From the Archive: Rebuilding Your Pipeline Strategy for How Healthcare Buyers Actually Buy
Episode Description
Another special episode from the vault. Instead of me hosting, you'll hear my colleague Mark Erwich, Chief Strategy Officer at Health Launchpad, and me as guests on the Sway Health Podcast, in conversation with Colin Hung. We recorded this about a year ago, but if anything, the topic feels more relevant today than it did then.
We get into the real mechanics of the healthcare buyer journey. Sales cycles are running past a year. Buying groups keep growing. And there's a stat that still stops people in their tracks: most buyers say they end up choosing the first company they call, which means their minds are largely made up before they ever pick up the phone. AI is only making this harder, since it gives buyers even more ways to research before they talk to a vendor at all.
If you've ever felt like deals appear out of nowhere, or wondered why your lead volume doesn't translate into pipeline, this conversation will explain why, and what to do differently. Mark and I walk through account-based thinking, how to read buying signals, why thought leadership matters most in the part of the journey you can't see, and what we tell clients to actually change first. We also talk about why healthcare is a genuinely different B2B market than the one most marketing advice is written for, and why leveraging your own customer network may be the most underused asset you have.
If pipeline growth is a constant conversation on your team, this episode is worth the listen.
Key Topics Covered
"(00:00)" – Introduction
"(05:00)" – The biggest pipeline struggle marketers report
"(08:00)" – Reframing the marketer's job
"(09:00)" – Why the old MQL-to-sales handoff model is breaking down
"(10:00)" – Shifting from lead-level tracking to account-level signal tracking
"(11:00)" – Why pipeline ownership belongs to the whole company, not just sales
"(13:00)" – What ABM thinking actually means: accounts, buying groups, and signals
"(16:00)" – Why healthcare is a finite, nameable market, unlike most B2B categories
"(18:00)" – Balancing ABM with broader brand awareness
"(19:00)" – What NOT to stop doing
"(20:00)" – Why "(outbound is dead)" and similar absolutes are wrong
"(22:00)" – Why most B2B marketing advice doesn't translate directly to healthcare
"(23:00)" – Examples of companies further along their ABM journey
"(24:00)" – The operational ripple effects of shifting to ABM
"(25:00)" – Sales and marketing alignment in practice
"(27:00)" – Practical ways to activate customer advocacy without relying on formal case studies
"(32:00)" – Recap and key takeaways for revenue teams
If you are interested in discussing this or any other topic, let's have a chat. Reach out to me directly to schedule a no-obligation discussion. This isn't a sales call, but rather an opportunity to talk through your questions and challenges.
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