How Aerogen Invested in Sellers Through Challenger Experience Training

Transitioning a company to a new selling style is no small undertaking. But for Aerogen, a global medical device company headquartered in Galway, Ireland, the individual successes of its international selling team made this undertaking worthwhile.

As Aerogen rapidly expands its business — aerosol drug delivery in acute care — the company remains connected by tangibly investing in employees and supporting their integrity and career growth alongside the organization’s own.

“Salespeople are keen to become trusted partners to their customers,” explained Jacqueline Lüttjohann, Global Commercial Training and Education Manager at Aerogen. “Many of our sellers have a professional background in intensive care or, in our case, as respiratory therapists, so they have excellent knowledge of medical topics. We saw an amazing opportunity to lead our teams to even greater performance by combining this expertise with the Challenger approach.”

Over the course of their engagement with Challenger, People and Organizational Development Leader Laura Gilioli also described seeing improvements in individual seller performance and the development of a more empowered and connected workforce.

“I strongly believe that every investment in learning development is an investment in the future success of the organization,” Laura said. “It’s an investment in innovation, and it is an investment in our people engagement.”

“Challenger really enables our sales team and gives them the tools and the confidence to manage complex sales, which allows them to go to customers and change their conversation with them and bring back fantastic results,” Laura said.

But don’t take our word for it. We asked sellers from across Aerogen’s global selling network to share their experience learning and using Challenger in the field. Hear directly from them how training has changed their success rates and careers.

What’s been the best part about Challenger training?

“Both the Challenger book and the Challenger learning modules were fantastic references, and I found the way that Aerogen applied the Challenger method extremely helpful as I could see how it applied in my current day-to-day. Overall, Challenger was the best ‘sales method’ experience I have gone through in my career, and it is the method I truly believe works.” — Parker McArdle, Account Manager, Northern United States

“Implementing the Challenger approach has been a game-changer for me, particularly in working with customers with complex needs and operating in competitive markets. By challenging their assumptions and providing Tailored Insights, I’ve been able to engage more deeply with decision-makers and position myself as a trusted advisor. This approach has allowed me to build stronger, more meaningful relationships and achieve better outcomes, especially with clients who value strategic thinking and long-term value. The Challenger methodology has enhanced my sales performance and significantly boosted my confidence and effectiveness in navigating complex sales environments.” — Debora Pannocchia Serrano, Clinical Specialist & Territory Manager, Spain

“My experience of working with Challenger has most definitely helped me see what type of seller I was before and has now changed how I approach the selling situation. Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to practice many approaches, using the multiple sales courses I have attended, but this is the one that relates to me as a seller and one that I have truly adopted.” – Jonathan McAusland, Senior Clinical Account Manager, Northern Europe Clinical Education Lead

“First of all, I started off as the biggest skeptic, but then my mind changed. It started with the education program and its quality. I could directly recognize a completely different approach and loved the depth of the Insights and the science behind it. I overcame my inner skeptic and it was easy to adapt the learned content to the field meetings. I even reached one of my hardest to access accounts with a completely different strategy: working effectively with more stakeholders, overcoming issues, and getting to a new level of engagement with key stakeholder.” — Damian Sielmann, Business Development Manager, Germany

“The amount of data-driven information Challenger presented regarding current sales processes, customers, and buying experience was surprising and refreshing. It created a self-awareness that helped me adopt the Challenger methodology more consistently and abandon less successful behaviors.” — João Mendes Marques, Senior Territory Manager SEA + Commex Lead APAC

Before using Challenger, what was your experience selling?

“Selling has always been hard, and putting your story into words has been even harder. This can come through to the customer and can ultimately stop the selling journey in its path. The buying process was slow and less productive due to not identifying who the right people were and how they would aid the ultimate goal.” — Jonathan McAusland

“Before Challenger, I was a Hard Worker…[My] way of approaching customers was the same with all kinds of customers, regardless the type of customer. My sales were never that low, but I always thought I should be taking advantage of my market much more.” — Odai Al Sakran

“Prior to using Challenger, my sales approach was more conventional. I focused heavily on building relationships and addressing the specific needs customers shared with me. While this worked somewhat, I often found standing out in a competitive market, recognizing the customer profile, or implementing the curve difficult. My sales efforts felt more responsive than strategic.” — Debora Pannocchia Serrano

“Before Challenger, I was a self-motivated salesperson. I loved listening to sales content podcasts; I’ve read many books and have always been interested in the science behind the sales process, social science, the insights of communications, and the procedure of objection handling. Even though I’ve done a lot of training and guided coaching, I always felt there was a tiny gap to reach best practice. There was the feeling that I was missing a leader who enables me to reach the next step.” — Damian Sielmann

“Having always worked in complex sales environments and with a strong clinical background, I focused on being a reliable expert for my customers and ensuring that all issues were always addressed. I consistently delivered good results, however, looking back, I wish I had been exposed to Challenger earlier in my career. I could have been even more successful by helping customers to act, guiding them through the buying process, and Taking Control.” — João Mendes Marques

How has Challenger training changed your sales behavior or career?  

“My experience working with Challenger changed how I start conversations with customers and allowed me to properly identify the correct stakeholders in the buying process. It allowed me to tell the Aerogen story, challenge the customers’ thought processes, and guide them in the right direction to benefit all parties. Our time together is more productive, which helps customers to be more engaged and invested.” – Jonathan McAusland 

Since integrating the Challenger methodology into my sales approach, I’ve experienced a significant shift in my career and sales techniques. I’ve learned how to lead conversations by offering new Insights, challenging my customers’ thinking, and taking them through the process, which has helped me bring more value to every interaction. This change has resulted in better client engagement, stronger relationships, and successful outcomes. The Challenger approach has given me the confidence to be more proactive and assertive in my sales role, leading to better outcomes for my clients and my career.” — Debora Pannocchia Serrano

“My mind and understanding opened to more strategic thinking, and I developed more self-confidence to handle and deal with wide, more complex sales situations. It is much easier to understand the ambiguity of the market, and I feel well-prepared for the next chapter. I got better tools for meeting preparation and overall, it feels like we all became a Challenger organization, which makes everything a little bit easier and gives me a feeling of working at a “best in class” company!” – Damien Sielmann 

“Some of the changes I would also highlight that have been helping me to Reframe thinking is the in-depth customer research I do on their current state and, when we finally meet, understanding them better. I have recently had an incredible career opportunity at Aerogen following consistently positive commercial results, so… thank you, Challenger!” — João Mendes Marques 

Ready to create a culture of change that inspires your sellers? Contact Challenger to find the best fit for your team.