1. EARN THE RIGHT TO BE WORTHY OF FLIGHT REQUESTS -> FIX YOUR SERVICE FIRST - The leading expert on service marketing Harry Beckwith states in , Selling The Invisible; A Field Guide to Modern Marketing, “First, before you write an ad, rent a list or dash off a press release – fix your service.” Look at all aspects of your operation and relentlessly do what is needed to fix and improve to EARN flight requests! Be flight request worthy – individuals in peril trust us – above all - to be safe and capable. Don’t let them or their loved ones down! Fix before you ask for flight requests.
   
2. OPERATE WITH A SYSTEM PERFORMANCE MIND SET - Operate with the understanding that every act, word and deed of every individual that plays a role throughout every action in the life-cycle of every mission affects whether or not you will trigger flight requests. System performance – at the micro-level - is the dominant driver of flight requests (not pens, pins and pizzas.)
   
3. FIRST BE INFORMATION-CENTRIC THEN BE RELATIONSHIP-CENTRIC - Face the facts – you cannot relentlessly imprint the minds and emotional centers of every individual in your market space. Gather detailed data on individuals that have the authority, ability and accountability to trigger flight requests (Decision-Makers). Determine their emotional affinity with your program (Loyal, Neutral or Antagonistic.) Then first fortify and leverage your relationships with Loyal Decision-Makers. Before taking action to shift the neutral and convert the antagonistic -> devote outreach and marketing resources to maximize your yield with those that are loyal.
   
4. CONSISTENTLY PROVIDE AUTHENTIC RECOGNITION & VALIDATION - Regularly recognize individuals that can trigger flight requests or those in their organization for their exceptional performance. Position your program to be the consistent source to validate them and remind them that their work and their lives have meaning. Above all – be sure that recognition is authentic! The actions need not be heroic – but must be relevant to contributing to improving overall system performance, safety and patient outcomes. Be sure to remember communication specialists, mechanics and others “behind the scenes” who are among the most vital professionals that mitigate outcomes. The ones most often forgotten as a powerful force in the healing course.
   
5. DEFINE YOUR MissionMetrics™ - Decision-Makers must be able to define and defend their choice to use your service (Clinically and Emotionally). You must provide them with truthful information to help them differentiate yourself from competitors. The four key drivers are Velocity, Affinity, Competency, Consistency. Evaluate every aspect of your operation and prescribe values (MissionMetrics™). Then take actions to be sure that Decision-Makers know them!
   
6. BE THE FIRST RESOURCE NODE OF CHOICE - Individuals under pressure to get their patients (and themselves) out of complicated situations do NOT need to be “shopping around” to commence a transport. If you are fortunate enough to trigger and receive the flight request (or any request ex. Educational Seminar, Outreach Site Visit, Question on How to Better Communicate, etc.) follow through and solve the problems! DO NOT miss opportunities to become THE trusted resource, THE node upon which individuals can rely to “handle it” – whatever may be the request.
   
7. SUSTAIN PERFUSION PRESSURE – JUST DO IT AND DO IT AND DO IT - If you were to assign a blood pressure reading as a measure of the “perfusion pressure” of your outreach and marketing efforts WEEKLY – would it be sufficient to sustain top of the mind awareness with a critical mass of Decision-Makers? Are you episodic - spiking pressure up to 200 mmHg during National Nurses and EMS Weeks – then falling off to 20mmHg (or less) for weeks or months at a time? Beware! Just as we need to sustain CONSTANT minimal blood pressure to perfuse our patient’s vital organs - it is vital to “perfuse” the minds and emotional centers of key Decision-Makers. 52 weeks of 80 – 90 mmHg will increase your certainty to trigger more flight requests than ad-hoc episodic outreach and marketing boluses.
   
8. ASK -> LISTEN -> ACT -> REINFORCE -> The most common mistakes many air medical transport outreach and marketing practitioners are making are;
   • Selling -> not asking those that can trigger flight requests what they desire
   • Not listening to those desires
   • Not acting with high velocity upon those desires
   • Not reinforcing the expectation that scarce resources allocated are done so by choice with an understanding – that when medically necessary and appropriate – flight requests will go first to the source that has provided resources

Many programs decide internally what Decision-Makers desire and push actions and deliverables on them. It’s all about “pull.” Some Decision-Makers desire competency based education, some actually do desire pins, pizza and pens and some desire to be left alone! Ask – Listen – Act (With High Velocity.) Then, as part of the exchange – reinforce there needs to be a clear understanding about the “First to Get the Flight Request” expectation when scarce and valuable resources are provided. We all have choices. There is nothing wrong with being reciprocal – as long as the program is worthy (Review Tips 1 & 2 ;-)

REMEMBER AFTER NOON AND NIGHT SHIFT? We operate in a 24/7 environment. Yet, most outreach, education and marketing efforts are configured for those with the “Day Shift” life. Why? You know why – it’s convenient for US! See what happens when you deliver hot food, drop off “fresh” mouse-pads, offer educational courses or simply stop by the Transfer / Dispatch Center or Emergency Department to provide some positive follow up or recognition for individuals on the afternoon or night shift! Remember too – do this consistently! You will earn and cultivate loyalty [and trigger more flight requests].

9. READ, OUTLINE, MEMORIZE AND RELENTLESSLY PUT INTO ACTION THE PRINCIPLES OF THE BOOKS BUILT TO LAST; SUCCESSFUL HABITS OF VISIONARY COMPANIES (Jim Collins & Jerry Porras) and GOOD TO GREAT; WHY SOME COMPANIES MAKE THE LEAP…AND OTHERS DON’T (Jim Collins). You will vastly improve your program and our industry.

Be safe – be driven by the mission!
CLICK HERE to be notified of upcoming articles to help you trigger more flight requests.

• “There’s a new competitor basing a helicopter directly in the area that we yield the most patient missions!”
• “Our competitor is misrepresenting facts about us to our best customers.”
• “We know we’re better than our competitors but they are getting most of the flight requests.”

Almost daily (including weekends and holidays) our firm is called by highly agitated and frustrated clients because of intense competitive threats. Some are panic-stricken if not highly “HELOCIDAL!” (Ironic how those of us in the healing arts get war like with fellow flight programs ;-)

It is human nature to desire to react immediately and intensely when competitors are in “our” territory - interacting with “our” customers.

The Laws of the Farm; You Cannot Cram Marketing When Competitors Emerge

In one of the most important books of this century, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People; Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, author Stephen R. Covey tells a story about how he would cram (study at the last minute) before exams. The results manifested passing grades – but rarely resulted in long-term retention, recall and deep understanding. He also speaks of individuals trying to “cram” the night before all the exercise and discipline needed to run a marathon the next day. Wont’ work! Or - to “cram” a diet to lose one hundred pounds in a week. Not going to happen! Or – for a farmer to try to “cram” in a crop - to slack off all Spring and Summer – then near the end of Autumn – “crop cram” to prepare the soil, plant seed, nurture it, cultivate it and harvest it in a matter of weeks. The Laws of the Farm (and nature) teach us that we cannot “cram” many things.

So then – how does this apply to your marketing and outreach efforts when competitors emerge with intense intents™ To follow are 7 Habits your flight program can practice to better manage intense competitive threats. No this will not cover the 7,000 actions you can take – but these will help you lift off.

1. DO NOT PANIC! The Laws of the Farm are consistent with the Laws of Authentic Appropriate Relationships. If you have “seeded” your market space and “tended” your crop of the three customers categories (Immediate – Transactional – Ultimate) there will be a resource and time intense effort needed on behalf of competitors to shift and earn the loyalty.

No matter what you do – some individuals will simply want to give “The New Kids” a try and this is their right. Sheer proximity may obligate some individuals to use a new competitor. Remember – few programs can legitimately be available all of the time. Be there to be sure to be second requested if a competitor seizes a geographic advantage.

ACTION TO TAKE:

Time is of the essence and you MUST aggressively fortify key relationships concentrating first on the most loyal, active and highest yielding individuals in your market space. (Hopefully, you have a highly categorized and stratified database that enables you to rapidly and dynamically assess your highest yielding customers by name not only organization.) Contact Immediate Customers - ASK their current requirements, desires and learn what you can do to sustain and improve. A new competitor can actually be a threat to your Immediate and Transactional Customers’ certainty and comfort. Many will prefer the known (you) to the unknown (them.)

2. DON’T KID YOURSELF! If you have not maintained truthful, useful, effective and consistent outreach and marketing efforts with decision-makers, influencers and dormants – do not kid yourself into thinking your brand or other attributes will be an impervious barrier to entry. You are vulnerable. Like “cramming” a crop – you cannot “cram” Authentic Appropriate Relationships. You will be perceived as desperate and insincere if you rush to those that had been ignored because competitors are making inroads.

ACTION TO TAKE:

Be sure you have a clear understanding of those that have been ignored and begin the process of learning their desires and requirements. Prepare the soil – monitor and measure results. Make a true commitment to develop an Authentic Appropriate Relationship with individuals most likely to generate the highest number and highest yield flight requests. Understand each individuals’ Need 2 Succeed ™ (how your program can be a resource for that individual to accomplish goals, achieve optimal performance evaluations, meet their mission, etc.) Be the CONSISTENT SOURCE OF SUCCESS. Few competitors can penetrate this kind of brand barrier! Remember too – you may actually DESIRE the competitors to go to areas that are low yield to enable you to better concentrate on flights most suitable for your mission and payer mix profile.

3. TAKE THE HIGH FLIGHT PATH! Never directly discredit competitors! Let me emphasize this again – NEVER DIRECTLY DISCREDIT COMPETITORS! Individuals that are in challenging situations that need to request Air Medical Transport services must DEFINE and DEFEND their DECISIONS to use yours – or other services. Although you may have an Authentic Appropriate Relationship and enjoy loyalty – at times – you will not be available. Would you want to position your competitors as “Incompetent”, “Liars”, “Unsafe”, “Dangerous” – then put one of your loyal customers in the compromised position to have to define and defend her or his decision to use another service? Oh – but I forgot – your service is infallible, perfect and has never made a mistake. Therefore – if you release discrediting information about your competitors – no one will ever be able to find or release negative information about you – right?

ACTION TO TAKE:

Provide decision-makers, influencers and dormants with MissionMetrics™ (Quantitative and Qualitative Truths that enable the ability to define, defend and differentiate your program from competitors.)

Focus on;

Velocity – Speed, Agility, Responsiveness
(In All Aspects of Your System Performance – Not Just Patient Missions)

Affinity – Treating All 3 Categories of Customers with Respect, Dignity, Inclusiveness, TEAM
(In All Aspects of Your System Performance – Not Just Patient Missions)

Competency – Define Capabilities – From Rotorcraft and Fixed Wing – to Training – to – Equipment – Procedures – Technology, etc. – Community Commitments – Industry Involvement – CAMTS ™ - Research – Authoring – etc.
(In All Aspects of Your System Performance – Not Just Patient Missions)

Consistency – Quantify how you execute on Velocity, Affinity and Competency on a consistent basis.
(In All Aspects of Your System Performance – Not Just Patient Missions)

Put this in tangible platforms – print, electronic [CD, DVD, Video, Internet] – and distribute consistently – with a commitment to relentless improvement.

Provide those in the market space with the capability to compare, differentiate and make better informed decisions.

4. EXPLOIT THE COMPETITIVE PARADOX

When a 6 year old little girl’s life is in peril – when Air Medical Transport means the difference between her being able to survive a life threat and have an outcome that enables her to be back with her loved ones to be loved, play and return to a productive life – should we tolerate an Air Medical Transport / EMS / Healthcare system that is so intensely competitive that her odds of survival are highly random, highly uncertain and highly dependent upon which provider renders response? Is it not each of our duty to take the lead and be relentless to drive up the overall system performance in our market space so that if that little girl is YOUR little girl – or your loved one – or your friend – the probability is relatively equitable that her experience – no matter who responds – will offer her a fighting chance to survive?

The Competitive Paradox in Air Medical Transport is – in any given market space – there is the fact that variables such as weather, maintenance, system overload and thousands of others – often result in the need to have competitors complete missions for which “we” were requested. We work to “Be the Best of Breed” yet – “The B Team” must often take our place.

ACTION TO TAKE:

Seize the Lead! Be the driver of overall Air Medical Transport / EMS-Fire-Rescue / Law Enforcement / Hospital Critical Care performance. Devote resources to improve probabilities of optimal outcomes for each person that becomes critically ill or injured in your market space. Work with direct competitors to make your overall system performance better. From a marketing (influencing minds and emotional centers) point of view BE AGGRESSIVE TO POSITION and PROMOTE YOUR PROGRAM AS THE SYSTEM PERFORMANCE DRIVER AND LEADER! Enable customers (especially Immediate Customers [those that have the ability, authority and accountability to make flight requests]) to associate your program as the one that consistently helps improve overall system performance!

Do The Right Thing To Do

Yes, it is a paradox – we want to be the best and drive out and off competitors – yet – we also must be driven by the mission to enable all in trouble – the best opportunity to prevail when life is in peril ;-)

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Outreach & Marketing During Intense Competitive Threats: PART 2

5. RAMP UP INREACH: SIGNAL vs. NOISE

During intense competitive threats, rumors will be rampant as disruption and uncertainty are caused by changes in your market space. These can distract mission concentration – contribute to fatigue and generally create unnecessary oscillations in morale. Andy Grove, the stellar CEO who can greatly be attributed with INTEL’s success stated in his book, Only the Paranoid Survive - when he was faced with chaos and uncertainty – he tried to simplify his analysis and decision-making process by reverting to his electrical engineering background - asking himself, “Is this signal or noise”?

ACTION TO TAKE

Within your organization – it is vital to communicate the truth, facts and clarify the known dynamics through intensive INREACH! Provide consistent and frequent information to help all internal stakeholders to differentiate between known facts (SIGNAL) and rumors (NOISE). A competitive threat is not – itself – a signal of doom (unless your program is not astonishing in its system performance!) Send as much signal as you can to cancel out noise.

6. SHARPEN SAFETY – SHARPEN SAFETY - SHARPEN SAFETY … LET ME EMPHASIZE AGAIN – SHARPEN SAFETY

When we are under pressure – watching the daily flight request / completion numbers – and striving to “keep on budget” and keep jobs – we can be vulnerable to take on missions or become involved in practices that compromise safety. In the frenzy that can often be created by intense competitive threats - the support and sharpening of safety – in all aspects of our system – is never more important.

ACTION TO TAKE

Emphasize to all staff and stakeholders that the first rule of Air Medical Transport is to operate within established parameters and principles of safety – above all other priorities. Leadership (management) MUST SHARPEN, SUPPORT, RECOGNIZE AND REWARD SAFE OPERATIONS INTENSELY AND CONSISTENTLY! Be sure that all change of shift briefings, staff meetings, signage, print communications and other opportunities to “Market and Promote” safety are maximized.

SO - HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO OUTREACH & MARKETING?

An incident or mishap - itself – is a competitive threat. Over-reacting to what others are doing in your market space at the risk of lives, repute and hard-earned “brand” can be a self-inflicted competitive threat. No amount of market share is worth the “mark” of marginal or unsafe operating practices. Repeat - No amount of market share is worth the “mark” of marginal or unsafe operating practices.

7. ATTACK! DISMEMBER! DESTROY! YOUR “# 1 COMPETITOR”

I would bet my favorite helicopter program pin that if I asked you (or any of your program’s staff), “Who is your # 1 competitor?” A name would fly to you (and them) faster than a frantic fuel truck driver at your favorite FBO (unless it’s lunch time ;-) – right?

Isn’t it easy to cite all the things that “THEY” screwed up. Or, how “THEY” lied about ETEs. Or, how “THEY” are so incompetent – right? Now – some of you may have answered the “Who is your # 1 competitor?” question correctly the first time. It is a little tricky given how we are usually programmed to look at others. For some – the ideal response may be a surprise. Who REALLY is your # 1 COMPETITOR? It is YOU and YOUR PROGRAM! YOU and YOUR SYSTEM!

This is who you really need to relentlessly ATTACK – DISMEMBER – DESTROY. Say what? In Tom Peters’ recent astonishing book Re-imagine; Business Excellence in a Disruptive Age (ISBN 0-7894-9647-X) he celebrates world-class organizations that have embraced destructive and disruptive strategies. Peters heralds one of GE’s hugely successful CEOs Jack Welch to be one of the pioneers of the self-focused-compete-with-ones’-self-mission,

“As the Net gathered momentum, Jack asserted that there would be a New GE Way. He named it…DYB.com. With DYB standing for ‘Destroy Your Business.’ That is: Blow the damn thing up … before the competition does.”

ACTION TO TAKE

Okay – don’t get too radical here. No explosives – please ;-) What I am saying is – you have much more control over your competitive destiny than you may think. No other single factor affects your competitive position more that your systems’ performance. Therefore – you must consider yourself as your number one competitor at all times! Break down every aspect of what you do and “re-imagine” … re-construct. Be ruthless WITH YOURSELF – 100 TIMES MORE RUTHLESS THAN YOU WOULD WITH ANY OTHER ENTITY SEEKING “YOUR” FLIGHT REQUESTS, “YOUR” MISSIONS or “YOUR” funding. ATTACK! DISMEMBER! DESTROY! TO IMPROVE - TO PREVAIL! Here you can exert a high amount of competitive control and certainty.

[Review MissionMetrics ™ (Velocity, Affinity, Competency, Consistency) from Part 1 of this article as your starting point.]

No – you cannot ignore disruption and actions of your competitors. You must be nimble and use maneuver tactics. But – please – to have the best likelihood at longevity – consider – ALWAYS – yourself as your # 1 COMPETITOR. Strive to better this “competitor” first. Your system performance improvements will be recognized and differentiated by most rational decision-makers, influencers and dormants. Simultaneously – your improvements will benefit those in peril counting on you ;-)

Consider the root word of competition as competence. Competition can drive all of our competence higher:

• Be the most competent
• Be sure you have an outreach and marketing system in place so that all those in your market space are well informed
• Develop your MissionMetrics™ so that individuals can DEFINE and DEFEND their decisions to request you first and most often
  
  Practice The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Outreach and Marketing During Intense Competitive Threats and you can increase your certainty to deliver, dominate and prevail.
  
  BE SAFE – BE MISSION-DRIVEN - FOCUS ON CMARRs ™ (Critical Mass of Authentic Appropriate Relationships)

Please read, know and consistently practice The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People; Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, Stephen R. Covey ISBN 0-671-70863 Pbk. (I am trying ;-) rmo

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Applying the O/E Ratio ™ to Propel Performance

When we are involved in projects, committees, initiatives, partnerships and joint ventures – actions involving more than one person – we will be seeking to manage the dynamic between our instinctive desires to fulfill our self interests (ego) and the general goals (outcomes).

The ego,” What’s In It For Me, My Department or My Organization?” will be in a constant oscillating force between “What’s In It for the Outcome(s) We Are Striving to Achieve?”

A ThinkThroughTools tool to use to mange this is the O/E Ratio™.

O represents OUTCOMES – What the effort is striving to achieve.
E represents EGO – Self Interests (That may not be parallel to Outcomes.)

During the process of working with others – each individual and the group must monitor and measure the O/E Ratio™.

EXAMPLE: You are asked to work with an individual from another entity that you have had past conflict – and – this is a person you prefer to avoid. But – you have a project that must happen in order to benefit the region in which both of your organizations operate.

For a wide array of reasons – your ego will press you to prevail, dominate, “Show her or him that you are the real expert and you’re the leader!”, etc. This may happen in the mind and emotional center of the other person as well. If you focus on the OUTCOMES – you have a much better probability to avert discomfort, conflict and – achieve the goals.

It’s partly a matter of energy. First objective – at least focus on win/win a 1/1 O/E Ratio™. Ideally – however – try to focus on 10/1 or 100/1 or 1000/1. Meaning – the outcomes far exceed the ego. And guess what. The astonishing thing is – if you reach a 1000/1 – all parties win and propel the mutual goals.

Is this easy – heck no! But – if pairs, departments, committees, teams, groups, organizations working together can focus on the O/E Ratio™ it will serve to enable a more productive process, end result and propel performance.

Richard M. Obertots, MBA, NREMT-P (ret)

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SER MARKETING™

• We propose that – generally; Marketing is the process of imprinting messages in minds and hearts (emotional centers)
• Like it or not – our every act, word and deed imprints messages in minds and hearts (emotional centers)
• Marketing happens 24/7/365
• Minds rapidly try to filter - categorize - pigeon-hole - rationalize and "file" marketing messages (minds are not too good at being accurate but are very good at high velocity filing)
• Hearts (emotional centers) respond with an emotional reaction to marketing messages (feels good – produces endorphins – euphoria - or feels bad ?
• More often than not – the emotional response to marketing messages wins and drives decisions (to us or to our competitors)
• Most of the time it is difficult to impossible to displace or "re-imprint" what minds and emotional centers have "filed" (about us and our competitors)
• SER ™ (Spontaneous Emotional Response) Marketing is the process of imprinting accurate and highly emotionally desirable messages in minds and emotional centers of individuals that will choose our offerings – frequently, loyally and for as long as they are beneficial to them ("What's In It for Me" Rules ;-)
• SER ™ Marketing is about designing and delivering messages that Decision-Makers WANT to receive! Self Interest Roooooools!!!!!
• Since minds will rapidly file "imprint" incoming marketing messages – ours must be precise and concise – emotional centers will react spontaneously – there must be no trickery
• SER ™ Marketing is truthful, consistent and relentless
• SER ™ Marketing happens 24/7/365 – with laser tight targeting and precise alignment
• SER ™ Marketing creates (or satisfies) a craving – it is far beyond a "need"
• SER ™ Marketing fortifies and validates decision-makers and decreases their fear of future pain, humiliation or retribution
• SER ™ Marketing seeks to dominate MindShare & EmotionShare to seize, sustain and grow market share

1 Note: Only market one imprint or decision at a time…do not market the 3rd move before the 1st… i.e depth of hospital services vs. "How quickly can you get me out of this situation!" [See VACC MisionMetrics ™

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