Home Health & Hospice Week

Build stronger ties with your customers.

An open house can be a boon to your durable medical equipment business, not to mention a lot of fun. So what's taking you so long to hold one?

Open houses are a terrific way to increase the visibility of your company and generate positive publicity, says Joe Groden, a former DME business owner who's now the head of JG Consulting in Penfield, NY.

"The open house can be a great way to thank your customers, have them learn more about your business and get acquainted with your staff on a different level, not just over the phone," Groden tells Eli.

Unfortunately, DME providers don't utilize open houses as much as they could, he observes.

When planning an open house, first decide whether to gear it toward customers or referral sources, Groden says. While some referral sources such as doctors are rarely able to attend such events, welcoming their staff is just as important, he notes.

If your company has a showroom, hold your open house there. If you don't have a showroom, hold the open house at your offices--but go ahead and set up one of the rooms with some of the products you offer so attendees still have a chance to browse, Groden advises. And provide a buffet of refreshments.

An open house can provide an opportunity to introduce customers to new product offerings, Groden observes. For example, if you're adding a new blood glucose meter to your inventory, hold a special open house for your diabetic customers. (One more reason you need a customer database with that kind of information.)

Send your customers an invitation thanking them for their business and telling them you have a new meter to show them. Contact the sales rep for the manufacturer and ask if they'll help pay for the event. Invite the Media, Too You can also use an open house as an occasion to drum up media coverage of your company--particularly if the open house is celebrating a new location or focusing on a new device of interest to the outlet's viewers, listeners or readers. Start by writing up and sending out a press release that answers the basic news questions of who, what, when, where, why and how.

Then follow up with phone calls a day or two ahead of time inviting a reporter from the media outlet to attend the event. Keep in mind that many outlets nowadays have medical editors who might be interested in learning more about your business and products.

Even if the reporter opts not to attend your event, simply letting him or her know you're out there can help establish you as a source for future stories.

"For a company that wants to market themselves and increase [...]