How Smart Vendors Are Selling to Health Plans in 2025

I was at the RISE National conference in San Antonio the other week, standing at one of those high-top tables reviewing the session agenda, when I overheard a vendor pitching a health plan exec using his tablet to share some slides.

The slides were clean, and the product seemed fine. But halfway through, I found myself thinking:

“This would’ve worked five years ago. It doesn’t now.”

The vendor was too focused on what the product did. The message was packed with features but light on what any of it actually meant for the prospect. The prospect nodded along. All the cool-sounding features impressed her, but you could see it. She kept glancing around the conference hall and waiting for a reason to care. She wasn’t engaged; she was just being polite.

Selling to health plans has changed. Not in some abstract, trending-on-LinkedIn way, but in the real-world dynamics that decide who gets in and who gets ignored.

This week’s article is about what’s different, what no longer works, and how vendors can adjust to see more traction with their outreach.

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What’s Changed About Selling to Health Plans

If your team is still running a 2019 playbook, here’s what’s different now:

Buyers are overwhelmed, not underinformed
They don’t want more decks or demos. They want a reason to care. Fast.

Buyers want simplicity, not sophistication
If your solution sounds technical, complex, or hard to implement, they’ll assume it’s not worth the effort.

Budgets are tighter, but scrutiny is higher
Everyone says “ROI,” but health plans now ask: how soon, how measured, and what if it doesn’t show up?

Pilots aren't seen as progress
A pilot with no clear outcome just adds noise. Buyers want clear commitments and fast proof, not loose experiments.

Procurement has more influence
Even if clinical or government programs love you, legal and finance can quietly block the deal.

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Rule 1: Lead with the Problem, Not the Product

Buyers don’t want your platform story. They want to hear that you get their world.

Instead of:

“We’re an AI-powered platform that streamlines care coordination across multiple stakeholders.”

Try:

“The health plans we work with were missing gaps in PCP attribution, especially with duals and mobile members. We help surface those patterns early enough to impact Stars.”

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Rule 2: Sharpen Your Explanation to a Single Clear Sentence

If a VP of Quality can’t repeat what you do in one sentence to their boss, you’ve already lost. When your message is sharp, it builds confidence and creates a clearer path forward.

Instead of:

“It’s a data-driven engagement solution combining machine learning, predictive analytics, and multi-channel outreach…”

Try:

“We help health plans identify and activate members who would’ve otherwise slipped through the cracks.”

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Rule 3: Make Your Champion’s Job Easy

Assume your internal buyer has one shot to pitch you up the chain. So provide them a one-sentence value prop, one clean visual, and a short reason why you’re safer than other options.

What works:

“Think of us as a risk adjustment safety net. We help you capture the codes you’re missing without disrupting your current vendor or delaying your timeline.”

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Rule 4: Show the End State, Not the Inner Workings

Health plans aren’t buying features or architecture diagrams. They’re buying a future they can believe in. If they can’t picture what life looks like after you’re implemented, they’ll most likely hesitate.

Instead of:

“Our tech enables real-time care plan updates across multiple data sources.”

Try:

“Plans use us to reduce avoidable readmissions by giving care managers exactly what they need, right when they need it.”

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Rule 5: Don’t Just Follow Up. Clarify

When a deal goes quiet, vague check-ins don’t restart momentum. Directness does.

Instead of:

“Just wanted to follow up on next steps…”

Try:

“Seems like this fell off the radar. Usually, that means either (a) the timing’s off or (b) something didn’t land. Mind if I ask which one it is?”

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Final Thought

Selling to health plans in 2025 requires more than effort. It takes clarity, relevance, and a message that makes buyers feel understood. The rules have changed, but they aren’t mysterious. You need to speak the buyer’s language, stay focused on the problems they already care about, and make it easier to say yes.

Try these approaches at your next conference or prospect meeting. And speaking of conferences, check out my 15 Smart Exhibitor Strategies to Maximize Any Conference to stack the odds even further in your favor.

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