Rubin Spann

Founder of Global Marketing Squared

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 as 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.

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 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!