CCO Healthcare Partners

CCO Healthcare Partners’ Peter Cunningham to Speak at Tenth Annual Healthcare & Life Sciences Private Equity and Finance Conference

Peter Cunningham — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:44:45 +0000

Pre– and Post–Merger Integration Issues and Opportunities in Healthcare Transactions is Topic of Discussion

Chicago, Illinois (February 25, 2013) – Peter Cunningham, chief executive officer of CCO Healthcare Partners will be a featured panelist at the 10th Annual Healthcare & Life Sciences Private Equity and Finance Conference.

Cunningham and other panelists will present “Pre– and Post–Merger Integration Issues and Opportunities in Healthcare Transactions” Tuesday, February 26 at 4:15 p.m. During this session, panelists will discuss the most critical integration considerations for driving value to deals.

“CCO specializes in improving organic growth by systematizing business development initiatives,” says Cunningham. ”We will share best practices on developing and executing a strategy that leads to predictable and profitable growth.”

During the conference, leaders from the healthcare investment community will explore how to successfully execute deals and achieve growth by implementing the right strategies in the right markets. In addition, companies seeking investment or financing will also present.

The conference, which is Tuesday, February 26 through Wednesday, February 27, will be held at The Ritz-Carlton in Chicago.

“This conference draws both organizations seeking capital and those looking to invest in the healthcare industry,” says Cunningham. “Having had extensive experience working with both private equity firms and healthcare organizations, I look forward to sharing the insights I have gained with attendees.”

About CCO Healthcare Partners
CCO Healthcare Partners is a specialized marketing consulting firm that works exclusively with healthcare organizations nationwide to help them grow their revenue predictably and profitably. Founded in 2009, the firm has offices in Chicago, Ill. and Nashville, Tenn. CCO’s team of specialists has in-depth industry knowledge and experience successfully marketing in the healthcare environment. By utilizing multi-channel strategies and consistently measuring the ROI on each tactic, CCO helps clients reach their goals efficiently and cost-effectively. For more information, visit www.CCOpartners.com.

For additional information about the conference, visit http://healthcareprivateequity.com/Overview.aspx

Contact:
Kristen Allen
Media Relations
CCO Healthcare Partners
kma@ccopartners.com
312.961.4745

CCO Healthcare Partners Absorbs Knox & Cook Marketing Firm

Peter Cunningham — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 15:34:18 +0000

Move Allows for Expansion into Non-Healthcare Sectors

Chicago, Illinois (January 23, 2013) – CCO Healthcare Partners, LLC, a leading healthcare marketing intelligence and consulting firm with offices in Chicago and Nashville, today announced that the company has absorbed boardroom marketing firm, Knox & Cook.

This move will allow CCO to expand its marketing methodology and intelligence offerings into industry verticals outside of healthcare. Knox & Cook will also serve as a conflict agency for CCO.

“CCO has developed a combination of marketing methodologies and intelligence services that have proven extremely successful in the healthcare industry,” says Scott Christiansen, founder of Knox & Cook and partner of CCO Healthcare Partners. “Bringing Knox & Cook under the CCO banner will allow us to expand into other sectors without diluting the CCO Healthcare brand.”

About CCO Healthcare Partners
CCO Healthcare Partners is a leading healthcare marketing intelligence and consulting firm. The firm works exclusively with healthcare organizations nationwide to help them achieve predictable and profitable growth. Founded in 2010, the firm has offices in Chicago, Ill. and Nashville, Tenn. CCO’s team of specialists has in-depth industry knowledge and experience successfully marketing in the healthcare environment. By utilizing multi-channel strategies and consistently measuring the ROI on each tactic, CCO helps clients reach their goals efficiently and cost-effectively.

For more information, visit www.ccopartners.com.

About Knox & Cook
Knox & Cook is an integrated marketing services company specializing in accessing and influencing hard to reach business audiences. Through its use of boardroom marketing strategies and tactics, Knox & Cook can be counted on to effectively communicate a company or product brand promise – increasing awareness and credibility to achieve higher sales volume and shareholder value.

For more information, visit www.knoxandcook.com.

Contact:
Kristen Allen
CCO Healthcare Partners
kma@ccopartners.com
312.961.4745

Smart Strategies: Planning for 2013

Peter Cunningham — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 18:06:22 +0000

Closing deals and planning for next year. That pretty much sums up the to-do lists for most sales and marketing leaders during November and December. But before you start punching numbers in to an Excel spreadsheet, it’s important to review your current marketing plan in relation to the year-to-date revenue generated.

Below are some tips to help you begin the planning process and set a budget that will deliver the biggest bang for your marketing buck:

-Evaluate what worked and what didn’t.
Determine which of your marketing activities netted the most qualified leads. Then you can shift a larger portion of your budget to those tactics. Also, prioritize your current lead list so you can devote more resources to the most profitable targets.

-Factor in time as well as money.
Some marketing tactics require large amounts of your time, such as attending tradeshows. When determining the ROI of each marketing tactic, be sure to account for man-hours as well as dollars spent.

-Consider active vs. passive tactics.
There will always be a place for advertisements – especially for helping to build brand recognition. However, these are a “passive” form of marketing. A successful marketing strategy utilizes a range of “active” tactics. Calling campaigns, search engine optimization and channel partnership development are just a few ways to engage prospective clients.

-Work to position yourself as an industry expert.
Being quoted in an industry publication, authoring a whitepaper or speaking at a conference gives you instant credibility. If approached in a strategic manner, the time and money devoted to these kinds of thought leadership activities can net excellent results.

Setting an annual marketing budget is more of an art than a science. However, building a plan that is measurable, flexible and utilizes a variety of tactics will deliver the best results.

CCO Healthcare Partners’ Peter Cunningham to Speak at Becker’s 19th Annual Ambulatory Surgery Centers Conference

Peter Cunningham — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 18:31:06 +0000

CCO Healthcare Partners’ Peter Cunningham to Speak at Becker’s 19th Annual Ambulatory Surgery Centers Conference
Direct Marketing Strategies for Ambulatory Surgery Centers is Topic of Discussion

Chicago, Illinois (October, 22 2012) –Peter Cunningham, Chief Executive Officer of CCO Healthcare Partners, will be a featured speaker at Becker’s 19th Annual Ambulatory Surgery Centers Conference.

Cunningham, along with Ann Miller of Advanced Healthcare Partners, will present ASC Direct Marketing Strategies, Thursday, October 25 at 3:15 p.m.

During this session, attendees will learn how ASCs can most effectively market themselves to attract physician partners and acquire more patients. Cunningham also will highlight marketing tactics that ensure predictable and profitable growth.

“The Affordable Care Act has ushered in a new era of healthcare. Facilities are faced with reimbursement cuts as well as new pay-for-performance models,” says Cunningham. “In this environment it is imperative that ASCs attract top quality physicians and the right type of patients.”

The conference will bring together surgeons, physician leaders, administrators and ASC business and clinical leaders to discuss tactics to improve ASCs and how to successfully manage challenging clinical, business and financial issues.

The conference, which is Thursday, October 25 through Saturday, October 27, will be held at the Swissotel in Chicago.

“This conference brings together thought leaders from all aspects of the ASC industry,” says Cunningham. “I look forward to sharing some of the insights I’ve learned from my experience working with healthcare industry leaders.”

For more conference information visit http://www.beckersasc.com/19th-annual-ambulatory-surgery-centers-conference.html.

About CCO Healthcare Partners
CCO Healthcare Partners is a specialized marketing consulting firm that works exclusively with healthcare organizations nationwide to help them grow their revenue predictably and profitably. Founded in 2009, the firm has offices in Chicago, Ill. and Nashville, Tenn. CCO’s team of specialists has in-depth industry knowledge and experience successfully marketing in the healthcare environment. By utilizing multi-channel strategies and consistently measuring the ROI on each tactic, CCO helps clients reach their goals efficiently and cost-effectively. For more information, visit www.CCOpartners.com.

Contact:
Kristen Allen
CCO Healthcare Partners
kma@ccopartners.com
312.961.4745

Smart Strategies: Gauging Your Corporate Reputation

Nikki Cary — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 17:33:53 +0000

Reputation matters.

Clients, prospects and employees – they all have an opinion of your company. And, if those opinions are negative, or simply out of sync with the brand image you’re trying to sell, it’s a problem.

Google and social media sites make it easier to find out what people are saying – and reading – about your company. However, you need to dig deeper to get a full picture of your company’s reputation. Consider, for example, what’s the reputation of your company’s key leaders? And, don’t underestimate the effect employee morale can have on your organization’s public persona, because employees are the ambassadors of your company both on and off the clock. In fact, there are several websites dedicated solely to employees reviewing their employers – the good, the bad and the ugly.

Finding out what people really think about your company is a starting point. From there, you can work to overcome negativity, further leverage a good reputation through marketing efforts, or retool your branding to better match your public perception.

Your company’s reputation impacts your bottom line. And, in the age of social media, the importance of a company’s reputation is amplified. So monitoring it has to be an ongoing process.

Smart Strategies: Maximizing the ROI on Tradeshows

Peter Cunningham — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 21:31:18 +0000

A lot of people consider tradeshows nothing more than a boondoggle. A waste of time. And a waste of money.

But, if approached correctly, tradeshows can provide a fantastic opportunity to proactively grow your network, engage new prospects and build stronger relationships with your existing contacts. As the fall tradeshow season kicks into high gear, here are a few pointers on how to get the most out your tradeshow investment:

Map Out a Plan
Before the show look at the list of exhibitors and attendees and identify those you want to meet. Consider calling or emailing your targets a few weeks in advance to set up a specific meeting time and location. If you’re an exhibitor, let your clients and prospects know your booth number and invite them to visit.

Attend the Functions
Surprisingly, many people spend the time and money to attend a show then stay holed up in their hotel room checking emails or huddled together chatting with their colleagues. Take advantage of the networking events, luncheons and other planned activities to meet people. The spontaneous conversations you have at those events often provide valuable industry insights and even business opportunities.

Follow Up and Follow Through
Simply collecting a stack of business cards won’t do you any good. You have to reach out to the people you meet. Send a brief email a week or two after the show recapping your conversation and invite these new contacts to connect via LinkedIn. And, if during the show you promised someone that you’d send them additional information about your company, be sure to do it as soon as possible.

Tradeshows can be overwhelming. There are oftentimes a large crowd and a jam-packed schedule. That’s why it’s important to plan ahead. If you focus your time and efforts toward meeting the right people, the time and money spent on a tradeshow will be well worth it.

Smart Strategies: Staying Relevant in the New Reality

Nikki Cary — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 15:29:18 +0000

For better or worse, the uncertainty that has surrounded the healthcare industry for the past two years is now gone. And though industry leaders are keeping a close eye on the November elections and changes that may bring, they are also diligently working to figure out how their organizations can thrive within healthcare’s new reality.

Right now, these are the issues that are keeping healthcare leaders up at night:

• Increasing patient volume
• Improving clinical quality
• Reducing costs and capturing all revenue
• Meeting new regulations and mandates
• Creating a coordinated care strategy

Unless you can position your company as a resource to help clients overcome these challenges, your product or service simply won’t be a priority for them. So once you make sure what you’re selling aligns with the market’s current needs, you should also evaluate your marketing strategies and tactics and adjust accordingly.

Along with the challenges, there is also ample opportunity within today’s environment. Acknowledging these market shifts and keeping your offerings relevant is key to succeeding within the new reality of healthcare.

Smart Strategies: Positioning Your Company for Acquisition

Peter Cunningham — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 14:40:35 +0000

Predictable, profitable growth. That’s the goal of most businesses. Yet, that mission becomes even more important when a company is readying itself for sale.

And as the acquisition market heats up, many companies are eyeing the funds that private equity firms have been sitting on for a few years.

So how do you make your company more attractive to a P.E. firm?

Beyond having a business that resides on the right side of an industry trend, an organization that demonstrates a distinct business development prowess will differentiate itself from the rest of the pack.

These firms are often looking for an organization that has already figured out how to differentiate itself in the market and then predictably and profitably add customers. If the same organization can also provide analytics such as cost per lead, cost per deal, conversion rates, etc. to quantify the proof of concept, all the better.

The demonstration of this level of business development sophistication significantly reduces the perceived risk of the investment.

In other words, you have to show that your company is valuable today and will continue to be in the future. From a business development standpoint, that means your margins need to be good, your cost per sale relatively low and your pipeline full. The highly-focused marketing strategy helps you attain these goals and accelerate your growth – which always catches the attention of investors.

Choosing the right company to invest in is more of an art than science. However, there are specific indicators that P.E. firms look for when estimating the value of a company. So setting your company up for predictable, profitable growth will maximize its worth.

Smart Strategies: Why Specialization Matters

Peter Cunningham — Tue, 22 May 2012 19:49:42 +0000

“I can’t fire my marketing firm now. They’re just starting to understand my business.”

This was a large healthcare organization CEO’s rationale for sticking with his current marketing firm, even though he was frustrated by the low return on his investment.

Wasted time aside, the bigger problem in this scenario is the lack of effectiveness.

Despite the CEO’s coaching, the marketing firm didn’t understand the intricacies of the healthcare industry. The end result was a diluted marketing effort.

General marketing firms can do great work. But when your target market is highly focused – like in the healthcare industry – specialization matters. Think of it this way, if you want the best steak, you should go to a steak house.

In addition to being able to talk-the-talk, a specialized firm can help you develop and execute a marketing strategy that goes beyond branding. Firms that work within a particular industry day-in, day-out have market insights and existing relationships of strategic value. And those can be leveraged to cultivate channel partnerships and generate sales leads. This is what makes the biggest impact on your bottom line.

And, isn’t that why you hire a marketing firm in the first place?

Smart Strategy: Protecting Your Online Presence

Nikki Cary — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 21:51:30 +0000

You’ve embraced social media as a powerful marketing tool. You’ve gained a respectable following on Twitter and Facebook and are engaging with your customers on a regular basis.

And then your account gets hacked.

Regardless of the content – a disgruntled former employee’s rant, unsavory spam or bogus information about your company – your followers and friends will be annoyed at best, offended at worst, and it may tough to get back in their good graces.

In other words, one erroneous Tweet and your company’s reputation could take a hit.

To prevent hackers from taking over your online profiles make sure each account is protected with a unique, strong password. Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind when creating passwords:

•Use a minimum of seven characters – longer is better.

•Use a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters such as the pound sign.

•Don’t use a common word or phrase.

•Don’t use your own name, company name or other personal information that is common knowledge, for example, CardinalsFan.

•Change passwords at least every six months.

Even the strongest passwords are no good if they’re not kept secure. Only give access to people for which it is absolutely necessary. And, perhaps most importantly, if you create a document listing your passwords, don’t save that document under the name “Passwords.”

Building a social media following takes time and effort. Don’t risk letting few keystrokes of a hacker undo your work. The time it takes to create new strong passwords every few months is well worth it.