Archive for month: June, 2021
We do A LOT of sales management at any given time. We have between 25 -40 sales reps under management.
For the past 20 years, I have managed Home Health, In-Home Care, and Hospice reps. It has been some of the most rewarding times of my life. Helping representatives craft the right message and gain that specific patient or client type. And most importantly, impact a family’s life with the care that you provide.
When we take over sales management for an owner or CEO, they all want one thing – growth. (And they don’t want to manage the sales reps themselves)
They also want FREEDOM. Sales reps are change agents, and the best are consistently bringing back improvement ideas and requests. It can be exhausting for an owner or CEO.
That’s where we come in. We take that stress away from the owner or CEO and give the rep a space to share ideas and gain best practices.
Recently we were hired by a CEO who had a Sales Manager move on and was looking for immediate help to provide structure and support to her reps. Not to mention the board was on her about growth!
One rep (we will call her Jane) – she had been at the agency for six months and was familiar with the business but not the territory.
The first step was orientation. A structured orientation timeline and milestones as set forth.
She discovered the alphabet soup of acronyms we use to be overwhelming, but she learned about the service line and the account types with our orientation.
Next up – The High-Performance Sales Academy – Time to get certified and learn how to move an account from Step 1 Qualifying to Step 3 REFERRING! And what to do if you don’t have staff!
Many of the owners who have us manage their marketers are struggling with staffing. Unfortunately, this is the reality right now- many of you don’t have a problem with referrals. So, how do you keep a rep motivated and referral sources happy when you don’t have staff? We got you covered!
Just this week, I spoke to Jane who was struggling with staffing, and she was anxiously concerned about “her reputation.” What if she asked for a referral and they could not staff it – like had happened on three occasions in the last month? She was gun shy and not “marketing full out”. (She was also concerned about the lack of bonuses!)
So much of marketing is mindset. When you have a scarcity mindset, you will not build deep, meaningful relationships…let alone referrals!
Jane said the right things during coaching calls. She was knowledgeable and completed the training, but she wasn’t producing.
In our sales management program, we have an expectation document. This document spells out exactly what the rep will be held accountable to:
- Number of calls a week
- Documentation
- Coaching Calls
Jane knew the expectation. She was coached up. But could not produce because of mindset. When I spoke with her during coaching calls, she always said, “But I can’t because we don’t have staffing.”
That is MINDSET!
Don’t you say and think you can’t! You CAN, and we have many reps who ARE making it work!
She had the full commitment of the leadership team. Bring in a referral, and we will staff it. Period.
But she couldn’t get over the past experience. In her mind, they couldn’t do it. And therefore, she couldn’t do it. She made TONS of sales calls drove 700 miles a week! But no referrals came in.
After being coached up and on an improvement plan, she was not able to achieve the goals. It was time to move on. Was she surprised? No. She had been coached and held accountable to the numbers.
It is never an easy thing. It’s the worst part of my job. I hate it. I also know it was not a good fit for her or the agency. In the end, everyone will be better for it.
Now we have another rep.
She is open-minded. She doesn’t have the industry experience, but she has grit and lots of personality. We are building her industry knowledge. She received her first referral this week, and I am thrilled for her!
With the right mindset and training, she is going to knock it out of the park.
Sales Management is tough.
It’s tougher now than it was two years ago.
Lack of staffing. Referral sources reopening but not letting reps “in” and keeping them at arm’s length.
Keeping a rep motivated and part of the solution for your staffing needs is key to your success right now.
Cheryl and I were on a call yesterday, and the leadership team was voicing their concerns about staffing and lack of availability for the reps to “market.” And Cheryl asked this question.
“What are your reps doing to be part of the staffing solution?”
And the answer was silence.
And finally – “I don’t think anything.”
Your marketers are PART OF THE SOLUTION!
Cheryl and I are announcing our opening of the Home Care Sales Sales Management Program.
If you wished you could give your marketer the tools they need to succeed – look no further.
IF you are just plain EXHAUSTED and don’t have time for your marketer – We got your back!
Let us take over your marketer – we can help.
Want to learn more (click here)?
Keep Serving Seniors
Together We Grow!
Melanie
Cheryl Peltekis, RN “The Solutionist”
A new report from the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) may not offer many surprises, but it summarizes the financial impact COVID had on physician groups.
The organization, which represents group practices of all stripes, found an unexpected surge in physician retirement last year. (One-third of practice leaders reported seeing that trend in their groups.)
Medical directors who retired left vacancies in positions and practices with overwhelmed physicians trying to serve patients via telehealth.
A recent article by a Health Leader says that nearly every group saw a drop in patient volume in April 2020, and 71% said they saw a drop of 50% or more.
By June 2020, however, a recovery was underway. Practices began reporting higher levels of work RVUs in that month than they had seen in February and March of 2020. Despite that recovery, more than 80% of practice leaders said that some or all of their providers saw their compensation take a hit.
Additionally, the report shared six factors that healthcare leaders identified as helping their medical practices survive the impacts of the pandemic:
- Rapid and efficient response to relief aid efforts
- Staffing stability and resilience
- Finding the correct telehealth offerings to utilize for their practices
- Reexamining payments and collections for patients
- Keeping communication and engagement open with patients through digital means and phone calls
- Addressing concerns of employee well-being
One thing I know is true: Doctors’ billing practices have changed. They couldn’t upcode for advance care planning because the process to do this was developed with in-person visits at the doctor’s office as the focus. That sees this billing opportunity (as well as many others) gone almost overnight.
Now is the time to revisit your physican’s office accounts and see how you can help. Could they benefit from learning how to bill for advance care planning? Maybe they need to learn how to bill for care plan oversight? Perhaps they need to understand transitional care management?
How about partnering with your referral sources to help them achieve their telehealth visits? (I once heard a rumor that some seniors are technology-challenged…)
You and your agency can make a difference for your doctor’s accounts and help them make more revenue by providing solutions that their brick and mortar business practice simply wasn’t made to solve.
Could you or your team of sales representatives confidently teach MD offices these billing tactics? Could you help them and give your physician accounts a solid reason for them to stay loyal to your organization? If you or your team need to learn more, email Mike@homecaresales.com. We have a master’s program in selling that teaches this and more!
Keep Helping, Keep Serving,
Cheryl Pelekis, RN “The Solutionist”
I came home recently to a flyer on my doorstep.
We have a young entrepreneur in our neighborhood, and his name is Redford.
Yes, like Robert Redford, he will tell you when you struggle with his name.
(See the Pic…Still a hunk…)
(Sales Win #1 Redford helps you make the connection and NEVER forget his name- salesman 101 “it’s your job to be remembered, not their job to “remember you”)
Let’s take a look at his flyer:
1. He leads with a question – Need a dog walker?
Good one – your brain already answered yes I do – or no I don’t. He quickly qualifies his clients.
(Sales Win #2 Redford will spend time with people who answer YES – just like you should spend time with only people who are willing and ABLE to refer to you! Step 1 of the High-Performance Sales Process- QUALIFY!)
2. The first walk is FREE – The most persuasive word in the English language is FREE!
(Sales Win #3 – He gets your attention and reduces the risk. While you may not be able to give away your services for “Free,” – what can you do? A “Free assessment”? We have used this for years to reduce the risk and barrier to care.)
3. Extra dog – reduced rate!
(Sales Win #4 – Add more on. We will make it worth it! Such as a couple’s rate or if you have ever offered care sharing!)
4. Want more? Ask him he will give you more – of course for a fee!
(Sales Win #5: You can always upsell your way into more care!)
5. ENHANCED customer service!
(Sales Win #6 – When you want to shine and beat out your competitors – you can “out” customer service them!)
And here is my favorite part of this flyer:
“WHY CHOSE ME?”
He comes right out and says it! You were already thinking it (so are your referral sources) so TELL THEM!
Differentiate!!!! Step 2 of the High-Performance Sales Process! THIS one of the HARDEST parts of marketing and selling Home Health, In-Home Care, and Hospice.
Go ahead make a list (answer the question, “Why Choose Me?“)- how far did you get?
We have an exercise in the High-Performance Sales Academy and our (Let us take over your) Sales Management program that NAILS this for you!
Time to shine and be able to fully and confidently answer “Why you should choose my agency….”
I LOVE that Reford even talks about PPE on his flyer.
Redford is a 13 yr old marketing genius and well on his way to becoming a successful business owner!
How do your marketing efforts stack up to Redfords?
If you wish you had effective marketing messages and custom flyers that get results – jump on a call with Mike and let him show you all the tools we have to offer! (click here for his calendar for your convenience)
Keep Serving Seniors
Together We Grow!
Melanie
Cheryl Peltekis, RN “The Solutionist”
By now, most of us feel that 2022 is the year that we are returning to the old world we once knew. Some of us may still be wearing masks and working from home, but international travel is finally opening. I booked two amazing trips, one to Europe and one to Australia. So, I’m making up for vacation deprivation.
Finally, we see a ray of sunlight due to the progress. Although we don’t know precisely when the pandemic will end, eventually, it will end.
So, what’s next? What are the trends that we, as marketers, need to be aware of to prepare for the post-Covid marketing era proactively and the changeover period?
Here are the three trends that sales representatives need to be aware of post-COVID!
1. Virtual communication is here to stay, but everyone is craving in-person connections. You may have seen this joke floating on the Internet during the early days of the pandemic.
It’s sad and true at the same time. COVID single-handedly drove the mass deployment of virtual communications across all industries and households. For instance: doctors’ visits and going to school were the essential in-person interactions before Covid.
Well, now our kids are educated virtually, and we see our doctors on our computer screens. I was never so happy to have my College daughter get to go away to college by just walking up the stairs and retreating to her room.
Do you remember the struggle and drama we all went through learning using Zoom (TEAMS)? How about scrambling to move lamps around to give ourselves more lighting until we broke down and purchased table lamps to brighten our faces. We invested time, money, and energy to go virtual. We are not going to let that go. No way. Too much has been invested!
I think it’s important to have in-person communications with your colleagues, customers, vendors, or even your managers.
Digital customer touchpoints continue to surge, and you need to modify your customer journey and beef up your sales calls online and on your websites.
- Sale teams (or all of us) need to continue to sharpen virtual selling skills, such as using a camera to record a greeting or a follow-up.
- Prospecting accounts need to be touched often to convert them to referring accounts. Follow the inside sales cadence of One day a week in person, one day a text message, one day a phone call, and one day a video message. Then, mix it up for the best results.
By talking to many marketers and sales professionals, I can tell that many of us are pretty DONE with virtual communications. Instead, we want to see, feel, and touch our colleagues (even those we are not particularly fond of) and attend conferences in person.
Melanie and I just completed sales training for one of our clients in Texas, and their reps were on fire! They were so eager to interact and role-play getting past the gatekeepers. They are hungry for practice, and home care sales can come to train your team in person. Email Mike@homecaresales.com to get your team on our calendar.
2. Content is still king
During the pandemic, the biggest issue was how fast everything was changing. For B2B marketers, we don’t like when things are changing fast and all the time. Any minor change in strategy has a significant impact on marketing.
A change of strategy may require different channels to communicate. For example, We can’t get in to see the Discharge planners; get them to come out to see us!
Only sales representatives who are in the trenches know exactly what I am talking about…and I feel your pain.
With all the changes, the best way to communicate with your customers is through content. Some of our clients have now adopted an email list. They are posing and sharing marketing messages for the first time! But, again, it’s all content. We had such incredible success using our Road Map to Referrals Product to grow agencies because it provided each company with fantastic content to drive in referrals. To sum it up, content is still king! Email Mike@homecaresales.com to learn more about how you can get your content now!
3. The digital customer experience is your product.
Once upon a time, the surge of digital usage was mainly a holiday thing (such as Black Friday or Cyber-Monday). Today, the digital customer experience is an everyday thing and has become super-critical. It needs to be easy for your prospects and customers to find the information you want to share.
Yet, many of us don’t even have a coverage map on our website. There isn’t a place to submit the hours you want to hire a caregiver? It would help if you also made it easy to buy services. Imagine if you have a website that the patient could just set up their services? Buy a bulk amount of hours? Changes their caregiver hours and add on additional days of the week?
In a way, you should treat the digital experience like your product, not as a cost center.
We can take a page from major e-commerce sites (Amazon, Wayfair, Walmart).
In summary…
Ok, nothing about 2020-2021 went according to plan; we were all thrust into unfamiliar territory. But, at the personal and professional level, we’ve learned a lot (I did).
Here are my biggest takeaways:
- Almost everything that needed to be done in person can somehow be done virtually
- With mandatory stay-at-home, we find alternatives to building human connections
- We adopted, adjusted, and made it work
As painful as it has been, we’ve proved that we are resilient and agile. That’s how we need to think and act in marketing as well. Be resilient and agile. Be ready for whatever gets thrown at us. We can do this!
If you have any questions about post-Covid marketing trends, if you are ready to hire salespeople, or you need exceptional content marketing, sales/marketing alignment, account-based marketing (or you just want to talk about your marketing challenges) just book time with Mike!
Keep Helping, Keep Serving,
Cheryl Pelekis, RN “The Solutionist”
