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Hospital Marketers Are In Deep Trouble Unless...

...they secure a permanent place at the leadership table.

Health marketing blogger Mike Krivich blogs about a recent interview with an unusually clueless hospital CEO. Said CEO was taken aback by Mike's insistence that marketing is more about strategy and measurable results than ads and newsletters.

Unfortunately there's a lot of that going around, making it tough to disagree with Mike's conclusion that hospital marketers are swimming upstream. Better, though, to find that out BEFORE you take the job!

So how does one obtain a place at the table, given that acting 'entitled' is unlikely to work?

How about not telling people what you can't or won't do for them? Instead, be positive and solutions-oriented - the go-to person for finding the opportunities lurking in every difficulty.

Appreciate effort as important, but understand that it's results that matter. Produce documentable, repeatable results. Share them widely, then remember that if what you did yesterday still looks good, you haven't done much today.

Be future oriented, letting go of the past's debates. Learn what you can, make the necessary improvements and move on.

As an industry, health care's inward focus borders on narcissism. Someone needs to be the customer's voice. You, maybe? Ask "what's in it for our customers?" Keep asking. Back up your thoughts and recommendations with actionable data.

And now you've made a start. You may not yet be at the table, but at least you know where the conference room is.


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