CareWise, Inc. According to Craig Russell, President and CEO of Seattle-based CareWise, Inc., "It's easy to become so inwardly focused that you fail to stop and take a look at the big picture." Since 1997, CareWise has engaged Lassiter & Associates each year to conduct a comprehensive win / loss study to make sure that doesn't happen at his company. "To remain competitive in our niche," he says, "we must step back, listen to our market and turn what the buyers have to say into actionable items. The annual win / loss analysis from Lassiter & Associates has given us a plan to build on year after year and has taken a lot of the guess work out of the strategic planning process." He goes on to say the following: "Lassiter & Associates' analysis is the foundation that drives strategy within our company. It never gives absolute answers, rather confirms things we believe to be true and gives a context to get everybody pulling in the same direction. It gives outside validation from the most reputable source of all - our clients and prospects. We have used the reports in talking with investors and in making corporate decisions. There is expert opinion and then there is validation: validation gives investors and the management team confidence that they are going in the right direction." Return on Investment CareWise has a formal process for justifying the investment in the studies by looking at its close ratios and the impact that the studies have had over the years. In particular, before it had access to this kind of objective information, the close rate was ten percent. Today, after five years of work with Lassiter & Associates, the close rate is more than 60 percent. Russell says, "The return on investment in the studies is easy to find." Why use Lassiter & Associates "We use an outside firm for the analysis because the skill set required for the studies is unique," Russell explains. "An outside firm lends objectivity and removes the biases that exist internally. Furthermore, Lassiter & Associates offers us all of the things that make a good partnership - good communications, good end product, good results, and its pricing is fair." Russell says, "If you are our competitor and not doing this, I hope you don't discover it." About CareWise CareWise, Inc. is an international provider of healthcare decision-support services that lower the cost of medical care while improving patients' health and their satisfaction with their health plan. More than nine million members worldwide receive the CareWise service through CareWise, Inc.'s domestic and international contracts. Clients include managed care organizations and health plans, employers, government agencies and unions.