The 5-Point Checklist for a Home Care Rep’s First 90 Days

In home care, sales reps are the bridge between your agency and your referral partners. The stronger that bridge, the faster your census grows.

But here’s the problem: many agencies hire talented people without giving them a structured plan for their first 90 days. Without direction, new reps struggle to find their footing, and the agency loses valuable time and momentum.

The first three months define whether a rep becomes a confident producer or another turnover statistic. A clear, supportive onboarding process builds confidence, consistency, and results.

At Home Care Sales, we’ve coached thousands of home care, home health, and hospice reps, and we’ve seen exactly what works in those crucial first weeks. Here’s a simple checklist to help your new hires ramp up fast and stay successful long-term.

Define Success from Day One

Clarity drives performance. When a new rep joins your agency, they should know exactly what success looks like.

Start by setting expectations: referral goals, visit targets, follow-up standards, and documentation procedures. Outline what “winning” looks like, not just in numbers but also in behaviors like consistent communication and professionalism with referral partners.

Create a written 90-day plan that breaks goals into weekly milestones. This gives reps confidence, accountability, and focus from day one.

Train on Services and Value Propositions

Your sales reps can’t sell what they don’t fully understand. Spend time teaching them what makes your services unique — both clinically/ caregivers and operationally.

Cover the essentials:

• The difference between your service line and others - Non-Medical, Medicare Home Health and Hospice

• Eligibility and payer sources - if you know your line cold - you will be ahead of 99% of the other reps - CMS has given us a gift in the manuals!

• Your admission criteria for HC HH and Hospice and typical client/patient profiles

Then go deeper. Teach reps how to communicate value in terms of outcomes, not just features. For example:

“We help patients stay safely at home and reduce readmissions.”
instead of
“We provide nursing and therapy.”

At Home Care Sales, we emphasize message training rooted in neuroscience — helping reps communicate in a way that earns trust and inspires action.

Establish a Weekly Coaching Rhythm

Consistent feedback builds great performers. Schedule a brief weekly check-in with each new rep to review activity, results, and confidence levels.

Use your CRM data to guide the conversation. Discuss referral volume, visit frequency, and conversion rates. Identify what’s working and where they need support.

Short, consistent coaching beats long, irregular meetings. These touchpoints keep new reps engaged, accountable, and improving steadily over time.

Connect Reps with Referral Sources Early

Don’t wait for new hires to “learn the ropes” before introducing them to the field. The faster they build relationships, the faster they’ll produce results.

Pair them with an experienced rep for shadowing or joint visits. Introduce them to key contacts like discharge planners, case managers, and physician liaisons.

Teach them how to have meaningful conversations with referral sources. Instead of talking about services, encourage them to ask questions like:

“What’s most frustrating about discharging right now?”
“How can our agency make your job easier?”

These questions uncover real pain points and position your agency as a true partner.

Reinforce Wins and Culture

Early success builds long-term motivation. Recognize even small wins — the first referral, a productive visit, a positive feedback email from a referral partner.

Celebrate behaviors that reflect your agency’s culture: empathy, professionalism, follow-through, and collaboration.

Public recognition boosts morale and reinforces the idea that effort and results matter. Over time, this creates a performance-driven culture where reps feel supported and valued.

Build Reps Who Stay and Succeed

The first 90 days set the tone for everything that follows. A structured onboarding plan helps new reps feel confident, productive, and aligned with your agency’s mission.

When you invest in those early weeks, you don’t just train a salesperson — you develop a long-term ambassador for your brand.

At Home Care Sales, we help agencies build high-performing sales teams through proven training systems, coaching, and neuroscience-based communication strategies.

Ready to develop confident, productive sales reps who drive consistent growth?
Schedule a Strategy Call with Home Care Sales.

Melanie