Know-How Exchange : Strategy

I worked with a private client in this business.

Facilities like yours fax (after building relationship with case workers) the available beds. One of the worst things a case worker can do is refer a discharging patient to a facilities without a vacancy. You become a resource and start to make the "touches" to have TOMA (top of mind attitude) We identified the docs, and did the same thing. Marketing managers pounded the pavement daily.

We built the relationship by old fashioned sales calls. Going in with personal introductions. I don't know how your facility markets their service but this group had marketing managers. We did cookie breaks (with personalized cookie boxes so the name was on their desk).

The front desk gets inquiries. We developed a system for handling those calls so that once they called, we captured that info for follow up. People call with "how much do you charge". That info was never given by the receptionist, but the marketing person and only after heart warming probing questions to establish "we care".

From there we established a presentation that we gave to VFW's, Chambers, etc, about care options, care with VA insurance. that might be too broad based for you.

Docs love free lunches and dinners and will go if there is a learning (not selling) message.

Carol
Sell Well and Prosper tm

My position is very targeted to marketing to specific healthcare providers & nurses, and I also found that email is ineffective, but I did find faxing to be a very effective form of communication. The nurses I have faxed in the past tend to read and respond to faxes in a very timely manner.

Don't forget to target the organizations that you fit between: skilled nursing facilities, rehab facilities, hospitals, senior centers, visiting nurses, hospice, etc. Food, education (can you offer free CEUs for a class held in the facility), and healthcare appreciation day (massage, gifts, etc.)

Likewise, target the general population of your area. You want patients to ask their physician about your services in the same way that drug companies do it. Use press releases and a community open house.

I also work in healthcare (distributor for medical supplies and equipment- our niches are cardiology and nuclear medicine) and we go to tradeshows where we meet a lot of people- students, doctors, etc... It might be worth the while to set up a booth at a show. I've been able to look into upcoming shows at ges.com and freemanonline.com. Maybe you can find something worthwhile there?

Good luck.
Emily

Hi BARQ

great advice from experts. my 2 cents are...

your target segment is the Intersive Care Unit (ICU), Coronary Care Unit (CCU) and Post-Operative Unit (POU)heads and Hospital Administrators and Department Heads who actually make decision when to move a patient from a post-operative monitoring stage (round the clock ovservation) to regular ward-bed in the hospital. As these sections of a hospital always have limited bed, the unit heads are under pressure to make room for newer cases.

you have also rightly identified that the specialized nurses of ICU, CCU, POU are also a target as they influence the decision of the dept. heads. you need to tap these 2 segements of people to market you services.

if i have understood correctly yours is an off-site scaled-down thing between ICU/CCU and regular bed for the patients (here in Bangladesh, its called Step-Down ICU/CCU).

to tap them, you need to undertake one-on-one calling to the doctors and nurses and explaining the services that are offered by your set-up/infrastructure. 4 things will determine your prospect

1. your facility (equipments)
2. quality of people (professionals)
3. quality of care
4. price

the doctor/administrator/nurse will have to be convinced on these factors as for the end patients and their families if the service quality and care hve to be at least at par with the hospital.

at the same time, your price is also a factor, you cant charge more than the hospital, minimum you have to be at par with hospital. with the 2 combined, the hospitals will advice the patients to be shifted to your facility.

to tap the target segments, apart from sales call, you need to arrange for visits to your facility by the target group to be followed by free lunch ;-). also organize an interactive session of your staff and the target hospital staff during this visits so that each can understand the other.

you can also organize seminars and discussion forums to exchange best-practice ways amongst all the hospitals (incl you facility). this will create a fraternal bond within the mainstream community and your facility. also organize some learning session with some of the best-brains around the world in each field of specialty for learning of the physician and nurse community.

i must say, these are slow processes, but nonetheless will progress brick-by-brick.

hope this helps.

cheers!