Walked into private clinics. Literally. (WK04)
From cold calls to clinic halls, Lemons goes all-in on sales, strategy, and social impact.
Netflix & Chill? Nah. Tonight it's Lemons & Weekly Update 🍋
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Mentor Madness is Over. Time to Sell.
Yes, Mentor Madness is done and you probably already knew that. So let’s cut to the chase.
We’ve come to terms with a big truth: even if our product isn’t (yet) our ultimate dream solution, it’s time to sell.
(@Diego's golden tip: stop looking only at Italy, start thinking global.)
Quick status update:
We’re currently active in 3 public hospitals. We want to do more.
But it’s also time to go private.
That means refining our sales strategy and product positioning for premium clinics.
This week we kept asking ourselves: What’s the perfect pitch to a CEO of a major private clinic group?
Our first take:
"Enhance patient experience to increase the perceived value of therapy."
Indeed, that’s the question we tried to answer not just conceptually. We hit the field.
Reality Check: Door-to-Door
We started in Torino. Opened Google Maps. Typed in "best-reviewed private clinics." And just started walking in.
Yep. Real door-to-door.
Turns out, it's hard. Dentists, cosmetic surgeons, overwhelmed front desks, confused receptionists. Most of the time, it didn’t work.
Until one day, a surgeon finally let us in. After listening for a few minutes, he hit us with it:
"Nice to have. Not a priority. We need to increase efficiency and revenue. That’s all."
Boom. Reality check. We shifted gears. Bigger fish.
Operation: Clinic Takeover
We searched again this time aiming higher: top-tier clinics and medical centers.
And guess what? It worked.
In one case, we landed a meeting with the founder & CEO of a major northern Italy clinic group: CIDIMU Group.
In another, we spoke directly with the General Director of one of Torino’s most prestigious clinics: Clinica Fornaca.
How? We just walked in the front door. Took the stairs to the general offices. Knocked. Asked if they were available. And maybe we come across as charming (who knows), but both of them gave us time. We shared coffee. Had a great intro chat.
More updates coming next week.
Key learning: Sales conversations are cool. But now? It’s time to close deals.
Tuscany Updates
Even if we’re not physically in Florence, things are moving fast.
This week, we launched 2 new tests in two important Tuscan hospitals:
Santa Maria Annunziata (Florence) – Oncology department
AOU Le Scotte (Siena) – Hematology department
That brings us to 4 departments currently testing Lemons, while 3 hospitals are fully operational.
Back at OGR – Strategy Deep Dive
Back at base, we’re setting up meetings with more potential lead mentors. So far, our dream team has one confirmed member. The rest? We’re still scouting.
But some deep conversations this week gave us a lot to think about.
We realized we might need to:
Focus more clearly on specific patient types and departments, based on patient response.
Dive into the feedback we’re collecting (surveys, questionnaires).
Conduct interviews with patients and families.
Map out departments with the biggest budgets and patient volumes, both public and private.
Also: We want to form a medical advisory board at Lemons. If you know amazing doctors or medical professionals who might want to help shape the future of patient experience, send them our way. Drop a name in the comments!
We’ve officially set OKRs until April 17
10 medical advisory members
10 patient/family interviews
10 product demos with clinic or group directors
3 new tests launched, thinking not just Italy but globally.
Upcoming Events & Big News
We’re going public. Literally.
On April 4, we’ll announce to the press our first official VR project for patient wellbeing launched in oncology and gynecology at AOU Careggi.
Then on April 15–16, we’re heading to Bologna, joining Prof. Gianni Amunni on stage at Cracking Cancer to present the same project.
Oh, and we’ll also be at IKIGAI Cyberdays in Siena on April 9 as guest speakers.
Stay tuned. Lemons is on the move.
TL;DR for the Lazy Readers
We see you, Weekly skimmers. Here’s the recap:
We’re shifting hard toward sales, especially in private clinics.
We’re live in 4 hospital departments and expanding.
We’re forming a medical advisory board, aiming for 10 members by April 17.
We’re preparing for cold calls and field sales missions.
Big events incoming: April 4 (Careggi press event), April 9 (IKIGAI Cyberdays), April 15–16 (Cracking Cancer).
We Need You
Here’s what we’re asking from you this week:
What’s the perfect copy to pitch a CEO of a private clinic group?
Know anyone at Gruppo Villa Maria or Fondazione Umberto Veronesi? Please connect us!
Got healthcare pros who’d be great on our Medical Advisory Board? Drop names below!
Wanna support us on LinkedIn? Here’s our latest post.
In Torino? Come by OGR for a coffee or a lemonade. We’re here 7 days a week.
🍋 That’s a wrap for WK4
Thanks for making it all the way down here. If you loved this weekly (or thought it was mid), drop a comment we actually read them.
Got ideas, intros, or feedback? Slide into our DMs or come say hi at OGR.
Love you all, have a great week.
Team Lemons 🍋
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