A clearer understanding of how each hospital persona defines and measures value.
2. Greater internal alignment across marketing, sales, and clinical support teams.
3. Sales team adoption of a structured Customer Value Discovery process.
4. Early signs of improved engagement with procurement and finance stakeholders.
5. Positioning Stryker as a strategic hospital partner—not just a device vendor.

Client Feedback

"This project changed how we approach hospital conversations. We now lead with value and risk—not just price. And we’ve got the tools to back it up. Our salespeople feel more confident engaging beyond the clinical personas."
— Sales Director, Stryker Australia

What This Means for Similar Companies

‍In complex B2B environments like healthcare, value is stakeholder-specific—and pricing power depends on surfacing the right value drivers for the right persona. A surgeon’s needs are not the same as a CFO’s. Companies that can navigate these different expectations, quantify both economic impact and risk avoidance, and communicate with clarity will outperform competitors fixated on product specs and unit pricing.

For any medtech or B2B company supplying into regulated, cost-pressured environments, Customer Value Discovery is the gateway to margin resilience and commercial influence.