I routinely receive more than 75 e-mails every day, have about 100 cable television stations to choose from, can look up virtually any topic on the Internet, receive scores of mail pieces each week, and have an untold number of voice messages daily. It is not surprising that the average person is receptive to but a fraction of information before them. Thus, there is a dilemma: How do I get my message across in such …
Read More
October 2009
Marketing on a Shoestring Budget
Heard the adage, “You’ve got to spend money to make money?” Of course you have, and chances are you subscribe to that notion. Well, not so fast. You should spend money on marketing your occupational medicine services, but you can spend it judiciously. Only so much new business can be generated from direct sales; new business must be supplemented with business that is generated through marketing activities that do not rely on face-to-face communication. If …
Read More
September 2009
25 Sales and Marketing Pearls
This month’s column provides some easy-to-execute sales and marketing tips that we have found helpful in moving a clinic’s occupational health initiative forward: Sales Skills and Techniques Use euphemisms to convert negative phrases into positives. “You have a problem” should be “You have an opportunity.” “You have a high injury rate” becomes “if we can help lower your injury rate, it would result in lower workers’ comp costs.” Orchestrate clinic visits to make …
Read More
July/August 2009
June 2009
Identifying, Contacting, and Cultivating the ‘Best’ Contact Person
Identifying the right contact person at a prospective client company begins with a sound, well-conceptualized, and up to date mailing list. Central to the list is the name of the individual responsible for the health and safety of the workforce. This information needs to be verified or updated regularly, something that could be accomplished by having a clerical staff member or high school student call every employer in your database each summer.
Read More