Strategic Planning and Marketing Development
Agency/Customer Positioning
Once we have evaluated the products, services, and or project delivery experience relevant to the government health IT marketplace, we join you and determine which provide the clearest path to success. We figure out exactly what market need your solutions meet. We figure out which problems your capabilities will help solve. This step digests the broad government health IT market and evaluates the agencies where best you’ll be able to target your offerings. It can provide you a priority framework for where to focus your people, your efforts, and your investments to realized a return on your investment and grow your business quickly.
Account Planning
In account planning, we digest the agency positioning to target specific projects and program offices to market our solutions to in order to materialize opportunities or pursue opportunities already in the queue. It’s often at this stage, that we look for Leverage-able Accounts, i.e. DOD MHS/VA, NIH/FDA, FDA/CDC, ONC/CMS, ONC/AHRQ. We evaluate what solutions will translate into an approach that can be brought to multiple, but similar clients.
Contract Positioning (GWAC’s, Agency IDIQ’s)
A key factor in account planning is the contract position of your company with respective agencies. Prime or sub positions on GWAC’s or IDIQ’s provide a pathway for translating marketing initiatives with clients into qualified task order opportunities. Based on an evaluation of your contract positioning, we will suggest strategies to utilize the right contract vehicles to achieve success with each target client.
General Opportunities for Synergies, Collaborations, Alliances
An increasing component of the health information technology landscape is the various opportunities for synergies, collaborations and partnering. Under ARRA, many initiatives are targeted at engaging the universities, non-profits, community health centers, and emerging health information exchanges. Of particular importance in government contract are small business designated companies and, in particular, Small Disabled Veteran Owned Businesses and 8a Small Disadvantaged Businesses. Also, many start-ups and emerging technology companies offer partnering opportunities because of niche technologies that they are trying to bring to government. And, obviously large businesses have the benefit of incumbency in some clients as well as strong positioning that can be leveraged. All of this partnering must be considered in the context of the account and the capabilities desired. The goal, however, is to build a strategy, so as not to team based only on opportunity.
Mapping the short and long term future
All companies want to hit the near-term win and we join our clients in achieving short term success. But, we are aiming to provide our client with a trusted partner that will ensure your success over the long haul. We will not only map the route to short term success, but map your plan against the long term future of health information technology. We keep abreast of innovation and creativity in the market place and track trends in healthcare. We provide the inputs so that your team can flexibly respond to the changing dynamics and policies that emerge along the way.
Marketing Campaign
When a known or unknown vendor is trying to penetrate the government health information market, it is often necessary to coordinate a timed marketing campaign associated with an upcoming government-related event, i.e. government-sponsored conference, seminar, or agency industry day
Identity – Branding
It’s likely that an existing market message already exists, but if possible a distinct, but similar brand facing the government markets can be effective.
Value Proposition – Key Selling Proposition (KSP)
Tailored messaging by client is needed and necessary, but to be successful in this vertical it is extremely import ant and advantageous to develop a key selling proposition that will translate across all of your client opportunities. It creates a tight message that will translate into a word of mouth crusade. Envision the Breck commercial, ‘Tell two friends, and they tell two friends, and so on…..’
Messaging – Differentiators
Differentiators take your value proposition and frame it so that your strengths as a company are apparent to the client. This step also permits you to ghost your competition and expose their weaknesses in delivering for the targeted client. In this healthcare IT vertical differentiators are nuanced, but a clear articulation of them can lead the client to perceive you as ahead of the pack.