Suggestive Selling Techniques

Many of our medical customers are adding retail selling space to their locations to increase their revenue streams with instant cash flow. Suggestive selling is a merchandising technique that can increase your retail product sales - sometimes without having to say a word!

Celebrity Endorsements

Whether we agree with it or not, celebrities offer selling power.  If you have a product that endorsed by a celebrity such as an famous actress or musician, then showcase it. Maybe you have a local community figure that loves your items too. Use signage or visual aids including their picture and a quote of how the product worked for them.  Prop these aids next to your retail product display. These images and words suggest educate that the product worked for these well-known people and they are putting their name behind it. This builds trust and credibility in the product and encourages more sales.

Write It Up

Take a tip from doctor's prescription pads and write down the products you used or recommended to your patients. This gives them a visual reminder of the products you discussed. You can show them the product to let them touch and feel it such as brace, a new cane, or a power chair. Not only does this provide the patient confidence to use the item, but also gets them closer and engage with the product. A slightly more hard sell approach is pre-packaging the items for them potentially offering a discount as they go towards check out.

Cross Sales and Up Sales

Stock your displays or retail product tables with related items. A new brace and a pain-reliever cream   or a mastectomy bra and a fashion head scarf. Offer a discount for the cross-sell product with the purchase of the other item. This allows clients to try products they haven't tried before but feeling their a getting a good value. You can also up-sell by offering value sizes of certain items, 2-for-1 deals, or half-off the second like item. This is a more promotional selling tactic but the goal is to increase your average ticket sale plus the patient might fall in love with the new product and drive a repeat purchase.

Group It

Your patients want to know they are getting a good value. Increase the perceived value by grouping products together. Creating retail product sets of pain relief kits, or cane accessories make your customers feel they are getting more bang for their buck.  Package the set in a ready-to-go bag. This allows easy carrying to the check out area and again the customer feels they are getting more value with a potentially reusable travel bag.

Selling retail doesn't have to be overwhelming or so stressful. Suggestive selling can take a more soft-sell approach that customers appreciate and respond to by buying! Happy Selling!

What's Your Bag?

If you are an independent medical facility, you want every advantage possible to grow your business. The right packaging can be another tool in your arsenal to provide a professional image, increase efficiency and assist with patient safety.

Personalization Power

Look the part by adding your logo to your packaging. Personalization builds your image as reputable a business.  Coordinating your business cards, letterhead, staff apparel, and bags provide a consistent marketing message across all items that come in contact with your patient. This builds confidence and trust that you are strong, established business who can meet their needs.

Depending your business you might be moving medical equipment, braces, orthopedics, or other items out the door. Package your retail items in the right bag and personalize it with your logo to create a walking billboard. Your bag travels with your patient continually advertising your business. In fact, many bags are reused by customers for lunch bag or as a tote bag to the grocery store. Your business is going places your marketing collateral never would.

Accreditation Packaging Supplies
Accreditation packaging supplies are created to not only  help you meet certification requirements but improve work flow and patient safety.  Equipment covers and tags to indicate clean, dirty, repairs, or returns. These items help streamline your operations by quickly alerting staff of the equipment needs. The assisting with your staff following accreditation requirements for not only their safety but also your patients.

The Right Bag for the Job
Packaging helps you do your job better. If you are delivery temperature sensitive TPN units or diabetic meds, foil pouches and chill packs allow you to safely supply your patients with their needs. Color coded or printed specimen bags alert staff instantly of specimen needs. Prescription bags allow you to staple important medication information and have the patient get their meds out the door.

Bags can be a forgotten supply item but they are a universal tool to improve your business. How are bags helping your business today?

Ask Questions to Close the Sale!

Adding value to your patients experience is the key to ringing up sales these days. Customers want to feel they are getting the most bang for their buck before parting with their hard earned cash. The product and service knowledge your staff have is a valuable asset your business that can provide is free of charge! Educating clients as a trusted adviser works in concert with providing the right service and products to meet patients' needs.


Sample Questions to Ask Clients
* What is your current biggest health or mobility challenges?

*What results are you trying to achieve?

* What products or treatments have you used in the past?

* What did you like and what didn't you like about those products?

These answers will clue you in on services and retail product recommendations to meet the patients desired goals in a non-pushy but value-adding atmosphere.

Tips for Maximizing These Conversations

* Train staff to get the customers talking by engaging in relationship building discussions.

* Listen and truly hear what the patient is (or isn't saying) can also help understand their expectations.

* Avoid stereotypes and preconceived notions of what the patient needs and be open to what they want.

Understanding the patient's needs, wishes, and pain points will drive better recommendations that meet the clients expectations. By giving customers what they want and solving there concerns, you will build trust with that patient and, in turn, sell more services and retail products!

Please share any additional questions that work well for your customer consultations. We all need to maximize every selling opportunity!

5 Tips for Retail Success

Many medical businesses have launched into the world retail. Simply putting up shelves, adding some product, and opening the doors won't drive the sales. Merchandising, display, promotions and a little retail know-how can set you up for success.

Eye Level is Buy Level 
Keep your products in easy access. Especially for the home health sector, many customers aren't mobile and if they can't reach a product they aren't likely to purchase it. Take tips from grocery stores and big box retailers by putting the items you wish to feature at customers' normal eye level. Other tactics are merchandising smallest to biggest putting lighter items at the top and heavier items at the bottom. This makes it easier to reach and less likely heavy items might fall.

Fully Stock
Keep shelves and racks full of products. There is a false belief that full shelves may look like items aren't selling, but actually studies have shown full shelves sell more. When displays are picked over it is less inviting to customers. Keep them full of product, neat and organized.

Talk it Up
Use signage and self-talkers to call attention to products. Signage can be informative to direct shoppers to the items of interest. Shelf-talkers can call out special offers, gift with purchase, or product benefits. Avoid hard to read fancy fonts or cluttering with too many signs.

Window Display
Create an eye-catching visual that draws customers in. Potential customers have a no-pressure area where they view your product offering in a beautiful display. Don't be afraid to use bold colors and some signage, especially if you have special promotion, but remember less is more. This isn't something to set it and forget it. Be creative and keep refreshing the display every month so that each time a customer visits it looks new and inviting.

Reception and Checkout Area
If you are offering services and retail, position your retail away from your reception area.  Ideally clients should walk through the retail areas to your reception. This offers the opportunity to browse. Don't keep products behind your desks areas. Customers love to touch, feel, and explore items. Remove all roadblocks to making a purchase.

With a bit of focus and attention to detail, your retail can be flying off the shelves! Have additional tips that worked for your business? Please share in the comment section below.

The Coupon Craze

There are new extreme coupon TV reality shows and an explosion of discount limited time coupon programs, such as Groupon. Consumers are jumping on the coupon band wagon. Take advantage of this growing tend by incorporating coupons into your marketing plans to grow your medical retail business.

Quantity verus Quality?

The old adage - "It is not how many people you know, but who you know" can ring true in these days of how many friends, followers, fans do you have?! Growing your social media connections can be an excellent goal for your business, but don't forget to develop a few close professional community relationships too. In these relationships - quality wins out over quantity.


Relationships To Build
High profile positions that touch many people in your community are ideal relationships to pursue. Real estate agents, bankers, healthcare workers, hospital administrators, community directors - basically people that work with a large portion of your neighbors who can be potential patients and customers.

Where to Network
Chamber of Commerce groups are an excellent place to meet other business professionals looking to network. Groups such as Lions, Knights of Columbus, or community volunteer and charity groups are additional options. Join and get involved. Attend meetings and participate in sub committees and events. This will allow you to interact with other members to get to know new people and start building relationships.

Promotion Ideas
These professional relationships can help you co-market each other. When your real estate friend closes with a new buyer in your area, have her give them a goodie bag that includes a special discount offer from your business. Host a community event at your location. This allows your patients to meet and greet with your professional friends who can offer special discounts such as setting up a new banking account with your banker connection or or free hearing test with your friend that has a hearing clinic. You can also promote each other in your newsletters or email offers. Brainstorm fun promotions with your new friends that spur interest and hopefully new customers for all of you.

Quality business relationships can do wonders for your business. Challenge yourself to go out and cultivate professional friendships. As your friendships blossom so will the creative ideas to market both of your businesses!

Customer Data is Golden

Did you know you have a gold mine inside your business? Your patient information is your business's gold. Instead of always chasing new customers, marketing to the customers you already have builds customer loyalty and provides a higher return on your market dollars. Here are some quick tips to mine for your own gold!

Collect Customer Info
Encourage new clients to fill out client info cards. Data collected should include mailing address, email, and phone/cell numbers. Ask questions regarding the type of products and services they interested in. This data will be instrumental in creating effective marketing campaigns. Make sure this data is captured in your internal client database such as your software system or your own spreadsheet.

Data Marketing
Putting the data into action is the fun part! Sorting your client lists by customer types such as male or female, serviced used, equipment rental clients, retail products purchased - the possibilities are endless. From there you can target postcard campaigns, email blasts, or special promotions relevant to what interests those customers. Bulk campaigns to your whole list can be used for general newsletters or overall promotions.

Loyalty Programs
Using your customer data in loyalty programs can also increase sales. Offering special VIP stats for long time clients with a discount or free products creates excitement and makes your customers feel valued. By capturing your customer's first service date, you can send anniversary cards with a thank you message and special discount. Feature long term clients in your newsletters or hold a VIP event with a gift bag with small goodies and discount offers. Celebrating and appreciating their business does wonders for loyalty.

Referrals
Once you have loyal customers who love your brand and services, ask for referrals. Offer a special incentive for the client who refers as well as the potential new client. Have your current customer pass you the referrals contact data and send an postcard with an intro offer. Once that referral becomes an client, employ all the steps above.

Your clients are your best asset. Mine your data well and watch your profits grow!