How to Sell to the UK Health & Social Care Sector: What Really Works
By York Woodford-Smith
After more than a decade running a B2B company, we’ve learned a lot about what works (and what doesn’t) when it comes to selling in complex markets. Over those years, we’ve built particular expertise in one of the most nuanced and challenging sectors: Health & Social Care.
From NHS hospitals to care homes, home care companies, local authorities and private care groups, we’ve worked hard to understand how to market and sell into these organisations and now we help other B2B companies do the same.
If you’re a supplier looking to grow in the care sector, here’s how we approach it.
First, A Reality Check
Let’s get this out of the way: we’re not the kind of company that promises you “guaranteed leads” because you know as well as we do that it’s nonsense.
Selling in the health and care sector means navigating:
- Long and unpredictable sales cycles
- Budget shifts
- Decision-making committees
- Procurement roadblocks
- Constant change in roles and responsibilities
So why do we do it? Because with a valuable product or service, smart marketing, strong sales systems, and yes, a little luck It’s absolutely possible to grow in this space.
Our 7-Step Approach to Sales & Marketing in Care
Step 1: Understand Your Customer
Before anything else, you need to deeply understand:
- Who your customers are
- What motivates them
- Why they buy from you (or don’t)
- Where they go for information
- What keeps them up at night
We start every project by working closely with your team to build a clear customer profile and ensure your sales and marketing strategy is built on solid foundations.
Step 2: Create a Clear Plan
We then work with you to develop a focused 12–18 month sales and marketing roadmap. It’s easy to get bogged down here, so we keep it agile and actionable, aligning marketing activity with your company’s growth goals.
Step 3: Build Awareness (Get Known)
People won’t buy from you if they don’t know you exist.
That’s why the first job of marketing is to build awareness and visibility in the right places. In this sector, we typically use tools like:
- Strategic campaigns
- Content creation (video, podcasts, photography, blogs)
- LinkedIn & targeted social media
- Search engine optimisation
- Events (attending, sponsoring, exhibiting, or running your own)
- Building referral partnerships
We also look at ways to use your team’s personality and credibility to stand out, because in a crowded sector, bland doesn’t cut through.
Step 4: Build Trust (and Likeability)
Once your prospects know who you are, they need to trust you before they’ll buy. That trust is built through:
- Consistent email newsletters
- Useful articles and resources
- Regular event presence
- Thoughtful partnerships
We help you create a strategy that keeps you front of mind while positioning you as helpful and credible.
Step 5: Streamline the Sales Process
When a prospect is ready to buy, your sales process needs to make that as easy as possible.
We help clients:
- Define what a good lead looks like
- Understand profit margins on different products or services
- Simplify proposals and contracts
- Use online tools for quoting and signing
- Implement tracking and follow-up systems
- Get a great CRM working for you
Understand how the buying process works within care organisations
Step 6: Get to a Final Answer
One of the most frustrating things in this sector is uncertainty. We help our clients:
- Map out the organisation’s decision-making process
- Stay in control of the sales journey
- Know when to push, and when to move on
Always aim to get a clear “yes” or “no”
Step 7: Deliver Exceptionally
None of this matters if what you’re delivering isn’t excellent.
Over the years, we’ve seen companies force prospects through sales and marketing funnels only to struggle post-sale. That’s why we only work with companies who are genuinely delivering value.
When your product or service is strong, you attract the right customers, the kind who:
- Appreciate what you do
- Make decisions quickly
- Don’t nit-pick every detail
- And become advocates for your work
Who We Work Best With
We work with a wide range of B2B suppliers in the Health & Social Care market.
You’re likely a good fit if:
- You sell to organisations that care, from beds to tech
- You have 5–20 team members and are ready to take growth seriously
- You want a partner to help shape your long-term sales and marketing strategy
- Or, you’re a larger company (20+ employees) looking for specific services like video production
- You’re entering the UK market and need sector-specific insight
- You attend events like UK Care Week, Care Show London & Birmingham, Care Roadshows or LaingBuisson conferences
