Dealer/Provider: How do you decide on which brands of lifts to carry?

Ron Sexton, president of Mobility Express, Stuart, Fla, responds: Our decision is based on the level of customer service the manufacturer is willing to provide to our clients. Client needs trump all others. Our reputation depends on the time it takes to solve our customers’ perceived problems. The manufacturers who get our business keep knowledgeable technical staff members on hand that know the answers or can find those answers quickly.

The second factor with lifts is ease of installation. We will carry lifts that require only one person to install. The second installer’s time is lost, because you can’t charge for it and he is not doing profitable repair work with that time.

Dealer/Provider: What is the most important strategy for succeeding in the lift business?

Sexton: Our success in the lift business comes from three separate sources. Every advertisement we place has the lift installation either mentioned or featured. Second, we spend time with our clients to educate them in the entire process involved with lift selection and installation. They are making a decision from a base of knowledge, not emotion.

We advise them on what will work for their needs now and in any future vehicle they may purchase. It turns customers into enthusiastic salespersons. Last, we place a highly visible sticker on each lift. We have had calls from more than a 100 miles away mentioning they had seen our sticker on a lift and asking if we could install one for them.

Dealer/Provider: Among HME providers, what do you think is the biggest misconception about the scooter/lift business?

Sexton: The largest misconception may be the realization that we retailers are not selling a scooter or vehicle lift. We are providing people with specific needs and wants—the means to an entirely new lifestyle and freedom to live. Another misconception may be that an Internet sale by others will harm your business. It is amazing how fast the customer’s delight over saving a few dollars on the Internet evaporates when it is time for service and repair. If you are sensitive to customers’ situations and do not embarrass them, you can make customers for life.

Dealer/Provider:What percentage of your wheelchair/scooter lift sales are cash?

Sexton: The lifts are almost all cash (95%), while our scooter sales are a high percentage (75%) Medicare/insurance, because of the age demographics in our area. DP