care in homes agency success guide

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! Agency'Success'Guide'

authored'by'

!Agency!Success!Guide!

Welcome!to!the!CareInHomes!referral!program!!!!

We!are!very!excited!about!your!involvement!in!our!program!and!have!provided!you!with!this!Success!

Guide!to!make!the!most!of!the!referrals!you!will!be!receiving.!!All!of!the!information!contained!in!this!

document!comes!from!your!peer!agencies!and!their!successful!process!of!working!the!referrals!provided!by!CareInHomes.!!They!have!told!us!that!our!referrals!represent!the!very!best!return!on!investment!of!

any!marketing!program.!

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If!you!use!the!tools!and!tips!of!this!Success!Guide,!you!will!have!a!competitive!advantage!and!convert!

our!referrals!to!new!clients!!!And!we!are!a!simple!phone!call!away!if!you!should!ever!have!questions!or!

concerns.!

Understanding!the!Online!Marketing!Process!

First!of!all,!let’s!set!some!expectations!of!how!referrals!are!to!be!worked!and!industry!best!practices.!!

There!are!countless!studies!on!the!effectiveness!of!online!referrals,!but!the!main!point!to!remember!is!

that!a!“referral”!is!a!person!who!has!expressed!interest!in!your!agency!and!the!services!you!offer.!!They!are!not!a!guaranteed!client!or!someone!“ready!to!sign!up.”!!This!person!has!taken!the!time!to!

review!our!CareInHomes!website!and!completed!a!form!so!that!YOU!can!contact!them!immediately!to!

discuss!your!agency!and!services.!!!

Our!commitment!is!to!provide!your!agency!with!referrals!of!individuals!who!have!expressed!an!interest!

in!your!services.!!It!is!then!your!responsibility!to!contact!the!referral!and!progress!them!down!the!path!

! ! Copyright!2015!–!Page!2!

toward!becoming!a!client.!!Please!review!the!following!sales!funnel!with!specific!stages!of!the!process!of!

receiving!a!referral!from!us!and!converting!them!to!a!new!client.!

Each!stage!requires!a!different!approach!and!message!from!you!in!order!to!progress!the!referral!and!

provide!continual!value.!!By!using!the!included!emails!and!voicemail!templates,!you!will!have!a!higher!

response!rate!and!convert!more!referrals.!!By!no!means!are!these!the!only!templates!you!could!use;!be!

creative!and!test!alternative!messaging,!images,!etc.!!The!backbone!of!effective!marketing!is!to!create,!

deliver,!test!and!measure.!!The!more!you!measure!the!effectiveness!of!your!outbound!marketing!efforts,!

the!more!successful!you!will!be.!

Online!Referral!Sales!Funnel!

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Step%1:%%Receive%CareInHome%Referrals%

Please!make!sure!you!are!accepting!referrals!from!CareInHomes!with!all!delivery!options!(email,!text!

and!saved!to!your!online!portal.)!!Another!best!practice!is!to!own!a!smartWphone!that!allows!you!to!click!

on!the!phone!number!contained!in!the!text!message!to!immediately!call!the!referral.!!By!not!having!to!

cut!and!paste!the!number!will!save!you!time!and!prevent!errors!by!transposing!numbers.!

If!you!can!dedicate!an!internal!resource!to!contact!each!referral,!this!is!even!better.!!You!can!then!

monitor!response!times,!measure!the!duration!of!each!call!and!test!new!messaging.!


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Step%2:%%Initial%contact%with%the%referral%

The!greatest!indicator!to!the!success!of!our!referral!program!is!the$speed$at$which$you$contact$the$referral.!!Please!note!that!the!referral!has!submitted!their!information!with!the!express!desire!to!be!

contacted!immediately.!!Our!successful!agencies!comment!that!they!often!contact!the!referral!while!the!

person!is!still!at!their!computer!!!You!should!strive!to!contact!the!referral!within!1!minute!of!receiving!

the!text!message!from!CareInHomes.!!Yes,!1!minute!!!A!study!by!MIT!concluded!that!you!have!a!100!

times!greater!chance!of!contacting!the!referral!by!calling!within!the!first!5!minutes!versus!the!first!30!

minutes.!

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To!reiterate,!you!MUST!call!the!referral!within!5!minutes.!!By!waiting!an!hour!or!until!the!next!day,!you!have!effectively!a!zero!chance!of!reaching!the!referral.!!Shocking!as!it!sounds,!but!the!average!time!to!

respond!to!a!referral!is!47!hours!!!Don’t!be!average!and!contact!the!referral!within!5!minutes.!

A!study!by!InsideSales.com!concluded!that!35W50%!of!sales!go!to!the!vendor!that!responds!first.!So!be!

the!first!agency!to!contact!the!referral!and!setWup!an!appointment.!

How!many!times!should!you!attempt!to!contact!the!referral?!!The!average!agency!contacts!a!referral!1.3!

times!and!then!gives!up.!!Remember!that!these!referrals!want!you!to!contact!them.!!You!MUST!attempt!to!contact!the!referral!at!least!6!times.!!Here!is!a!typical!attemptWtoWcontact!scenario:!

! 11:00!Referral!received!

! 11:01!Call!#1!–!Leave!a!voicemail!(#1)!if!not!answered!

! 11:15!Call!#2!–!Do!not!leave!a!voicemail!



! 11:30!Email!#1!



! 12:15!Email!#2!

! 12:30!Call!#6!–!Leave!a!voicemail!(#2)!if!not!answered!

You!may!think!this!is!excessive,!but!it!is!not.!!The!referral!wants!to!hear!from!you!and!wants!to!be!

contacted.!!Think!of!when!you!forget!a!password!to!a!website!you!frequent.!!When!you!click!“reset!

password,”!you!want!an!email!immediately!with!the!new!password.!!This!is!the!same!for!the!referral!

and!their!request!to!contact!you.!!They!are!seeking!inWhome!care!for!a!loved!one!(which!is!an!important!

and!major!decision)!and!want!to!hear!from!you!immediately.!

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Step%3:%%Setting%the%appointment%

Once!you!contact!the!referral,!your!main!objective!should!be!to!set!the!appointment.!!They!will!want!

information!and!to!ask!questions,!but!be!reluctant!to!provide!them!with!too+much!information.!!You!

want!to!position!yourself!as!a!valuable!resource!and!establish!credibility!quickly!in!the!call.!!Tell!them!

about!your!agency!and!yourself.!

Make!sure!to!ask!at!the!beginning!of!the!call!to!verify!their!phone!number!and!email!address.!!

“Real+quick,+is+this+the+best+number+to+reach+you?++Or+do+you+have+a+cell+number+that+might+be+better?++And+let+me+make+sure+I+have+your+correct+email+address+as+well.++Is+it….?”!

Remember!that!the!information!they!submitted!online!may!not!be!correct.!!Meaning,!they!might!be!

reluctant!to!enter!the!age!or!zip!code!of!their!loved!one.!!Don’t!make!assumptions.!!Instead,!ask!

questions!and!allow!them!to!tell!you!want!they!want.!!Some!people!will!open!up!quickly!while!others!

may!be!more!hesitant.!

Do!not!discuss!pricing!!!One!of!the!quickest!ways!to!end!the!call!is!to!discuss!pricing.!!A!common!and!

effective!answer!to!the!“what!is!your!price”!question!is!the!following:!

“You+know+what+<name>?++That+is+a+great+question.++And+I’ll+be+more+than+happy+to+cover+all+of+our+pricing+and+financing+options+when+we+meet+in+person.+In+fact,+I’ll+answer+all+your+questions+at+that+time.++Would+tomorrow+at+1:00+or+3:00+be+a+good+time+to+meet?”!


By!asking!a!question!at!the!end!of!your!answer,!you!resume!control!of!the!call.!!And!by!giving!meeting!

time!options,!you!have!a!better!chance!of!the!referral!choosing!a!time!versus!them!giving!you!an!

alternate!answer.!

Top!Mistakes!

● Talking!about!price!on!the!first!call!

● Failing!to!establish!your!credibility!

● Failing!to!establish!your!value!

● Not!recognizing!where!they!are!in!the!decision!making!process!

● Not!providing!enough!information!

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Best!Practices!

● Verify!their!phone!and!email!

● Establish!credibility!–!be!brief,!but!impressive!

● Listen!to!them!

● Educate!them!about!your!services!

● Educate!them!on!your!value!!

Remember!that!your!singular!goal!is!to!get!an!appointment!with!the!referral.!!Give!them!compelling!

reasons!to!want!to!meet!with!you!and!become!a!client!of!your!agency.!

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Step%4:%%Conducting%the%appointment%

You’ve!done!a!great!job!of!contacting!the!referral!and!scheduling!an!appointment.!!You!are!now!meeting!

with!them!and!showing!them!how!great!of!an!agency!you!are.!!

It’s!important!to!establish!credibility!and!rapport!at!the!beginning!of!the!call.!!The!referral!is!making!a!

very!important!decision!and!they!need!to!feel!comfortable!with!you,!your!agency!and!the!services!you!

offer.!!Tell!them!about!yourself!and!find!a!common!bond!with!the!prospective!client.!Subjects!you!

should!discuss!include:!

1. How!long!you’ve!been!in!business!

2. Why!you!decided!to!start!an!agency!

3. Personal!stories!about!your!own!family!

4. Community!and!volunteer!involvement!

5. Interests!and!hobbies!–!personalize!yourself!

6. Education!and!relevant!experience!

7. Licensing,!Certification,!Industry!Association!involvement!

These!are!but!a!few!of!the!topics!you!could!discuss!to!establish!credibility!at!the!beginning!of!the!

appointment.!!It’s!important!that!you!discuss!them!before!venturing!to!topics!such!as!services!and!pricing.!


We!highly!recommend!you!present!some!sort!of!visual!along!with!your!discussion.!!Visuals!are!processed!

60,000x!faster!in!the!brain!than!text.!!WellWdesigned!marketing!collateral!that!features!smiling!patients!

and!similar!themes!convey!your!services!much!more!effectively!than!plain!text.!!There!are!many!

advertising/marketing!agencies!that!have!extensive!experience!in!agency!marketing.!!You!might!want!to!

consider!meeting!with!several!of!them!to!review!your!current!efforts!and!discuss!possible!

improvements.!

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Step%5:%%Presenting%a%proposal%

Most!agencies!believe!a!proposal!is!a!document!outlining!the!services!to!be!offered!and!a!corresponding!

price.!!It!is!not.!!It!is!another!opportunity!for!your!agency!to!demonstrate!why!you!are!the!best!choice!

for!the!patient.!!Here!is!a!sample!of!what!you!should!include!in!a!proposal:!

1. Agency!profile!

2. Owner/Director!profile!(if!applicable)!

3. Services!offered!

4. Caregiver!profile(s)!

5. Caregiver!training!plans!

6. Pricing!

7. Financing!options!(if!applicable)!

8. Testimonials!

9. Sample!Caregiver!Service!Plan!

10. Copies!of!licenses!and!certifications!(if!applicable)!11. Forms!(Questions!every!caregiver!should!ask,!policies!&!procedures,!etc.)!

Please!note!that!visuals!are!processed!much!faster!than!text.!!Include!photos!of!agency!members!and!

actual!clients!(with!their!written!permission).!!Lastly,!make!sure!to!include!your!contact!information!on!

every!page!of!the!proposal!and!confirm!a!time!with!the!referral!to!followWup!on!the!information!

presented.!

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Step%6:%%New%Client!%

If!you!have!followed!the!suggestions!in!this!guide,!you!will!convert!more!referrals!to!clients!than!

agencies!that!do!not!follow!this!advice.!!Congratulations,!you!have!a!new!client!!

Please!remember!to!log!into!your!CareinHomes!online!portal!and!update!the!status!of!the!lead!to!

“SOLD.”!

Congratulations,!you!have!a!new!client!!

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Appendix!

Voicemail!Samples!!

Voicemail!#1!

Hello+{NAME},+this+is+{YOUR+FIRST+NAME}+from+{YOUR+AGENCY+NAME}.++My+direct+line+is+{YOUR+PHONE+NUMBER}.++I’m+following+up+on+your+online+request+for+information+regarding+inZhome+care.++My+number+is+{YOUR+PHONE+NUMBER}+and+I+will+try+you+back+in+10+minutes.++Thank+you.!

Voicemail!#2!

Hello+{NAME},+this+is+{YOUR+FIRST+NAME}+from+{YOUR+AGENCY+NAME}.++My+direct+line+is+{YOUR+PHONE+NUMBER}.++I’m+following+up+on+your+online+request+for+information+regarding+inZhome+care+and+tried+you+several+times+today.+My+number+is+{YOUR+PHONE+NUMBER}+and+I+can+be+reached+at+any+time+to+answer+your+questions.++Thank+you.!

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Email!Samples!!

Email!#1!

Dear+{NAME},!

I+left+you+a+voicemail+about+30+minutes+ago+since+you+submitted+an+online+request+for+information+regarding+inZhome+care.+{YOUR+AGENCY+NAME}+is+a+leader+in+companion+care+and+we+look+forward+to+answering+any+questions+you+may+have.++We+are+{LIST+3+QUALITIES+OF+YOUR+AGENCY}+and+have+been+serving+the+local+community+for+{X}+years.!

My+direct+line+is+{YOUR+PHONE+NUMBER}+and+I+can+be+reached+any+time.++If+you+receive+my+voicemail,+please+leave+a+time+I+can+call+you+back.+!

Thank+you.!

{YOUR+SIGNATURE+WITH+PHONE+NUMBER+INCLUDED}!

Email!#2!

Dear+{NAME},!

I+sent+you+a+previous+email+and+tried+calling+you+several+times+today.++You+had+submitted+an+online+request+for+information+regarding+inZhome+care.!

{YOUR+AGENCY+NAME}+has+been+serving+the+local+community+for+{X}+years+and+we+{LIST+3+QUALITIES+OF+YOUR+AGENCY}.!

My+direct+line+is+{YOUR+PHONE+NUMBER}+and+I+can+be+reached+any+time.++If+you+receive+my+voicemail,+please+leave+a+time+I+can+call+you+back.+!

Thank+you.!

{YOUR+SIGNATURE+WITH+PHONE+NUMBER+INCLUDED}!

care in homes agency success guide

Health & Medicine