Unlocking Growth In a New Segment of the Market

How a Life Sciences Leader Used VOC Insight to Enter a New Market Segment

Companies look to enter new markets and segments all the time, but often stumble because they deploy existing sales motions and buyer journeys with minor tweaks—expecting that it will translate seamlessly.

Alexander Group partnered with a life sciences company that was highly successful in selling premium, high-end instruments. Yet despite offering segment-specific products, the company had faltered in penetrating the mid-tier segment. To drive future growth, the company realized it needed to expand beyond the high-end flagship offering and compete meaningfully in mid-priced products. However, with limited market visibility and no established customer relationships in this segment, success would require a fundamentally different, data-driven commercial approach.

To support this strategic expansion, Alexander Group advised the leadership team to conduct a comprehensive voice-of-customer (VOC) engagement. By combining in-depth interviews and survey insights, they could use the findings to inform go-to-market design grounded in market best practices. The objective was to uncover the purchasing behaviors, decision criteria, value drives, competitive pressure and buying dynamics of an entirely new customer segment the company hadn’t successfully entered.

A Targeted, High-Precision VOC Approach

Given the importance of accurate insight, Alexander Group partnered with the stakeholders to implement a selective, criteria-based screening process to ensure interviews included only stakeholders who directly influenced relevant instrument purchasing decisions. Alexader Group collaborated closely with the company’s marketing and sales leaders to build a comprehensive questionnaire that would uncover not just preferences, but motivations, frustrations and unmet needs.

Across the engagement, the team conducted 50+ in-depth interviews with buyers, end users and procurement decision-makers. The interviews explored:

• Vendor selection criteria
• Preferred attributes of trusted suppliers
• Key factors driving instrument choice
• Perceptions of current market leaders
• Gaps and frustrations with existing vendors
• Desired level of pre-and post-sales support
• Vendor engagement preference

These conversations revealed where incumbent vendors were performing well and where they were not. They also highlighted a major awareness challenge: Buyers did not perceive the company as a credible player in this particular segment, despite its strong reputation in the premium segment.

Turning Insight into Commercial Action

The VOC findings served as the foundation for a refined, multi-layered commercial strategy tailored specifically to the expectations of this new customer segment. Alexander Group provided several recommendations for change:

Deploying Inside Sales to Accelerate Early Pipeline

Buyers in the lower tiers expect speed, simplicity and rapid responsiveness. Our analysis showed that an inside sales role would be critical in surfacing new prospects, warming leads and driving early engagement—especially for smaller ticket sizes that don’t require specialist-led discovery.

Refining Compensation to Increase Commercial Mindshare

To compete effectively in the low- to mid-end segment, frontline teams need clear incentives. Our recommendations included refining compensation structures to ensure reps devote appropriate focus to these instruments, not just the high-end offerings that historically dominate quota performance mix.

Strengthening the Sales–Marketing Flywheel

The VOC underscored the need for a more coordinated commercial engine. Alexander Group suggested changes to the operating model between sales and marketing to create a stronger flywheel, ensuring tighter alignment on messaging, lead handling, qualification and content deployment.

Refocusing Marketing on Value-Led, Use-Case-Centric Messaging

Current messaging heavily emphasized advanced technology, which was appropriate for premium buyers, but misaligned with the priorities of mid-tier customers. New marketing guidance centered on:

• Practical use cases
• Workflow fit
• Reliability and total cost of ownership
• Clear value propositions

This shift ensures buyers see not only what the instrument does, but why it matters.

A Pathway to New Market Share and Sustainable Growth

The VOC engagement fed valuable insights into the GTM blueprinting phase, which focused on recommendations to capture market share in a previously untapped segment. Through targeted role deployment, sharpened incentives and messaging that resonates with the needs of lower-tier buyers, the company is now equipped to position itself as a credible, competitive provider across the full instrument spectrum.

As the life sciences industry continues to evolve, organizations that combine deep market insight with commercial agility will be best positioned to accelerate growth. This initiative marks a critical step toward expanding reach, broadening relevance and fueling long-term success in an increasingly diversified market.