Page 16 - HME Business, December 2017
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                                      of in-store shopping may decline. With that,
we know perks like free shipping and product reviews play an important role in their purchase decisions.”
For Tim Rutti, president of Vally Medical Supplies, when boomers visit his store, having
a wide selection is key and having fully-loaded merchandise (all accessories included) on the salesroom  oor get the attention and sales from baby boomers. He also says baby boomers expect a warranty on products and services, a fair return policy, and an accessible list of product specs.
Jeff Rukas, vice president of sales and marketing for provider Blackburn’s, explains that his company’s focus is on baby boomers as care- takers for elderly parents and loved ones.
“Baby boomers are generally the individ-
uals calling, searching online, stopping at our showrooms and making appointments at our Accessibility Center,” he notes. “We have all the standard items available for them, including hospital beds, stair lifts, lift chairs, grab bars, and bathroom aids. But with that being said we are more focused, from a private pay standpoint, on higher-end items that might be needed to make the home accessible. These include curved stairlifts, modular ramps, vertical platform lifts and overhead lifts.”
Consultant Ty Bello, RCC, president and founder of sales and marketing coaching  rm Team@Work, says he believes that baby boomers will continue the need to address health issues surrounding incontinence, wound care, and bathing and bed supplies.
“With 25 percent to 35 percent of men and women in the U.S. having urinary incontinence, this sector is estimated by Ad Age to be a $1.6 billion business,” he says. “With baby boomers staying in their homes and not transitioning
to long-term care facilities, wound care will continue to rise for the HME retail provider. The percentage of adults age 65 and older staying in
 “Baby boomers have a strong desire to live independently in their own homes and remain a part of their communities.”
— Bianca Araújo-Méndez, Compass Health Brands
  ‘Caretailing’ Your Way into the Baby Boomer Marketing
To sell to a baby boomer, the best route is a “caretailing” approach, says Rob Baumhover, director of retail programs for The VGM Group. As you may know, caretailing is the process of recommending add-on, cash sale items that a patient needs in order to recover faster or provide a better quality of life.
Baumhover is not saying HME customer service representatives should channel their inner used car salesman.
“Caretailing is not hocking product,” he explains. “Nobody bene ts when we try to sell customers products they absolutely don’t need. The customer spends more money than necessary on items that won’t help them, and we get a reputation of being product-pushers. Not the situation we want. We want to make customers happy and healthy by providing products designed to  t their speci c needs so they become loyal, lifelong customers — if they aren’t already.”
By implementing a caretailing mindset within your business, Baumhover says that both you and the baby boomers you’re targeting reap positive tangible and intan- gible bene ts. For example:
For the Customer:
• Being equipped with all the tools to heal properly or live more comfortably puts the customer’s mind at ease so they can focus on getting/staying healthy.
• By healing correctly the  rst time or staying healthy with the add-on products recom- mended through caretailing, customers can potentially lower medical expenses from repeat doctor visits.
• Caretailing doesn’t force customers into products they don’t need — it opens their eyes to product possibilities they didn’t know existed.
For the business:
• Adding additional products to the  nal ticket increases revenue brought into the store.
• For hospital-owned business, covering all the bases in the customer’s care will reduce read- missions and the penalties that go with it.
• Work with your vendor reps to learn sales
tips for speci c products. After all, they are the experts on their product and how it bene ts patients.
• Doing what’s best for the customer creates a loyal following and generates repeat purchasing.
“Caretailing can be applied to any customer, with any condition or disease state, in any product category,” he advises. “For baby boomers, put yourself in their shoes. What prod- ucts would you want in order to be comfortable or to heal better if you were in their position?”
Baumhover offered a couple examples:
You’re a 64-year-old weekend warrior – you love running 5Ks, taking your dog on hikes, bike riding, etc. But you recently have been experiencing knee pain and are looking for relief. Products you might need:
• Athletic compression • Pain relief creams
• Hot and cold packs
You’ve had Type I diabetes since you were young. You’ve managed it great your entire life, but now that you’re 56, you’re beginning to have pain in your feet and legs. Products you might need:
• Diabetic footwear
• Shoe inserts
• Pain relief creams
• Compression stockings • Hot and cold packs
“Repeat this process for any situation you come across,” he says. “You’ll think of several add-on products that’ll give the baby boomer customer a true caretailing experience. The key is keeping the customer’s health and best interest at the forefront.”
To summarize, six to product categories that Baumhover suggests carrying for baby boomers include:
• Supportive footwear/insoles
• Active compression
• Muscle/Pain massagers
• Pain creams
• Compression socks
• Comfort pillows
  “We are more
focused, from
a private pay
standpoint,
on higher-end
items that
might be
needed to make the home accessible. These include curved stairlifts, modular ramps, vertical platform lifts and overhead lifts.”
— Jeff Rukas, Blackburn’ s
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