Full-time home care and hospice sales people should be able to consistently make at least 50 quality sales calls each week.  This is important because the one thing that will directly equate to more referrals is the number of face-to-face sales calls.

The focus is on making quality calls—not the quantity of calls.  Some days and weeks will result in more calls depending on other activities scheduled.  The best way to stay ahead is to constantly work to make as many quality calls as possible.  Meetings and office time are the biggest barriers to making more calls; for this reason, they should be scheduled outside of prime selling time.

With good time management and organizational skills, the home care sales representative should be able to manage 20 - 25 “A” accounts along with the balance of their territory.  You should maintain and complete a weekly call report.  It should be completed at the end of each day.  This will give you and your manager a clear snapshot of your activity for the week just ended.  Be honest in your completion of the report as it is a tool that will help you to be better.

Have the tenacity of a bulldog.  Once you determine that there is a qualified prospective referral source, stay on them until they start using your agency.  Then keep working until you are their preferred agency.  After that, protect them against all competitors.

Excerpted from Field Guide to Selling Home Care Services with Legendary Results by Michael Ferris

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The number one consideration when constructing your customer service center is to be EASY! This is true throughout the hospice program, but nowhere is that more important than in the customer service center. Referral partners we have surveyed consistently share that their number one consideration (real reason for selecting a hospice) is that they are easy to work with and respond quickly.

If all it took to be easy was being fast, then it would be simple to be easy! When, who, and how you answer your phone is many times the starting point. Responsiveness and personalization are essential. The referral partner must feel that they are important, and that they are being heard, appreciated and respected. Your customer service professional must be well trained in needs assessment, probing, and most importantly—LISTENING.

Focus on each component of your service center. Hours of operation, structure, staffing, training and alternate communication technologies all add up to the highest referral partner satisfaction scores. Have fun and never, ever let up in your quest to be the best. Constantly set new standards, and you will please your referral partners and leave your competitors in the dust!

Excerpted from LEGENDARY RESULTS: Managing Referrals & Increasing Admissions Vol 1: Referral Management by Michael Ferris and Polly Rehnwall

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After having created successful promotions throughout the year, you may find that your agency wants to continue doing the same thing each successive year.  You will find that after a couple of years that you will have referral sources looking forward to your promotion.  This will maximize the effectiveness of your investment and create long-term relationships. 

Caution: If you create a tradition, you also create an expectation with your customer.  If you are going to remove names from the list of recipients, make sure that they are made aware of your decision and justification for their removal.

Make sure that your sales staff personally calls the accounts being eliminated from the promotion list.  Make sure that the referral source understands that it was dropped due to a dramatic decrease in referrals.  Use the opportunity to ask what, if anything, has changed and what the agency needs to do to regain the business.

When considering new sales or marketing tactics, don’t be too quick to make changes just for changes sake.  Keep doing those things that have made your agency successful over the years.  Many agencies have seen declines in referral volume because they got excited about a new idea and discarded an old practice.  By the time they figure out that the old practice is what built the agency, it’s too late to replace the important referrals lost during that time.

If it’s working, keep doing it!  Look for ways to improve and enhance tactics but keep in mind that those sales, marketing and customer service practices that built your agency are what you are known for. 

Excerpted from 101 Home Care Promotional Strategies that Deliver Legendary Results Without Busting Your Budget! by Michael Ferris

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Every hospice admission package contains the same ubiquitous form: “If you ever have a concern about our service, here’s our number, and if you don’t get your problem resolved, call this number at the state.” Well, okay. But patients and families get so much information at admission that, by the time they get this, their main focus is getting you out so they can get some rest!

Make a real impact instead. After every admission, the CEO should send a handwritten note thanking the family for choosing your hospice for their care. And include this phrase:

“If you ever have a problem that doesn’t get resolved, here is my home phone number. Call me. Please.”