Hi, I have small surgery in a small town outside brighton (south coast england). I have started selling footcare goods recently and am finding that the gehwol creams and flexitol heel balm are quite popular. I wondered if anybody could suggest some goods that sell well. Thanks, James.
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Office dispensing
James
This is becoming a big deal in the USA. Get hold of some back issues of Podiatry Management and Podiatry Today - they regularly carry articles on what to sell (obviously in the USA context) and how to do it ethically etc.
Here is one from Podiatry Today:
Taking A Closer Look At In-Office Dispensing
CP -
I'd add CCS heel balm to that. (Also known as Du'it. catchy eh!). V effective for heel fissures. Gel products are generally good sellers too.
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Gel Hoppers from Baileys (Manchester UK). Am I allowed to promote a product and a company? They fly (or should I say hop) out of my practice.
For me they are well presented and well packaged. Can be wall mounted directly within patient vision!
GB -
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Hi James,
I used Gehwol for ages, then tried the "Akiliene" foot creams as the end foot rub. Now I have patients dropping in just to pick up their next fix in a tube. There's no basis to say why, but the 'burning nighttime feet' crowd love it as it seems to settle them. I have been selling lots.
Barb -
Chiropractic Economics has the full text of this article:
Does it make sense to carry products? Inventory basics can help you decide
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Dermatologists are also wrestling with this topic. Medscape has the full text of this article (free registration required):
The Dermatology Dispensing Debate
Z. D. Draelos,
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long handled shoe horns mate, older patients love them!!
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Apply cream to back of shoe horn, apply to one foot, use one foot to rub cream into the other.
Aint rocket science but I find pts appreciate useful tips.
Regards, -
Silopads are also a great thing and even fleecy web squares. Patients always want to buy them from the Health Centre as you can't buy them in the chemist.
Basically any padding cut into squares so they can make pmps themselves. Orthoheels possibly?? -
Interesting thread - I've just put a display actually in the clinic - even with a retail pod background - I'm not into "selling". If asked where a product can be bought I say "your local chemist, or we sell it here". Wimp that I am!!
Must try the shoehorns! -
I find that antifungals sell well ( e.g. lamisil) and CCS range of creams. -
Interesting post here. Have any of you been to the vet of late?? They have a full retail shop, with all the pet needs you can think of. Very often my local chemist won't carry all the toe and foot bits I require, and only have the basic few. I see it as convienent to have the products on offer. I also struggle with sale price, but am also aware that the pharmacist is not shy in charging a full 100% on all products.
By having the products, like the silicone and pre fab insoles, which I consider the right quality, then I save the patient going around looking for them and also dispense the right product at a fair price.
I know there is a swing for the physios to concentrate on "on selling". Hopefully this won't turn it into over selling. If clinically required/indicated and can be provided at time of consultation, then this is a value added benefit for the clinic. -
Biofreeze gel, Amerigel. Traumeel, Zeel, Healthibetic Cream, Urea 40% cream; Powerstep insoles, EMSOLD insoles, Spenco cross trainers. Just my opinion after 24 years in practice.
Mark K Johnson D.P.M.
West Plains MO -
Hi huys
Selling is something that I have never wanted to get into- but I wondered what the normal mark up would be on goods? I imagined 40 to 60 percent in my naivity but have come across an insole being sold for 1000%mark up and a diamond deb foot dresser for a 500% mark up. Is this ethical?
Cornmerchant -
Do you mean mark-up or margin? if you mean margin then 40-60% is not naive, as that would be a typical retail margin (ie approx 100% mark-up). I am quite happy combining retail as part of a practice as I think selling items people need at a reasonable price is beneficial to everyone. From a business point of view a lot of people would be happy to pay a slight premium for the convenience of you stocking something. It is difficult to say at what point margins become unethical, but ethics aside at some point it just takes the p***, and may damage the perception of your practice.
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Hi Ian
To clarify- a pair of £20 orthoheel were sold to a patient for £200 and a diamond deb foot dresser for £17.00.
To me , that is taking the p***!
Cornmerchant -
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I think the next time they go into a chemist and see a pair it doesn't reflect well on that practice or the profession when they realise they've been ripped off.
We are a profession that people place trust in, but I think there is a responsibility not to abuse that trust when it comes to retail, just as in any other area of practice -
Udderly Smooth Extra care cream.
I've been using this product in my practice for a few months now and I'm impressed with it. Patients love it so I've started to sell it. I found out about it through a patient of mine going through chemotherapy. Oncology nurse had recommended it for his poor 'skinning and sore feet and hands'. I noted the improvement in his skin over the course of a few appointments and decided the cream was worth trying myself. Googled it and had some sample sent to me......I use it now as a replacement for my routine cream (ccs) -
Which items to sell in clinic/shop?
This is a little different to a normal request, but my parents own a small general shop and they have very kindly donated a small section for me to sell some foot related products, so what do people suggest I stock? Im not in it to make loads of money but a small profit would be nice ;)
Thanks in advance. -
Sorry I have just realised I clicked on "reply" instead of "new topic" :wacko:
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Sorry I have just realised I clicked on "reply" instead of "new topic" :wacko:
I have had a good read through this thread and others and items such as CCS creams and foot files look to be a popular choice, any other ideas?Last edited: Jan 29, 2010 -
i have a foot care shop and clinic at an out of town shopping centre, our biggest sellers are flexitol heel balm, diamond debs, gel toe seperators, gel heel cups and anti fungals. our mark up is x2.5 and we are still cheaper than the highstreet.
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Yes we sell those, several of our suppliers pre package these as smaller sizes to sell on, also pre cut s/c felt shapes are great as i wont sell the "medicated" corn plasters. one word of warning, have a clear idea of what you want to achieve, i spend a lot of time giving free advice and not selling, i am not the best sales person in the world. if you want any more help you can email me. if you are going to be purchasing a lot from one supplier always negotiate a discount :)) Good luck
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Which suppliers do you use? I was looking at the big companies, cannonbury, DLT etc. The good thing I have found with DLT is they sell individually packaged toe props, seperators etc which look a lot more professional than just loose items. Im not in it to make a huge profit, just be able to sell the items patients are having trouble finding elsewhere in the shops here.
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my favourite suppliers are canonbury and trycare, both have been great to deal with and very helpful in advising me, Algoes will make whatever you want, for example they will do pre cut insoles in poron 94 and put a cover on for you. If you live near an exhibition centre like the NEC then i would head along to some of the trade fairs and familiarise yourself with the market. i also started with the aim of selling products that are hard to find for clients and still do, i am a clinician first and foremost. H J Halls are the best company for socks ( you name it they make it and sell it). Have a look at Alibaba and you will see were all your products originate and how much the big companies are marking up their goods ( it will be a shock)
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I have been selling Biofreeze for years and I find that it not only works on my patients' feet, but many of the people who drive my patients to the office end up buying it for their back pain or arthritis.
I started selling the Theraband foot roller too. it comes with a sample of Biofreeze. Almost every patient I show it to buys a foot roller and I make $6 on every sale. I am selling 10-15 a week and much more biofreeze. -
I read with interest the replies to selling in clinic. Recently a colleague, a Physiotherapist and I, launched a brand called PhysiPod which has a large variety of products for the Physio and Podiatry market, which we as clinicians can offer to our patients.
These came as retail pack products covering six catagories of product consumables we use readily in clinic. Each catagory has a product point of difference, in that there are new products. They are professionally branded and packaged, which we can sell to our patients at time of consultation.
We are not about "flogging" to patinets, but offer a retail product which is clinically relevant form within the clinic, rather than sending to the pharmacy.
As clinicians, we prescribe the required item, and can now offer it as part of the clinical treatment plan. Yes it also adds to the practice bottom line. Maybe some thought for practitioners to consider. PhysiPod can be found on website.
I would beinterested in your thoughts. -
Hi
we sell a quite a big range of off the shelf products so to speak, our clients love it. They can walk in without an appointment get what they need and also get good free advice from well trained staff. Its a plus all round. -
Great thread,
I have found canonbury great for 'major' equipment orders but DLT are excellent when it comes to supplies etc...
I really have a hard time understanding practitioners that shun the retail or small scale footcare shop as part of their practice. I qualified less than 10 years ago and a major aspect of our course content was patient 'empowerment' and it proved a love or hate topic among the students...Why?
I am a firm believer that ccs cream and heel balms, tea tree oil, shoe horns, toe props, ottoform devices, diamond deb files and even off the shelf orthoses are part of a good practitioners aid and should be utilised fully without the feeling of being unethical or a 'salesman'. At the end of the day we can treat a patient every 6-8weeks for only 20-30mins, they can get the most out of foothealth using these items every day.
Is it not even more unethical to not provide these items???
Empower the patient and reinforce, reinforce, reinforce!
Blue -
i agree with blue123 and at risk of opening up a hornets nest i would be interested to know what people feel is a reasonable amount to charge for bespoke orthotics and i would guess that the mark up most people charge is considerably more than 2.5 times cost of materials. i know you have to factor in time but charges seem to vary considerably. What is the difference between a diamond deb, CCs, flexitol etc and bespoke orthotics if it is a clinical result we are looking for? Is it a question of "knowledge" being power/money and that somehow it is not "sales" if it is a hand made device? Just a few thoughts:)
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I have found that the Allpresan and Footlogix (basically the same) products are very good. The #3 Very Dry Skin Formula mousse that they both have works really well and feels nice on the skin. The Callus Softener Spray that they both have works well for clinical use.
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Some one mentioned they are selling Udderly Smooth Extra care cream. Is this cream licensed for use on people with diabetes ?
Last edited: Aug 13, 2010 -
licenses for medical use.
It is a simple moisturising cream to be used on the skin.
As a cosmetic product, there is no reason why a diabetic patient could not
use Udderly Smooth unless they were allergic to any of the ingredients.
Hope this helps.
Wolves Cat. -
Oh, ok...I rather thought it was advisable for diabetes to use products on their legs and feet which have been tested and licensed for diabetic use. Its a little late to find out it isnt suitable for them after their legs have reacted isnt it?
Also, if you start selling the Udderley Smooth to any of your diabetic patients, they will surely believe that you deem it safe for their use, and where does that leave you legally, should a problem arise? -
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Lispro foot sanders (available from Chiropody Express) are an excellent line. Strong plastic and a good level of abrasion, patients love them!
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