Rubin Spann

If you consistently [execute brand promise] for your customers, you will consistently over-perform and grow your business.

 

Rubin Spann is a global healthcare marketing expert with over 15+ years or (5,475 days) of living out his professional passion. Rubin is many things: driven, focused, and a strategic leader with an innovative eye that has helped transform him into the global marketing expert that he is today. For more than 15 years, Rubin has worked as a Senior Commercial Marketing Leader managing the process on how medical device, pharmaceutical, and healthcare technology companies move closer to their customers through “the brand diplomacy process” – delivering on the company’s brand promise to their customers with a careful eye on flawless execution. His unique insights and knowledge of several healthcare industries, as well as his cultural understanding of different global markets, distinguishes Rubin Spann as a cutting-edge global marketing leader ensuring healthcare companies maximize their brands and products.

The problems Rubin identified within the healthcare industry were twofold: to begin, the teams at pharmaceutical and medical device companies often don’t have time to think about brand planning or critical strategy, as they’re inundated with daily challenges and preoccupied with improving their product or service. Rubin can effectively help these businesses develop their brands, position their products in a differentiable way, and redefine their strategies so that they can focus entirely on the product at hand. The second problem Rubin sought to rectify within the healthcare industry is the current inability of global marketing teams to understand their target audiences. Rubin helps these global marketing teams understand that they must “live with their customers” by using their untapped customer insights to develop executable strategic marketing plans.

Rubin Spann – always the thinker on the forefront of his industry – envisions a bright future for the global healthcare marketing industry. He longs to see global marketers embrace cutting edge tech to meet the needs of their customers through more efficient healthcare delivery and better communication. His exceptional execution of both strategy and tactics to meet top-line revenue corporate objectives is second to none, and his passion for people is the foundation of his work.

Where did the idea for Global Marketing Squared come from?

Global Marketing Squared was started with a simple premise. Global Commercial Marketing Teams in healthcare are generally too busy executing marketing tactics that they spend little time developing effective go-to-market strategies for their products and services and even less time executing their “brand promise” to their customers. Global Marketing Squared was started to help Global Commercial Marketing Teams fill these gaps. We spend the time with Global Commercial Marketing Teams in healthcare developing product launch strategies and branding.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

At Global Marketing Squared we provide each client with individual and customized care. We purposely work with only a few clients at any given time to ensure each client receives the customized service they require. A typical day is spent engaging the clients, researching customer trends & needs, and designing roadmaps for new service and product launches. Frequent client engagement makes us especially productive.

How do you bring ideas to life?

For the past 15 years, I have brought marketing healthcare ideas to life by understanding my customers’ current and future needs and executing a forward thinking commercial global marketing plan with the appropriate metrics. The healthcare industry is constantly changing, and clients are not always up to date therefore, we spend a lot of time educating our clients and their key-stakeholders. We bring to life ideas everyday by living with our clients and understanding their customers’ ever changing needs. We wrap these experiences in an executable marketing plan grounded in capturing the brand promises through every area of the customer experience.

What’s one trend that excites you?

Social Media and new channels to reach and engage customers really excites me! The ability to get real-time info from healthcare customers is insightful and exciting! Patients trends show that more and more patients are requesting customized healthcare solutions and these solutions have a digital component. If you can meet these patient needs, you not only able to differentiate your products and service but also, maintain loyal customers which add to topline revenue.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

Grit, the ability to push through challenges consistently. I learned it has a kid playing little league football and currently, when I play racquetball 2-3x per week. Grit overcomes a lot, it pushes you to be your best, seek out advice, find answers and most importantly, it pushes you to succeed.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I would take on more aggressively global marketing responsibilities much earlier in my career and executed appropriate metrics to track and measure success. In addition, I learned early in my career that if you are not making mistakes, you are not a competent marketing leader.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Consistently, I spend time with global customers understanding their current and future needs and understanding how the delivery of healthcare is different around the world. I consistently seek out to understand patient trends and how they will impact current and future healthcare and marketing decisions.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

The one strategy that has helped me grow my business is life-long learning. The acquisition of new and relevant knowledge is critical to success. I have stayed on the cutting-edge of technology, market research and healthcare global trends. It has kept me interested and relevant in the healthcare industry. There is so much data available these days. Understanding what is relevant and useful as I make recommendation for my clients. Lifelong learning has proven to be a key strategy for my company’s success.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

I remember when I started my first business over 25 years ago, I did a lot of different marketing work and had multiple different client from various sectors. It was a disaster trying to accommodate different clients with different needs requiring different resources. Through that experience, I learned to focus. When you focus you can accomplish more, and your clients are happier, satisfied and stick with you over a longer period.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

The importance of “Brand Diplomacy” = implementing the brand promise and executing it flawlessly. If you consistently do this for your customers, you will consistently over-perform and grow your business. This is true for both, small & large, business in any sector.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

Online annual subscription to HBR (Harvard Business Review). I value information applicable to healthcare marketing and other areas including strategy, leadership and cutting-edge technology.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

I use Quicken software to manage my small business and Constant Contact email service to create brand awareness for my company. Both the software and web service are simple, effective and minimal investment.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

Grit: The Power of Passion & Perseverance by Professor Angela Duckworth. We all have different strengths, skills and experiences; however, perseverance and grit, give us the edge to be successful.

What is your favorite quote?

“Lead, Follow, or Get Out of The Way” – too many people follow and get out of the way…not enough people lead!

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