SUPERIOR FAMILY PRACTICE: A MARKETING PLAN
Superior Family Practice is an outpatient medical clinic that is composed by 25 individuals or human resources. It is a small-sized medical facility that provides health care for ambulatory patients, as contrasted with in-patients who are treated in hospitals. This specific outpatient medical clinic is governed by general practitioners or medical doctors who offer primary care for those who are in need of it. To be more specific, such health care is provided to patients, regardless of age or gender, in the form of both health education and preventive care.
In this marketing plan, it is important to take note of one specific department in the organization, called the Trainng and Deisn Department, that is responsible for the clinic’s production of goods and training. This department is composed of 5 human resources, categorized as such—a) one Manager who is responsible for training and design; b) one clerical personnel or secretary who does not train or design; c) three individuals who train and design; d) one trainer or designer who is competent in e-learning and who also possess technical or computer as well as training-related capabilities. He or she also belongs to the three trainers or designers previously mentioned.
Analysis of the Situation
Superior Family Practice is nearing its 10th year of operations and since it has been widely accepted, effective marketing of its goods and services is crucial towards its continued success and development.
As was previously discussed, the outpatient medical clinic caters to the needs of three types of customers—patients, corporate organizations who are in need of the clinic’s products, and medical practitioners in the clinic who require training and further guidance.
Figure 1.Target Market of Superior Family Practice
Products and Services
After assessing the target market of the clinic, it is important to give emphasis on the fact that the products and services of Superior Family Practice are of excellent quality and specifically cater to the requirements of its patients, its medical practitioners, and other external corporate organizations.
Superior Family Practice, as could be derived from the name itself, caters to the medical needs of families in the United States. The outpatient medical clinic is in fact home to a number of trained and competent doctors who could effectively attend to the needs of patients with illnesses or injuries that are not severe enough to require serious emergency-room procedures. Moreover, the services provided in this outpatient medical clinic are less expensive as compared to other hospitals, which is why it accommodates the requirements of ailing individuals who are not financially secure. In connection to this, Superior Family Practice does not only provide medical services but also produces its own products for the needs of both patients and corporate customers from other organizations. These products are mostly health equipments such as licensed drugs that are both over-the-counter drug medications and prescription only medicines, as well as first aid equipments, and the like.
Aside from these mentioned goods and services, Superior Family Practice also provides efficient training of medical practitioners. Such training is handled by licensed doctors also who make use of the clinic’s in-house and sophisticated technical facilities such as its library and production laboratory. Moreover, such training also caters to the needs of internal customers, specifically those who belong in the various numerous departments of the clinic, for their developmental and improvement requirements.
The following SWOT analysis provides the strengths to be maintained and the weaknesses to be improved by Superior Family Practice, more specifically its Training and Design Department. Furthermore, this analysis also provides the opportunities and threats encountered by the said organization and/or department.
- caters to the needs and is patronized by almost all types of people, specifically patients, corporate organizations in need of their products, and medical practitioners from the clinic itself
- the Training and Design Department is able to produce training materials and tools that could be purchased by internal consumers, specifically medical practitioners of the clinic who requires further training and development in the field of health care
- the Training and Design Department possesses a state-of-the-art production laboratory that generates medical products to be provided for external consumers
- the Training and Design Department has competent trainers who could efficiently further the skills of medical practitioners for them to be more effective when they practice their profession in the clinic
- a strong sense of intention or purpose to bring quality services and goods to its target market
- the clinic has not yet completely established a positive image to its target market
- effective and consumer-friendly marketing communication strategies are not yet determined and established
- innovative and useful technological advancements and tools such as its high standard production facility or production laboratory
- sophisticated training and technical facilities in the form of a wide-ranging library and competent trainers or staff members
- competition from other clinics or companies that have a similar nature and characteristics
- lack of plan and means to create an effective and successful marketing communication measures
The planned marketing strategies of Superior Family Practice would be based on the requirements of its present and future customers. This could be done through thorough analysis and understanding of the situations faced by the clinic, the Training and Design Department’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as the opportunities and threats faced by the department and the clinic itself. Hence, all marketing strategies would be guided by the following mission or objectives:
- to provide efficient health care to patients, regardless of age and gender
- to produce excellent and quality medicinal goods for corporate customers
- to provide effective training to medical practitioners within the clinic
- to realize an annual growth rate of 5% greater than the previous year
- to create a visible profile and an image of quality and excellence through its goods and services
- to maintain an efficient Training and Development Deparment, equipped with competent staff members
- to continue to develop its modern and efficient facilities and tools for production and training
Through experience, the clinic and the T&D Department has realized that the most essential factor in maintaining its consumers and acquiring new ones is through referrals from the organization’s existing consumer base. In the year 2005, more than 70% of the clinic’s new patrons have both indirectly and directly referred by constant customers and other business clients. With this, it is evident that retention of customers is vital for the organization, and this could be further achieved through the production of quality goods and employment of effective training methods and procedures.
Further research would be employed by the clinic, to better understand the previously discussed situations that Superior Family Practice face. Supplementary research would also be done so as to take note of competitive activities, track the development of technological advancements in today’s society, as well as to gather significant information on the clinic’s customers and key clients.
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