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"Success
is to render more and better service than is expected of you." |
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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, Last week, while on spring break vacation with my wife and kids,
I had the time to reflect on just how crazy things have been of late. With the
news full of doom and gloom, we have chosen not to participate in the downturn.
I have a much larger team working for me this year and we have never been
busier! We are seeing tremendous success with our consulting and training
clients. Polly Rehnwall has collected data from the projects we have done to
rework the referral management and admission processes and the average gain over
the first six months is 17% census growth. This is for those agencies that have
improved their processes and attitudes. Mike Ferris Quality in Sales As an industry, home care and hospice are focused on improving
quality as a continuous process to deliver the best care while being good
stewards of the Medicare program. The same processes apply to sales. The answer
to the question, "How do I increase my referrals?" lies, most of the time, in
continual improvements in the quality of the sales program -- how well your
sales people perform and their ability to continually generate more referrals,
which decreases the cost of acquisition for each case. - Measurement TWO DATES, TWO LOCATIONS! If you're thinking about joining us in May for either of the Square One Boot Camps, we encourage you to RESERVE YOUR SEAT NOW as spaces are filling up quickly at both sessions! Also, the cutoff date for the discounted room rates at the hotels in both Las Vegas and Chapel Hill is fast approaching and we don't want you to miss out! JOIN US: MAY 4 - 6, 2009 For details, and to lock in a seat, click here. OR MAY 18 - 20, 2009 You have two registration options: For details, and to lock in a seat with a $500 deposit (balance due on April 18, 2009), click here. For details, and 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! Next AdmitRight™ Boot Camp Scheduled for June! June 9 - 10, 2009 To learn more about the Hospice Referrals and Admissions Boot Camp, click here. Registration Options: Both Days, One Person, Tuition Only - Click Here Both Days, 2+ People, Same Organization - Click Here Both Days, One Person, Tuition + DVD - Click Here ATTENDANCE IS LIMITED -- THIS PROGRAM WILL SELL OUT! Announcing Next Step Advanced Sales Boot Camp! Two and one-half day Boot Camp experience open to graduates of the Square One Boot Camp and top producers. June 22 - 24, 2009 The Experience: Each Bootcamper will submit a presentation in advance of the training along with other homework assignments. This program is for serious home care and hospice sales professionals who are ready to take their sales to the next level! As with Square One, there will be extensive video role play with the students broken into groups of home care or hospice sales professionals. Registration Options: To lock in a seat with a $500 deposit (balance due on May 22, 2009), click here. To lock in a seat with your full payment, 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%! "This course kept me focused on various points of discussion
regarding referral sources, time management, and strategies to increase my
business." 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 In addition to the outside sales team development, you must also
have a highly trained inside sales team (aka intake). This is a cultural change
for many organizations and the transition should not be under estimated. Too
many organizations have met with big push back when they boldly introduced the
"new sales program." Take the
"Eventness" Out The scenario. You walk into the patient's room amid a sea of family members all talking at once and scared about what happens next. You start answering all their questions because you think that's the only way to get them to listen. And before long, you're in there for an hour getting sucked further into the vortex of indecision and confusion. You come out of the room as drained as they are and with no consent for hospice. Part of the problem is our inability (or unwillingness) to manage the visit from the outset. The problem. But before we can solve the patient's dilemma, we have to solve our own. The problem is that the physician or discharge planner (or other referral source) has spoken with the patient or family first and used the infamous "end is near" phrase: "it's time for hospice." They might as well have drawn the black curtain of doom and called it a day. No wonder everyone is falling apart! And forget about educating the referral source on how to introduce hospice. It's a noble effort, but the reality is it just isn't very effective. What can be effective is how we can help the patient and family recover from the doomsday scenario so that we can actually get them some timely care. Step 1: Take control. When you walk in the room and before the bombardment begins, take control. Here's how: "I know you have lots of questions and we'll get to that. First, let's talk about what happens in the next few days as your dad is getting ready to go home." You've just taken the first step to take the "eventness" out of the situation. Notice the emphasis on two key issues: the next few days and going home. Both are focused on the immediate future, not the distant past of medical history or the unknown 6 months ahead. By taking control, you're focusing the family on what happens tomorrow, not what happens next week or next month. In doing so, you've made this huge event into a much smaller next step. Step 2: Make it small. Making a decision about hospice might be too big today. But making a decision about getting settled at home for the next week until they see the doctor and can talk more about further treatment isn't so overwhelming. Some talking points: "Let's do this. Let's help get your dad home and get some services in to make sure he's comfortable while he's recuperating from his hospital stay. We can also get you some help so that you get a chance to recuperate too. Let's plan on it for a few days until he sees the doctor next week. Then if you decide on a different course of treatment, it's no problem for us. We'll just bow out until you need our services again." Step 3: Keep it small. If they agree, but then start to go down the "what if" path further, help them remain focused on one step at a time. Remind them that they'll have plenty of time once they're home to sort out their options and talk things over, and that you and the doctor will be there to help them with that. Questions & Answers Question: How do you handle someone who does not seem to care about the quality of care? Answer: Everyone has different views on the importance of quality. The
first thing to remember is that there is a presumption of quality for home care
or hospice. For the most part, there is quality care being provided (even by
your competition). How they express their interest in quality or how they manage
their patients is not ours to judge. You should, however, be able to recognize
when this is a hot button and when it's not. If it is not, then all of your work
to present the case for quality will not represent a good investment of your
time and talents. Objections challenge me daily and I am becoming a stronger
individual and continuously equipping myself with knowledge, new things, etc.
However, at times objections can really drag you down. Do you have any secret
how to handle them and not have them get you down? - Make it a game -- have fun handling each objection! This breeds a "bring it on" attitude that will serve you well. It also builds confidence and makes you appear better prepared. - Make a list of your top six objections and practice the answer to each. Anytime you have a new one pop up, you can add it to the list and practice answering it. My belief is that there are six objections that will make up 90% of those that you will hear. - Remember that "this is exactly why you are here!" If you didn't get them to raise their objection, they would have either not used your services or had patients that went without. - Smile, breathe, and remember that if you can help them overcome their objections to referring to home care or hospice services, the benefits to the patients and their families are immeasurable. Remember that no matter how well prepared you are, there will
always be the unexpected objection that comes out of the blue. Smile and
compliment the other person on coming up with an excellent and unique
perspective. Then proceed to find out why they raised the objection and help
them find the best answer. 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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