Barlow/McCarthy Blog
Check back often to hear from our talented team of consultants. Topics covered include: Physician Relations, Physician Recruitment, Practice Marketing, Medical Staff Development, Community Health Needs Assessments, etc.
Creating a United Front for the External Stakeholder
By Kriss Barlow, RN, MBA Have you ever purchased an item only to learn that nobody is as eager to respond to service questions or implementation needs as they were to “do the deal?” In our household, it really hit home with a new TV and the remote. We need three...
Communication to Keep Physicians in the Loop
Author: Kriss Barlow, RN, MBA For almost every healthcare executive, managing change seems to be a daily obligation. Change means that people and departments are in a state of flux. What is all of this change doing to impact communication? Tremendous energy is being...
Credibility in Communicating with Physicians
Author: Kriss Barlow, RN, MBA While communication woes can happen with a variety of people, many in healthcare say they wish they felt more comfortable interacting with their medical staff. There's an inherent challenge in learning how to speak the language of the...
Developing a Regional Referral Strategy
Author: Kriss Barlow, RN, MBA The original version of this article appeared in Healthcare Executive. Content has been updated to recognize the marketplace in 2009. To grow and sustain their business, many hospitals rely on inpatient tertiary care, and the competition...
Earning the Yes through Effective Customer Management
Author: Kriss Barlow, RN, MBA The author updated this article in 2009, to reflect the most current market and trends in physician relations/sales strategy. The article discusses different attitudes that slow the sales process, whether the audience is a physician or an...
Four Barriers to Successful Physician Sales
Author: Kriss Barlow, RN, MBA This article appeared in Healthcare Marketing Advisor, January 2007 and was updated by the author in 2009, to provide readers with the most current market reflections. What makes some physician relations programs so successful, whereas...
Important Sales Rules Not to Live By
Author: Kriss Barlow, RN, MBA Anyone who's ever sold anything to anyone has learned the lessons of what not to do. Conversely, those negative experiences can teach us to do things the right way-and how to build solid relationships with our customers. Consider these...
Is My Model Right for the Times – Developing or Redefining Your Physician Relations Program
By Kriss Barlow, MBA, RN The right model is essential. It includes positioning in the organization; the leverage needed to be effective internally and with the doctors and it assists the program leader in focusing the field talent in the right direction. While it is...
Physician Sales Tool Box
By David F. Zirkle, PhD As with most sales efforts, effective physician relations begins with well-developed prospect lists to direct field activity and allocate resources. The process and tools described below focus on growing key strategic service lines. The...
Prospecting Tips for Sales
Author: Kriss Barlow, RN, MBA This article has been updated by the author to reflect 2009 trends and market dynamics. For many people who are in sales, seeking out and developing new contacts is a difficult and time-consuming task, a task that often gets pushed to the...