Featuring Kirk Reid, Executive Vice President, Chamberlin Edmonds

As part of our Sales & Marketing Executive Insight Series, Televerde is please to publish the following interview with Kirk Reid, Executive Vice President, Chamberlin Edmonds. Based in Atlanta, Chamberlin Edmonds provides services to over 200 clients in 30 states and have 13 people in their sales and marketing organization. Kirk has been with the company for seven years. Chamberlin Edmonds provides eligibility and enrollment services to hospitals, governments, and managed health care organizations. On behalf of its clients, the company helps disabled, indigent and uninsured patients navigate the often-complex application processes necessary to receive Social Security disability benefits, Medicare, Medicaid, crime victims’ compensation, and charity care. Founded in 1986, the company operates through about 10 regional offices across the U.S.

What company or companies do you admire most (besides your own) and why?
Med Assets – they aggressively promote, execute flawlessly and their leaders operate with the highest levels of integrity.

When customers and prospects consider your brand and the key value proposition of your products and services, what is that you want to come to their minds and resonate?
High quality, customer-centric services delivered in the most efficient manner possible – provided by the industry leader with unquestioned integrity.

What are the three most important topics of discussion currently taking place within your sales and marketing organization?
New product development, expanding addressable markets, and strengthening client relationships

Why are these topics important?
We have a long, consistent record of organic growth, and healthcare reform discussions and the economy are creating significant issues and causing many competitors to take desperate measures to grow share. It is essential that we hold tightly to our customers and find unique ways to leverage existing customer growth opportunities and discover/exploit new markets.

What are the most important metrics that your sales and marketing organization cares about and why?
Qualified leads, pipeline additions, decisions and wins. We have a very predictable model – as long as we can keep our pipeline filled with quality leads we will drive new business

Recognizing that all sales and marketing organizations occasionally have “relationship issues,” how are you overcoming them?
We have a very robust client management protocol that creates an early detection system. The entire organization is involved in ensuring that we build strong relationships throughout all constituencies within our customers. The program includes establishing clear performance metrics, managing and communicating on our performance against those metrics consistently while also building strong personal relationships at senior levels. Additionally we use an outside third party to do random client interviews and post mortems on lost deals as well as survey tools that provide us objective feedback on client perceptions.

What are some of the practices you’re using that are effectively enabling a stronger flow of better quality leads for your sales organization?
Establishing distinct initiatives and efforts on four fronts – Televerde, direct sales force, channel partners and client referrals. Close management and communication around goals and performance is critical

What is the biggest impact you’re seeing from your social media activities?
An increase in public relations opportunities – we have used these media on a very limited basis up to this point but are increasing significantly in 2010.

What specific impact has the economic adjustment had on your sales and marketing strategies and programs?
Our business remains strong and we are committed to continuing to invest at historical levels or above.

What are some of the biggest changes that have taken place in your sales and marketing organization over the past three years and why have these changes occurred?
Inconsistent production on a regional basis. We have much less presence in certain geographic areas of the country and it is tougher to grow at desired pace without the solid reference base. This leads to more dependence on higher share markets where addressable markets are smaller.

In terms of allocation of energy and resources to sales demand creation and sales pipeline acceleration, which area is getting most of your focus and why?
Our Televerde partnership is certainly one – they have proven to be a reliable, consistent channel and they are proactive in assessing our needs and offering creative services. As mentioned before we are investing in social media this year as well.

What is your process for evaluating demand creation activities in your organization and determining what changes are necessary?
We use ROI analysis. If it doesn’t meet expectation within a prescribed timeframe we stop investing and look at alternatives.

The term “lead nurturing” is sometimes tossed around too easily without clear definition. When you discuss the topic internally with your sales and marketing staff, what parameters do you put around it?
Keeping a potential opportunity warm and in the incubator if timing or our current services don’t offer a good solution for their needs.

With increasing industry attention on marketing automation and social media tools, do you feel that the impact of and need for traditional human dialogues between vendors and their customers and prospects will diminish?
Not at all – analyzing and discussing inputs from these new tools is critical determine their value.

What do you feel is the strategic-focused thought process that companies should go through when considering to outsource their demand center activities?
Evaluating ability, capacity and opportunity costs of internal resources.

Recognizing the critical importance of marketing data to the success of your demand creation and lead nurturing programs, what key talking points would we hear in your “State of the Data” speech to your sales and marketing organization?
History and experience is the best predictor of future results – hope isn’t a method.

What is your crystal ball revealing to you about the future state – let’s say 2-3 years from now – of your sales and marketing organization?
A larger direct sales force leveraging effective channel partners and client referrals armed with new products attacking new markets and supported by outsourced services and new medias.

What book are you reading now or have you recently read that you would recommend to others?
“Hope is Not a Strategy”