To Our Road Warriors

Sales representatives, clinicians and managers of home medical equipment companies spend much of their time on the road meeting with clients, patients and referral sources. These “road warriors” find themselves fighting traffic, dodging weather problems, looking for a warm, friendly environment and, sometimes, just searching for some cool air.

These employees balance their limited work time with the need to increase revenues and productivity. Their cars become their offices. They are a place to eat, complete paperwork and gather one’s thoughts before the next sales appointment.

It is to these road warriors that I dedicate this column. They are the outside home care sales professionals who are dependent upon the information they receive from the main office. But they also must be planners and organizers in order to make the most of their time.

Consider these suggestions to help make your days on the road more productive:

• Beeper or cell phone — While many may not like those little black boxes, they have become a mainstay for employees who work on the outside as a lifeline to the office as well as to patients or colleagues who need us in an emergency. Check to see that the device is turned on, and that you have additional batteries or a charger with you if necessary. I can assure you that the battery will be dead just when you need to reach the office about an important customer issue. If you only want to be called in an emergency, you must define what an emergency is. Talk to the office staff about when you want to be beeped, what calls are important and what calls can wait until you arrive home or are back in the office.
• Directions — Anyone who spends several hours a day in the car should have an accessible map. It is often easier to use a map to locate where you need to be than it is to call the office for directions. And a map can be just the help you need as you travel to a completely new territory.
• Forms and marketing materials — When you visit a client’s office, plan ahead, and collect the brochures and materials you want to take to this particular customer. Your client will be impressed with the care you have taken to ensure that patients have the information they need to take better care of themselves. The forms will also show the referral source what your company does to ensure that its products are maintained in proper working order.
• Parking — If you are going to an office building or clinic for the first time, you may need to make some initial plans. Make a practice run on a previous day or evening. Being late because you didn’t know where to park is not a very good excuse. Arrive early. You may need that extra time not only to park but to find the exact appointment office, which may now have been moved to the third floor in a location far away.
• Money — Carry some with you! There is nothing more frustrating than coming to a toll booth and having no money. Or leaving the hospital lot and realizing you have no money for parking.
• Auto — Take a look at your car. How about buying gas on the way home from work so that, when you are running late tomorrow, you will still be able to arrive on time? Clean out your leftover lunch bag so no one has to smell those french fries that have been sitting in the car for three days. And keep your car in good running order. Your business and your customers are counting on you to be at a certain place at a specific time.
• Address or contact lists — If you are going to use your time efficiently, you must be prepared at all times. Keep things to do with you in case you have some waiting time. When you are on the road, clients often need more assistance than you are ready to offer. Keep your address book and a list of community resources handy so you can help your customers with any contact information they might need.
• Business cards — There are many times that people want your phone number, address or just a way to reach you. Too often, people tell me they are out of business cards. Make sure you have a supply that will last through the day. They are your best public relations tool.

To the road warriors of the home care industry, I applaud you. May these strategies help make your day a little less stressful.

Louis Feuer is president of Dynamic Seminars & Consulting Inc. and the founder and director of the DSC Teleconference Series, a teleconference training program. He can be reached at www.DynamicSeminars.com or by phone at 954/435-8182.