http://www.hchms.com/site/index/ en mike@hchms.com Copyright 2009 2009-11-18T00:20:01-05:00 http://www.hchms.com/index.php/site/what-is-your-agency-doing-to-ensure-that-you-have-strong-referrals-coming-i/ http://www.hchms.com/index.php/site/what-is-your-agency-doing-to-ensure-that-you-have-strong-referrals-coming-i/#When:00:20:01Z What is your agency doing to ensure that you have strong referrals coming in for the rest of 2009? Home Health Care, Hospice, Sales 2009-11-18T00:20:01-05:00 http://www.hchms.com/index.php/site/what-has-you-pumped-up-right-now/ http://www.hchms.com/index.php/site/what-has-you-pumped-up-right-now/#When:19:11:00Z Home Health Care, Hospice, Sales 2009-11-03T19:11:00-05:00 http://www.hchms.com/index.php/site/holiday-promotions/ http://www.hchms.com/index.php/site/holiday-promotions/#When:20:52:00Z Tell us what holiday promotions you’re planning for this year. How does it compare to past years? Home Health Care, Hospice, Sales 2009-10-19T20:52:00-05:00 http://www.hchms.com/index.php/site/breast-cancer-awareness-month/ http://www.hchms.com/index.php/site/breast-cancer-awareness-month/#When:21:10:00Z Tell us what you/your agency are doing for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  We invite you to share with us your photos, campaign ideas, etc. Home Health Care, Hospice, Sales 2009-10-07T21:10:00-05:00 http://www.hchms.com/index.php/site/consistency/ http://www.hchms.com/index.php/site/consistency/#When:19:10:00Z Perhaps the single most important element in selling and marketing home care and hospice services is consistency. You must always be visible to get the most referrals. Nowhere is the old saying, “Out of sight is out of mind” more applicable. Once you have initiated contact and qualified a referral source for the use of home care or hospice services, keep in front of them on a consistent and continuous basis. You must be available anytime there is a need or a problem. All materials that you distribute to the community at large must be consistent. They must have the same quality, look and feel that your other collateral materials have. It is very expensive to produce high quality marketing materials. The use of one inconsistent or poorly copied item can destroy the value of this investment. Here are some important rules to ensure consistency: ~ Letters should always be printed on agency letterhead. ~ Use the agency’s logo in the proper colors and the USP or tagline on everything that you do. ~ Make sure every facsimile you send out has a clean, clear, and well designed cover sheet on it. Personalize the facsimile with the intended recipient’s name and a note from you. ~ Look at customizing the facsimile cover sheet with a seasonal message, an educational item, or an advertising/sales message. ~ Use your business cards for everything that you do. ~ Answer your phone with excitement and always identify yourself to the caller. The other aspect of consistency is being in front of your accounts on a consistent and visible basis. Once again, out of sight is out of mind—so stay in sight and keep the same image and message in front of your accounts. If you are not in your top accounts at least once a week, you will lose business to competitors. If they are one of your top accounts, then they are your competition’s top targets. Excerpted from The Field Guide to Selling Home Care Services with Legendary Results by Michael Ferris 2009-10-02T19:10:00-05:00 http://www.hchms.com/index.php/site/staff-appreciation-day/ http://www.hchms.com/index.php/site/staff-appreciation-day/#When:13:28:01Z An agency told us that their annual Staff Appreciation Day was a big success.  They rented a party (group) area at a major league baseball game and had the best attendance by staff and families ever!  They had door prizes and certificates of appreciation for staff members.  The owner made a point to thank all of the families for supporting the efforts of the home care professionals.  He told them that it is not easy being the family member of a homecare professional and that often the families do not get enough credit for their support. Hand out framed certificates of appreciation for your awardees that they can hang in their offices or take home with them.  Take lots of photos and create a collage that is mounted on foam board and can be hung in the office.  That way each year there will be a new group of great photos that can hang in your office.  This will create a longer lasting effect and will generate better attendance at each successive year’s celebration. Ask your Board of Directors to attend and hand out the awards; this makes it that much more valuable to the employees.  It also will allow your Board Members to get to know some of the staff and their families. Invite your best referral sources and their families to join the celebration.  Take the time to acknowledge those who do attend.  This effort will help to build stronger relationships between agency staff and referral sources in attendance.  Those who cannot attend will be impressed by the thoughtfulness of your agency, both for inviting them and for recognizing your staff.  In addition, make sure that you write about Staff Appreciation Day in the agency newsletter and include photos with the copy. This is a win—win—win way to make your employees happier, your referral sources love you more and make recruiting easier. Excerpted from 101 Home Care Promotional Strategies that Deliver Legendary Results Without Busting Your Budget! by Michael Ferris Home Health Care 2009-09-18T13:28:01-05:00 http://www.hchms.com/index.php/site/closing-the-visit-famous-last-words/ http://www.hchms.com/index.php/site/closing-the-visit-famous-last-words/#When:19:39:00Z “Anything else?” Those are usually the last words we say at admission once the papers are done and the assessment is complete. They’re usually followed by: “The nurse will be calling to let you know when she’ll be out to see you. Let us know if you need anything in the meantime.” Thank them for choosing you. Just once, wouldn’t it be nice if someone in healthcare thanked you for choosing them? How often have you personally been referred to a specialist or other provider and been thanked for choosing them? Never! So here’s your chance to stand apart from the rest of the hospice (and healthcare) industry. At the end of the visit, thank the patient and family (and referral source!) for choosing your hospice. (Note: Regardless of who made the referral, in the end it’s the patient or family that selects you.) “It’s our privilege.” After you’ve thanked them, tell them, “It will be a privilege to care for your (dad/mom/loved one).” Hospice nurses think they say it all the time, but we rarely hear it on admission. It’s not that they don’t purposely say it, it’s just that they forget. Practice makes perfect. If you want to make sure it happens, incorporate those closing phrases in your admissions “cheat sheet” and staff performance reviews! Excerpted from LEGENDARY RESULTS: Managing Referrals & Increasing Admissions Vol. 2: The Admissions Process by Michael Ferris and Polly Rehnwall.  Hospice 2009-09-11T19:39:00-05:00 http://www.hchms.com/index.php/site/people-can-hear-your-smile/ http://www.hchms.com/index.php/site/people-can-hear-your-smile/#When:20:49:01Z Make sure you smile while talking on the phone. To help you maintain a smile throughout the phone call, buy a small mirror. Place this mirror near your telephone in your office. Check the mirror often to make sure you’re smiling. When you’re on the phone, you can tell whether the other person is smiling and so can the other person. That being said, if looking at yourself in the mirror makes you uncomfortable, then put something that makes you smile in front of you! Excerpted from LEGENDARY RESULTS: Managing Referrals & Increasing Admissions Vol 1: Referral Management by Michael Ferris and Polly Rehnwall Home Health Care, Hospice, Sales 2009-09-04T20:49:01-05:00 http://www.hchms.com/index.php/site/believe-it-or-not-september-is-just-around-the-corner/ http://www.hchms.com/index.php/site/believe-it-or-not-september-is-just-around-the-corner/#When:17:43:00Z Goal for the Month:  Time to plan a Holiday Helpers campaign!  Start the process by defining the services you will offer.  The promotion must include a Holiday Helpers services information sheet that lists all of the special services that can be provided during the holiday season.  These are privately paid services that can range from housecleaning, decorating, shopping, package wrapping, meal preparation, holiday card addressing, travel companionship and companionship while family is away.  Then distribute these flyers to your existing clients and patients, senior centers, referral sources and elsewhere.  Offer gift certificates to adult caregivers in a special direct mailing. Monthly Reminders: Register now for the NAHC Annual Meeting and make travel reservations early for the best airline ticket prices.  Consider bringing the entire sales team—there are often several sessions about sales and marketing.  During the off hours, strategy meetings can be scheduled to discuss plans for the upcoming year.  One tremendous benefit of exposing the sales team to a national meeting is that they will see that they are part of a dynamic industry filled with professionals.  September is Cancer Awareness Month including Ovarian, Pediatric and Childhood Cancer Month.  Partner up with your local oncology specialists and the local American Cancer Society to heighten awareness of prevention and diagnosis for the general public and the elderly.  Excerpted from 101 Home Care Promotional Strategies that Deliver Legendary Results Without Busting Your Budget! by Michael Ferris Home Health Care 2009-08-28T17:43:00-05:00 http://www.hchms.com/index.php/site/differentiation-how-to-know-where-to-draw-the-line/ http://www.hchms.com/index.php/site/differentiation-how-to-know-where-to-draw-the-line/#When:20:47:00Z Want to know why your best referral sources choose your agency? Ask Them!  This is something that you should do often and using different methods. You should send them referral source satisfaction surveys, have the sales representative ask and senior management should call and visit. Ask “What do we do better than any of the other agencies?” or “What are the two things you like best about our agency’s services?” Once you know why they love you, then you can use this to develop your message.  Do any of the following sound familiar?  Do you see some definite trends? ~ We have a multilingual staff. ~ We accept most referrals and do not “cherry pick” the easier and most profitable referrals.  ~ We process the referral quickly and easily. ~ They like the quality of care given to our patients.  ~ Our nurses are kind and caring. ~ Our staff is reliable, often going beyond their responsibilities to offer suggestions to the patient’s family or physician.  ~ Availability—24/7 ~ Reliable—can count on us to do what we say we will do. ~ We are committed to providing professional, ethical, and quality service. ~ We follow-up with our clients on a regular basis to assess service effectiveness and to make revisions that reflect changing needs and wishes Let us know what your referral sources love about your agency. Home Health Care, Hospice, Sales 2009-08-21T20:47:00-05:00