Are Marketers obsolete?

I recently got a call from an agency owner – Kelly. She called because one of her marketers didn’t make the transition during COVID-19.

She totally shut down, and her results showed.

This marketer went from delivering 40 Medicare referrals a month to 6. And she asked me…

“Should I even try to replace her? Is outside “Marketing” obsolete?”

 

Because this marketer “couldn’t get in” she didn’t know how to pivot and find new footing to continue developing relationships remotely and prospect for new accounts during the time of COVID – is outside marketing “dead”?

My answer – It’s NOT DEAD – but it has RADICALLY CHANGED!

For the last 20+ years of my time in sales, Marketers have thrived on in-person relationships. Get in the car and go meet your referral sources. Thousands of agencies have grown on this model.

With the COVID numbers fluctuating daily, the “way it has always been done” is not how it’s going to be!

To get results in this time as a Home Health Marketer, Home Care Sales, or Hospice Liaison – you need to do 3 things.

 

1. Get your house in order.

 

This IS the new normal. You can NOT WAIT THIS OUT! You may NEVER get back into see some of your referral sources again – LET THAT SINK IN A MINUTE! If you thought oh, this is going to go back to “normal” that ship has sailed. The faster you accept this TRUTH, the quicker you can get back to PRODUCING REFERRALS! That starts with getting your house in order

Create a spreadsheet by Month for the past year – or whatever time period you have access to for your:

• Accounts
• Referrals
• Admissions

Go back year over year so you can see the impact at specific accounts during COVID.

2.  Acceptance.

 

Get acceptance as fast as you can. We, as leaders, must help our team. This IS the new normal, and you MUST figure out how to produce even when you “can’t get in.”

 

3.  Leverage Technology.

 

Those marketers who have made the PIVOT and are producing at a high level are embracing tech and the good old fashion phone. Marketers needed to skill up – almost overnight with new rules and new processes. Because you can’t just dial and “ask for a referral” and magically get one. There is a formula to follow.

 

We stepped into the gap early with a training program called “Inside Sales – Remote marketing,” It was a huge success! If you haven’t worked the plan yet – there is still plenty of time!

 

Here is what I know to be true!

 

Marketing is NOT dead!

 

We have thousands of reps that we have trained over the past 3 months with results to prove it!

 

Remote marketing (and parking lot marketing) WORKS!

 

It is just different!

 

And as you know, DIFFERENT IS GOOD!

 

You can and must rise above the noise.

 

Giving you the FREEDOM TO GROW!

 

Here’s to you serving more seniors!
– Melanie