One Customer at a Time

Over the past few months, I have been fortunate in having been invited to speak at several state HME association meetings. These are truly grassroots sessions, and listening to providers share their success stories and hearing the presenters speak about tomorrow is invigorating.

One of the HME entrepreneurs I met during a recent meeting told me how effective Welcome Wagon has been for his company. I have always appreciated what Welcome Wagon does. Years ago when I moved to St. Louis from Union, N. J., my family was visited by the organization before we had finished unpacking all of our boxes. They brought us the names of most of the businesses in the area, business cards, telephone numbers and little gifts from each.

What an inexpensive way to greet potential new customers. If your town has a Welcome Wagon, get on board!

Another company owner told me that advertising in local church bulletins has been successful for his HME. His first venture was the bulletin sent out by the church his family attends, and it brought in a number of new clients. He then visited other churches in his market and found that the cost was so miniscule he could afford to place little ads in all of them. He said this attracted many new customers to his company, and that most have stayed with him after their initial visit.

Wal-Mart Again

Somehow when I hear the name Wal-Mart, the first word that pops into my head is “predatory.” There is no doubt that this retail powerhouse has a fine team running the company. They understand marketing, and they know how best to exploit their business. This is admirable, and they should be congratulated.

But as I watch their success, I see small businesses folding their tents. I read an article indicating that some 26 grocery chains in the country have been closed because they could not compete against Wal-Mart. These smaller companies, now gone, supported the owners’ families and those of their employees. They all contributed to the community, and now those jobs and the taxes they paid are missing.

I know I am repetitive on this subject, but I will say it again: As an independent DME provider, you can compete against this giant. The personal service and high-quality merchandise you handle are some of the tools you have. A good salesperson on the floor asking, “May I help you, please?” is a key.

Things to Think About

• Accreditation Earning accreditation has been a tremendous help for many providers, assisting them to run their companies much more efficiently and, as a result, save money. Accreditation also provides guidelines so that patients invariably receive the best service. But in the current competitive atmosphere, the ability either to suspend or revoke accreditation for a dealer who has proven to be dishonest is not there. If supplier quality standards bestowed by “deemed” accrediting organizations will be a requirement for participation in Medicare, then they must have that strength.
• Low Ball This, to me, used to mean that a baseball pitcher missed the bottom of the strike zone. Now I see where some companies “low ball” prices for the merchandise they sell to attract customers. Of course, when they do that it usually is with a knock-off of a popular, well-manufactured product. Perhaps if there were strict standards for the merchandise provided this would put service on a level playing field. (Reimbursements have very limited or minimal standards. As I said, this is something to think about.)
• RFID Some time back I mentioned that RFID (radio frequency identification) chips might replace bar coding and make it a great deal easier to maintain inventory and control costs. Well, I just read where RFID is being developed a step further. Hospitals are now able to implant a chip under the skin of their patients containing all of that person’s necessary ID. Medical personnel will then be able to obtain all the information about that patient electronically.

Is a bionic person next on the horizon?

Reflections

Sometimes there is nothing more satisfying than to sit back and let your mind wander. This type of musing can be very constructive, because it allows for the luxury, while relaxed, of contemplating yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Think back over the past 12 months.

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.