With hospital leaders laser focused on caring for their communities as the COVID-19 pandemic takes hold, they have little to no time or capacity to field sales calls or take meetings with vendors. Many hospitals, too, are restricting access to their facilities to anyone other than physicians, staff and patients. For companies whose prospective clients are primarily hospitals or other health care entities or providers, this can feel like a fatal blow to their sales and business development goals.

We are strongly encouraging our B2B health care clients to use this time to:

1. Solidify organizational infrastructure.
2. Establish and hone core value propositions.
3. Develop thought leadership content and compelling marketing messages.

Nothing will be the same in a post-COVID-19 world, and the health care industry is no exception. Indeed, it may undergo the most radical transformation of all.

Already financially fragile, hospitals may be even further cash-strapped after COVID-19. This could cause them to reevaluate all third-party vendors, products and services to demand a cost-benefit accounting and demonstrated commitment to helping them achieve value.

Anticipating this future and laying the groundwork in messaging and content now are key. Not all B2B health care companies will survive this unprecedented turn of events. The smartest ones will double down on developing thoughtful content that can be deployed when appropriate.