Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Recognizing Employee Creates Recognition

One of the providers I know, when we met at Medtrade this fall, told me what he did to create a bond between him and his employees. It was so simple and has proven to be so effective for him that I want to share it with all of you.

He printed a company business card for every employee. Under the company name he included their name, title or department and college degree. Of course it had the company logo, telephone number and address. I was really impressed when I saw one.

When he told me how proud each employee was (he even printed one for his delivery man). It appears that so many of these business cards, which he provided to all of his employees, as his employees proudly distributed them to friends and associates gave him a large ROI. It was a very inexpensive way to get a really great deal of recognition in the community.

Each of his employees was very excited to distribute them; it gave them a high degree of pride. They told all their friends what they did, how responsible their work was and just how satisfying it was for them to be involved with home health care.

Printing business cards is a very small investment. But this proprietor’s bonus was how many new customers came to his location as a result.

Think about this as a novel way to get your company name distributed in your market. If you would like to share some of your ideas with peers, please call (877) 553-5127) or e-mail them to me (shelly.prial@att.net). Thank you.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Important Information

When I speak with HME providers, I am often surprised that they have not stayed abreast with many of the problems we all face as an industry. I can appreciate that and understand why this is a problem.

Today most providers, or should I say proprietors, are working so many hours each day that they find little time to sit down to study the messages they receive. A brief revue is what most will do, but that is no longer sufficient. It is imperative to stay abreast of everything that may affect their company.

At Medtrade, I found time to have a cup of coffee with the principal of a major HME company. Being very aware of how busy he is running his operation, two locations and many employees, I asked him how he kept up and responded to what is going on in our industry.

His response was so important and I am going to share it with all of our readers.

Every day he takes time in the morning to read all the messages he received. He then acts on each by sending a copy to the employees who may be involved. If not, he sets it aside to do what is necessary by himself.

He told me that “there is nothing more valuable than knowing what is happening daily.” He tells me that now every Monday he studies the email newsletters provided by the various industry publications and Medtrade. He looks forward to the emails and literature he obtains from his state association. He enjoys the print copies of the industry magazines and studies them all. Each for him is a source of information. He has attended every Medtrade since he opened his operation and told me that there he is able to make many good deals and establish better relations with his suppliers.

By staying informed you will meet all you goals.