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"Obstacles
don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up.
Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it." ~ Michael
Jordan |
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In This Issue:
Our Top Picks NOW AVAILABLE FOR SHIPMENT!
LEGENDARY RESULTS: Managing Referrals & Increasing Admissions (Vol. 1 - Referral Management)
NOW AVAILABLE FOR SHIPMENT!
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, One month down and eleven to go. Where do you stand versus your
goals and budget numbers? As you know, I am a big believer in getting ahead and
staying ahead as the best strategy. If you are ahead of budgeted admissions in
January, congratulations and keep the momentum rolling. If not, what are you
going to do to remedy the shortfall? The sooner you address it, the better.
Since, in our business, it is difficult to do anything that will generate
immediate results, you have to implement short- and long-term strategies. Mike Ferris Fuel Your
Mission: Team Up Your Sales and Finance to Ensure Success! The most vital component to success in today's home care and
hospice industry is making sure your financial team and sales team are working
closely together. There is no room for error when it comes to delivering the
number of new patient admissions you need to fuel your agency's mission. Still Time to Register for February Square One Bootcamp! There is still time to make plans to join us in Chapel Hill for the first Square One Boot Camp of 2009: February 9 - 11, 2009 CLICK HERE to reserve your seat NOW! To view a brief video of what makes the Square One Bootcamp experience so special, click here! "The information was presented in a refreshing format. Even
though I've been in the hospice field for 24 years, I learned many valuable
tools to use as a Regional Manager of Community Awareness." First AdmitRight™ Boot Camp of 2009 Announced! March 3 - 4, 2009 Michael Ferris and Polly Rehnwall of Simione Consultants are the nation’s leading experts on hospice sales, referral center management, and admission team best practices. Now you and your agency have the chance to attend two jam-packed days of skills learning and building, as well as never revealed before tips on how to supercharge your hospice referrals and admissions! Who Should Attend: Only the most progressive Hospice team members that are interested in increasing referrals, admissions, census, efficiency, profitability and beating the competition! (CEOs, COOs, Marketing, Sales, Referral Center, Clinical and Outreach) This is the first program of its kind, specifically created to empower you to blow your revenue goals out of the water for 2009 and beyond! Attendance is limited -- Sign up today -- THIS PROGRAM WILL SELL OUT! 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 How do we know what our referral partners want and value? Ask
them! As I referenced in the opening section of this edition, a physician said
that they needed and wanted nice pens -- to replace the ones that they used to
receive from pharmaceutical reps. My purpose in pointing this out is not to
encourage the use of giveaways as a sales strategy or philosophy, but rather to
point out that you should never make any assumptions about what your referral
partners want or need. Qualifying One the most important attributes of the successful home care
sales person is the ability to qualify prospects and customers. There should be
in each agency a list of questions that you will want to know about every
referral source. This list should be compiled by the entire team at the agency
as the attributes of the ideal referral source will hinge on these items. The
reason your most successful "A" accounts are your best accounts is because your
agency best serves their needs. - Do you refer to home care? A Word of
Caution: Hire the Right Customer It seems like a great idea: Hire the hospital discharge planner as your liaison and lock up the hospice referrals. Or hire the nursing home nurse to be on your long-term care team so that she can build your census. Great idea, but it doesn't always work. First, we assume that they've applied for the job because they "love hospice." But it could be that their real passion is for what they perceive is a much easier job. Second, can these former customers really sell your service? Will they ask for (and get) referrals? Or are they just well connected and friendly but don't really want to sell? The worst case scenario: The real reason they left is that they weren't doing a good job, weren't a team player or didn't like their supervisor. While any new hire can bring this baggage, it's a bigger problem when they'll be back on old turf asking for new business. Or, they were highly valued and the facility gets mad at you for having 'stolen' their employee. Minimize the risk: specify skills and expectations in the job description. Hospital liaisons must have some sales or customer service experience. They're expected to increase referrals and admissions by a certain percent and meet specific productivity goals. Nursing home team member expectations are less precise because the team (not the individual) is responsible for growing the census. Having vendor service experience (i.e., working in an off-site setting) is key. Then there's the "sweetness" factor. Beware the task master who may be a great facility nurse but will have difficulty negotiating the murky waters of joint care plans and expectations. What worked in her old role could easily backfire in her new one. Caution: You cannot be perceived as having recruited staff from the referral partner. This rarely works well unless you have a very tight policy that requires that they approach your hospice and apply for a job. They must notify their employer that they are interviewing with you before being considered for the position. This is only common courtesy and very professional. Questions & Answers Question: What physician specialties would you recommend calling on and think are the most fruitful? Answer: Top Six Specialties - Home Health 1) Internal Medicine Top Six Specialties - Hospice 1) Internal Medicine Question: A new hospice competitor is starting up business in our area. They are owned by the same corporation that owns several nursing homes. Do you have any tips on competing with agencies that have "inside tracks?" Answer: This scenario would be applicable to any situation where there is a common ownership issue involved. First off, much like in life, blood is thicker than water. If there is a financial interest (such as in this example), it is not reasonable to expect that this will have no bearing on referral patterns. They naturally have an "inside track." The first thing you have to do is to analyze the agency that is owned by the same corporation. How do you stack up against them? What do you do that they do not? How are you able to effectively compete with them outside of this facility? To the extent that there are differentiating factors, you can get those referrals for which this would make the difference. The key is to give the social worker (whoever the referral source is) something that they can hang their hat on. When or if they are "brought on the carpet," they need to be able to point to their reason. For hospice, you have the extra element of needing a contract to provide hospice care in their facility. So this process is one that you have to embark upon in order to be positioned to provide care for some of the residents. In a facility, the staff can be your best advocate as well. They are like family to many of the long-term residents and will offer their opinions to the patient and their family. Most facilities will honor patient choice and your community outreach and marketing campaigns will help to gain you some patients. Since the other agency will enjoy that inside track, you have to take that into your analysis when prioritizing your time and resources. In all situations (and especially in the case where there is a competitor with financial ties), it must be easiest to use your agency. Deliver exceptional service with rapid response time and you will not lose any opportunities based on service.
About Us 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. 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. |
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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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