Episode Summary 

Bill White of the Testo Information Network interviews Colleen Lester, Director of Pharma Solution Sales for North America at Testo.

Background & Career Path 

Colleen's path to sales leadership was unconventional — she holds an MFA in acting from the University of Florida and worked as a professional actor in New York before pivoting to sales out of necessity. She built her career from answering phones to inside and outside sales, moving through active packaging and temperature monitoring before joining Testo. She credits her non-technical background as an asset, allowing her to focus on customer relationships, listening, and problem-solving rather than technical expertise.

What Testo Customers Value 

Colleen says customers value Testo's customer service and partnership approach above all else, equal to the accuracy of instruments and software quality. Earning trust, she explains, comes down to genuinely listening to customers, understanding what they need to accomplish, and then delivering on those promises.

A Standout Sales Story 

She describes landing one of the largest projects in Testo's pharma division history, a customer who was not familiar with Testo who reached out to her through a UK referral. The tipping point, she says, was trust: when asked why they should choose Testo in the final round, Colleen told the customer plainly, ”We mean what we say, and what we tell you we're going to do, we do”.

Industry Shifts: Cloud & Outsourcing 

Cloud data storage is becoming a pharmaceutical industry standard, a dramatic shift from 2017, when major companies resisted it in favor of on-premise control. Colleen also notes that large pharma companies are increasingly outsourcing procurement, on-site alarm management, and other functions to CROs and CDMOs, making sales relationships more complex and multi-stakeholder.

AI & Emerging Technology 

AI is a major topic of interest, particularly predictive modeling, digital twins for cold chain route mapping, and the aggregation of data from multiple sources into a single view. Colleen underscores the fact that Testo's Saveris 1 platform does this well, offering a global dashboard where customers can monitor all locations and assets in real time, with full CFR-compliant audit trails.

Colleen is candid that while AI helps her team with competitive research and data gathering, it cannot replace the human connection central to Testo's sales approach.

How to Connect with Testo Listeners can reach Testo via LinkedIn (Testo Global, Testo North America, Testo Pharma) or by emailing [email protected], where inquiries are immediately routed to the appropriate salesperson.