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Scooters come in all shapes and sizes and have a multitude of uses. When designing a scooter marketing strategy, think first about targeting consumers as the primary audience for these devices.
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Selling a scooter can be likened to selling a motorcycle. When a customer wants a scooter, he or she will want to give it a test drive. How can your company make it easy for consumers to try a scooter? Could you offer to take one or two chosen models to their homes? Do you have a wide variety of scooters in your store? In lots of colors?
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You can build a scooter business by gaining a reputation in your area for having a wide variety of models, handling reimbursement and providing excellent customer services. This means you will need to think like a car dealership. If you don't have exactly the right model or color in stock, could you trade with another company to get it in for your customer or get it quickly from your manufacturer?
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What kinds of people could use a scooter? A lot more than have them. With the aging population, scooters have become an excellent method of transportation in retirement communities. Find the local retirement centers in your area and offer to put in a test model for people to try. Make sure potential buyers know you can fit them to each individual's need.
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Think seriously about consumer advertising. Get a good advertising agency to help you. Focus advertising on “getting around;” our industry uses the term “mobility,” but this may be too vague a word for some people to understand. Ask semi-mobile seniors in your community what would interest them in a scooter, and then make sure your advertising includes the things of interest to your target audience.
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Let your traditional referral sources know about scooters. Most of them are confused about what kinds of people want a scooter. Give them brochures including your company's name, and tell referral sources that you would be happy to send over a consultant to assist in getting the right scooters for their patients.
Remember that under CMS' new mobility policy, scooters are part of the “stepped” devices plan, so physicians and other referral sources may be prescribing more of them.
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In the future, scooters may become even more consumer-oriented. I expect them to look like small motorcycles with more of a European design. Scooters are all the rage in countries like Italy. Take into consideration that scooter-users are getting younger and more picky about what kinds of scooters they have in their possession. Think about the image aspects of matching scooters to personalities and needs.
Scooters are not just a health care sell anymore. You will still have patients with medical needs, but you have a consumer sell as well — and you need to tune into those aspects to build sales in this market.
Alison Cherney is president of Cherney & Associates Inc., a Brentwood, Tenn.-based marketing and sales consulting firm, and is the producer of Homecare Power Selling, a sales training program for home care sales reps. She can be reached at 615/776-3399 or through www.cherneyandassociates.com.
