One thing we have learned in the past couple of years of this economy is that when a piece of equipment is not being used, eye care professionals are willing to get creative so they may get something they need. Often, the idea of swapping product “X” for product “Y” gets the deal done.
For example, a recent customer had an older Zeiss IOL Master. She was not thrilled with the wholesale value through brokers and did not want to be in “selling mode” while running a busy practice. When asked if there was any other piece of equipment she was looking for, she said a good corneal topographer. The end result was the swap of a Zeiss Atlas 995 for an IOL Master. The customer was happy, and the relative value was equal and the deal was done.
Another creative swap example was with an eye care professional who had a lease on imaging equipment. She wanted to sell it, but was tied into a lease for three more years. She was interested in a fundus camera that actually had greater value than the imaging equipment. Because of this, the lease company was open to swapping the equipment because they would now hold title to something of greater value. We then took the imaging equipment and sold it to someone who happened to be looking for that particular item.
What ingredients are necessary to make a swap work?
1. You need to have an idea of the relative value of the product you want to trade.
2. You need to have an idea of the relative value of the product you want.
3. You need to find a willing seller.
Of course, this is not a simple proposition, but with thousands of eye care professionals that browse the Equipment Exchange every day, it is indeed possible. Be creative and let everyone know you are open to a trade.
As always, if you need assistance in navigating this trade or help determining relative values, please ask a question on the Equipment Exchange or email Bob or Todd at the Eye Care Alliance.
bpadula@eyecarealliance.com
todd@eyecarealliance.com
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