Who Runs Your Company?

EVERYbody knows SOMEbody who will do what has to be done. ANYbody can do it, but NObody did.

The first time I heard the “every, some, any, no-body” lines was probably when I was in grade school. Yet the message of the expression has never changed. What has prompted me to repeat it are two phone calls I received recently from DME providers who both had the same problem: employees were making unauthorized decisions.

• Who? It seems that with all the time an HME owner or manager is obliged to spend doing paperwork and monitoring cash flow, they allow employees to assume responsibilities. Now, there is no problem in having employees be responsible for segments of the business and making decisions within parameters. But before allowing that, the company principal must be certain those employees are capable of making the correct decisions, and that they know exactly how far they can go. The principal must remain in charge, and the employees should report exactly what they have accomplished. From the telephone conversations I had, it appeared the employees had assumed responsibility de facto, which simply means without lawful authority. They did not intend to assume responsibility; it just happened. The shepherd was not watching his sheep. Who runs your company? Don’t let your company run you.
• When? There is no time like the present. Prepare programs to keep your people working to further develop the company. Running your business successfully is your primary task. A great number of the providers I have spoken with in the past few weeks are concerned about competitive bids and other mandates of the Medicare Modernization Act that can affect their bottom lines. They have shared their ideas for building new business opportunities. But when I ask if these have been put into place, often I have been told that they are waiting to see how the resulting regulations will sort out. Please do not wait to build your business. That old cliché “He who hesitates is lost” is true. Now is when you should begin to further develop cash sales, just for one example. I think you will be surprised that when many of your ideas to expand sales are started, the response will be superb.
• Where? Every market is different. In order to know where your efforts would be most effective in building new disciplines or expanding existing ones, go back to when you started or bought the company. Study the demographics of your community once again. Go to the Chamber of Commerce; speak with other local business people to hear their needs. You will find that the market is not the same. So, the direction you take should be dictated by the needs of your customers.
• How? Every company has a strength that may be overlooked. That muscle may come from your prime vendors. Make the time to discuss your thoughts about seeking new vistas with the sales reps who work with you, and they will become a fountain of information. They know which products to offer that other providers have had success in marketing. They understand the market and appreciate the fact that when you increase your sales, so do they. It is a win-win scenario. Many of your prime vendors will assist your program with literature hand-outs, make themselves available for special days in your showroom and provide samples or a give-away that will help you build new business. This is only one way you can go after new sales, new volume and, of course, new profits.
• Who? Let us go back to the beginning of this message. The entrepreneur who signs the payroll, pays the bills, hires the staff and carries the burden of the business on his or her shoulders is the Who!

One of the problems I see with new ventures is what I call recalcitrance, or perhaps hesitation, but it is really a fear of making changes. Don’t vacillate. Once you have made a decision about the new programs you wish to launch, do it!

I asked earlier, “Who runs your company?” You do!

Sheldon “Shelly” Prial is based in Melbourne, Fla., with Prial Consulting and also serves as the director of government relations for Atlanta-based Graham-Field Health Products. In 1987, he founded the Homecare Providers Co-Op, now part of The VGM Group. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at 321/255-3885.