Martel

An independent physician network platform

Business Development System Build

Commercial infrastructure built from zero and validated through a three-market pilot. The network grew from 97 to 170 providers during the engagement.

The situation

The platform had committed capital, a partnership providing contracting leverage, and a network participation framework with a three-tier affiliation model. What it did not have was the commercial infrastructure to put any of it in motion. Network growth had relied on ad hoc outreach and word of mouth. The absence of a repeatable BD system limited the ability to engage independent practices at scale. A capability assessment across five BD domains showed all five at the lowest maturity level.

What I built

Targeting: consolidated fragmented lists into a single source of truth with standardized fields, built tiering framework by payer attribution, panel size, and readiness indicators; data hygiene flagged nearly half of existing contacts as invalid

Messaging: rebuilt value proposition around six concrete physician revenue streams (rate enhancement, per-member bonuses, visit-based incentives, quality bonuses, shared savings, support subsidies); built full collateral stack including email templates, role-specific call scripts, provider one-pager, and economic impact calculator

Engaging: designed multi-touch cadence with up to eight touches over twenty days across email and phone, with defined objectives at each touchpoint and cross-functional handoff protocols

Tracking: configured CRM with pipeline stages (Targeting, Qualifying, Offer, Contracting), entry and exit criteria, cohort labeling, and performance dashboards

Managing: defined cross-functional responsibilities across BD, marketing, and practice transformation; established weekly BD syncs with standardized agenda; drafted a comprehensive BD operating manual for reference and future hire training

The pilot

Launched across three markets targeting ~100 practices with ~600 outreach touches (~430 emails, ~195 calls). Designed to stress-test every domain against live conditions and surface what would break at scale, not to maximize short-term conversions.

Validated: CRM backbone, multi-touch cadence framework, layered outreach (post-call follow-up emails at ~20% open rate versus ~12% for cold sends; final-reminder emails at ~30% opens), phone as data enrichment and warming channel (~45% connect rate)

Ruled out: cold email blasts alone (near-zero response), social proof and urgency messaging with practices unfamiliar with value-based care (~5% opens), standalone voicemails (zero callbacks), direct physician outreach as entry point (gatekeepers consistently blocked access)

Prevented: scaling on dirty data (nearly half of contacts invalid), over-calling fatigue (receptionist annoyance after three attempts established cadence limits), over-reliance on cold tactics the pilot proved ineffective

The result

The network grew from 97 to 170 providers during the engagement, about 75% growth

All five BD domains moved from the lowest maturity baseline to operational maturity

The pilot validated the infrastructure and produced calibrated benchmarks for statewide rollout

A refined BD operating manual carried validated targeting criteria, calibrated messaging, tested cadence design, CRM configuration, and governance structure

A market-by-market expansion roadmap set prioritization and resource requirements

Where is the platform stuck?

Where is the platform stuck?

Committed capital and a thesis but no commercial infrastructure to put it in motion? Let’s talk.

Committed capital and a thesis but no commercial infrastructure to put it in motion? Let’s talk.

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