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Selling the Story
This section combines the SPIN discovery framework, Challenger Sale teaching moments, and battle cards into a single selling guide. Use it to surface pain, reframe assumptions, and handle objections with data.
Ground rule: Every data point you cite in a sales conversation must include its sample size. "77% injury rate" becomes "77% injury rate based on 26 reported events." This builds credibility and preempts the "is that statistically significant?" objection.
What NOT to Claim
Before we get to what to say, here's what will destroy your credibility if you say it:
| Don't Say | Why It's Wrong | Say Instead |
|---|---|---|
| "BD has 217 events, Stiletto has 1" | Compares installed base, not safety | "BD's PowerGlide Pro has a 77% injury rate per reported event (n=26)" |
| "Stiletto is safer than BD" | Can't prove with current data | "Stiletto eliminates the guidewire mechanism that causes 90% of BD's mechanical failures" |
| "PowerGlide has a quality crisis" | October spike was clinical trial data | "PowerGlide shows a consistent mechanical failure pattern in MAUDE data" |
| "BD blames users for design flaws" | Data doesn't show systematic blame-shifting here | "34% of root causes are attributed to user error -- worth examining the pattern" |
| "Zero complications with Stiletto" | Low market share means low event volume | "Stiletto's design eliminates the failure mechanism entirely" |
Why honesty matters: Your buyers are clinicians and risk managers. They understand data. If you overstate a claim and they catch it, you lose the account. If you present limitations honestly, you gain trust.
SPIN Discovery Framework
Use these questions to build urgency. Don't pitch until you've established the problem.
Situation Questions
Establish baseline. Don't dwell here -- move to problems quickly.
- "What midline catheter are you currently using?"
- "How many midline insertions does your team do monthly?"
- "Who typically performs your midline insertions?"
Listen for: PowerGlide, BD, vascular access team volume, who makes device decisions.
Problem Questions
The Breakage Problem:
"Have any of your vascular access nurses mentioned catheters not advancing smoothly during insertion?"
This maps to a known failure pattern -- mechanical insertion resistance that precedes catheter damage.
"Have you had any retained catheter fragment events in the past 18 months?"
If they have, they remember. If they haven't, this plants the possibility.
"When you look at your returned catheters, do you ever see the tip looks different -- shorter, or missing material?"
Tip shearing at the needle bevel is a documented failure mode in PowerGlide events.
The Attribution Problem:
"When BD investigates a complaint, what do they typically conclude?"
In our data, 34% of extracted root causes are attributed to user error (n=38). Some may be accurate; the question is whether the pattern holds at their facility.
"Do your nurses feel blamed when a device fails?"
Connecting device failure to clinician morale is a vector they haven't considered.
Implication Questions
Make the problem feel bigger. Connect to consequences they care about.
"If a catheter tip shears off during insertion, what's your protocol?"
The typical path is X-ray, IR consult, surgical retrieval.
"What's the downstream impact when a patient needs an unplanned IR procedure?"
Listen for: length of stay, patient anxiety, family concerns, documentation burden.
"If a retained fragment case went to litigation, how would you demonstrate due diligence in device selection?"
Documented injury patterns create a discoverable record. "We didn't know" becomes harder to defend when the data is public.
"What's the cost of an unplanned surgical retrieval -- not just the procedure, but the bed, the staff, the documentation?"
Estimate: $15K-$30K fully loaded, plus potential readmission penalty.
Need-Payoff Questions
Let them articulate the value. Don't say it yourself.
"If you could eliminate the risk of catheter breakage entirely, what would that mean for your team?"
"What would it be worth to avoid even one retained fragment case per year?"
"If your nurses had a device they trusted more, how might that affect their confidence during difficult sticks?"
Challenger Teaching Moments
These are reframes. Use them to shift the conversation when prospects raise objections or make assumptions.
"It's not about event counts"
When they say: "But BD has been on the market longer -- of course they have more events."
Teach: "Exactly right. That's why we don't compare event counts -- that's just market share. What we look at is the injury rate: 77% of PowerGlide Pro events result in patient injury (n=26). And the failure pattern: 90% mechanical, concentrated on guidewire interaction with the catheter at the needle bevel (n=90 extracted events). Those rates don't change with market share."
"The guidewire is the design issue"
When they say: "We like the guidewire for tough sticks."
Teach: "The guidewire gives you insertion confidence, but it creates a stress point. When you need to reposition, you're pulling the catheter against a sharp edge. That's where the breakage happens. SlipStream Technology gives you the same insertion capability without that risk -- 2 steps instead of 5."
"Design vs. manufacturing"
When they say: "All devices have some failures."
Teach: "True, and that's why we look at the failure pattern, not just the count. BD's Power line shows 90% mechanical failures in extracted events (n=90). That's not random manufacturing variation -- it's a consistent pattern pointing to the guidewire-catheter interaction. Stiletto was designed to eliminate that interaction entirely."
"The market is moving"
When they say: "We've always used BD."
Teach: "BD's PowerGlide Pro has the highest injury rate of any BD vascular product -- 77% (n=26). Their own PICC products are at 10-19%. The question for safety-conscious facilities isn't whether to evaluate alternatives. It's when."
Battle Cards
Quick responses for competitive situations. Every claim includes sample size.
"We've always used BD PowerGlide"
What they mean: Comfort with status quo.
"PowerGlide Pro shows a 77% injury rate in FDA MAUDE data (n=26 events) and a 90% mechanical failure pattern (n=90 extracted events). That's not about volume -- it's about what happens when an event occurs. Stiletto eliminates the guidewire mechanism that drives those mechanical failures."
Next step: "Can I show you the actual FDA reports?"
"We haven't heard about any PowerGlide problems"
What they mean: BD hasn't told them.
"FDA's MAUDE database is public record. The PowerGlide Pro injury rate is 77% per reported event (n=26). Most hospitals don't track complications by specific device model, so the pattern isn't visible without this kind of analysis."
Next step: "Would you want to see what the data shows for your device category? We can pull that up."
"We haven't had problems here"
What they mean: Either true or not tracking.
"That's possible. Do you track insertion complications by specific device model? Most facilities don't, which means the pattern can be invisible at the hospital level even when it's clear in aggregate data."
Evidence: Only 1-10% of events get reported to MAUDE. Facilities often don't track by device model.
"Show me the data"
Buying Signal
This is a buying signal. They want to be convinced.
- Pull up FDA MAUDE or offer a ScanPath dashboard demo
- Show injury rates by product (the bar chart)
- Show failure mode distribution (90% mechanical)
- Walk through 2-3 actual event narratives showing the pattern
Key talking point:
"This isn't about individual complications -- every device has those. This is about a pattern: 90% mechanical failure, concentrated at the guidewire-catheter interaction, across multiple facilities (n=90 extracted events). That's a design signal."
"We use PowerWand, not PowerGlide"
What they mean: They've already moved away from BD. Good -- they're open to switching.
"Smart move on the antimicrobial side -- BIOGUARD is real technology. But PowerWand still uses a guidewire. The insertion failure mechanism is the same as PowerGlide: catheter against a sharp bevel under torque. BIOGUARD reduces infection risk after placement. SlipStream eliminates the mechanical failure risk during placement. Different problems."
Next step: "Would your team want to see how the two insertion mechanisms compare side by side?"
"What about BioFlo? The Endexo anti-thrombotic story is compelling"
What they mean: They're evaluating multiple alternatives. This is a sophisticated buyer.
"Endexo is strong science -- 94% less thrombus vs PowerGlide is a real clinical claim. It solves the dwell-time problem. Stiletto solves the insertion-time problem -- the 90% mechanical failure pattern that causes retained fragments and surgical retrievals. If thrombosis is your primary concern, BioFlo makes sense. If mechanical failure during insertion is your primary concern, Stiletto eliminates it entirely."
Next step: "What's causing more issues for your team right now -- insertion complications or dwell-time occlusion?"
"What about power injection?"
"Stiletto is fully power-injectable -- same capability as PowerGlide. Same 5ml/sec flow rate, same 300 psi pressure rating. Power injection is table stakes; guidewire elimination is the innovation."
"It costs more"
"What does a retained fragment retrieval cost? IR suite time, imaging, nursing, anesthesia, documentation, family meetings. One complication costs $15-30K -- more than the device price difference for an entire year of procedures."
ROI math:
- 1,000 annual procedures x $20 per-unit premium = $20K/year
- One avoided retrieval = $15-30K savings
- Break-even: 1 avoided event per year
"We're in a GPO contract"
"Most GPOs have exception processes for patient safety concerns. A documented pattern of mechanical failures at a 77% injury rate qualifies. Who manages your GPO exception requests?"
What to include in exception request:
- MAUDE injury rate data (77% for PowerGlide Pro, n=26)
- Mechanical failure pattern (90%, n=90)
- Complication cost analysis ($15-30K per retrieval)
- Clinical evidence: Stiletto eliminates guidewire mechanism
- Risk management perspective: discoverable pattern in public data
Tip: Risk managers often have more authority to push GPO exceptions than purchasing.
"Your device is too new"
"Stiletto has been on market since 2021 -- 5 years. The limited MAUDE events reflect <5% market share, not a short track record. The design argument is engineering-based: no guidewire means no guidewire failure mechanism. That's not something that changes with time on market."
Offer: "Start with a limited trial -- your most difficult-stick patients. If you see any issues, we'll take the devices back."
The October 2025 Spike Question
If they ask: "I saw PowerGlide had 40 events in October 2025. What happened?"
"Good catch -- that spike was clinical trial batch reporting. 30 of the 40 events were reported on a single day from a PowerGlide study. It's FDA-required disclosure for trial adverse events, not a sudden quality crisis. November went back to baseline."
This answer builds credibility through honesty.
Messaging by Buyer Persona
To Vascular Access Directors
"BD's PowerGlide Pro has a 77% injury rate in MAUDE data (n=26 events) with 90% mechanical failures (n=90). Stiletto eliminates the guidewire mechanism that drives those failures."
Follow-up: Offer to show MAUDE data to the team, demonstrate insertion mechanism.
To Value Analysis Committees
"One retained fragment retrieval costs $15-30K. Stiletto's guidewire-free design eliminates the mechanical failure mode that causes them."
Follow-up: ROI analysis showing complication cost vs device cost differential.
To Chief Nursing Officers
"Two-step insertion with no guidewire. Fewer things to go wrong means more confident nurses during difficult sticks."
Follow-up: Staff survey on device confidence, retention impact of failed procedures.
To Risk Managers
"BD's PowerGlide shows a 77% injury rate (n=26) with a consistent mechanical failure pattern across multiple facilities. That data is in a public FDA database. Stiletto's design eliminates the failure mechanism."
Follow-up: Legal memo on standard of care and device selection due diligence.
Closing
Don't ask for the sale. Ask for the next step:
- "Would it be valuable to share this data with your value analysis committee?"
- "Can I show your vascular access director the specific MAUDE reports I'm referencing?"
- "Would a trial with your most difficult-stick patients help you evaluate this?"
- "Can I set up a 15-minute ScanPath data demo for your team?"
- "Would it be helpful if I drafted the GPO exception request?"
Never: "Are you ready to buy?"
Always: "What's the next step to evaluate this for your team?"
Quick Reference
| Objection | Key Response | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| "Always used BD" | 77% injury rate, 90% mechanical failures | MAUDE data (n=26, n=90) |
| "We use PowerWand" | Same guidewire, different coating. Different problem. | BIOGUARD = infection; SlipStream = insertion |
| "BioFlo/Endexo?" | Solves dwell-time thrombosis; Stiletto solves insertion failure | 94% less thrombus (AngioDynamics claim) |
| "Haven't heard of problems" | MAUDE is public; most don't track by device | Public database |
| "No problems here" | Do you track by device model? | 1-10% reporting rate |
| "Show me data" | Buying signal -- demo ScanPath or MAUDE | Pull up dashboard |
| "Power injection?" | Yes, same specs | 510(k) clearance |
| "Costs more" | One retrieval = $15-30K | Complication cost analysis |
| "GPO contract" | Exception process for safety patterns | Risk management angle |
| "Too new" | 5 years on market; design eliminates mechanism | Engineering argument |
| "October spike?" | Clinical trial batch reporting | Honest data interpretation |
Framework based on SPIN Selling (Rackham) and The Challenger Sale (Dixon/Adamson). Data from FDA MAUDE database via ScanPath. All claims include sample sizes.