MediComp, a medical software reseller out of Virginia, recently sat down with us and gave us some insight into their business and what has brought them success over the years.

1. How did you get started selling Medical Software?  What made you want to start in this business?  What is your background?
   It was 16 years ago when I started selling Medical Software.  As a result of a few personal relationships I had with doctors I realized there is a need for automated solutions.  Many of the doctors I knew were still doing everything manually.  Before I started this business I received my Masters in Industrial Engineering, and worked with a few engineering companies and taught courses in robotics at the college level, so going into the medical business was the last thought on my mind at the time.
   
   
2. What products and services do you currently sell?  What are your biggest revenue streams?
   We currently sell several practice management software’s such as MediSoft and AltaPoint.  We also sell EMR software, MediNotes & AltaPoint EMR along with many add-on’s for the software.  We also build and sell our own Server’s and Workstations, design and implement networks.  We provide training and support for every service we provide.  A few months ago we also started our own Web design and Hosting service, where we custom build websites for doctors tailored to their practice needs. Our biggest revenue stream is from training and support, we do not believe in selling anything to our clients without teaching them how to properly/efficiently use it.
   
    
3. Tell me about your core business philosophies?  What is your biggest motivation with your business?
   Our core philosophy as a business is to “never sell the same thing twice”.  We don’t mean that we literally don’t sell the same product twice, but each time we sell a product like MediSoft, we install and customize it to the best possible way for their practice.  We all know each doctor has their own unique way of running their practice, sometimes its positive other times its negative and we work with them to make it efficient.  The best way for us to provide the best product is by asking several questions to the doctors to find the best solution, some of our clients like to joke that when they call us looking for answers all they get are a bunch of questions in response. 
   
    
4. What are some of your goals for the next two years?
   Our main goal in the next two years is to become a major player in the EMR field.  We believe that EMR is going to explode and every doctor is going to want to start using EMR and will look for the most qualified and experienced dealers in their area.
   
    
5. How many clients do you have?  Do you have an interesting or funny client stories that you could share?
   We have a total of 346 clients all throughout the east coast which we provide service/support and software/hardware.  About half of them are active clients; the rest will purchase an upgrade or have minor services etc.  We actually have many humorous stories about miscommunication and random events at offices, but the one that stands out the most because it was so outrageous was when a doctor purchased MediSoft from us.  He did not want a support contract, no initial setup. He wanted nothing but the software itself so we sold it to him.  A few weeks later he calls us back saying he’s having troubling printing his HCFA form. So after a few hours of telephone support we solved the problem.  We sent him a bill for the telephone support, a week later we receive our statement to him in the mail with a few additional items.  He wrote us a letter saying that since he spent 2 hours on the phone with us he was wasting his valuable time (which he valued at about $200/hr).  So he attached his bill of time he spent subtracting the amount we charged leaving us a small amount in which we had to pay him.  We couldn’t believe it, so we thought it was best to not contact this client again and not provide anymore services in the future.
   
    
6. What are some of the things that you have focused on in order to be successful?  What are some of the things you have found to be ineffective in growing your business?
   We found that giving top notch service and building relationships with our clients is the best way to make our company successful.  Before we start any training at the office we usually exercise our funny bone and crack a few jokes with the employees at the office and try to build an entertaining atmosphere, which will benefit the training process greatly.  Another benefit of building a personal relationship at each office is that you will be able to get away with a lot more.  If one day you need to cancel an appointment they have no problem and tell you to come in whenever you get the chance.  One of the things we have found to be ineffective is allowing the doctors to bargain.  Every time we have bargained with a doctor, in the end we were sorry.  So enforcing strict pricing and an SOP, although unpopular, is the best way around many problems.