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I think we all have an idea of what gratitude is, but we often only practice being grateful in moments of rescue (where someone saves us from a problem) or in times like the holiday, Thanksgiving.

What is interesting (and how it applies to us in-home care) is that the practice of being grateful has been proven to elevate mood, battle depression, and even promote better health.

As home health, hospice, and in-home care workers know, there is a physical and emotional toll that this career requires.

 

Sometimes its saying goodbye, sometimes it’s dealing with difficult patients, and sometimes it’s just plain hard to do the work! Staying positive can be very hard.

Gratitude is more than an “emotion.” It’s also a mood. The reason that is so important is that there are moments of gratitude and a lifestyle of gratitude. The moments provide a temporary boost, but the lifestyle has been proven to improve the overall well being of people who have practiced a regiment of daily gratitude.

This practice creates a positivity that you will bring with you to work, family life, and extracurricular activities. Also, a significant component of gratitude is that it makes us recognize that forces outside our control contribute to our lives’ goodness. This makes you forgive and offer praise quicker and easier. It helps to eliminate culture-killing negativity and, over time, will draw positive people into your life.

In light of all the challenges going on in our world today and the overwhelm you may be feeling, I challenge you to take a few minutes to write down what you are thankful for and give thanks for those amazing blessings in your life. After all, people in your life have made parts of it better. Having a positive impact on your patients, clients, residents, and referral sources have brought joy to others and yourself.

In one of my darkest moments, a good friend once told me,

“The night is always darkest before the dawn”

(which I know is a slightly modified quote from Thomas Fuller). I have steadily gotten back my footing and learned to be grateful. It changed everything for me, and I believe it can for you too.

This pandemic, politics, the state of our country, and regulatory changes can tank your mood or put you through an emotional rollercoaster. That is entirely understandable, but we have people counting on us.

So this week, write it down and consider what you are thankful for. Thank a person in your life who deserves it. Provide a note, gift, card, or any other form of positive outreach to a person in your life telling them what you appreciate about them.

These small acts of gratitude can unlock a title wave of joy in your life and the lives of those you contact each day.

Have a great(ful) week,
– Jason

About the Author:
Jason Lewallen is Vice President of Marketing
for Home Care Sales

He can be reached at:
Email: jason@homecaresales.com
Phone: 615.815.7907

Gamification: Gamification is the application of game-design elements and game principles in non-game contexts. (via Wikipedia)

The idea of gamification goes back before we even had video games or the internet. It’s the idea of making a task easier by shifting one’s perspective to make the process fun. It can be as simple as a contest to see who gets the most referrals to a complex leader board with monthly successes measured and tiers of awards given as goals are reached.

Various research studies on gamification have been conducted, and the overwhelming response is that (very specifically in behavior modification and learning) gamification helps capture and create a more profound interest in a topic or behavior.

So what does that have to do with both your agency and Home Care Sales? Well, first, you have some effortless ways of creating a gamification environment. This can lead to a very motivated staff who feels like they are part of something enjoyable.

Here are some examples:

  • Census Goals w/ Office-wide Rewards (pizza party, make your own margarita, or any fun experience)
  • The Classic Spiff (example: First one to get 3 referrals where COPD is the primary diagnosis)
  • A Year-Long Leaderboard with a grand prize at the end
  • Title identifiers for reps that hit a specific goal (Senior Sales Associate, Director of Sales, Regional Area Representative, etc.)
  • Quarterly or Yearly Awards (Most Referrals, Best Attitude, Most Likely to Sing Barry White after too many cocktails, etc.…)

Most would call these “awards” or “bonuses,” but their effect on an office can be substantial.

Another essential part of the process is to include sales and operations together in these events. The division in personality archetypes often puts sales and marketing in a natural state of discord. One follows the rules rigidly while the other thrives on overcoming objections and challenging the status quo. They need each other, but they don’t always like each other.

Opportunities like this type of gamification can help bring together all the different colorful personalities and form closer bonds.

While that is an example of gamification to modify behavior, what we do at Home Care Sales is an example that applies to learning. You want your team (or yourself) to acquire the knowledge to be successful quickly and easily. You have the power to do it here.

Over the last two years, we have been working to implement a learning system that would be more than just videos and assignments. With various programs, we implemented role play, video games, and now success rewards and certifications.

When you log into the Home Care Sales Pro Learning System, you will find 16 different courses, the largest library of training videos in the industry (over 125), two unique interactive video games, hundreds of downloads, and now a gamification-designed reward system including badges, tiers, and certificates of completion.

Images from the Home Care Sales Pro Learning System

What does that mean to your team? They will be engaged in the learning process. They will be eager to show you and their team the completion and their ranking. They will be able to quickly grasp and implement the content provided so that you take the quickest path to gain the success you desire.

With your agency, you can make work more fun and engage with the elements of “game theory” or gamification. Stacking up badges, certificates, and ranks as your rep “levels up” and “upgrade” their skills! The High-Performance Sales Academy or any unique Home Care Sales Pro learning programs allows your reps to have fun AND get new tactics so that you can get more referrals and serve more seniors!

Want to see it in action? Email mike@homecaresales.com and tell him you want a demo.

Have a great week,
– Jason

About the Author:
Jason Lewallen is Vice President of Marketing
for Home Care Sales

He can be reached at:
Email: jason@homecaresales.com
Phone: 615.815.7907