It always rewards me to hear from home medical equipment providers — the conversations are great. These entrepreneurs are always filled with unique ideas about ways they plan to improve their businesses and increase their profits. They tell me how they will remodel and change their showrooms. I applaud their efforts and always encourage these providers to follow through on their ideas.
But, when I ask the same providers a few weeks later how they are progressing with their plans, too often I hear something like this: “Well, Shelly, you know how busy we are and I just never got around to it.”
This does not sit well with me. Why? These providers did not make a commitment to themselves to follow through on good ideas.
By the same token, the providers who did follow through to make the changes they spoke of — that is, those who kept the commitment — answer my query as follows: “Business has picked up immediately. I am bringing in new customers and increasing the size of my sales.”
How can you keep the same commitment? Start with your staff — this is your most important business asset. Each one of your employees is valuable. Make the commitment to involve every employee in your business decision-making, and you will be pleasantly surprised at the result.
In most well-run businesses, each employee invariably knows more about his or her little segment of the operation than the proprietor knows about that segment — and rightly so.
To bank on this knowledge, hold regular staff meetings — titled “New Ideas to Expand Sales,” perhaps. Let your staff know that each staff member will be allotted a certain amount of time to share his or her ideas about generating sales.
For your part, you will not speak any more than simply offering the opening greeting. (I know how most proprietors operate, so I know keeping silent will be tough!). Instead, you will sit, pen in hand, taking notes about your employees' ideas.
If you have a dozen employees attend, you will leave the meeting with a dozen new ways to increase your company's business.
To follow up, schedule individual meetings each of your employees to review his or her suggestions. When all this material has been gathered and sorted through, you will find several wonderful opportunities for your company.
Be sure to reward the employees whose ideas you use with two tickets to a show or dinner for two at one of your community's finest restaurants. This small incentive will pay off with big dividends, I assure you.
Now, make the commitment to go forward. Make it happen! But remember, it has to be a commitment from all.
And Another Thing…
Speaking of staff, when is the last time you thought about your sales staff? Specifically, when is the last time you considered what attributes make a great salesperson? Is it charm? Is it personality? Is it knowledge?
It's all of the above — and then some. There is no cookie-cutter mold for a winning salesperson, but each successful seller meets the same general qualifications.
First, the successful salesperson knows intimately the products he or she sells, and can describe the company's product offerings in detail, without sounding as if he or she has memorized a script. Knowing the product line and being able to share that knowledge makes selling so much easier.
Next, the successful salesperson reflects the best attributes of the company for which he or she works. This salesperson never makes a derogatory comment — even in jest — about his or her company or products. Instead, the successful salesperson always puts his or her company on a pedestal — and remembers who is the source of his or her commissions and paychecks.
The successful salesperson establishes a rapport with customers that leads to his or her being considered the “source” for all information about the industry or product line. A difficulty that many salespeople have to overcome is how to establish themselves in the “source” role. To do so, they must get beyond the opening greeting — too much time is wasted on social niceties, or small talk. Start with a brief “Isn't-this-a-nice-day” greeting, and then cut to the chase: Time is money, and any time that is spent not being a professional can never be recovered.
When the salesperson “teaches,” which is a basic sales tool, he or she develops a different relationship with your customers. The good salesperson provides customers with the knowledge they need to make decisions about the products you sell.
Finally, the successful salesperson represents the customer to the company. I know that sounds like it is being said in reverse, but it is true: As the customer's advocate, the salesperson earns that customer's goodwill and subsequent sales.
There are many other things sales-people can do to solidify their relationships with customers. The key to sales success is to sell two commodities — their companies and themselves.
A Deadly Sin
Is greed a driving force in the HME profession?
Buddha said, “There is no fire like passion, there is no shark like hatred, there is no snare like folly, there is no torrent like greed.”
I see more than a torrent of greed marring our profession. Every day, I read of the fines meted out to hospital chains for alleged fraud — millions of dollars in fines and still they flourish. In the home care and physician arenas, I hear of providers who bill Medicare, not for the services they actually perform, but for ones that pay a larger reimbursement. I read about one excess after another — and I am appalled.
Apparently, legislators are equally appalled, and as a result, have passed many laws to correct the problem of Medicare fraud. Unfortunately, HME providers, who are considered to be at the bottom of the health care chain, are hurt the hardest by this legislation.
Therefore, it is time — right now, this year — for HME providers to become passionate in our fight against health care fraud and abuse.
If we reduce fraud and abuse in our industry, we can assure our customers that they will continue to obtain home care services at the level they deserve.
If we reduce fraud and abuse, we can assure other HME providers that by following the rules, reimbursement and regulatory changes will not be as drastic as they fear, and their business opportunities will expand.
Finally, if we reduce fraud and abuse, we will protect our industry from further legislations that are proving to be detrimental to our daily business operations.
Is greed a driving force in our industry? It shouldn't be.
Farewell
Tom Hoyer, a long-time Medicare administrator, has retired. At the time of his retirement, Hoyer was director of the Chronic Care Policy Group for the Center for Medicare Management at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Although I may not have agreed with him on several issues, I have always admired Hoyer's honesty and forthrightness. He never hesitated to express how he felt about any issue. His candor and integrity will be missed in the industry. I wish him only the best for the future.
First-Hand Experience
I have heard that a large percentage of senior citizen's fee-for-service Medicare claims were caused injuries resulting from a fall. Unfortunately, I can relate to that information on a personal level. Although my injury occurred while I was out of my home, most of these accidents happen in the home.
HME providers should start a strong campaign in their locations to educate family caregivers and seniors about the fall-related hazards in the home. Not only would this build goodwill, but it would also encourage new sales of safety items such as grab bars, shower safety rails, stools, bed rails, hand-held shower attachments, bath benches, raised toilet seats and so forth. You all know the safety items to feature.
Take the initiative a step further by becoming an expert on the prevention of falls. Provide simple suggestions for home modification — removing throw rugs and keeping items like newspapers off the floor, for example. Take this information to senior citizen associations, churches and schools. Position your company and its employees as the spokespeople for home safety. Then you can reap the harvest in sales.
No Pun Intended
Headline in local paper: “Obesity is a growing problem.” Yes indeed, the market is expanding. Is this an opportunity for HME dealers? I spoke with one dealer who has started to market a line of exercise equipment. Need I say more?
Sheldon “Shelly” Prial is a partner with HPS Healthcare Management. A licensed pharmacist, he has been involved with the health care industry for more than 50 years. In 1987, he founded the Homecare Providers Co-op, now part of VGM Group. He can be reached by e-mail at shelly.prial@worldnet.att.net or by phone at 888/367-7208.
