Generated B2B Leads Targeted To Heads Of Human Resources At Large Hospitals In The US
UMR, previously known as Avidyn
The Objective
Make two qualified face-to-face appointments per week per salesperson. Acquire ten contracts worth an average of $100,000+ each with automatic annual renewals.
The Product
Self-insured employers purchased a preventive healthcare program designed to improve patient care outcomes and reduce the employer’s healthcare costs.
The Target Market
The initial target market consisted of heads of Human Resources at 1200 of the largest US hospitals.
The marketing rationale for selecting this target was that hospitals would influence new large employer sales after experiencing the product firsthand.
The Challenge
Generate quality face-to-face appointments with sales pitch-resistant C-level executives.
Secure one-hour appointments without marketing support beyond the lead generation program
Deliver sufficient leads to support a small sales staff in generating $1 million in new sales for each salesperson by Year's End.
A previous digital-only program failed after spending $120,000, generating less than three leads. (An agency that we were not involved with performed this.)
The Key Strategy
Use outbound telemarketing to set up appointments with C-level executives in the nation’s largest hospitals and Third Party Administrators. Hospitals represented 80% of the targeted markets.
The Results
Forty-four face-to-face appointments in 10 weeks.
27 sales phone leads.
New contracts under negotiation and ready for signature stopped when the company pulled the plug on the product. The cancellation occurred because of selling the company and closing the sale in the middle of the project. The program had another 45 days to go before completion.
The Program Evaluation
Lead flow surpassed projections by over 200% of the allowable cost per lead and program objectives.
This integrated marketing approach cost under $75,000, beating the “Internet channel only,” which cost nearly twice as much and garnered only three leads for $120,000.
If the program had continued unabated, the sales results would have exceeded the goal by at least 50%.
I handled and reported on all of the planning, creative work, offer development, production, CRM software training, script development, and vendor selection. This placed the accountability for success in the hands of an experienced direct marketer.
The key element to success included using outbound telemarketing as the core medium to contact hard-to-reach senior executives.
All calls were preceded by a quality #10 personalized direct mail package incorporating PURLS. (The targeted names received an additional direct mail package with a different main selling proposition if they did not initially agree to an appointment.) The PURL tactic fully integrated the Internet channel in the process and automatically completed the prospect’s contact information after entering the landing page. The landing page allowed the respondents to make their appointments directly online.
Tactical Implementation Flow Chart
B2B Healthcare Telemarketing Lead Generation Process
Direct Mail Lead Generation Sent Before Outbound Calls
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Review Of The Medicare
Advantage Program
Most healthcare and insurance companies that offer the Medicare Advantage product administered by CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) use direct mail to promote their product.
Even though direct mail is the core channel for AEP promotions, response increases when you reach the same prospects with many touch points across multiple channels. Match the mailing list to the digital space to target these same prospects with digital display advertising in social media. Add to this pixel targeting, where we reach website visitors who access their browsers or social media platforms with advertising messages if they have not enrolled or asked for more information.
Several years ago, CMS (called HCFA at the time) tested a number of programs for Medicare offering it in various markets as Demonstration Projects. They used a community rated cost per member (the AAPC) that varied from market to market. The government would the providers a set amount for each Medicare member they enrolled.
Medicare Advantage providers receive access to known Medicare recipient mailing lists in their contracted geographic area.
This program evolved to today’s successful Medicare Advantage product that offers more benefits than Medicare alone. HMOs and PPOs were able to reduce overall costs for Medicare recipients that returned the savings to members in the form of added benefits — often at no cost beyond the money they receive from CMS.
In return, providers must follow a rigorous set of marketing rules in the copy using government approved marketing techniques. This means that all creative work must be approved by CMS prior to mailing.
Most providers invite members to a group presentation. At these meetings, trained sales representatives hired by the providers sell Medicare Advantage policies at the conclusion of each meeting.