The Med One Way

Written By: Brent Allen

A man once went to his barber for a haircut. In a casual conversation, the barber asked him if he had any fun trips planned. "Actually, I do," said the man. “Next week, I am catching a flight to Italy, staying at the Rome Luxury Suites, and I am going to see the pope." "Lots of luck with that one," said the barber. "You will hate that flight over the pond. Airplane seats are cramped, germs are everywhere, the food is horrible, and the service sucks. And the Rome Luxury Suites is a dump. It is dirty and very noisy. You will feel like you are camping outdoors. The beds are hard, and you will come home with a sore back. And you might get a glimpse of the Pope, but that’s it. You’d better take your binoculars because you will be behind 20,000 people. I’m just glad it’s you and not me,” said the barber.

A few weeks later, the man returned to the barber for another haircut. "So, how was your trip?" asked the barber. "It was incredible," said the man. “The flight over was fantastic. The plane was spacious, everything was super clean, the food was delicious, and the service couldn’t be beat. It was so comfortable that I didn’t want the flight to end. When I checked into the Rome Luxury Suites, they couldn’t have been nicer. It was red carpet treatment all the way. It was impeccably clean, and it felt just like home. I was depressed when it was time to check out. And I saw the Pope up-close and personal. Not only did I shake his hand, but I bent over and kissed the back of his hand.” “WOW! Did the Pope say anything to you?” asked the barber. “Yes! He asked who gave me this "crappy" haircut."

I take away three lessons from this humorous event.

1. We all have a story to tell.
2. We cannot allow others to throw cold water on our story and discourage us.
3. We must tell our story with conviction.

I love the Med One story. I love that we are unique and that there isn’t another competitor quite like Med One. I love that we enable healthcare providers to acquire medical devices that will improve patient care. I love that our rental equipment is always clean, well maintained, and patient-ready. I love that we play a critical part in saving lives. We have often said that sick babies should not have to wait, and we do all we can to make certain they don’t have to. I love that we make it easy for a vendor to sell their equipment. I love that we are out there making a difference. I love the Med One approach...

Innovative Leasing Solutions
Equity Rental Options That No Other Competitor Can Match
Peak-Need and Committed Rental Solutions
Refurbished Medical Equipment for Sale
5-star Biomed Services
Unparalleled Customer Service

When we first started Med One 29 years ago, one of our targeted vendors was an exclusive distributor for a critical piece of medical equipment. For several years, we consistently called on the upper management of this company seeking to get an audience with them. Unfortunately, we were unsuccessful in all of our attempts. One day, we were attending an AARC show, and we stopped by the booth of this distributor. Their people were very busy talking with prospective customers. We briefly met with a few of them, introduced ourselves, and left a business card. Included with our business card was a laminated card suggesting that we had a solution to help them sell more equipment. We invited them to call us and promised them that it would be worth their time to talk about our innovative approach. Several weeks went by with no responses. Finally, one day - BINGO. We received a phone call from one of their Regional Managers. We spent about 45 minutes talking with him on the phone explaining how we could help them…especially with our Equity Rental solution. When the conversation ended, he invited us to come out to their upcoming Regional Meeting and make a presentation to his nine sales reps.

We were delighted to oblige. Less than two weeks later, we made a presentation to his group. We began by asking several questions. We asked, “what is the biggest obstacle you face in selling your equipment?" The overwhelming answer was Capital Budget restrictions. Therefore, our focus became the Equity Rental. They were blown away by our creative approach. They had never had anything this creative offered to them. After answering their questions, we thanked them for their time, and we left the room. A gentleman followed us out the door. He was their National Sales Manager, and he had come specifically to hear about our innovative approach. These were his comments: “We need your Equity Rental. Quite frankly, I don’t know how you can do it, but if you can, we are ALL IN. We have eight other regions in our company. Would you be willing to come to each of our regional meetings and make this same presentation?” Of course, our answer was…we'd love to.

This was the beginning of a wonderful partnership. While dealing with them, we were invited to every one of their regional meetings at least once and sometimes twice a year. Our sales team worked diligently in responding to their requests and making presentations at their meetings. Proposals and agreements were turned around within an hour. They frequently commented on how impressed they were in our ability to respond so quickly. Seventy-five percent of the deals we did with them were done as Equity Rentals. Why were we able to be so aggressive with this Equity Rental option? Because we had a rental company that could absorb any equipment that was returned. During our final year with this distributor, we financed about $4,000,000, which represented approximately 425 pieces of their equipment. Approximately 10% of the equipment done as an Equity Rental was returned, 40% purchased early, and 50% went full-term.

This story is all about THE MED ONE WAY. Interwoven within this story are many elements of the principles we have embraced. We are deeply committed to each of these objectives and attribute them to our success throughout the years. We will earnestly continue our efforts in providing these benefits to our valued customers.

THE Med One WAY

CREATIVITY

Doing one thing very well – “whatever it takes”

OBSERVANT LISTENING

A unique philosophy – what does our customer really need?

UNITED TEAMWORK

It takes all of us to make a happy customer

RESPONSIVENESS

Unprecedented service builds customer loyalty

ABOVE AND BEYOND

Taking pride in going the extra mile

GENUINE RELATIONSHIPS

A huge secret to getting repeat business

EVERYDAY – DO IT RIGHT

The first time, and every time

OUTSTANDING INTEGRITY

The principle upon which Med One was built

UNIQUE PATIENCE

Perseverance – we will never give up

SIMPLICITY

Making it easy for a customer to do business with us

Embedded in and through THE MED ONE WAY is the word COURAGEOUS. This word is very dear to our hearts. Twenty-nine years ago, we started Med One with virtually nothing. We put on the “badge of courage” and moved forward. We learned much along the way. We had luck on our side, we experienced many fortunate breaks, and we encountered our share of setbacks as we continued our journey. Fortunately, our courage never dimmed.

We learned that it takes courage to be unique and to step away from the pack. It required moving into unchartered territory. We discovered that there were huge risks involved, but we decided that this was the direction we wanted to take. We decided that we were going to be different from any other competitor. When we embraced the MED ONE WAY, we learned the true meaning of COURAGE.

We learned that it takes courage to be CREATIVE. Occasionally, creativity can “backfire” because of the risks it entails – but it can also reap big rewards. Creativity is the Med One way. We learned that it takes courage to LISTEN. Our promise to our customer is - we will listen. While we cannot always accommodate a customer's need or request, we promise to do our very best to determine what they want and deliver a viable solution. Listening is the Med One way. We learned that it takes courage when committing to TEAMWORK. At Med One, we have one another's back. We are prepared for sacrifices and inconveniences. It is all about our customers. Teamwork is the Med One way. We learned that RESPONSIVENESS requires courage. On occasion, we may stub our toe and fall short of our commitment. But overall, we are committed to be extremely responsive. For 29 years, this has been the Med One way. Going ABOVE AND BEYOND is all about having courage. We will do whatever it takes, and we will go the extra mile for our customers. This has always been the Med One way. Building GENUINE RELATIONSHIPS takes courage. It requires many cold calls and comes with plenty of rejections. But successes build positive relationships, and they always pay off. It is the Med One way. It takes courage to commit to DO IT RIGHT…EVERYDAY. We learned that this is a "tall order." Our employees strive every day to live up to it. We do it because we value our customers. It is just the Med One way. Above all else, we embrace INTEGRITY. With integrity…you either have it, or you don't. There is no middle ground. And, I stand proud to tell you that our employees at Med One have it. We operate in a world where many are compromising their values for the benefit of gain. We hold dear to the principle that got us to where we are today. Integrity is the Med One way. We learned that it takes courage to demonstrate PATIENCE. At times, we have a vision that we know will help our customers. They, however, just can't see it. It can be very discouraging, and it takes courage to keep trying. This is the Med One way. SIMPLICITY requires courage. Sometimes procedures, policies, and bureaucracy can get in the way. We try very hard not to let this happen. We are deeply committed to simplicity because it is the MED ONE WAY.

We invite all to experience the Med One way. You will quickly find that it is a refreshing approach and will make a real difference in the end.