The Legendary Sales Leadership Letter 
 June 3, 2008

"If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan.  And guess what they have planned for you?  Not much."
- Jim Rohn, Author and Motivational Speaker -
 

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Mike's Message

Dear Friend,

June is here and with it comes a change of seasons and the finish of the second quarter of 2008.  This is a great time to review goals and achievements.  Analyze what worked and what did not and build on the former while eliminating the latter!  You should be ahead of schedule with admissions for the year and should build on that success to keep ahead.

Should you be behind on your productivity, then now is the time to take action to get back on schedule, get ahead and stay ahead for the rest of the year.  Every passing month that you do not, you are limiting the potential for doing so.  If you are behind 30 admissions or SOCs for the year with seven months remaining then you need to average 4.5 admissions over budget to finish the year ahead.  If you wait until the last quarter of the year and are 30 behind, then you need to average 10 admissions over budget to catch up.  Time is a wasting!  Look for ways to pick up additional referrals while building strong, reliable relationships. 

Enjoy the summer weather and use it to propel yourself to great success! 

Feature Article

Summertime

It's a great time to enjoy outdoor activities, and spend time with loved ones.  It's also a time to reflect on your business, and making any adjustments to guarantee a strong showing into year's end.  Many companies now make New Year's resolutions.  Aside from dusting those off and recommitting to making them happen, how about adding an Independence Day or Labor Day resolution?

In honor of the season, I decided to illustrate the resolutions that work for my most successful clients through their analogous activities.

Fishing

Fishing is timeless, and is very much like marketing home health and hospice.  It requires patience, strategy, experience, expertise and tenacity.  Just as in sales, you have to know what the fish wants and where to find them.  There are professional fishing tournaments with sponsorships and television coverage.  What makes a professional fisherman a champion?  Preparation, proper equipment, and the ability to adapt differentiate the pros from the rest of us.  It seems simple, doesn't it?  Time on the water equals more fish caught, just as time in front of referral sources equals more referrals.

Golfing

In golf, success is dependent upon two big elements -- practice and mental preparation.  Great golfers hit practice balls at every opportunity.  Tiger hits countless practice balls a day.  He is on the practice range before and after a round.  He has burned the swing for every shot into his mind.  Home care and hospice sales teams should be practicing every day.  Flying by the seat of your pants doesn't work in golf, and it certainly doesn't work in selling.  No one likes role playing, but it is essential to peak performance.  Knowing what you will say in each circumstance is the key to winning the game.

Hiking

When you set off into the woods you had better have a plan in advance.  You need a trail map and a route.  Your pack must contain everything that you need while in the woods.  This same level of planning is required to be effective in sales.  Goals, and account and territory management are the map.  What is in your folder, briefcase and trunk of the car are the equivalent of the backpack.  Make sure you have everything you need to be effective.  In sales as it is in hiking, take one step at a time -- you'll achieve your goals and have a nice journey!  Focus not on the goal, rather on each step necessary to achieve it.

Enjoy these relaxing summer moments, and with that clear mind, challenge yourself and your organization to exceed your goals and fulfill your vision.  Above all, be passionate.  Just as you are better at the leisure activities you love, you will be most successful at the professional activities you are passionate about. 

Sales Training Corner

Reserve Your Spot Now for August Square One Bootcamp!

The next Square One Bootcamp will be held August 25 - 27 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.  Reserve your seat now as we expect spaces to fill up quickly!

You have two registration options:

To lock in a seat with a $500 deposit, click here.

To lock in a seat with your full payment, click here.

"I am a veteran of healthcare sales and marketing with 20+ years of DME and Home Respiratory experience.  Simply stated, it's refreshing to participate in a thoughtfully developed sales and training program that offers new techniques while sharpening old skills.  I would highly recommend Square One Bootcamp for the novice as well as the seasoned sales professional." -- Anthony Succo, Healthkeeperz

52 Week eSales Training Course

Our groundbreaking and highly-acclaimed 52 Week eSales Training Course is available for one to one hundred students.  It provides a weekly lesson (takes about 30 minutes to complete) that will keep your sales team members' skills sharp.  Students have said that the course supported them in becoming better at their profession, increased their referrals and forced them to review the basics.  On average, our 52 Week eLearning participants have increased their referrals by over 31%! 

"With the help of the 52 Week eSales Training Course, I have been able to increase our accounts by approximately 20% and have increased referrals and admits by an even greater percent.  Thank you, and my company also thanks you!" -- Barbara Edmisten, Highland Hospice

Special offer for Sales Leadership Letter subscribers:  Enroll up to 10 students for one low price of $599 (does not include audio CDs)!  Click here to take advantage of this offer.
 

Sales Tip

Work Your System

There's one fundamental reason why companies like McDonald's, Disney and FedEx do so well.  They have well designed systems for getting things done and their employees execute on these systems.  They are not optional or to be done when they "have the time!"  These systems dictate how every single activity is to be accomplished, when they are done and the measurement to make sure that they are.  This promotes consistency and predictable results.

You, too, can be just as organized and consistently successful.  Develop a system for everything.  Think about systemizing all repetitive tasks.  Quit reinventing the wheel everyday and you'll get more referrals and make more sales calls.

Develop a written checklist for all the important and repetitive things you do.  You should have:

• Daily planning sheet that prioritizes all activities scheduled for today.

• Weekly planning list that serves as a checklist to make sure that you do all of the items that are important each week in preparation for the week ahead.  Also serves to make sure that you have done all that must be done for the week.

• Monthly planning checklist that helps to ensure that you have done all of the activities to complete the current month and those required to prepare for the next one.

Develop systems that work for you and then use them religiously. 

Sales Leadership

Translating Goals into Success

Goal setting requires training and goals must be properly constructed, plans developed to exceed them and action taken.  Many times I see teams struggling with execution.  Management agrees on the goals and gains commitment from the sales person to deliver on them.  Then it seems like the goals do not figure into their thinking after that point. 

Here are some ideas on how you can get the sales people to make the goals a meaningful part of their planning and activity: 

• First, have the sales person list all of the steps that will be necessary to accomplish their goals.  Start by listing them in no particular order and then help them go back and prioritize.

• Identify any obstacles, perceived or real, and help to resolve them.  This is where future excuses are bred.  When they do not achieve their goal and/or don't execute on the plan, it all comes back to some excuse that was "out of their control."  Identify them and eliminate them.

• Now help them to employ the magic of "Three."  We can achieve and complete three things, whereas having a long list is daunting and cause for inaction.  Have them identify the next three steps necessary to attain their goal.  They should keep those three immediately visible at all times and should review frequently.  As a step is completed, they should cross it off and add the next one from their list.

• Have them submit to you on a regular basis their accomplishments and where they are in the process.  Hold them accountable to specific activities and they will make the goals become reality and experience success.

Your support, mentoring and coaching in this area will pay great dividends.  Make sure they are held accountable and keep their eye on the ball. 
 

Questions and Answers

Reader Questions and Answers

In each Legendary Sales Leadership Letter, Mike answers your questions.  Send them to us or call (800) 293-5471 and we'll make sure that yours are answered in a future issue. 

Here are this week's questions answered:

Question:

How do you get your internal staff (Director of Nursing) to understand it is imperative that we understand who are patients are, their doctors and each of their specific needs?  They seem to "protect" their patients from marketing and sales. 

Answer:

They need to view you as a critical part of the agency.  At times, it is necessary to sell yourselves to the rest of the agency.  They just don't understand exactly what you do or how hard you work.

The best way to get the clinical staff to see the need to work with you on these patient issues is to connect it with the mission of the agency.  If what you are doing is consistent with the agency's mission, then it is easier to get them to see your point.

Anytime you are changing the culture in your organization, you must be patient and keep moving this forward.

Question:

How important do you feel staff "get-togethers" are to discuss issues, threats and achievements? 

Answer:

Getting your co-workers together is a great way to do a number of things.  They include:

• Building team spirit and fostering better working conditions

• Better communication

• Brainstorming to come up with solutions to the current threats, issues and achievements

• Recognizing achievements by team members

• Keeping a close tab on what others are thinking

Meetings should be kept to a minimum.  When held, they should be well planned with a complete agenda in advance.  They should start on time and keep on schedule.  Make them fun and interesting.  Nothing is worse than meetings that go on forever and are not on time, drag on or have no apparent purpose.

Question:

Do you have any specific tools that you are using for needs assessment?

Answer:

The most important tools are your list of probing questions and your account profiles.  The list of questions helps you to remember those great questions or to jog your memory before making a great sales call.  After the call, you document what you found out in the account profile and the next step in the process.

The other important tool is a reminder (maybe a sign on your dashboard) that says, "Ask Smart Questions."  Find any way you can to remind yourself to ask questions on every sales call -- regardless of how well you know the account.
 

Guest Expert's Column

Hospice Census Building Tip from Polly Rehnwall

The Name Game
Getting It, Using It

It's a universal truth:  Everyone likes to be recognized.  But it's hard to do if you don't know their name.  One of the toughest challenges we have in training referral center teams is getting them to ask the caller's name.  (We find it's because they're so focused on the caller's question that they forget to ask.)  Here's an easy and pleasant way to do just that.

Hospice:  "Thank you for calling Hillside Hospice.  My name is Joan.  How may I help you?"
Caller:  "Could you tell me what hospice care costs?"
Hospice:  "Sure, I'll be happy to help you.  Again, my name is Joan.  And what is yours?"

Important points to remember:

• This is the best way to get the caller's name right at the start of the conversation.  But notice that we first responded to their question with an offer to help.  When they ask a question, don't just say, "And your name?"  Acknowledge first that you heard their request by saying that you'll help them.
   

• Repeat your name, because they probably never heard it the first time.  It's just the courteous thing to do.
   

• Use their name often during the conversation.  It shows that you're actually listening to them and personalizes your responses.  Most important, don't repeat a name just to follow the process.  Really listen and respond to their needs.

For more information on the "AdmitRight™ Boot Camp" for your team or organization, call Polly at (801) 533-5371 or email polly@ask-polly.com.
 

About Us

Home Care and Hospice Marketing Solutions is the leading industry-specific resource for home care professionals.  Founded by Michael Ferris, we specialize in Sales, Marketing and Customer Service Coaching, Training, and Consulting for home health and hospice agencies.

We have expertise in Private Pay Home Care, Medicare Home Health, and Hospice including not-for-profit and for profit organizations.  Our services enable home care agencies to understand and capitalize on the opportunities in their market. 

The strategic and tactical services offered by Home Care and Hospice Marketing Solutions include:

• Sales training

• Coaching

• Sales management support

• Live sales training events

• Electronic sales training programs

• Market analysis

• Demographic profile reports

• Competitive analysis

• Comprehensive marketing plans

• On-site training programs

• Sales, marketing or customer service programs for corporate meetings

• Sales recruitment

• Customer service analysis

• Customer service training

Call (800) 293-5471 or write us and see how we can improve your home care and hospice sales skills!
 

Closing Thoughts

Thanks for doing what you do for our industry and your community.  You make a difference in your community every day.  Remember that we must first do well before we can do good -- so work a little extra this week to make some extra calls. 

The response to the information in the last issue pertaining to the new Florida legislation intended to weed out the bad actors from our industry was huge!  The number of people who wrote and expressed their frustrations with unethical players in their market just underscores how important this issue is.  Taking the high road is sometimes not easy, but it is the ONLY possible road to take.  Any lapse in ethics will result in a downward spiral, so don't go there.  It is never easy to have to cross off potential referral sources due to their requests for unethical, illegal or fraudulent behavior to get their business, but it is necessary.  There are many possible referral partners out there, most of whom would never consider these business practices.  Focus on them and let the bad guys work together until they are stopped.

Until next issue, Good Luck and Happy Selling! 

Best,

Mike Ferris

Managing Principal
 

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