Why Selling Into The C-Suite Is No Longer Optional In Healthcare
Why Hospital Deals Stall Without C-Suite Engagement and How to Change That
I first started selling to hospitals in 1992 as part of the sales team at Stryker Surgical.
Back then, healthcare sellers had it easier:
If you could reasonably forecast an ROI, you could get a deal approved. Risk was significantly less of a focus.
There was way less competition both domestically and internationally. It was not as difficult to create a differentiated product.
Mid-level leaders had significantly more autonomy in making purchasing decisions, with minimal involvement from the C-Suite.
Buying was done by people, not committees. And you didn't need the board on-board.
Compliance was significantly less burdensome than it is in modern healthcare.
It was unthinkable that your champion would "ghost" you. They picked up the phone.
I could go on...but you get the idea.
In these easier times, selling to the C-Suite was a "nice to have."
Of course, it didn't hurt to include the Chief Financial Officer in pricing discussions...or meet 1x1 with the Chief Medical Officer.
But, not having a C-Level contact was far from a red flag.
Today, though? Things have changed. A lot.
And from where I sit as a strategic revenue consultant to healthcare start-ups...
I am now a firm believer that selling to the C-Suite is more important than ever before.
In this article, I'll quickly explain.
1) For starters - we now live in the era of "decision by committee." No longer does a single executive want to stick their nose out and take a career risk on implementing a new idea or vendor solution. In 2025, they are bringing an idea to a group to talk it through. And it really, really helps when the person championing our solution has a "C" in their title.
2) If we want to avoid just a pricing conversation vs an outcome conversation, we need a direct relationship with the people making the ultimate pricing decisions in the hospital. The more they see us as a valued resource and partner - with a personal connection - the less they will try to reduce us to a list of product SKUs and features. This is very important when it comes to protecting margin.
3) In an era where accurate forecasting has never mattered more to investors and boards, we can no longer "cross our fingers" that we're aligned to the priorities of the organization we're selling into. We need to be in conversation with the leaders setting these priorities - helping to shape them - and helping to adapt our pitch to align with their voice and objectives. This is a fluid, iterative process that is nearly impossible to do without higher productive and collaborative C-Suite meetings.
4) Most 7-figure deals not only direct CEO approval in 2025, but also CEO buy-in! The alpha leader in a hospital carries an enormous amount of weight. If we want to close these types of transactions, we can't just settle for reading their online shareholder letter or watching their talk on YouTube. We need to be working with them as an advisor and partner not only to hear their vision...but also to help them shape it. This can't be done with emails or even Zoom calls. It requires getting in-person.
So, in short: deals where we can get the C-Level team involve close faster, protect margin, forecast more accurately, and avoid getting lost in the endless noise of "someday options."
In the coming weeks, I'll get into exactly HOW to sell to the hospital C-Suite. And walk you through some of my frameworks learned from my own 7-figure deals as a healthcare entrepreneur.
But for today...you just have one takeaway...start taking seriously your need to go up the org chart in your key accounts.
It's possible. And it will transform your business.
Here are additional resources:
If you email me at lisa@lisatmiller.com, I will mail you a copy of my book: Healthcare Sales Mastery and several resources that will help you sell in to the c-suite successfully.
Until next time,
Lisa
With so many deals getting stuck in the funnel, this seems like the only logical conclusion for enterprise sales. Your example is inspiring because you were able to pull this off without having a massive brand yourself - I look forward to learning more!