Driving Retail Sales

HME providers who want to expand their cash sales would do well to look at adding vehicle lifts to their product mix, experts say.

“Given the challenges facing the industry, specifically with competitive bidding, we’ve seen a shift by providers to add a complement of retail-related products. For those providers, [vehicle lifts] can be a very rewarding category to participate in,” notes Cy Corgan, Pride Mobility Products’ national sales director of retail mobility.

Providers are gravitating to these products because they are one of the top cash-selling items in the industry, as well as at the top of customers’ “I need” lists, explains Sarah Penix, business development manager for Harmar Mobility.

“We’re seeing a lot of people get on board the cash sales train,” she says. “Reimbursables used to be the core part of what [providers] focused on, but the industry has forced them to turn to cash sales to stay in business.

“It couldn’t have come at a better time,” she points out. “The industry and world is changing. The baby boomers are coming to an age where they need these products.”

Penix says she has heard from a number of providers who have started selling lifts after having to turn away customers who requested them.

“We see an actual need that is increasing dramatically, and that is going to increase cash sales for dealers,” she says.

And with the population aging and more income at baby boomers’ disposal, the market “can go nowhere but up and forward,” adds Mike Krawczyk, marketing manager for Bruno Independent Living Aids.

Matching Needs to Products

But it takes more than simply putting the products in the company inventory. Successful vehicle lift providers will train their sales employees to match the needs and abilities of the customer with the right product, Krawczyk says.

Some lifts will depend on a user’s ability to stand and be able to work a switch, while others do not, he explains.

“Do they need a lift that does everything for them, or one that requires some manual operation that is a little less expensive?” Penix questions. For example, she says, “If it’s a little less expensive, but [the user] can’t manually fold the platform, it doesn’t do them any good.”

The provider also should talk to a vehicle lift customer or caregiver about how a particular health condition might affect their abilities in the future, Krawczyk says.

“What someone is able to do today may be radically different than what they are able to do in two or three years,” he notes.

While many customers want to purchase a product that will last them years down the road, others will be satisfied to buy something that works for them now and then will buy another product when their abilities change, he explains.

“It’s a ray of sunshine to have someone talk with them openly and honestly about what they can and can’t do,” Krawczyk says. “Most of the time people don’t like to address these things, but if someone is interested in buying a product for auto accessibility, they want the dealer to be open and honest so they can be, too.”

Geographic location also will affect the type of lifts customers want to purchase.

“Obviously, you won’t sell as many outside lifts in Wisconsin or Minnesota as you will in Arizona or Texas,” Krawczyk says. “People living in colder climates don’t necessarily want to have their mobility device outside of their car.”

Providers also should let customers know they don’t necessarily have to drive a minivan to use a lift, advises Todd Bick, national sales manager for Freedom Lift. Many new applications are out that allow people to use lifts with SUVs and trucks.

In other words, Penix sums up, a provider who wants to be good at selling vehicle lifts will help customers narrow down their options based on their individual wants and needs, and then let them select the product they prefer from what’s available.

“When you know it’s the right product for the customer, it’s not a hard sale,” Penix says. “You know you’re helping them get their mobility and independence back.”

Thinking about Compatibility

But the customer-vehicle lift matchmaking process may not be simple.

With more than 900 mobility devices in the marketplace and more than 5,000 different vehicles dating back just to 1996, finding a lift that will work with the mobility product and the vehicle the customer already has can be a challenge, says Brian Mills, Pride’s product manager of lifts.

Often, consumers select a power wheelchair or scooter, then decide they want to go to the bank or the mall. It’s only then they discover the vehicle they have won’t transport the scooter or power chair they have bought, says Freedom Lift’s Bick. Then they must either purchase another vehicle or another piece of power mobility equipment if they want to be able to transport it.

“We still have this problem constantly in this industry where transporting your power chair or scooter is an afterthought. It’s not only frustrating to the consumer but to the mobility dealers,” he says.

Here is where you can do a better job in building vehicle lift business, Corgan says. Educating both customers and local auto dealerships on vehicle lifts is a good opportunity to stand out over competitors, especially because some customers will hold off on purchasing a vehicle until they find out which type of lift will actually work with it, he says.

“We try to look at a holistic approach. The automotive dealerships are slowly beginning to align themselves with the mobility dealers, but it’s nowhere where it needs to be,” adds Bick.

He recommends educating local auto dealers to look out for customers who are in power wheelchairs or scooters. Tell the dealership to ask the customer if he or she will be transporting the power equipment in that vehicle. If so, the dealer can call you to see if you have an application that would be appropriate for the vehicle the customer wants to purchase.

“It would be foolish not to work with auto dealerships. That’s a direct line of sales coming to them,” Bick says. “Our strongest dealers have begun to do that.”

Providers also should be aware of reimbursement programs offered by various automakers. Some manufacturers offer customers up to $1,000 to purchase a lift when they buy a new vehicle. Because consumers have to purchase these items out of pocket, such manufacturer rebates can help give customers an extra incentive to purchase vehicle lifts.

Offering Options

Although it may be easier to carry vehicle lifts from only one vendor, Bick recommends giving customers options by offering different manufacturers’ lifts at varying price points and explaining their features and benefits.

“I enjoy working with dealers that provide options to consumers versus, ‘This is the lift that I offer. This is the lift I will sell you.’ That lift, in some cases, may be the right lift — and in other cases it may just be the lift that [they have],” Bick says. “Let the end consumer make the educated decision on which product they prefer.”

Bruno’s Krawczyk agrees.

“The most important thing is that the user has a wide variety of choices. They can pick whatever fits their lifestyle the best so they don’t have to stay at home,” he says.

Providers should not only be knowledgeable about the pluses and minuses of the lifts they sell but also about the brands and models they don’t sell, Krawczyk adds.

“Good salespeople don’t beat up on the competitors’ products just because they have chosen not to carry that type of lift,” he says. “They should be well-versed in the types of products they carry as well as the ones they don’t carry so they can talk [knowledgeably] with the customer.”

Getting the Word Out

One of the main challenges to success in the vehicle lift market is getting the word out that these products are available, manufacturers say.

“Before we knew a dishwasher existed, we got by,” Penix says. “But as soon as we all realized what a dishwasher was, it was something we all had to have. It was a necessity. Someone just needed to tell us this product existed.”

Similarly, providers need to tell the public that they have vehicle lifts, and the business will come, she says.

“It’s all about educating,” Penix states. “As soon as you educate a client and let them know all of the things that are available to them, they find a way to obtain that product. All of a sudden they can’t imagine not having it.”

Most people buy vehicle lifts because of the independence it gives them, Krawczyk believes.

“These are people who have led an active lifestyle and want to come and go as they please,” he says. “They don’t want to settle for sitting at home, and they don’t have to.”

If someone has a power chair, they have independence in their home, Penix explains, but without a vehicle lift it’s difficult for people to take their PWC anywhere.

“With vehicle lifts, they can go to the doctor on their own, they can go to the grocery store on their own, they can visit the family on their own. They get all of their mobility needs back,” she says.

Building Vehicle Lift Business

One effective way providers can let people know that they offer these products is to put a bumper sticker with the company phone number on the lift, Penix says.

“Hands down, the bumper sticker is the best advertisement,” she says. “People chase these lifts down the road.”

John Murphy, vice president of E-Z Carrier, has experienced similar success with the bumper sticker approach.

“We’ve had a lot of people call when they see a sticker on someone’s product,” Murphy says. “I’ve had people call me on the phone and say, ‘I’m following right behind this car, and I see this thing, and this is exactly what I want.’”

Displaying the units also is key to increasing sales in this category, manufacturers say.

“Consumers want to see these products. They’re not going to spend $2,000 to $3,000 on something they see a flier on,” Penix says. “The No. 1 hurdle providers are going to face is price. If they show that product off, they’re going to get past that hurdle.”

Corgan also recommends placing a scooter or power chair on a lift in the showroom to give the customer a good visual. Having live demonstrations in vans or SUVs to show customers how the lifts operate also are helpful, he says.

And make sure to market to current clients, especially those who are purchasing a mobility device.

“For existing DME dealers, they’ve got the No. 1 referral source right within their doors. It’s their existing clients,” Penix says. She says that once providers get into the vehicle lift business and begin offering these products, they should send out a mailer to their current customers.

Watching for Innovation

Over the past several years, innovations in the market offer convenience for users and help them get as close to their pre-mobility lifestyle as possible, manufacturers say.

For example, a system from Freedom Lift integrates the vehicle, lift, seat and power chair to help a user enter the vehicle and drive without assistance from a caregiver, Bick explains.

The Automated Transport and Retrieval System, or ATRS, enables a wheelchair user to transfer from the chair to an automated car seat and then remotely direct the wheelchair to dock on the platform lift located at the rear of the vehicle. The system can be used for either a driver or passenger.

And while many lifts require both the vehicle’s second- and third-row seating to be taken out, Pride offers a lift that requires only the third-row seating to be removed.

“To the consumer who needs the product, they’re not changing their lifestyle all that much by being able to transport as many passengers as they’d like to,” Corgan says.

Other features also offer the consumer greater convenience.

Pride has introduced a new lift that allows users to charge the battery that operates the lift as well as the mobility device they’re transporting.

In addition, some manufacturers are now offering lifts that eliminate the need for straps because some people don’t have the manual strength or dexterity to deal with them, Bick says.

In fact, says Pride’s Mills, ease of use is one of the most important features for customers looking for vehicle lifts.

“The consumers want something that works seamlessly,” he says. “They want something they don’t have to fumble around with or remember complicated processes and set-up procedures for in order to make it function properly.”

‘It Can Be So Simple’

Providing vehicle lifts does not require large start-up costs or technical know-how, manufacturers say.

“You don’t have to put twenty grand into this,” says Sarah Penix of Harmar. “Get yourself a display unit for your showroom and you’re good to go.”

It’s also not necessary for a provider to have to keep 20 lifts in the back room, she explains. Many manufacturers will ship the product right away after receiving an order so the customer can receive it in a few days.

Some providers may also get nervous about installation, but in this area as well they have a number of options, Penix says.

“If they don’t have someone comfortable doing installation, they can partner up with a contractor or someone who works on vehicles. It can be so simple,” she says.

Experts Interviewed

Todd Bick, national sales manager, Freedom Lift, Green Lane, Pa.; Cy Corgan, national sales director of retail mobility, and Brian Mills, product manager of lifts, Pride Mobility Products, Exeter, Pa.; Mike Krawczyk, marketing manager, Bruno Independent Living Aids, Oconomowoc, Wisc.; John Murphy, vice president, E-Z Carrier, Vinita, Okla.; and Sarah Penix, business development manager, Harmar Mobility, Sarasota, Fla.