I returned to the office the other day to find a message saying that an individual from GDS Healthcare had called for me. The message stated that she had been referred to me from various healthcare executives including people at one of the top academic medical center in the country (She mentioned the medical center by name – I’m not mentioning them here because I don’t want to link their exceptional brand with this story of deception). Purportedly she was interested in speaking to me about the hand hygiene programs my company has developed. I was recently interviewed about hand hygiene and the swine flu by USA Today, so the call didn’t seem that out of the ordinary. I did a Google search, learned that GDS International is some kind of publishing company, and wrongly assumed that she was a reporter contacting me about a story.
So, I called this individual back, expecting to be a source for an article on patient safety. Eventually we connected by phone. We spent 10 or 15 minutes talking about hand hygiene and patient safety, and she once again reiterated that she’d been given my name from a number of sources, including the folks at this major academic medical center. Things seemed to be going well.
Here Comes the Sales Pitch
Okay, I was wrong. Eventually this individual got around to the sales pitch. Once again she stated that she is working directly with a prominent physician at this world renowned academic medical center (I know the physician by reputation) and a top official at the CDC on an upcoming report in Executive Healthcare Management. According to this individual, the November issue will have a special focus on hand hygiene and infection control. Based on recommendations from industry leaders, GDS wanted Jennings (my firm) to participate in the November issue, to the tune of $17,000. We would be featured in Executive Healthcare Management along with other companies working to eliminate hospital acquired infections including Kimberly Clark Healthcare, Medline and Ecolab – all big names in the industry. For $17,000 we would have a full-page corporate profile in the magazine, have the opportunity to contribute editorial, and be included in both print and online versions. Yikes. I’m not buying editorial coverage in Executive Healthcare Management, even if I was recommended by various healthcare leaders (which seems dubious at this point).
How do you recognize one of these calls? The sales pitch is always the same. The sales person will tell you there are only a few spaces remaining and she is heading into an editorial meeting and would like to be able to tell them that you are participating. They always need an answer asap. There’s lots of urgency. If you don’t have an answer immediately, they will work to schedule a follow-up time to speak with you, so they can close the deal. And they will follow up. I promise. I’ve seen this work in the financial industry, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare.
I didn’t see it coming.
So I’ve seen this pitch more than a dozen times but didn’t see this one coming. The sales call came in the context of phone calls we receive periodically from reporters and hospitals around the county inquiring about our hand hygiene campaign. And the sales person used a “recommendation” from a leading academic medical center and an association with the CDC to give her call added credibility. I was hooked, like a novice, before I figured it out.
Do the CDC and the academic medical center know?
What I was left to wonder is whether or not these executives from this academic medical center and the CDC realize what these people from GDS Publications are doing in their name? I could not believe that these prominent physicians had authorized this salesperson from GDS to use their names to help them sell advertising in the publication. From my perspective, they are using an initially deceptive practice. They are using the medical center’s brand as a door opener without revealing up front that this is a sales call. I know that some of these publications go into organizations offering to do profiles at no charge, in exchange for a list of vendors that the magazine will approach for advertising. I’m not a fan of that breed of publishing because the vendors often feel pressured into advertising because they were recommended by a client. They feel obligated. Not good.
So, I emailed the physician at the academic medical center, as well as the executive at the CDC, to let them know about my experience with this publication and how they are being appropriated for this purpose. I have connected with the academic medical center. They are not happy! The physician and the public affairs staff had no idea that this was going on. They are not collaborating with the publication on a special issue, but the physician was interviewed for a story in the issue. And they did not give my company’s name to the publishing company as a potential advertiser or participant in the special issue. I have been assured that they are going to contact the leadership of the publishing company to register their displeasure! The folks at the CDC have also assured me that they are following up with Executive Healthcare Management. So this story may have a happy ending.
In the end my message is clear: Beware the cloaked sales pitch from Executive Healthcare Management magazine. My experience may be unique, but I doubt it. This felt like a very well honed sales program. You can check out Executive Healthcare Management at http://www.executivehm.com.
Post by Dan Dunlop, The Healthcare Marketer
Dan–I used to get these pitches all the time but generally for TV/online leased time, informercials masquerading as news programming–I call them “pay for play”. The print twist on this is not really surprising. Most trade pubs will throw a byline in with a modest ad package but this is a new low.
Disclosure: Formerly I was VP Marketing for QuietCare, an early-stage telecare service from Living Independently Group. Now in independent consultancy.
I’ve had this kind of approach from FlemingGulf & a number of other marketing organizations including TV production companies. The wording is almost an identical script. In the UK occupational health context, they always mention Dame Carol Black’s Report & the repetition of this and other name dropping rapidly becomes boring.
As soon as I recognize what’s going on, I go straight to: “Okay, how much do you want from me? Usually, they initially feign surprise and denial, or they continue with the pitch as though there had been no interruption and I hadn’t asked a question. So I repeat the question until I get an answer (usually 5-7 times) and tell them something to the effect that “I’m not in that market.” Thus far, I haven’t had a repeat call from the same outfit.
The figure they mention is usually in the same ball park, but denominated in British Pounds. There must be somethng about this price range that maximizes the collective response from the victims. They will offer easy payment terms and the option to charge it to your personal or corporate credit card. Not that they ever mention money until the end of their 20 minute sales pitch.
When I set up my business, I decided that I would rarely, if ever, take out paid advertisements so once I’d heard the full pitch (I used to be very patient) from the first approach that I had, it was easy to say “No”. That, and the fact that I didn’t have thousands of pounds lying around spare with nothing better to do than burn a hole in my pocket! Now the calls are finished within a couple of minutes & I haven’t wasted half an hour listening to pathetic and unconvincing drivel.