For Beth Majure, her customers have always been her priority.
By Laura Thill
From order takers to sales consultants, medical products salespeople have leapt multiple hurdles over the years to ensure their customers are equipped to offer the best possible patient care. Today, however, it’s not only about meeting the customers’ needs, but also helping them know what those needs are, according to Beth Majure, a longtime sales consultant at Gericare Medical Supply.
Particularly given the toll the coronavirus pandemic has taken on staff and residents at long-term care facilities, “we need to ask the right questions to know exactly what will benefit them,” she points out. “I want ensure my customers are happy with the products I offer, and that they trust me – and Gericare Medical Supply – to take care of them.” Indeed, this longtime investment in relationships with her customers has helped her weather the pandemic storm as successfully as possible.
A new home
Majure joined the medical products industry in 1990, when she and her husband moved to Mobile, Alabama. “I saw the medical industry as a unique opportunity to make a positive impact on people’s health and well-being,” she says. She interviewed with Ross, then a division of Abbott, and joined their team as a sales rep with a focus on med/surg and nutritional products. “I especially enjoyed this focus and felt I was making a difference in people’s lives,” she notes. After six years, however, Abbott realigned its territories, causing Majure to lose both her territory and her job.
During her tenure with Abbott, Majure cultivated a close relationship with Gericare. “Gericare was my biggest customer,” she recalls. “It was an awful shock to lose my job, but within a few days, Gericare called. They had just formed their sister company, Progressive Therapy, and wanted to hire me as their first salesperson. Joining Gericare turned out to be the best possible move for me! They were extremely supportive and offered the perfect transition. Within two years, I was selling for both Progressive Therapy and Gericare. Between the two companies, we can meet all long-term care needs.” Gericare has been her home ever since.
The biggest change yet
Majure has witnessed – and helped her customers adapt to – plenty of changes in the medical products/long-term care industry these past 30 years. “The onset of DRGs meant a huge learning curve, both for salespeople and their customers,” she recalls. “Because payment rates were based on DRGs, we all had to change our focus and approach.” The same was true in addressing OBRA, she adds. “With the onset of OBRA, we had to focus on products that not only aided long-term care residents, but also supported the facilities’ programs.”
By far, however, the biggest change – and greatest challenge – to date has been the immediate and ongoing need to weather the COVID-19 pandemic. Within a few weeks last spring, medical salespeople, caregivers and patients found their lives upended, and those in the long-term care sector were in the eye of the storm. It was bad enough for residents who were suddenly isolated in their rooms; those on the outside found themselves challenged as well.
Salespeople can read their customers much better in person, according to Majure. As the world quickly discovered, Zoom calls and parking lot visits were a poor substitution, albeit the best possible solution. Indeed, for medical products/long-term care salespeople, their customers depended on them more than ever. “Today, I drop off samples and sometimes lunch in my customers’ parking lots,” she says. “I bring them information and updates as often as I can. I never imagined I’d be communicating primarily through Zoom calls and emails.”
An investment that pays off
For 30 years, Majure has placed a premium on her relationships, both with her customers and the manufacturer reps who make it possible to keep her customers happy. Today, these relationships have become more important than ever before, she points out, particularly as – months into the pandemic – distributors continue to face a limited source of supplies. True, the situation is improving. “Lately, I can get 99% of what I need,” she says. But, there’s often a hitch. Manufacturers continue to encounter difficulties procuring raw materials, sometimes making it difficult to fill orders for PPE and gloves. For Majure, that means having to call around in search of product substitutions. “I must reassure my customers that even though they may not be used to using a new brand, the product will work well and get the job done.”
Through it all, prices have increased, she adds. If not for the years she invested in building her customers’ trust and partnering with her manufacturer reps, the process likely would have been a lot bumpier. “I have no doubt these relationships have paid off,” she says. “My manufacturer reps truly care about my customers. They do an excellent job of communicating with me. Whenever there’s a situation to address, they are here for me!”
Her customers, too, have demonstrated patience with the new normal and appreciation for Majure’s efforts. “I’ve stayed in constant contact with them,” she says. Whether she is helping them address new regulations or procuring a specific type of gown, she must be certain to ask the right questions and narrow down their exact needs. And, those needs are constantly changing, she adds. “Residents who are sick with coronavirus may require respirators, while the staff (and residents) continue to need PPE, sanitizers, soap and more. It’s imperative that the staff remain healthy so that they can go home to their families at the end of their shift.
“My customers are my friends,” she continues. “They, too, are susceptible to coronavirus and it’s extremely difficult to discover that someone you’ve known for so many years has passed away. On one hand, they need my compassion and support more than ever, but of course I can’t pop in to see them.”
The bottom line is, pandemic or not, her customers must rest assured that “when they pick up the phone, I’ll be there to take care of them,” says Majure. “Long-term care administrators can easily purchase products online. I need my customers to trust that I’ll make sure they are purchasing the right products. Regulations constantly change, especially given the pandemic. My customers have a lot on their plate. They need me not only to be a sounding board, but to ensure they are prepared to meet any challenge that arises.” It’s still as important today as it was 30 years ago for customers to see a face and know who they are working with, she adds.
Sidebar:
Mobile Area DON Association
Early on in her sales career, Gericare sales consultant Beth Majure recognized that long-term care directors of nursing (DONs) could benefit from an ongoing opportunity to connect with one another and share their experiences and concerns. So, about 25 years ago, she started Mobile Area DON Association, a group designed to bring together DONs from facilities across southern Alabama.
“We meet once a month at different long-term care facilities,” says Majure. “The DONs (some who drive as long as 1 ½ hours to attend meetings) discuss various issues and learn how others deal with different situations. This has become a great sounding board – something DONs really need.” It’s also an opportunity for manufacturer reps to attend meetings, bring breakfast and introduce or demo new products, she adds. And, for the past 15 years, Majure has also organized annual banquets to recognize CNAs at the facilities, as well.
“It’s cost-free to participate in our monthly meetings,” says Majure. “For the DONs, their payment is their time.”
Laura Thill is a contributing writer to Repertoire.