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"Champions are a rare breed. They see beyond the dangers, the risks, the
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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, If you haven’t seen any news about the health care reform, then
you need to pull your head out of the sand! The rhetoric seems to be off on a
number of tangents, but we must keep the communication out there that home
health and hospice are a solution, not a source of cuts. I have included
information below to make it easy for you to join in and sign the petition, then
PASS IT ALONG TO ALL THAT YOU KNOW via email. The goal is to get a
million electronic signatures and it all starts with you! - Employees Thanks for all that you do. Happy Selling! Mike Ferris ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Selling Direct to
the Consumer Most of my columns are focused on the efforts to tell your home
care or hospice's story to the local medical community. As an industry, the
majority of sales and marketing expenses are spent on getting physicians,
discharge planners, social workers, and others to refer patients for care. The
minority of expenses are spent on direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising and
marketing because historically the return on investment has not been favorable.
This column describes how to do it right. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sales Training Corner Make plans now to join us in September for the next Square One Boot Camp! Send us your liaisons and we will send you back highly trained home care and hospice sales professionals. SEPTEMBER 14 - 16, 2009 CLICK HERE for details (including the agenda) and to lock in a seat! "I have had prior sales experience, but this sales
training was very beneficial because it showed me how to specifically market
Hospice services. I have a better marketing plan and specific tools to be
successful." To view a brief video of what makes the Square One Boot Camp experience so special, CLICK HERE!
AdmitRight™ Boot Camp is designed for those who are charged with the management of sales, referral center and admission team for hospice. If you are in one of those positions, you need to attend this Boot Camp! You will come away with a ton of ideas on how to improve your processes to increase referrals, improve referral center and admission team processes. All of which will add up to increased ALOS, census and fulfillment of mission in community. More people will receive needed hospice services. AdmitRight™ is specific to hospice and will provide you the tools and direction on how to train your teams to deliver the results! NOVEMBER 10 - 11, 2009 CLICK HERE for details (including the agenda) about the Hospice Referrals and Admissions Boot Camp. 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!
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%! 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 We all know that we must get psyched up every day before hitting
the ground running. But have you thought about the fact that there are two
elements to sales psychology -- yours and the referral partners? The best sales
professional is the one who can bring these together successfully. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sales Leadership Start the training process by introducing the sales person to the agency. Knowledge about the agency should include getting to know the staff in each department and division. An important part of the process is also for the people in the other areas to get to know the sales person and the quality of representation that they will provide. Give the sales person an organization chart so he or she knows who to contact for specific information within the organization. Make sure that every sales person is given detailed industry information which extends beyond just the specific part of the industry served by your agency's programs. Make sure that all home care and hospice services are covered in addition to the entire continuum of health care. This is not to say that the areas not specifically related to your agency's services should be studied exhaustively, but rather that they should be included as an overview. This understanding will allow the sales person to effectively identify solutions for the potential referral sources. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ask Polly You think you sound so impressive! But patients and families are probably clueless about what you're saying! What's worse, they're usually too polite (or embarrassed) to ask, so they don't understand the real benefits that you can provide. The Big Five. Here are the key terms that make absolutely no sense to most consumers (and some ways to communicate them better). "Palliative care." You might as well be taking about astrophysics or neuroplasms! Instead, use the term "comfort care" and talk about how you can keep the patient comfortable right at home. "Symptom management." A corollary to palliative care, and just as bad. People don't want their discomfort managed, they want it gone! Instead, describe how we help people get relief from pain, breathing problems, restlessness, swelling, coughing, etc. "Bereavement." You think everyone knows what this means, but anecdotal evidence suggests otherwise. A common misconception: that it has something to do with the burial. Talk instead about how you'll help families deal with the loss and give them the support they need after dad is gone. "Respite care." Well, at least we're getting closer. Most people associate respite with rest, but many caregivers think they'll be the ones who go somewhere to get a break! After all, we oftentimes call it "caregiver relief." A better way to describe it: "We give the family a rest by transferring the patient to a care facility for a few days." "Advance directives." Not "advanced" directives, which means higher educated rules! It's "advance", meaning "before" or "in front of". Ask: "Have you talked to your dad about his wishes for his care should he become unable to communicate them to you?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Questions & Answers Question: I have difficulty getting my sales people to spend less time in the office and more time in the field. How important do you think it is to spend time during work hours to get organized, prepare for presentations, research account information and paperwork, etc.? Answer: The short answer is that it is very important to do all of the
above, but not during prime selling hours. The scarcest resource for each sales
person is their time. When allocating their time, the home care or hospice sales
person must first block out the "money hours" -- those hours that are optimal
for generating referrals. There are some hours during the week that are better
to make calls and see accounts. During those hours, the focus must be on making
sales calls. The hours during which there are few accounts you can call upon are
the times to allocate to organization and planning. It is important to be
organized and know where you are in the sales cycle with each of your accounts
or prospects, but it is really easy to spend too many of those peak hours in the
office. The basic principle to keep in mind is this: where you spend your time
will directly affect your results. ~ Look closely at each of the activities and make sure they are important and that the process and approach is effective. Where tasks can be delegated, do so. ~ Keep in mind this is a sales job and in any industry that means you may need to spend time outside of the 8 to 5 work week in doing planning, reporting, and other essential non-sales activities. The most successful sales people protect their prime selling hours carefully because they know they are the key determinant of success. ~ Guard against having the organization create activities that
rob the sales people prime sales time. Unnecessary meetings are a great example
of time wasters. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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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Simione Consultants, LLC and may not be reproduced in any form without the express written consent of the publisher. To subscribe to The Legendary Sales Leadership Letter, click here. |
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