Men may, on average, still earn more than women, but when it comes to health care, women are firmly in the driver’s seat. According to the US Census Bureau, women make 75% of all health care decisions and spend two out of every three health care dollars. Are you doing the right things to tap into this market?

As the owner of a women’s home health store, I can tell you that merely putting all of your advertising in pink will not cut it. Women are smart and savvy health care consumers. They know what they want and they shop price. However, they will also forego price for value-adds and quality service.

The traditional market for women’s health was products and services surrounding reproductive health. Now, the fastest-growing segment of the female population, again according to the Census Bureau, is the 65 to 74 age bracket, and the products and services that meet this age group’s needs will be at the forefront of consumer spending in health-related items.

When it comes to HME products and services, 65- to 74-year-old women need the same items as their male counterparts and more. For example, women use ostomy products, walkers, wheelchairs, and oxygen just as much as, if not more than, men do. And, in addition to their personal use, women make the buying decisions for their entire families, which includes children and aging parents. According to a 1998 survey of women’s health conducted by a private research group, the Commonwealth Fund, women (11%) more so than men (4%) take on the role of caring for sick family members.

Therefore, making your business convenient for women will boost your sales in all areas. What makes it convenient? Location, parking, and hours of operation. According to the Commonwealth Fund, more than 30% of employed women reported missing work to care for a sick relative. Most also reported either losing pay or lying to take sick time. Working women need to shop before or after work, and extended hours help attract them.

They also need to get most of the shopping done on the phone before they swing by. Therefore, a helpful response to phone calls can build customer loyalty.

Finally, women need a well-lighted, safe, and close parking lot, and help out to the car with bulky items. It also helps to have a children’s play area to keep kids entertained while moms and grandmas fill out forms and read the new Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) notice.

To reach out to women, our business considers the following factors and takes the following five steps. Are you doing the same?

1. Look, listen, and feel. Your customers will tell you what they want, if you take time to listen. For example, nobody wants to buy incontinence products, but lots of women will buy pretty panties for occasional leaking.

2. Reach out to referral sources. The number-one reason women come to our shop is because their physician sent them. We visit the physicians’ offices about once a month. While I rarely expect to speak with the physicians on these visits, I am always prepared to show off my credentials and offer better ways my company can participate in the continuum of care for their patients.

Plus, most of the time I can speak with the front-line staff, nurses, or office managers. My goal is to let them know about the services we offer. We also provide maps and prescription pads to make the referral easier for them.

Finally, remember that these contacts are often women, too. Ask what products they might need and invite them to tour your facility.

3. Reach out to the community. The second most frequent source of customers for my company is word of mouth. Almost every chronic condition has some sort of support group, either live or online. To make these valuable contacts, I researched all the support groups in my area and sent all of them a mailing. In addition, I offered to come and deliver health-related presentations to the groups and to host some of their meetings.

Because I am very careful to “tell not sell” when I do these presentations, the women learn that I am a trusted source of health information and they seek me out when they have questions or special needs. Women also love to help others, so if they like you, they will definitely tell the new members of the group all about your services.

4. Form associations with hospitals. Hospital resource centers are a great source of referrals. However, many hospitals are actually your competitors. Check out the offerings at the hospitals in your area. If they offer the same or similar services, then they may not be good sources of referrals. On the other hand, they just might be. For example, one of our local hospitals has a lactation center where it sells nursing bras and breast pumps. However, the center has a limited supply of products and a narrow range of available sizes. Its staff is more than happy to send me all the 48 JJ bra sales.

5. Advertise carefully and promote yourself. We have found that certain types of ads don’t work for us. For example, buying print ads in our major newspaper was very expensive and we did not see a good return on our investment. However, advertising in smaller publications did pay off. Better yet, get local publications to write feature stories about special segments of your business.

Our best promotion is the local morning show. Its organizers tend to invite us on the show about once or twice a year. We speak about health concerns or simply fashion trends. The phone rings the second the segment is aired.

Also, advance marketing before a woman even has a need for service is great. Therefore, we participate in local women’s events, such as charity runs and concerts.

The future of health care depends on consumers who make good decisions about health care utilization. Women are looking to you to provide high-quality goods and services. When you offer the best service, customers will come, man and woman alike.

Fern Carness, MPH, RN, CMF, co-owns Just Like A Woman Inc, a specialty lingerie and DME store in Portland, Ore. Visit it online at www.justlikeawoman.com.