Page 29 - HME Business, March 2019

SOFT OPAQUE
TEAL BLUE IRIS
CARAMEL MIST
EVERSHEER
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MICROFIBER SHADES
NAVY ARGYLE
ONYX ARGYLE
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“Each staff member is expected to know a lot about each of the products we sell. There’s no doubt about that. But the more important thing is to display compassion.”
— Wayne Slavitt, Mobül
have heard about it. It’s on the Internet. It’s on the news. It’s everywhere now. A lot of people feel more comfortable getting that from us because we’re in the healthcare business,” Gould says.
PORTABLE OXYGEN CONCENTRATORS
Portable oxygen concentrators (POCs) provide an alternative strategy to a tank- delivery model for oxygen. It also provides customers who continue to live an active and mobile lifestyle with an alluring alternative
to large and heavy tanks. The smaller, more portable POC lends customers independence from their homes and healthcare facilities.
Stearns recommends stocking POCs for two reasons. First, “Portable concentrators are
the hottest trend right now. They are more reliable and affordable right now more than ever before, and manufacturers are spending millions of dollars in advertising. These factors are leading to record sales nationwide,”
he says. Secondly, “Accessories, like extra batteries and carrying cases, offer care-tailing opportunities, and together the high demand and high margin dollars make this category highly attractive,” he adds.
“POCs need to be displayed well in the retail area, and all staff need to be fully trained on every aspect of the unit. The key is to differentiate from the direct to consumer crowd by offering education, resources and options.”
As with other HME product categories, finding ways to maintain an edge over online retailers is a necessity. Stearns says, “Consider offering promotions that would be difficult
to find online, such as “Try Before you Buy” initiatives and involving a respiratory therapist for clinical support.”
KNOW YOUR CUSTOMERS
From bath safety to POCs, whatever the product category, providers should choose the product they sell carefully. Alex Anderson says, “I like to think that we carefully curate our product selection. We want to make sure
that we have the best of the best. Our buying habits are based on things that we’d let our parents or grandparents use. Is it something we’d personally use? Do we trust and believe in the product.”
By making the selling experience personal, providers will have greater employee buy-in, which is key to selling effectively. Baumhover notes, “Too often we see providers who attend a trade show, buy a new product and place the product on the shelves without acknowledgment to the employees. This approach makes it very hard for the employee to sell.”
As an alternative approach, Baumhover says to “Instead, help create a personal experience for the employees with the new products. Bring in a vendor to do a demo or sales training. Allow them to play with the product, giving them a chance to create a product testimony for their sales conversa- tions. To be an expert, they must feel like the expert!”
Any HME provider who has been successful in retail will tell you that having a friendly staff that has deep knowledge of the prod- ucts is essential to your store. Importantly,
it is the one thing that an online retailer will not have. Staff should know what product their store carries and has in stock as well as how to operate the medical equipment, and, when necessary, train or provide product specialists.
But product knowledge alone is not enough. To have well-rounded staff, providers should look for people who are compas- sionate. “The first thing that you should look for in salespeople is compassion, patience and understanding,” Wayne Slavitt says. “Each staff member them is expected to know a lot about each of the products we sell. There’s no doubt about that. But the more important thing is to display compassion. We are really big on dignity. The knowledge is important, but here’s the thing: people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” n
Management Solutions | Technology | Products
hme-business.com | March 2019 | HMEBusiness 29
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