Good News - Becoming a Member Just Got Easier

Is your future at stake? What is happening in Congress? What are the rules being foisted on you?

HME providers have to protect their business. While doing that they also must protect all of their clientele. They need you! This cannot be accomplished alone; by banding together with other dealers, the chances for success are in your favor.

The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) is today the most effective and strongest voice you have. The association is opening the door for every HME provider to become a member. It has rolled back fees to the 1997 rate and has made it possible for smaller providers, those who do less than $600,000 sales annually, to become a member. Thank you!
This is wonderful news. Annual dues now are only $995/annum or $600/annum for small providers. Please join now! You can visit the AAHomecare booth (and the state HME association booths) at Medtrade.

The cost of membership in AAHomecare and your state HME association is not an expense. It is a normal part of the cost of running a business. You must purchase insurance to protect your investment. You have to belong to these associations for the same reasons, to protect your bottom line. If you have any doubts about this, please ask your accountant and you will find that it is true.

I could list all the benefits that belonging gives you. When you read the industry journals you will realize how they address every problem our industry faces on your behalf. Every day AAHomecare and your state DME associations are working for you. If every HME provider would become a member, they would be able to accomplish many more things for the industry.

I know how valuable membership is, so please pick up the phone and call AAHomecare at (703) 535-1882 and tell them Shelly sent you.

An "Accessible" Opportunity at Medtrade

In a previous blog we spoke about an entrepreneur in the Northeast who bought the house next to his establishment. He did it so he could furnish it with the multitude of products available for people with disabilities. He also displayed all the needed ADL items. There were canes in different rooms and a soap-on-the-rope in the shower. A model bedroom, an ideal kitchen and the perfect bedroom all set up to be seen! Every room in the home, every closet, the windows, the plumbing all had something to show. Even the telephones were very special.

At this home, here is a full-time person in attendance and a call to the main office will bring in any additional help. A desk was filled with literature and order forms. No one left empty handed, but the point was that they returned and bought items for themselves or for Mom and Dad.

The success of this home was breathtaking and word-of-mouth keeps a flow of visitors checking out this house.

At Medtrade this year there is a new treat in store for all called the “NextGen Medtrade Accessible Home: A Healthy Living Lifestyle Environment.” As the name implies, it will show as many items that can be set up in the space allotted. All attendees should find the time to visit this exhibit; it will give you many ideas that you can bring home. This is just one of the many new important features of the 2010 Medtrade in Atlanta.

Every exhibitor, every speaker, buying groups, state DME and national associations are all there for the same reason. Their common goal is to show you what they offer to benefit your business.

I have watched how Medtrade as developed from the very beginning. I am so pleased each year to see the new items and meet the new attendees. I see that this year will be the best. If you would like say hello, please call. I am always at your service (577-553-5137).

Medtrade's Keynote Speaker Will Inspire

Experiences at Medtrade are always enjoyable and exciting things as well as educational. The ability to listen to the keynote speaker provides an opportunity to learn. I have heard politicians, lawyers, educators, physicians and presidents of major companies. They all brought with them ideas that enable the audience to improve their business. They provide tools how to exist in a trying atmosphere.

This year at Medtrade you will be able to listen to a professor who will send you home filled with techniques to prosper and eliminate the “gloom and doom” outlook.

From the Columbia University Graduate School of Business comes Professor Cliff Schorer who will give dealers and providers a new insight to become more creative. He calls it “a road map to success” for the HME/DME industry. He is known as the “Entrepreneur in Residence” at his school. Who better to show you new ways to grow sales and increase profits? Isn’t that why you attend Medtrade?

Professor Schorer's many years of study and deep understanding of business will filter down to each person in the audience. He is the keynote speaker and will set the tone for Medtrade. You will find listed close to 100 lectures to attend. I describe Medtrade as the learning center!

You have to be there and bring key employees to participate with you. Your team must come prepared and then return to your home base with all the new ideas.

But that is just the beginning of why you and your staff are attending Medtrade. Study the many seminars that are available to you and divide them up with as many people as you can bring. Each will return and share with everyone in your company what they have learned.

What to do Today - Part II

Once you have taken the time to prepare a new “business plan” as outlined in Part 1 and have reviewed it with your accountant, then the next step is to place it into action.

Taking action is how you will be able to get every member of your staff involved. I suggest that this be done away from the office so there should be no diversions. Your staff will realize the importance of this plan to grow the company when meeting in a neutral location (they each have a vested interest in success).

A copy of the goals for each segment should be prepared prior to the meeting and given to the employee charged with that part. They will be able to study and make their plans for success. When this is shared with the entire team, you will be very pleasantly surprised at what other staffers will suggest. Do not omit the drivers and delivery staff; you will be delighted when some gems come from them.

Last year at Medtrade, I spoke to an old associate of mine who does this annually. He told me that his is a very profitable company run with rather a small staff. Which I was very aware of! Every member on his team feels that they are a vital cog in their company. He treats them all extremely well with bonuses, tickets to the theatre, or a dinner for two at a local restaurant. These are presented as awards for progress.

This “esprit de corps” is one of the major keys to developing both new sales and profits. Think of your company as a football or baseball team. If every player performs at 100% of his or her capability, you, the manager, are the winner.

Since I have done this all the years I was in business, I can share with you some of the experiences I have had. I would like to know how you have fared. If you have a few free moments, please call me (877) 553-5127 and let us see if we can meet at Medtrade in Atlanta this year.

What to do Today - Part I

We are standing on the threshold of a changing economy. We are all aware of what the last 24 months have done to our profession. Now, our industry must look at things differently.

Every indication seems to be saying that the “recession” is almost behind us. I feel it was a depression, but whatever people wish to call it, times are changing.

When the times are changing so must you. There are three months left to this year. I suggest that you sit down today to start to write a new business plan for 2011. Review where in the last 24 months the bulk of your sales were developed. Did they come from OTC, Medicare, Medicaid or other third-party payors? Perhaps you are in a locale that has a great number of walk-ins, this must be considered. The important first thing to study is where the sales came from?

The second step is to break down all sales by just how much each discipline provided. Did the sales come from oxygen, rehab, diabetics, incontinence products, sales or via walk-ins? Please include the total of every segment you provide, not just the major ones. If you need any additional help, ask your accountant.

Once all of the material is gathered and studied, then the next step is to report to your staff the results. It is very important that you involve every employee. Then together new goals can be established.

It is important that you get everyone working for the company involved. Even your delivery staff will be able to tell you about what they see when bringing parcels to accounts.

In my next blog I will bring you to part 2. If there are any questions you have, please call me at (877) 553-5127. I have heard from some of my readers and am always excited when you take a moment to call me.

Get the Education You Need at Medtrade

Over the years while attending Medtrade, I have had the pleasure of listening to some of the finest professionals in our industry. Just to list them all would fill several pages. All of these very knowledgeable gurus are some of the most important reasons why you must attend Medtrade.

Whatever discipline or avenue you wish to follow, there is someone who will be able to provide guidance. Wherever your interest lies, be it sales and marketing, accreditation, oxygen, rehab, or any of the many spheres of interest, there will be several seminars available to you. Review the list carefully to be sure you do not miss any that are of value to your company.

It is very difficult to attend all of the sessions that are offered. I recommend participating as a team. Bring to Medtrade some of your most deserving employees who will benefit from this experience. The modest cost of this will have a great ROI. Schedule with them which lectures they wish to attend. Be sure they keep excellent notes and share those and the presentation handouts with other team members.

You will be honoring your employees for what they have already accomplished by allowing them to develop new goals to achieve.

I have had the pleasure of speaking at previous Medtrade seminars. I love to observe the audience watching the screen and busily taking notes.

When I speak with many of the providers I have known over the years, one thing becomes very clear. They have run their businesses very successfully and have indicated how much they have learned each year at Medtrade. There are few schools that can provide the amount of knowledge in the short period of time as at Medtrade.

An Open Door

Do you allow yourself the luxury of sitting down to study opportunities that may be available for your company? In the past few weeks, I have spoken with several providers about what they do to increase sales and volume. I found this very interesting because they all had wonderful ideas.

The question is are you aware that the “door is open?” One idea passed on to me during these conversations was current profits. Working closely with their accountant they looked at every discipline offered.

High on the list were oxygen and related services. I anticipated this would be much lower, but I was pleasantly surprised. Of course, as the reimbursements go down and the necessary services remain the same, the net profits will fall. Your task is to replace those profits.

Wheelchairs, scooters and lifts appeared to be another decent profit center. National advertising by a major provider has created this market. Many smaller providers are finding that not only can they compete, but also their clientele prefers to purchase supplies locally. Become aggressive and reap your share of this market.

ADL products give you a very large open door. Nearly everything you offer can be an “aid to daily living” product. All it takes to expand this segment is a little advertising, visiting the community health care associations, going to the various church group sessions, holding a Saturday open house once a month, and bright signs in your windows offering good prices on popular OTC items. With very little effort you can bring people in and continue to expand sales. Do not sit by and say, “What can I do?”

Be sure you attend Medtrade in November. This is the source! There you will find “the open door” and walk into so many opportunities for new and increased profitability.