7 hearing aid secretsin the following pages you'll learn 7 secrets about buying hearing aids...

Case Study Created by CenturyHearingAids.comCopyright © 2015 All Rights Reserved.

SECRETS7 HEARING AID

HEARING AID REPORT

http://CenturyHearingAid.com

Hello,

I want to thank you for investing in your future by downloading our Hearing Aid Buyers Guide with 7 buying hearing aid secrets to help put you in control of buying a hearing aid.

My name is Jon Stoddard, and this guide is the culmination thoroughly investigating the hearing aid industry and over 5 year experience helping over 5,000 people find a hearing aid solution that's right for them.

I've created and shared this guide because I believe that most people can avoid the pain, confusion and isolation created by hearing loss. But in order to do so, without being taken advantage of by the legal racketeering I see every day, you need to know the truth about what's happening behind the scenes.

Buying a hearing aid is about more than the price; it's about communicating with your loved ones, connecting with your community, and being able to interact with your environment. However, this doesn't change the fact that you shouldn't be overpaying for top quality hearing aids.

In the following pages you'll learn 7 secrets about buying hearing aids that will put you in the drivers seat when it comes to buying a hearing aid.

After you've read every page feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns you might have, and let's address your hearing loss together.

Sincerely,

Jon Stoddard

2Century Hearing Aids | Copyright © 2015 All Rights Reserved | www.CenturyHearingAids.com

http://CenturyHearingAids.com/utm_source=7SecretsEbook&utm_campaign=7SecretsEbook&utm_medium=7SecretsEbook&utm_term=textlink

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Recent statistics show that 10,000 people enter social security everyday. 36 million baby boomers with up to 30% experiencing hearing loss. This is a group that could ill afford to dish out $6000 for hearing aids...so they go without. Audiologists and dispensers can cite the cost of overhead: off ce space, personnel, etc.


PRICING HAS MUCH MORE TO DO WITH LACK

OF ACCESS THAN TECHNOLOGY


Fitting, making sure the hearing aid is programmed properly and reprogrammed etc. But the bottom line, pricing has much more to do with lack of access than technology which means customers are still funneled through licensed dispensers.

I am here to offer an alternative - to share what I have learned and offer you a lower cost option. So, I spent some time researching the hearing aid market and I would like to share this shocking information I discovered.

They can also talk about their training and personal service:


Lets start with a few facts about the Hearing Aid Industry...FACT: There are over 30 million people in the US with hearing loss. With that many people needing hearing Aids*.....why do they still cost $2000 to $4000 for a hearing aid?

FACT: The Cost to Manufacturer a good quality digital Hearing Aid is between $75 and $250

Just as Intel supplies chips to 97% of all Personal Computers today--even Apple computers today.....the chip inside of most hearing aids is made by two companies, its either IntriCon or Siemens. Any Hearing Aid company from the US most likely has a Intricon chip inside. Any hearing company from Europe has a Siemens chip inside. There are NO Asian Hearing Aid companies in the US - if so their market share is less than 1%


A hearing aid manufacturer will mark up his hearing aid between 75% and 150%, depending on features and competition. So the manufacturer earns between a healthy 35% and 75% gross margin. This means that the cost of the hearing aid to a reseller will be somewhere between $150 and $600 on the average. How do I know this? I buy hearing aids from two to the top 10 hearing aid manufacturers. FACT: Over 85% of all hearing aids are sold through Audiologists/Licensed Dispensers* and None of the Major Hearing Aid Manufacturers: Phonak, Starkey, Siemens, Unitron, Widex, Audible, Audina, Oticon, Beltone, GN ReSound, Persona Medical or Miracle Ear sell their hearing aids online.


--which would lower prices to you the consumer. At the present time, There are about 9,000 audiologists and about 3,000 dispensers in the USA. The 10 major hearing hearing aid manufacturers court the Audiologists aggressively to sell their products.

Audiologists use their power to keep Hearing Aid Manufacturers from selling through the internet


It takes a lot of effort for a Hearing Aid manufacturer to dislodge the current line of hearing aids in the Audiologists office. If Starkey started selling hearing aids to an Internet retailer and the Internet Retailer sold them for half of what the audiologists did (because that is what the internet does to prices), it would destroy the Manufacturer/Audiologist relationship! Audiologists would not make any money off Starkey so Starkey would end up loosing all of their Audiologists. So the Audiologists and manufacturers have self preserving interest to keep their prices high. This is the opposite of a free market. Imagine if you could only buy oranges from one supermarket in your state---how much do you think they would cost? Probably about $20 an orange—well, you get the point.


1 WHY HEARING AIDS ARE NOT

LIKE EYEGLASSES

SECRET #1


Why are Hearing Aids not like Eyeglasses? A colleague of mine, Dan Kennedy - who has written over 10 marketing books and sold his marketing services to 1000s of audiologists said,”The stigma and resistance to wearing eyeglasses diminished in the 1950s and was

pretty much gone by the 1970s - today even eye-wear is positioned as a fashion statement - a billion dollar fashion statement - take a look at the

websites like www.warbyparker.com.

What helped de-stigmatize this was that fact that young people needed vision correction, so glasses were never a symbol of surrender to age or infirmity. Eyeglasses successfully moved out to the doctors office to a billion dollar eyeglass fashion retail industry. Not so with hearing aids.

They ARE symbolic of surrender to age.


http://www.warbyparker.com.

People are resistant to even thinking about trying them. People are embarrassed by having to wear them, even now that technology has made them tiny, nearly invisible, 100% digital, with pocket remotes - thus liberating users from a device for fiddling with volume. Seen or unseen, the consumer still feels old and diminished by wearing them...or even thinking of wearing them. Dan continues, “The second thing to know, and probably the most interesting secret fear, is that few people buy hearing aids simply to hear better. Most of us who wear eyeglasses buy them to see better. Its a simple proposition. With vision below par and worsening, trouble reading small print or seeing signs or driving at night, we go buy glasses - some of us start with reading glasses.

“People are resistant to even thinking about trying them.”


But the buying hearing aids is more complicated, and most people are not sufficiently motivated by hearing difficulties to go and buy them. Instead there are hidden fears and hidden benefits driving people to buy a hearing aid.

For example, one of the things baby boomers fear most is “being stuck in nursing home.”

For the more affluent you can call it “Assisted Living”. But still, seniors want to stay in their homes, They want to live independently. They fear nursing homes. And they fear adult children moving them into them.

This inspires some creative and risky behavior, as seniors endeavor to conceal difficulties they are experiencing with

daily life. They rightly fear their adult children’s perception they are “losing it” or “addled” or “confused” which being unable to hear properly can create.

Another hidden fear is that their adult children will be reluctant to trust them alone with their adult grandchildren, especially away from home, driving about, on excursions, Being deprived of independent time with the grandchildren will strike terror into the hear of a grandmother, and at least irritate a grandfather.

Age and hearing loss fuels fear. So who wants to get in the car, lug their spouse with them, go through an hour and a half of diagnostic tests, got scientific proof that they have hearing loss.” This is what Dan Kennedy learned about


working with local audiologist offices - do you feel infirmed? Addled? About ready to go into a nursing home thinking about hearing aids? True to you or not - there is a stigma to overcome. 214Century Hearing Aids | Copyright © 2015 All Rights Reserved | www.CenturyHearingAids.com

v

2 WHY DO HEARING AIDS

COST SO MUCH?Money. Money to Cover costs. If an audiologist is selling a couple of hearing aids for $6000 and the

audiologist purchased those for $700, thats an 800% markup. If you are going to buy a couple of hearing

aids for $6000--Audiologists are happy to put difference in their pocket.

SECRET #2


I am not knocking Audiologist here...Audiologists preform an invaluable service. I am sure 99% of them care about their patients and helping them. And they have every right to charge whatever customers will pay. All I am doing it pointing out two things:

1. Most people that need a hearing aid are senior citizens and are retired and not making as much as when they were working don’t even mention what the economy has done to the 401k’s and... 2. Here is the big disconnect - that there is not as much technology in a hearing aid as there is in an iPhone--but you can buy an iPhone for $300-$500! (I bought my iPhone 4 for $99) And an iPhone does a 1000s more things: play Movies, Phone (it receives digital signals process and amplifies sounds), text, camera, record movies, games, remote for TV, its a personal computer, you can create excel, word, powerpoints, chat..whatever you can think of there’s and app for that. Why is that?

Economies of scale is one reason. More demand pushes the price down. Do you remember when ink jet cartridges were $30-$100 a piece...now there are printers in every home and ink cartridges are $7 at Cartridge World. In a free market where the customer decides---and there are many choices---customers ultimately push the price down. 316Century Hearing Aids | Copyright © 2015 All Rights Reserved | www.CenturyHearingAids.com

3 WHAT AUDIOLOGISTS DON’T WANT

YOU TO KNOW ABOUT PRICING

How can 9,000 Audiologists service 30 million people with Hearing Loss? They can’t......and this is the secret Audiologists

don’t want you to know....most of the Top 10 hearing aid manufacturers Private Label.

SECRET #3


What is a private label hearing aid? Its the same exact hearing aid that Starkey, Phonak, Audina, Persona Medical, Widex and ReSound sell to Audiologists but with a different brand name printed on the casing.

Same exact. Look,there are only so many people that can afford a $4000--$6000 pair of hearing aids. But there are Millions and Millions more customers with hearing loss that could afford something in the $1000 to $2000 for a pair. Think about that, 30 million people with hearing loss. Let’s say there are 5-10% that can afford a $6000 pair of hearing aids. That’s 1.5 million to 3 million people ...leaving 28.5 million to 27 million people without hearing aids. Most insurance companies do not cover hearing aids. Medicare does not cover digital hearing aids. So its going to come right out of your pocket.

The only way Hearing Aid manufacturers can sell more hearing aids is by allowing Internet Retailers to sell the same exact hearing aid, under a different brand name, for a fraction of the price online! The hearing aid manufacturer still makes the same profit margins through Internet sellers and they are still able to protect their premium brand name that they sell through audiologists. Even Audiologists Private label--its not a new strategy.


Here’s a perfect example of Private Label: Who is largest seller of private label hearing aids today? Costco and Sams Club. It used to be Miracle Ear. Miracle Ear is a Siemens Hearing Aid! Miracle-Ear hearing aids are manufactured by Siemens under a multi-year supply agreement. Here’s a few example in different industries: Go into your local drugstore, Walgreens, or CVS etc. Go find Tylenol. Right next to Tylenol you will see the store label, Walgreens/CVS Acetaminophen. Who makes Walgreens Acetaminophen? Johnson & Johnson. Who makes Tylenol? Johnson & Johnson. What is the price of the Walgreens Acetaminophen? At the Walgreens here in Tucson its half the price of Tylenol.

On the next page is a slide from a Walmart Investor Presentation regarding How the Economy is impacting consumers choices: (I know its tuna and milk but this is just to show you that just about every mfg/retailer is private labeling now--and the economy sucks--who has $4,000, $6,000 to spend?)


4ARE THERE REALLY THAT

MANY DIFFERENT HEARING AID

MANUFACTURERS

SECRET #4


4There are approximately 25 hearing aid manufacturers..or are there?Take a look at General Motors, it has a number of different divisions; Chevrolet, Pontiac, Saturn and Buick. In the last ten years, there has been quite a bit of consolidation in the hearing aid industry and now most of the major hearing aid manufacturers have hearing aids sold through different divisions or brands. This was a little easier to accomplish than you would think because the different brands shared the same chip inside--just different packaging! Here’s a look at the top brands:

Parent Company

GN ReSound

Siemens

Starkey

Phonak

William Demant

Amplifon

Subsidiaries or Technology Partners

Beltone, Interton

Rexton, Electone

Audible, Micro-Tech, NuEar, AudioSync, AMP,

Liberty Hearing Aids

Unitron

Oticon, Bernafon

Sonus, Miracle Ear (Siemens chiip inside)


5SECRET #5

WHY WON’T MY AUDIOLOGIST GIVE ME MY

AUDIOGRAM/HEARING TEST?


5 Simple Reason: If they keep the chart you will end up buying the hearing aids they sell. Ask if you can get a copy of the results. Hearing test results are immediate. If the Audiologist resists giving you your audiogram: Tell your audiologist you want to get a second opinion from your Ear Nose and throat Specialist. If they offer another reason not to give it to you...don’t press it anymore--those are their business rules. Every Audiologist is an independent business owner and each have their own set of rules. Technically speaking...according to the Department of Human & Health Services, providers and health insurers who comply with HIPPA are required to provide you with a copy of your medical record and other health information....if you request it. Who must comply? Doctors, audiologists, nurses, dispensers, pharmacies, hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and many others health care providers, health insurance companies, HMOs, most employer group health plans. You can also learn more, including how to file a complaint with the US Government at www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/. Also, while many insurance companies will cover the cost of a hearing test, most do not cover the cost of hearing aids.


http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/

6SECRET #6

HOW LONG DO HEARING AIDS

LAST?


6In the book called, “Problem-Solving and Extending the Life of Your Hearing Aids”, written by Thayne Smedly, PhD and Ronal Schow, Ph., the writers state, “Just as hearing aids will malfunction on occasion...it follows that they won’t last indefinitely. This is true even for very expensive ones. For various reasons, cost being one of them, (they are referring to the $1500 and up hearing aids) some wearers expect their instruments to last 10 to 15 years or more. Hearing aids that remain in useful service for this long are the rare exception rather than the rule. In fact, research has demonstrated that the typical hearing aid gets replaced about every five years.” Additionally, the writers poled a group of audiologists involved in fitting hearing instruments. The professionals reported that hearing aids are generally replaced after three to five years of use. The three to five year number represents the buying habits of hearing aid wearers. The reader should bear in mind that hearing aids are replaced for a variety of reasons (aside from malfunctioning) such as the introduction of newer technology, the changing hearing needs of the user, or the ability to be fit with smaller instruments.


Two of the biggest reasons for hearing aids being replaced are:

1. losing them

2. damage outside warranty - dog eating them, taking them for a swim.

Something else to take into account, hearing aids take a beating day in and day out. They are taken on and off every day. Dropped sometimes. They are exposed to sweat, rain, oils from the skin, ear

wax. Due to this wear and tear, they have a lifespan more like a laptovp or cellphone than the life of a TV. Wearers are just tougher on hearing

aids.

So lets say you go into your Audiologist and he wants to sell you pair or $3,000 hearing aids. You decide to purchase them but don’t have the cash so you finance them for four years and pay $90 a month. You are going to pay over $900 in interest fees for a $6000 pair of hearing aids

that only last for three to five years! 726Century Hearing Aids | Copyright © 2015 All Rights Reserved | www.CenturyHearingAids.com

7SECRET #7

WHY CONSUMER REPORTS DOES

NOT RATE HEARING AID

BRANDSThat is a great

question...27Century Hearing Aids | Copyright © 2015 All Rights Reserved | www.CenturyHearingAids.com

I heard it over and over again from a number of my customers so I had to see for myself. I paid for a Consumer Reports membership online and here is what I learned, “Our research indicates that rating hearing-aid brands and models on overall performance is not possible because people with seemingly identical hearing loss may hear differently using a particular product programmed the same way.” This is what I learned also. I have seen cases where there were two customers with almost identical audiograms. They both ordered the same Open Fit Hearing Aid. It worked for one of the customers--did not help the other at all.

Consumer Reports sent out 30 shoppers to test hearing aids...here is one experience, “One of our shoppers, a musician, couldn’t tolerate a flutter heard at certain pitches with the first set of aids he purchased.

The provider told him that was just the way the aids sound. But the second pair our shopper purchased for our study worked fine, with no flutter.” I think this may be why most insurance companies and medicare do not cover hearing aids--except the high end plans. The outcomes are unpredictable from patient to patient. Insurance companies assess probability and risk or use Actuarial Science to find predictable outcomes.


The Actuarial science insurance companies use aids in the design of benefit structures, such as reimbursement standards, and the effects of proposed government standards on the cost of healthcare. If its subjective, if it works for one and not the other, it can’t be measured. If it can’t be measured insurance companies are not going to reimburse you. Folks, I could be wrong on this but think this is the main reason most insurance companies and medicare do not cover hearing aids. Consumers Reports went on to say....

Insurance companies need predictable outcomes.


...“Our laboratory tests didn’t compare brands, but we did evaluate features. Among the most useful were the telecoil and directional microphone. Don’t pay for unnecessary features, as some of our shoppers were pressured to do. The more features you buy, the more you’ll probably pay, but you might not need every one.

So why bother with hearing aids? Medical evidence shows that they can improve your quality of life and relationships with friends and family, so it’s worth persevering until you get aids that are properly selected and fitted. Of our survey respondents, 73 percent pronounced themselves highly satisfied with their aids. As one of our shoppers noted, “I’m hearing music sounds I haven’t heard for over 20 years.”


Moreover, hearing-aid technology has made major strides in recent years, most notably with the development of very small open-fit digital hearing aids. In loud social settings, the most challenging environment for hearing-aid users, survey participants reported more improvement with those aids, which don’t plug up the ear canal, over other styles that use earmolds, custom-shaped inserts that fit tightly in the ear canal. If you’re avoiding noisy places or having trouble in conversation or understanding TV, it might be time for a hearing aid. In our survey 67 percent of first-time aid users sought aids because they got tired of asking others to repeat themselves.”


What’s the conclusion on this? I drew two conclusions from this... 1. As Consumer Reports stated, “people with identical hearing loss may hear differently using the same hearing aid programmed the same way.” This opens the door to you ask yourself, why go with a brand name with same features, same specifications, same suggested fitting range...at 2-3 times the price? 1. Will anyone notice that you have a pair of Phonaks for $5000 versus a Pivate label for $899--when its behind the ear and 2. Is the listening improvement really worth the price difference?

2. Hearing aids will help you hear better. They will improve the quality of your life. And the only way you are going to know if hearing aids work for you is to take them for a test drive. But first, before you jump in and order, here’s a quick checklist of things to think about before buying a hearing aid Review the pros and cons (including cost trade-offs) of different hearing-aid styles and features (such as 2 mics, telecoil, feedback suppression, noise reduction, and manual-volume control).


Consider your personal preferences concerning style, aesthetics, color, cost, and features. Check for money back guarantee, return policies, restocking fees, shipping time and costs, sales tax, BBB Rating, Reviews, testimonials, credit card security credentials, contact information--address or PO Box, warranties, exchange or upgrade options and check the “about us” section--is it a faceless/nameless company?. Check for instructions, how-to videos, hearing assessment and hearing tests, frequently asked questions, troubleshooting help, online privacy policies, and reprogramming options, replacement if lost options.


WOULD YOU LIKE TO START HEARING BETTER NOW?

Let’s face it. Hearing loss is a fact of life as we age - this letter tried to offer you a couple things here:

1. Address some of the stigmas and fears about getting hearings that some how means you are thought of as “losing it” or “addled” by your adult kids or you just because you have hearing loss you are moving into a nursing home and

2. by buying hearing aids they will help you hear better, better comprehension, and be more certain of conversations at your favorite activities and most importantly your adult children can trust you to be alone with your grandkids.


HERE IS HOW CENTURY HEARING AIDS SAVES YOU MONEY ON HEARING AIDS

Audiologists serve a local audience so they have to charge higher prices per customer to cover those costs (for example, if they see 1,000 patients a year they pass along fixed costs/1,000 to patients). Century Hearing Aids is an online only store with much lower expenses. We make smaller profits per unit sold because we have access to such a huge market (8 million US customers) and, we can make it up in volume sales. It’s a win for the budget conscious shopper.


OUR GUARANTEEI am going to make you a guarantee, If you are not 100% completely satisfied with our hearing aids, you can simply return them for full refund. I’ll give you 30 days to test them out so

you hear better yourself.

“At age 100 I was reluctant to replace my hearing aid until I read about the features of the Rosebud SP and the unbelievable price. I am delighted with the ability to change volume, adjust for environment and mostly

the music setting which I am still able to continue tuning of a concert grand

piano. I would give it the highest rating of satisfaction.”

Ambrose Le Van

Don’t take my word for it ... take a look at what a few of my customers have to say about us:

Still not certain?


“I could find no better deal on hearing aids than the XYLO hearing aid. It is the best buy for the money out there and have recommended it to my friends that keep saying HUH! every time I say something to them. My wife loves having the TV volume

at a reasonable level also - five stars.”

Ed Newman

“I have been awaiting the test of time to form a final conclusion of the Xylo YTango model, wrestling with the challenges of trying to adapt to the process of wearing hearing aids. After trying out models costing over

$5,000 and under $500, I can say that this model you sent equals or beats the performance of them all. You, at

Century Hearing Aids have been very responsive and service oriented.”

Michael Don Fess


WHO ARE THESE HEARING AIDS FOR?I cannot help everyone with hearing loss so please do not order from us unless you are serious about:

1.) Saving Money on Hearing Aids - If you already visited the Audiologist and their bill was $4000 to $60002.) Desire to hear better. You want to visit and hear your family, friends and enjoy those grandkids

NOW WHAT?You’ve read the 7 Secrets, You’ve learned why our hearing aids cost less, You’ve seen my 30-Day 100% Money Back Guarantee, you have seen the customer stories - making all of this risk-free.

But none of this matters unless you make a decision to try the hearing aids from us. Now it’s up to you.



Cheers,

Jon StoddardFounder & CEOCentury Hearing AidsTop Quality. Lowest Prices.

P.S. If you decide to purchase hearing aids from us, we thank you for the business..... P.P.S. Have a friend that has a hearing loss and wants to save money on hearing aids? Forward this report to them with my contact information and your honest thoughts about my services. Your friend will thank you for saving money and I’ll thank you for the compliment.”


tel:888-295-2944

7 hearing aid secretsin the following pages you'll learn 7 secrets about buying hearing aids...

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