Archive for February, 2009

Should You Be Selling to the Long-Term Health-Care Market?

Monday, February 16th, 2009

Born from 1946 to 1964, the Baby Boomers represent the largest generation of aging adults ever.  As they have grown older, this generation has single-handedly changed every stage of life that they have encountered along the journey.  So what’s on the horizon for this highly demanding population group?  Long-term health care!In 2004, the first of the Baby Boom generation turned 60 years of age.  This segment of the population has the Long-Term Health-Care (LTC) industry primed for a 35-40-year-growth cycle.  The future is bright for this industry that currently sports over 16,000 nursing homes nationwide.

So … Do you know how to get a piece of this growth oriented business?  Here are some key elements to focus on when selling in this market.

  • A Diverse Market – The LTC market is made up of more than just traditional nursing homes.  The industry includes:  retirement villages; senior living communities; independent living; assisted living; geriatric nursing care; skilled nursing facilities; memory care residences; and hospice care. All of these areas make up the long-term care industry and each represents a different selling opportunity.
  • Staffing Issues – Like all health-care industry segments, staffing is a major issue. The recruitment, retention, training, and recognition of employees are key elements to the overall success of any LTC facility.
  • Public Relations – All facilities in the LTC industry are dependent on good public relations. They are involved in their community, often sponsoring local events that target seniors.
  • Safety – there is no bigger issue in the LTC industry than resident and employee safety. An effective plan of action is not only required by law, but absolutely necessary for the survival of any facility.

There are plenty of companies that want to sell their line of products to these LTC facilities.  The best selling advantage you can have is to know their industry before you ask for their business.  For more information on marketing to “Boomers”, check out “How to Market to Grandparents – Q&A on Tips, Tactics and Results” and more at http://www.theboomerblog.com/

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Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Create a Company Store

Saturday, February 14th, 2009

Why do companies create a company store? Understanding the answer to this question will help you determine whether this type of program is right for you. The following are the top five reasons why companies create an online company store to help manage their promotional products and corporate apparel:

  • To control their branding: brand abuse is out of control, they have no system of protection for their brand
  • To simplify their corporate apparel program: apparel selection and ordering is messy and requires too much administration
  • To centralize their location: they have no organized system to easily see and purchase the branded products
  • To control their purchasing: product purchasing is fragmented, no purchasing leverage and little organizational control
  • To minimize administration: too much energy duplicated across multiple locations to create similar branded products and delivery channels

You can reduce this list down to three simple words: speed, power and control. Speed is important in getting branded materials into the hands of the people that need them the most, quickly. Power is critical because a large organization needs a scalable, robust eCommerce solution that can handle virtually any branded product. Control is imperative. Maintaining brand consistency and providing easier ways to track departmental purchases are critical components to a healthy store.

The bottom line is, within most large organizations, the internal staff is spending too much time procuring and organizing material for their brand; the creative capital of these employees is best spent on mission-critical objectives, (i.e., selling, communications, market development, etc.). A company store provides the perfect vehicle to save time and simplify what is normally a complicated process.

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