Head ‘em off at the pass: Win the fight before your competitor knows there is one.

The Problem
Amid exploding population growth in a Southwest state, a small Catholic community hospital was moving quickly to build a second facility to meet patient demand and expand market share.

Within days of announcing their plans, the hospital’s leaders discovered that a major, well-funded competitor had the same plans...and was going to put its hospital right next door to the community hospital’s proposed location.

No CON process here to gum up the works. How to fight the competition without appearing weak... or harsh?  
 
The Solution
Sometimes the threat of a public campaign can be as effective as the campaign itself.

When asked how to win the impending fight, we first looked for the ammunition. We conducted a quick community survey to gauge public opinion of the Catholic hospital, its would-be competitor and last, but certainly not least, their thoughts on whether or not the competitor should move to town.

The results? Locals respected and supported their community hospital, but thought little of the competitor and did not appreciate its attempt to vie with their hometown favorite.

Hospital officials and board members quietly shared the survey results with key community leaders, elected officials and the physicians important to sustaining any new hospital in the community. Support was tallied and rallied.

It was then quietly (yet clearly) communicated to the competitor that their attempt to enter the market would be opposed. Loudly.
 
The Result
Under pressure from physicians and community leaders, the competitor changed their plans. Instead, it partnered with the community hospital on a medical office building. Both prospered. And the competition never saw it coming.