Invacare 2013 Annual Report Download - page 14

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Invacare’s North America/HME sales and marketing organization consists primarily of a sales force which markets and sells
Invacare® branded products to HME providers. Each member of Invacare’s HME sales force functions as a Territory Business
Manager (TBM) and handles all product and service needs for an account, thus saving customers’ valuable time. The TBM also
provides training and servicing information to providers, as well as product literature, point-of-sale materials and other advertising
and merchandising aids. In Canada, products are sold by a sales force and distributed through regional distribution centers to health
care providers throughout Canada.
TBMs are supported by the Inside Sales Department that provides increased sales coverage of smaller accounts. Inside sales
offers cost-effective sales coverage through a targeted telesales effort. The Company's Technical Education department offers
educational programs that place emphasis on improving the productivity of HME repair technicians. The Service Referral Network
includes numerous providers who honor the Company's product warranties regardless of where the product was purchased. This
network of servicing providers seeks to ensure that all consumers using Invacare products receive quality service and support that
is consistent with the Invacare brand promise - Making Life's Experiences Possible™.
Invacare concentrated on ‘fleet management’ in its 2013 marketing efforts, with the message being that utilizing one
manufacturer for a provider’s product fleet would result in a number of efficiencies and a solid foundation for their business. With
National Competitive Bidding (NCB) and government reimbursement audits as significant considerations for durable medical
equipment providers in the United States, Invacare urged providers to focus on fleet management. Fleet management is the
controlled operation of a company’s product fleet, which can include maintenance, repairs, tracking, delivery management,
financing, regulatory compliance and health and safety management. As reimbursement levels decline, one approach would be
to focus on initial purchase price as a means to save costs. Invacare’s fleet management approach asks providers to consider total
lifecycle costs to see that higher quality products ultimately result in greater cost savings.
Home medical equipment providers juggle a number of issues including inventory control, product maintenance, delivery
and employee training. Invacare looked at ways to drive profitability without sacrificing patient care, and learned that financially
strong, best in class providers purchase high quality rental fleet products. Creating a rental fleet of durable, high-quality products
allows a provider to rent products longer while minimizing their costs. A longer useful life means more provider profit and allows
the provider to focus more fully on providing superior patient care. Engaging in a fleet management approach improves efficiency
and productivity and reduces overall costs. To help providers adopt a fleet management approach, Invacare created
www.invacare.com/fleetmanagement, offering a number of tools, including blog posts, calculators and videos.
The Company markets products and services to the continuing care market through a specialized sales force, a national
rentals and services organization and a team of clinical professionals who call on clinical decision makers. Products from IPG
include beds and resident room furnishings, safe patient handling equipment and programs, bathing, durable medical equipment
and clinical therapies, such as therapeutic support surfaces and negative pressure wound therapy. IPG sales and marketing
organizations consist of field sales representatives and independent representative agencies supported by a marketing group that
generates awareness and demand at skilled nursing facilities for Invacare products and services. IPG also provides interior design
services for nursing homes and assisted living facilities involved with renovation and new construction.
In 2013, the Company continued its strategic advertising campaign in key business-to-business publications that reach
Invacare's respective customers. The Company contributed extensively to editorial coverage in trade publications concerning the
products the Company manufactures, and Company representatives attended numerous trade shows and conferences on a national
and regional basis in which Invacare products were displayed to providers, health care professionals, managed care professionals
and consumers. “Yes, you can.®” continues to be Invacare's global tagline and is used in Company advertisements and on the
Invacare global website as it is indicative of the “can do” attitude of many of the people who use the Company's products. In
everything it does, the Company strives to leave its stakeholders with its brand promise of Making Life's Experiences Possible™.
The Company also continues to improve performance and usability of www.invacare.com and its related websites. Throughout
2013, the Company increased participation in online forums and engaged consumers by utilizing social media tools, including a
Facebook® page and YouTube® channel. These moves toward a more consumer-centric approach allow the Company to provide
a consumer interface that better addresses consumer needs.
In addition, the Company uses the Internet to drive consumer awareness of its products. In 2013, the Company continued
its focus on the Do More With Oxygen™ website, Invacare's online community targeted towards those who are affected by respiratory
ailments, specifically COPD. The audience includes people with respiratory ailments, caregivers and respiratory therapists. Visitors
to the site can view videos, download guides for topics like "COPD 101", read daily blog posts to learn more about traveling with
COPD, learn how to live a healthy lifestyle and how to care for a loved one dealing with COPD. Invacare is taking the lead by
creating an environment for those dealing with similar ailments to come together and learn more. Ultimately, the website advocates