How do I check where a medical supply store’s customers come from before buying?

A medical supply or mobility store can look steady while depending on a handful of relationships. Before you rely on its sales history, find out who sends customers, why they do, and whether they would keep doing so for you. This is a conversation with the seller as much as an exercise with records.

Sort sales by source

Ask the seller to group recent sales by how the customer found the store. Typical groups include walk-ins, referrals from therapists and clinics, hospital or facility discharge, repeat orders for items such as compression garments, and online orders. If the store does not track sources, ask the owner to estimate and explain how.

Look at repeat business

Repeat items bring customers back without a new referral each time. Ask how reordering works, who handles it and whether customers return because of the product, the store or a particular person. Steady repeat business is reassuring only if it does not depend on one employee or the owner.

Test whether referrals follow the owner

Some therapists and clinics send customers to the store. Others send them to the owner by name. Ask the seller which referrers matter most, and how long each has been sending customers. With the seller’s permission and after a confidentiality agreement, a short introduction to the main referrers can tell you a great deal.

Compare the story to the records

Check the seller’s account against invoices and supplier records, as described in how to verify a seller’s financials. Gaps are worth a question, not an accusation. The aim is a clear picture of where the customers come from and how likely they are to stay.