Jail

Interesting things happen when least expected and often these will open new doors for your DME/HME Company. I once received a request wanting to know if I had three and four-inch elastic bandages in stock. 

The phone call came from the local prison, which was less than a mile away from my location. I took the order. It was not a very large one but I delivered it personally. I did that because I wanted to meet the person who placed the order. This proved to be a most interesting experience. I asked to meet the P.A. so I could hand deliver the package. A call was made and this was approved. I had to go through a rather  interesting body check and then an armed guard took me to the purchasing office. It seems that he, too, wanted to meet me.

The purchasing agent gave me the P.O. and we had an intriguing conversation. They could purchase up to a specific dollar amount of items they needed STAT. He also explained how the prisons sent out bids. After a little research on their part, my company was approved to receive bids. Since nearly all the items requested were standard equipment we inventoried and the competition was big national med-surg companies, my company was awarded many bids. The competition sold only by the case and I offered the specific quantity needed.

I then made appointments to meet the P.A.s at all the other prisons once a month. The major companies did not do that; all their communication was by mail or phone (before e-mail). These comparatively small orders added up to some very nice profitable transactions.  

So I went to jail and opened a new door for sales.