Maybe I'm more self-conscious than most, but one thing that really bothers me about grocery stores is that they always put the toilet paper in the rear of the store, making it one of the first items in my basket. It bothers me because it is totally impossible to be cool, strolling through the frozen food aisle while pushing around a 24 pack of Extra Absorbent Charmin.

Buying toilet paper is a personal transaction I don't want to broadcast to the world. So along with my fresh selection of impressively healthy food, I have to cart what amounts to all the absorbent paper needed to take care of the cleanup on aisle six. And if I'm that neurotic about buying toilet paper, I can only imagine what goes through the minds of those who must buy incontinence products.

Incontinence is a steadily growing market, and while Wal-Mart and the other giant retailers may get the majority of the incontinence market share because of pricing, independent pharmacies and retail DMEs can still compete using several advantages besides pricing. Either we can fight for customers by competing on price, or we can win customers by offering privacy. Just as I don't want anyone seeing my 24 pack of Charmin, I'm confident that there are more than a few seniors who don't want anyone to see their packages of Depends. If we are going to win customers with privacy, we must know our target customers.

REFERRAL SOURCES

An independent DME or pharmacy can reach potential customers before the chains can. Realistically, we can be in the waiting room of the OB/GYN when a woman is diagnosed with stress incontinence. We can be in the urologist's office when a man is given the news that he is suffering from overflow incontinence. Since we can have a presence in these offices, we are more likely to capture the patient on diagnosis if we plan properly and are willing to provide a little more service than the chain stores.

If you are planning on getting into the incontinence market, or, if you are already involved but want to increase your sales, it is going to take a strategy and some investment. If you have a rep in the field calling on doctors, your work is almost done. By creating an "independence program," or any program that allows patients to have greater freedom from the burdens of incontinence, you will establish your company as one that recognizes and respects the privacy of patients. The program is more than a program, it is an oath you make to your referral sources and your patients.

HIPAA requires that we do not divulge any patient-related information, but we can take this a step further. Since incontinence products are mostly an out-of-pocket expense, they are generally purchased at a store. But if we can meet with the appropriate physicians and nurses and explain the benefits of our independence program, they will be more likely to refer a patient to you, or recommend you to their patients. At a minimum, the independence program should include:

1. first order delivered the first day;
2. subsequent orders delivered as needed;
3. all orders shipped in discreet packaging; and
4. treat urgent orders with appropriate speed.

By offering delivery of the first order the first day, we are guaranteeing that referral sources and patients won't have to go through the embarrassment of buying diapers at Wal-Mart. We are also guaranteeing that we are not going to expose the patient to the pricing advantage the big stores have over us. While we may eventually lose a few patients to pricing, by delivering the first day, we are going to keep more patients than we lose and gain more patients than we otherwise would have had.

Before the initial order is delivered, the customer service rep (CSR) should call the patient to schedule the first delivery, offer the option for subsequent deliveries, and discuss benefits of the independence program. When the CSR speaks to the patient, they have the obligation to discuss all privacy aspects of the program, comparing our discreet purchasing option to the retail experience of buying such sensitive items at Big Ed's Food Mart.

Just as we're keeping track of our patients' CPAP supplies, we can schedule our incontinence patients' needs the same way. While it may be cost-prohibitive for a senior on a fixed income to purchase a month's worth of supplies, more and more Baby Boomers are aging with more and more disposable income. So while one person may require delivery every week, the more attractive customer would be one who requires a once-a-month delivery, which would reduce our labor. While the upside is that we can experience recurring cash sales, the downside is that we have to offer this program to all the physicians' patients. However, you can always modify your program to include a 1-month minimum purchase after the first order.

DISCREET PACKAGING

Ship the order in a discreetly labeled box. Your client will appreciate that when it arrives during the middle of a dinner party, or during an afternoon card game.

In case of an emergency, a shipment may require a service tech to make an unscheduled delivery, and it is going to cost you more labor dollars—so you may be reluctant to do it. However, it must be offered to keep our customers' loyalty. And if we keep our customers loyal, they won't even think about purchasing from one of the big guys when they're doing their grocery shopping.

RETAIL SALES

Offer the same level of privacy in retail showrooms. Although your showrooms may not be as large as those in national chains, purchasing incontinence products can still be embarrassing. Most of us have purchased "personal items" that we didn't want anyone else to see. And so, we can identify with those who have to purchase such intimate items as incontinence products. If we can reduce the awkwardness a customer feels when purchasing these products, then we're more likely to sell more of them.

DISPLAYS

While you want signage to draw attention to your products, consider limiting the amount of incontinence inventory on the floor. Instead of having your customer carry a few packages to the counter, consider offering coupons or tags with product bar codes printed on them so they carry only the tag to the checkout counter—not the box of Depends. Then a salesperson can go to the stockroom, retrieve the product, and place it in a bag or box big enough to hide its contents.

When patients come into the showroom to purchase supplies, make sure they are aware of your program. If your clientele is mostly over age 50, slip a flyer into each bag advertising your independence program. Even if they are not incontinent, they may know someone who is.

When retail customers do buy products from you, work to enroll them in your independence program. Chances are that if they are buying from you on a retail level, they are doing so because of convenience, or they are hoping your store is not going to be as crowded as the supermarket.

Remember, privacy comes at a price, and thousands of people are willing to pay a little more to have their incontinence kept a secret. See if these privacy strategies can help you increase sales.

Eric Kline is the president of HME SalesPro, a consultant in both the HME field and retail sales. He can be reached via e-mail: .