Tips for Selling Orthopedic Softgoods

Three experts offer quick ideas on how to up your ortho sales game.

• By Joseph Duffy
• Apr 01, 2017

Our article experts have these orthopedic and compression selling tips:

Ernie Hahn, national account manager for DJO Global

• For compression, have a trained fitter on staff, someone who understands fitting and measuring.
• Have a large assortment of products. That could vary geographically so make sure you’ve got the right products on the wall.
• Have a very beautiful, clean display. Make sure the products are organized. Make sure the hooks are organized. Make sure you don’t have dusty boxes. Make sure your display says to the patient, ‘Hey, come over here and look at me. I’m willing to help you out.’ And that’s really crucial for there are pharmacies with boxes all over the place and they’re not very organized.
• Because pharmacists and their assistants are very busy, have literature in place. Work with your local manufacturer representative to get the right literature in place at your display so patients can help self-select the items that they need. If you have patients who can pick out the products that they need then that frees up the pharmacists so they can continue to build their prescriptions.

Brad Wimsatt, director of business development for SAI Therapeutic Brands

• Have a well organized product display, as close to the pharmacy counter as possible – a wall display is preferable to gondola.
• Have department signage clearly indicating ‘Braces & Supports.’
• Have a staff properly trained and knowledgeable about the orthopedics softgoods category, willing to engage
  with customers and assist in purchasing.
• Develop physician awareness by disciplined detailing and promoting to referral sources.
• Promote the department direct to the community through store website, bag stuffers, window display/signage, and targeting advertising in mailers, community newspapers, etc.

Melissa Gwozdz, marketing manager for SIGVARIS

• Ask people what they do for a living.
• Educate people about the health benefits of the products in the store.
• Make the

This article originally appeared in the DME Pharmacy April 2017 issue of HME Business.