Salesmanship

Handicapped or HandiCamping ?

How easy would it be if a prospect in a wheelchair or walking on crutches visited your dealership today?

This isn't a lesson in OSHA regulations, it's a sales article. Don't leave just yet.

How does our industry do when it comes to sharing our lifestyle with those who may have a handicap? These folks are not disabled . . . in fact, they are extremely able and capable of doing many of the same things that we all do everyday.

Society has made significant advances in the way we treat handicapped individuals. Yes, the government certainly influenced some of those changes with the ADA legislation, but I would like to think the majority of people did it because they simply knew it was the right thing to do.

If you have ever had the privilege of working with a handicapped individual, then you are well aware that they are typically your most dedicated workers. They are so appreciative that they have been given an opportunity to be gainfully employed and self-sufficient, that they quickly rise above the norm and you wonder why you didn't hire them long ago.

Now what does all this have to do with RVing and camping? Quite a bit actually.

If you have a dealership or campground that is not accommodating to those who are handicapped, the word will quickly spread and it will eventually cost you business and profit.

As we all look forward to the baby boomers everyone expects to drive this industry for the next ten years, then we must also consider what happens when one of the partners becomes handicapped or incapacitated in some way.

When this does happen, they should not have to give up the RV lifestyle.

We should also open our industry to handicapped men, women and children so that they also can enjoy RVing right along side of us.

Retrofitting an RV for handicapped access

As I entered the New Hampshire RV show recently I happened to notice an RV off to the right as you entered the Manchester Armory and it did not appear to be part of the dealer display area just behind the curtains.

It wasn't.

This was a local New Hampshire company that markets the lift systems that we frequently see in hospitals, nursing homes or rehabilitation centers. They decided to go out and purchase a Class C motorhome and retrofitted the unit with a Barrier Free Lift System. The system included a chair lift at the entrance door and a full length ceiling lift system that extended from the queen size bed out back to the driver and co-pilot chairs up front.

The unique system made it possible for a handicapped individual to have the freedom to travel in accessible comfort. The lift system would allow the person to move freely between rooms from the bed, to shower and toilet area, and forward into the kitchen/living room area and on to the captain's chairs.

This type of system will help make more trailers and motorhomes available to handicapped people who may not realize they have an option that will allow them to enjoy the RV lifestyle.

It appears that this type of system could be installed in a majority of the RVs being sold today with a strong roof support foundation.

The company that displayed this system was Barrier Free Lifts of New Hampshire (1-603-898-1205) and there is a web site for the Virginia based corporate office (www.bfl-inc.com).

Golf, a hole-in-one and an RV

I've had the pleasure of being associated with the Horace Mann School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Boston for twenty years. This City of Boston public school has deaf and multiple-handicapped kids from six months to twenty-two years old.

I first met Lou Bianchi, the industry coordinator, when he called me in 1981 and asked us to set up a new technology program at the school for the kids. I'll never forget his favorite line that he used to communicate with private industry when establishing new programs at the school: "We know how to teach, but we don't always know what to teach."

We established a micrographic training program that allowed many of the graduates to work in our industry at competitive wages and attain self-sufficiency. In fact, we hired several of the graduates at my company and they proved to be outstanding workers.

You are probably wondering where golf and the hole-in-one come in.

Well, this year will mark the fifth anniversary of the Horace Mann Golf Benefit that is sponsored by our local chapter of our industry association. Each year a local car dealer provides a luxury vehicle on one of the par three holes. Get a hole-in-one, and you drive off with a new Jaguar or other fine automobile.

How does the dealer do it? They actually purchase a one-day insurance policy for a very small sum of money. Let's face it, the way most of us play golf the odds are really in their favor.

Now there is nothing to stop you from doing the same thing with a trailer, fifth wheel or even a motorhome. I'm sure your local insurance representative can tell you how to purchase this type of coverage.

Most golf benefits are played Monday through Thursday and are well attended by celebrities, the press, and successful business people from the local community. What a wonderful way to showcase the RV lifestyle and help handicapped people at the same time.

Our benefit raises approximately $25,000 that goes directly into the Horace Mann's technology programs.

There are hundreds of golf benefits every day. Find out where they are played in your area and you will find that many of them have the car/hole-in-one contest. Talk to them about making it an RV.

Most benefits are "shotgun" style, which means you have at least four golfers on every hole and sometimes more. You are almost guaranteed 72 prospects and our benefit will usually have around 120 participants.

I think you could find a sales rep that would be willing to baby-sit the RV to have access to 72-120 prospects and tell them a little bit about the lifestyle.

When was the last time you saw a motorhome at the golf club?

HandiCamping

I hope I'm not infringing upon anybody's copyrighted use of this word . . . heck, it may not even be a word yet! A web search only showed a Handi-Camps program that is run by the Power Ministries of Indiana.

One of my top sales people has a daughter that suffers from Rett Syndrome. This is a rare neurological disorder that was first recognized by Andreas Rett in 1966. Children with Rett Syndrome often exhibit autistic-like behaviors, such as repetitive hand movements, prolonged toe walking, body rocking and sleep problems. This is a rare and terminal disease that almost exclusively affects girls. There are no answers or cures for Retts at this time. Information on Rett Syndrome can be found at: www.autism.org/rett.html.

Children afflicted with all types of handicaps and disabilities put a tremendous burden on the family. Quite often, parents of handicapped children are the most dedicated, loving and giving people you would ever want to know.

As an industry, we should be able to do more to introduce these kids and their families to the RV lifestyle.

We market our industry to families because it provides a unique bonding and learning experience when we have a chance to get away from the hectic pace of our daily lives, both at home and at work.

Now if you think our lives are hectic, try adding to that the extra burden of caring for a sick or dying child and having the desire to share many of the same things that their friends and neighbors enjoy.

I thought HandiCamping was a good word for our industry to become more aware of the needs of these families and also to find some way to introduce them to the RV lifestyle.

There are some camps that are dedicated to handicapped kids and their families. This type of camp has counselors who will work with the kids outdoors while the parents have a chance to rest and enjoy some quite time with each other. If you know anybody who has a handicapped child, then you will not be surprised when I tell you they spend every hour of their lives doing something that will bring comfort under difficult conditions.

These families need the same rest, relaxation, and enjoyment of the RV lifestyle and would welcome an opportunity to have a caring environment for the child and the family to enjoy the great outdoors.

Find out what agencies you have in your markets that assist families with handicapped children. Discuss the RV lifestyle and see if there is some way that we can share the successes we have had in this industry with those less fortunate.

Adopt a HandiCamping attitude and bring the RV lifestyle to a handicapped child and their loving family.

As Dr. Laura will often tell her callers: Now go do the right thing.

Good luck and good selling.

RVN