Is just one marketing plan enough? Probably not. I have spent a great deal of time comparing the home care sales business to other industries, but there is nothing like us. I'll bet many of you knew that already. Our customer base is complex, and the players on the team barely know each other.
Most of the people involved in the purchase of one piece of equipment have neither met nor know much about each other. Oh, and we have people who pay the bills that we only speak with on the telephone and usually have never met the customer in person. How's that for a strange arrangement!
We are in an industry where the people who order the equipment do not use it, and the people who use the equipment often are not the ones ordering it. How would you like someone to pick out your clothes for you and have them delivered to your house with a note attached saying, “I ordered this for you. Please use, and do not forget to pay the bill!”
In many respects, I think our industry works something like that.
Marketing is not about making a sales call or planning a meeting. Marketing is about making a plan, understanding your mission, focusing on what results you can expect and developing a strategy for reaching the customer.
What are the triple components you should include in your marketing plan? You need to focus on the professional referral source, the patient and the retail customer. Each one of these three groups brings to the marketing strategies planning meeting the requirement for a separate plan and message. Treat each segment of your customer audience with a unique plan, and keep in mind the following ideas:
The Professional Referral Source
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Plan to see more people face-to-face.
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Know what you are going to talk about before you get to the meeting.
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Review your marketing materials to make sure they address what professionals want to hear and read about.
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Make a list of what meetings and events you can attend that would place you in contact with these professionals.
The Patient
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Develop a list of community social service agencies and support groups that could benefit from your input.
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Review materials that could be delivered to patients' homes with the products they have already ordered, i.e., flyers, catalogs, patient instructions, etc.
The Retail Customer
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Locate new sources of advertising both in print and through sponsorships.
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Are you developing a marketing plan that involves inviting your retail customer back to your store to see new products, open houses, educational programs, etc.?
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Create a mailing list from those customers who come into your store.
When developing your triple-play marketing plan, remember that one size does not fit all. What the professional referral source wants to hear about is not the same as the retail customer. And patients have their own concerns about 24-hour service, responsiveness and probably how easy it is to locate your store or even any special offers you have.
Try this creative idea. It will help you and key members of your staff focus on one market segment at a time:
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Set up three small marketing committees.
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Give each group the task of developing a marketing plan for each of the audiences you want to reach. Look for new ideas and new plans.
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Bring all the committees back together after they have had the chance to have one or two meetings and see what ideas overlap, which ideas are unique and what the total costs would be for your triple-play marketing plan.
Begin making your triple plays for 2008. Remember that opportunities to build your business are never lost; they are just picked up by your competition.
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.
