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"Words are just words and without
heart they have no meaning." ~ Chinese
Proverb |
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In This Issue:
Our Top Picks
LEGENDARY RESULTS: Managing Referrals & Increasing Admissions (Vol. 1 - Referral Management)
LEGENDARY RESULTS: Managing Referrals & Increasing Admissions (Vol. 2 - The Admissions Process)
Field Guide to Selling Hospice Services
Field Guide to Selling Home Care Services
Sit in on a class for FREE! 52 Week eSales Training Course
17 Proven Methods to Grow Referrals for Legendary Results in Home Care & Hospice (eBook)
Want More? Click Here
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Dear Friend, As we prepare for a giant New Year, we must stop and give our thanks that we are part of a vibrant industry that has many reasons to grow over the coming decade. We all know the demographic data and other important trends that will drive this growth. To me, though, the biggest driver of future growth emanates from the difference that we make in our communities. Home health, hospice and private duty touch millions of people and they become our advocates. One of my core beliefs is that we do incredible work, but as an industry, don't get the credit for the greatness. That is where what we do comes into play. Our job is to tell our company's unique and valuable stories in the community so that more people have the opportunity to receive the gift of home health and hospice. The passion for telling these stories drive what I do and should drive what you do on a daily basis. So, as we enter into 2009, be sure that in all of your planning and your actions there is the recognition of just how important it is to continually be expanding the community's use of our services. This is the single biggest source of growth for our industry and the one that speaks to each of our mission. During 2009 you will see many new and exciting ways that my group will be able to support you and your efforts in these areas. Many of our services and products have come about as a result of requests from our clients. Please let us know where you need help. Best, Mike Ferris Is Your Visit Reinforcing Your Brand? Competition is increasing everywhere among providers offering hospice care today. Fortunately, we're finally beginning to see the end of that dreadful opening phrase of the admission visit: "Hi, I'm the nurse from hospice." No wonder many people still believe that all hospices are the same and that there's only one in their community. We brought it on ourselves, and now we're struggling to differentiate ourselves from our competitors. The need for branding. Branding simply means that you distinguish yourself or your service through an identity that is easily recognized. It's usually a total look or concept. A graphic logo, name design and tagline are typical elements of a brand. While your agency may have all of these, are your team members who are out providing service in your community "branded" as well? The bag. Let's start with what they carry into the house or facility. On one of our recent visits, we observed a nurse going into a home with 3 bags in tow. Her purse was hanging from one shoulder, a bright red bag featuring our contracted pharmacy's logo was on the other shoulder, and a scruffy blue roller bag with no logo rounded out the "look.” We looked like we had just left a garage sale. What a mess! (And how nice of us to advertise our vendor instead of us!) While no one expects team members to be perfectly outfitted, we can do a lot better than this. Let's start with the bag. Roller bags make a lot of sense today, as they're easier to lug and save wear and tear on shoulders. However, not everyone likes them, so we recommend polling your teams for their preference. Tip: If it's a split decision, and you have the budget, order two different kinds of bags. In any case, it should be a requirement that team members use an agency bag with your logo on it. What about confidentiality? You know you're going to hear it: "I don't want to use that, it's breaking patient confidentiality." We're not blasting our name on the side of their car when they park in front of the house. There's nothing wrong with having a logo and our name on a bag. After all, what the patient and family really care about are the benefits they'll receive. The body. While we advocate a requirement that every visiting staff member wear something with a logo on it, not every agency is willing to take this step. However, if you go down this path, make sure to offer a variety of polo shirts, jackets, scrubs or shirts so that your team members have options. One "must." The one absolute requirement that we suggest is that they need to wear a logo top when they're seeing patients in facilities. If there is one place where brand matters, this is it! And don't fall for the white lab coat with the tiny logo. We either end up looking like someone from dietary or we're perceived as "wanna be" doctors (a no-no, particularly in nursing homes where we need to diminish the arrogance perception). The message. If your staff objects, just remind them that in order to reduce the stigma around hospice, we have to first reduce it within ourselves. We've been so overly concerned about not being "hospice" that we've perpetuated the myth that it's something hush-hush that no one wants to see or hear. If we want to "normalize" hospice care as part of mainstream medicine, then we need to get over our fear of our own visibility. Join Us in February for the First Square One Boot Camp of 2009! February 9 - 11, 2009 As a Legendary Sales Leadership Letter subscriber, you have the opportunity to sign-up for the first Square One Boot Camp of 2009. Seating is limited and will be reserved on a first come first served basis. Class size is limited, by design. Each student receives a high level of hands-on training with our super trainers. Video role play and live practice that is specific to their territory and company is at the heart of this program and each student is on video a minimum of FOUR times! There is a limit of 24 total students and no one agency may send more than three students. To reserve your seat at the February Boot Camp, you may either pay in full or pay a $500 deposit to hold your seat (balance is due January 9, 2009). Here are the links to put a hold on YOUR seats -- and a huge boost to your referrals! To lock in a seat with a $500 deposit, click here. To lock in a seat with your full payment, click here. To view a brief video of what makes the Square One Bootcamp experience so special, click here! 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!" 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 The New Year provides an excellent opportunity to perform a review of where our strengths and weaknesses lie. Here are some activities you should be focused upon as a leader of your sales and marketing programs: * Update market analysis These should be ongoing processes, but at least once a year, you should undertake a complete and comprehensive review. No time like the present! New Year Goals and Plans Set your goals now and make sure that everyone on your staff takes ownership in making them happen. Accountability is crucial! * Keep the next three most important things you need to accomplish in front of you at all times. Cross off those that are completed and add the next from your list. * Have a goal for each of your best referral sources and the number of admissions they will send you each month of the New Year. By knowing what they should produce, you can monitor to make sure that it happens and take action to keep them on track to beat all of these projections. * Call ALL of your best customers after the first week of the year and thank them for their referrals in 2008. Ask to meet with them to review how you can best partner with them to serve their needs in 2009. In each Legendary Sales Leadership Letter, we answer your questions. Send them to us or call (800) 653-4043
and we'll make sure that yours are answered in a future issue.
Here is this week's question answered: Question: We have had some good luck and some poor luck hiring pharmaceutical representatives as home care or hospice sales people. Can you provide some guidance on how to increase the success rate of these hires? Answer: Excellent question, and one that is of importance to many agencies on a
national basis. On the surface it would appear that hiring pharma reps would be
ideal, but what we have found is that much like anyone else that you hire to
sell for your company, they must be the right type of pharma sales person. * Pharmaceutical sales people are data driven and are provided with specific formulas to take data and create their sales plan. This is pretty rigid, and if you interview someone for whom that is important to their past success, they will struggle selling home care or hospice. * What we sell is a service, an intangible versus a tangible product. * The physician has a greater role in making the selection of the drug to be prescribed. Home care and hospice referrals are more often generically referred and someone in their organization is tasked with effecting the referrals and selecting the agency. * Pharmaceutical reps are often incredulous when they find that they have the liberty to pick new places to make sales calls. This is due to the highly structured and limited management techniques from their prior life. The home care or hospice rep must be more entrepreneurial by nature. * Budgets for sales activities have historically been much greater in the pharmaceutical world as well. While changes to that industry are curbing some of the excesses, they still typically have a larger budget for entertaining. The most successful sales representative situations are those where the sales person has become disenchanted with pharmaceutical sales. With the downturn in the number of pharma sales positions available, the number of available pharma reps seeking a new industry will continue to increase. When interviewing, you have to make sure they will be a good fit in our industry. There are, after all, easier places to make a living, but none as rewarding. Hope this helps! Marketing, Sales and Customer Service Consulting Division Supercharge Your Referrals, Revenues and Profits! Headed by two industry powerhouses -- Michael Ferris and Polly Rehnwall -- Our Marketing, Sales and Customer Service Consulting Division is designed to give you the easiest experience possible by providing the most comprehensive solutions to supercharge your referrals, revenues and profits! If it only took one phone call to deal with all your marketing and sales needs, would you make it? In an environment of growing competition and shrinking margins, you have to increase volume and improve market share in order to be successful. That means having a skilled sales team, quality marketing strategies and a customer service model that improves your conversion of referrals to admissions. With every type of solution we provide, you won't just beat the competition -- you'll establish your competitive advantage for years to come! Our Proven Process: - Evaluate and assess talent, model and process Delivering optimal results begins with an evaluation of your sales, marketing and customer service program in order to design solutions custom tailored to your agency and your area. Our experts know home health and hospice, bringing years of marketing and sales experience and best practices to you. Customized Solutions: Have one or a few specific needs? We can guide you through creation and implementation quicker and with more success than anyone else. Below is just a small sample of our capabilities: - On-site Sales, Marketing, or Customer Service Consulting and Training With just one phone call, you can tap into all the resources and knowledge of the home care industry's touchstone consulting powerhouse -- Simione Consultants. We have an ability no other company can offer -- the only one-stop shop to handle all your marketing and sales needs. Home Care Consulting Pioneers Simione Consultants, LLC was the first organization of its kind dedicated entirely to home care -- a commitment we continue to maintain today. For more than 40 years, we have demonstrated we understand and are responsive to the changing and diverse business needs of home care and hospice organizations. Value Driven, Success Outcomes More than 800 home care organizations have trusted the team of experts at Simione Consultants, LLC to get them through the challenges of yesterday and today, and to gain the leading edge for tomorrow. We provide expert assistance to hospital-based and hospital-affiliated agencies, visiting nurse associations, hospices, small proprietary agencies, and large national chains. The size, capabilities and commitment of our uniquely qualified consulting staff offer unparalleled industry insights and innovative yet practical solutions. Our track record of engagements with successful client outcomes is unmatched. Closing Thoughts Holiday's best and thanks. Happy Selling! |
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This newsletter and all content and information contained herein are the property of Simione Consultants, LLC and may not be reproduced in any form without the express written consent of the publisher. 176 East Main Street, Unit 8 | Westborough, MA 01581 | (800) 653-4043 | (508) 366-7409 | Join our mailing list to receive new products, helpful hints, speaking dates, and more! |
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