The Year-End Sales Review: How to Measure What Worked (and What Didn’t)
As the year comes to a close, most home care agencies shift their attention to holiday schedules, staffing coverage, and year-end administrative tasks. But for agencies committed to growth, January offers something even more valuable: insight.
A thoughtful year-end sales review helps you understand what worked, what didn’t, and where your biggest opportunities lie for the year ahead. Without it, you’re guessing and guessing doesn’t build census.
At Home Care Sales, we help agencies use data and structure to turn reflection into strategy. Here’s how to conduct a sales review that sets your team up for a strong start in 2026.
Evaluate Referral Volume and Patterns
Start by examining total referrals for the year and comparing them month over month. Patterns usually reveal consistent seasonal trends which aligns with research showing healthcare referral volumes rise and fall predictably with clinical demand cycles (Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality, 2024).
Ask yourself:
When did referrals dip or spike?
Did staffing or operational changes influence volume?
Were certain service lines more popular?
Understanding these patterns helps you plan proactively for 2026.
Identify Your Top Referral Sources
A small percentage of referral sources often drive the majority of admissions a dynamic supported by broad healthcare referral analysis, where gaps in follow-through and inconsistent workflows create uneven referral outcomes (Duke Institute for Health Innovation, 2024).
Review:
Total referrals and admissions from each partner
Referral source conversion rates
Quality indicators (payer type, eligibility, length of stay)
These insights help you identify who to prioritize and where deeper relationship-building will yield the strongest ROI.
Examine Conversion Rates
Referrals alone don’t grow census — conversions do.
Low conversion can indicate:
Documentation delays
Communication gaps
Eligibility misunderstandings
Process inefficiencies
This is consistent with national findings showing that breakdowns in communication during transitions dramatically worsen follow-through and patient outcomes (AHRQ, 2023).
Improving conversion often has a greater impact on admissions than increasing outreach.
Review Sales Activity and Efficiency
Sales activity must be measurable. Track meaningful touches, follow-up consistency, and visit frequency — not just total calls made.
High-performing teams use structured weekly rhythms, a practice supported across healthcare settings where consistent provider communication improves continuity and outcomes (CHA Health Progress, 2023).
The goal is to evaluate not just how much your reps did, but how well their activity aligned with high-quality accounts.
Assess Referral Turnaround Time
Your Time to Admit reflects operational speed and responsiveness, two factors referral partners heavily value. Faster follow-up and timely transitions are linked to better continuity of care and lower readmissions (CDC Preventing Chronic Disease, 2024).
Track:
Average time from referral to admission
Which sources experience delays
Internal bottlenecks that need attention
This one metric can transform your reputation with referral partners.
Turn Insight Into a 2026 Action Plan
Your year-end review should translate into:
Clear goals for referral and admission growth
Priority lists for high-value referral partners
Updated messaging for 2026
Streamlined processes between sales and intake
KPIs to monitor monthly
Insight is valuable — but action is what builds momentum.
At Home Care Sales, we help agencies interpret their data and build repeatable systems that grow census consistently.
Ready to build your 2026 sales plan with expert support?
Schedule a strategy call with Home Care Sales
Together We Grow!
Melanie
