On my way to work I was flipping through the radio stations, looking for a good song. On at least three of those stations they were talking about an expo, tradeshow or fair! My last three posts focused on how to take advantage of these events. Today let’s talk about how to CREATE opportunities with the medium to large corporations near you.
The public perception of corporations is interesting. Hollywood portrays them as cold, uncaring monoliths of our society. This portrayal makes them intimidating to approach! Here’s a different way to think of corporations: In order to make their millions, they NEED healthy, productive employees. The expensive health insurance they offer does NOT prevent them from getting sick or injured. It fixes them after they’re broken! Meanwhile, employees miss work, productivity drops and costs increase. The service you offer ties directly into increased productivity and profits!
The Research is clear…Corporations NEED YOU!
Not all of them know it yet, but they DO need preventative health care. A recent study conducted a random sample of 185 workers and their spouses. Of those classified as high risk when the study started (according to body fat, blood pressure, anxiety, and other measures), 57% were converted to low-risk status after participating in a six-month wellness program. Furthermore, medical claim costs had declined by $1,421 per participant, compared with those from the previous year. A control group showed no such improvements. The bottom line—every dollar invested in the intervention yielded $6 in health-care savings.
A health study by Towers Watson and the National Business Group shows that organizations with highly effective wellness programs report significantly lower attrition. At the Biltmore tourism enterprise, the rate was 9% in 2009, down from 19% in 2005. Nelnet, an education finance firm, asks departing employees in exit interviews what they will miss most. The number one answer is always the wellness program.
In 2001, MD Anderson Cancer Center created a workers’ compensation and injury care unit within its employee wellness department. Within six years, lost workdays declined by 80% and modified-duty days by 64%. Cost savings, calculated by multiplying the reduction in lost workdays by average pay rates, totaled $1.5 million. Workers’ compensation insurance premiums were reduced by 50%.
See what I mean?! You are in a unique position to help these corporations improve productivity and reduce expenses. Now, let’s get to the details of making this happen for you!
How to find the right companies:
Some say finding these companies is easy. Others seem to get lost. Here are some tips.
Log onto the website of your local library and search for “______(State/City) Business Review.” You can also look for “_______ (State/City) Book of Lists.” Check the book out and look for companies near your office that have 20 or more employees.
Many local agencies have a membership directory. Look for any of the following: Chamber of Commerce, Trade Associations, Unions, Business groups, etc. Many of these agencies provide business employee counts and contact information. Do a little digging and you’ll find a lot!
Who to Contact:
Corporations are known for their “Gatekeepers.” These are receptionists or secretaries who have the task of keeping sales people from wasting the decision-makers’ time. Your first objective is to either get on the good side of this person, or learn to bypass him or her altogether.
When you call the company, introduce yourself and ask if there is someone in charge of HR and Payroll. Bigger companies will transfer you right over to the HR department where they will have their own Gate keeper. In smaller companies, the President, or one of his immediate staff, will handle HR and Payroll. The gatekeeper will ask you: “What is this regarding.” This is when you need a good ‘sound bite’ that answers that question.
Some simple sound bites:
“…Our clinic is providing a free health screening for the employees of some of our local companies. Can I schedule a screening with you?”
“…I provide health screenings for groups of people and teach them how to improve their health and energy while improving their quality of sleep. I donate my time. Can I schedule a day to come to ___________(company name) and speak with your employees during their lunch hour?
“…this is regarding a way to reduce the healthcare costs for each employee. Who should I talk to about that?”
“…this is regarding a possible method of reducing sick days taken by your employees. Who should I talk to about that?”
“…this is regarding providing your staff lunch while we conduct a free health screening. Who should I talk to about that?”
As you can see, there are many ways to say it. Write down a few. Say them out loud and make certain you’re comfortable and confident with each one. When you get through, or get a voicemail, introduce yourself and present your idea of offering a FREE health screening for the staff/company. Explain that providing this service often catches problems before symptoms appear and prevents them from ever developing! In larger companies, offer to do the screening for the HR or Management team first so they understand what you’re offering to the company. These screenings can be done during lunch, or after work; whenever is convenient. Sometimes screenings can be bundled with other safety or union meetings.
How to Conduct the Corporate Screening Event
Each company is different. The ‘accommodations’ can range from a boardroom to the lunchroom, warehouse or even a hallway! You’ll want to plan the setup before the day of the presentation. Stop by their office a couple of days early to introduce yourself and give them a quick agenda of the screening. Review their accommodations and make any necessary requests or suggestions.
Setup: You should have the AcuGraph, a sign-in clipboard, a notebook computer, a large LCD screen or projector and some handouts or brochures. If you need the electronic hardware, check Craigslist.com. It is very affordable.
Stick to your agenda! Corporations prize efficiency, so you must too!
Attention Getter: Take no more than 5-15 minutes—basing this off of the personalities of the management. Introduce yourself, tell a quick success story, quote some statistics about corporate wellness and explain to them the flow of the screening.
10 min AcuGraph Screening: Screen the highest ranking boss there first. Next, screen an entry-level employee. You’ll be surprised at how they tease and compete with each other.
Lunch/15 min – Topic discussion: Your topic should be something that pertains to that industry. If this is during lunch, have them get started eating and then start your discussion. Remember, solve a problem the company is dealing with and you’ll make a contact for life!
Motivator: This is where you want to offer them an emotional case study of someone they can relate to that you helped return from the brink of illness and disability. Skip the details and just tell them the highlights. You want them to feel that they MUST come see you, or else they could experience the same thing.
The Close: Before the crowd starts to break up, clearly explain what they are to do next: “When I’m finished be sure to set an appointment with my assistant for a free exam at our center.” The goal is to get them into your office! Once there, your success rate is better! Sometimes you’ll have people rushing up to ask you questions and set appointments. Other times, you’ll see them sneaking out the back door. Don’t take it personally. In my experience, it’s just a company culture thing. Your assistant should be at the exit handing out coupons for FREE in-clinic exams. I’ve even gone as far as buying pairs of movie passes for the first five appointments that come into the clinic!
Corporations have unique personalities. They follow certain protocol and set their own internal standards for health, hygiene and employee relations. The Complimentary Healthcare message can be customized to fit their needs. If you help a company be more productive and profitable they will be loyal to you and provide you with a regular source of new patients.
