Doing What Comes Naturally

I have had the pleasure of meeting so many DME/HME providers in my 60 odd year career.  When we speak, I usually ask about the way they approach the market in their hometown. The answers I receive are all basically they same.  They are doing what comes naturally.

There are no secrets to becoming a good marketer! Although you may not think that you are a good marketer, the truth is that you really are good.

All markets must be approached as if they are unique. In a small town or village, the competition usually is not a major department store or supermarket. There, you are an integral part of the community. You belong to the local business club, church and went to the local school. You are doing what comes naturally, speaking, promoting and participating. All of this reflects as your business grows.

As the size of a market expands, the competition becomes more apparent, then one has to approach things differently. Everything you do is to keep you company name recognized. A DME/HME dealer in Maryland sponsored a baseball team and that was good enough to be invited to participate in a major Little League competition upstate N.Y. One entrepreneur belongs to a Rotary Club and his location became the source of tickets to their various fund-raising activities. Another organized a bowling tournament which has been active for almost 20 years.

A dealer in southern Illinois hires a big horse-drawn wagon to carry neighbors “apple knocking” every fall. These trips have sent loads of people picking apples and he said the cost is minimal for his company.  In California, way up in the mountains, that local DME/HME provider gives a “good health” chat on a local radio station and it has been expanded to local TV. 

By doing these things, they each have developed a large following and a nice ROI. All of the efforts I mentioned are providers “doing what comes naturally.” You, too, can do it!