The homecare health market was projected to expand at a CAGR of about 8 percent between 2012 and 2020.
As per 2015, the senior home care industry was estimated to be at around $245 billion. The reason behind the astronomical rise of this industry is the rapidly growing geriatric population all over the world.
And as the numbers of the elderly living among us continue to rise, so has the demand for the need for regular health checkups and monitoring. This is due to the fact that seniors are more vulnerable to medical ailments such as diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and other old age-related conditions.
Subsequently, the home care industry has grown in leaps and bounds over the past decade. The consequence, however, is that customers now have a variety of options at their disposal. This means that for any in-home care agency to achieve any reasonable amount of success, it must focus its efforts on selling to the customer why their services are superior to those of another in-home care provider.
The following is a home care sales guide that details the things you can do during your home care sales pitch in order to boost home care agency sales.
1. Be Flexible
Home care agency salespeople need to understand that there will be times when the sales process might have to take place somewhere that is not their office or the customer’s home, and that it might need to be done via email or phone. Understand this and then adjust your schedule accordingly.
As such, you have to be nimble enough to accommodate the potential client’s schedule, meaning that they may not always agree to meet at your place of convenience,
Home visits, however, are the most important part of your sales process as they create the ideal environment to create a good rapport between the prospective client and yourself. This is what leads to a solid relationship.
Moreover, you also need to be flexible regarding the means you use to communicate with their prospects. It is always important to engage them using their preferred means of communication without regard to what seems professional or not.
This means that you should ask them how they prefer to communicate. Today’s seniors are tech-savvy. Thus, do not assume that they do not use these technologies. Inquire, and you might be surprised.
2. Make it Personal
The services that you are selling, after all, are incredibly personal and thus, it is the personal touch that will encourage the prospect to choose your company.
As such, begin your pitch by asking introspective questions so you can get to know them better. Start by asking what they consider to be the most important thing they are looking for. While at it, ensure that you frequently use their first name so you can create a sense of familiarity and friendship. It is your warmth and personality that makes the client have a favorable outlook on the services that you are offering.
3. Listen
Often, salespeople get caught up in their pitch and trying so hard to sell that they do not listen – really listen – to what their prospect is saying. Therefore, if they call in and you ask what made them contact you, be sure to listen actively so you can get all the details. Also, it does not hurt to take notes of any key points that you hear while repeating back to them what they are saying to ensure that you are getting everything right.
Moreover, listen to their emotions as they speak about their issues such as what worries them about their current situation. Then ask and listen intently for other vital information such as, where they live, their support network, other health issues they have, and the kind of financial support they have in place.
4. Be Specific
After listening to them, it is now time to present your case on why they have made the right choice to contact your agency. Even though you have appealed to their emotions, and more often than not people will make decisions based on those emotions, they also want to be presented with facts to believe that they are making those choices rationally.
Here is where you shine by proving that you are an authority in your field. Give your client data concerning the things they are most concerned about. For instance, if they are concerned about whether they will like a caregiver, tell them a little about your caregivers and back up your information with customer satisfaction ratings. And because most people prefer to be in the majority, by telling your prospect that there are other people in their area using your services, they will be more than likely to enlist your services.
5. Employ FOMO – Fear of Missing Out
While listing all the advantages and benefits your clients stand to gain from you is important, another strategy you can employ is to let them know what they will stand to lose by not using your services. Often, the fear of losing out is even a greater motivator than simply letting somebody know how good you are. Everybody else is doing the latter. As such, try and frame the unique aspects of your packages as benefits that they would not get if they went to another in-home care agency.
6. Come Up With a Solution
After listening to their needs, advise them on services that would be best suited for them based on what they have told you. Nevertheless, you need to keep it light if you are talking over the phone to avoid making assumptions.
7. Master the Creative Follow-Up
It is important to demonstrate that you have been listening and that you understand their needs. Consider sending them a gift as a sign of goodwill. For instance, if they mentioned the name of their dog during your conversation, send them a bowl with the name of the dog imprinted on it. The aim of such gestures is to display that you are genuinely interested in their wellbeing.
Nevertheless, it is important to give the client some time to think it through. If you rush, they might panic and back away.
Conclusion
When doing home care sales, the most important thing to understand is that ‘people buy people.’ this implies that building rapport and developing a strong relationship is what is going to close the deal. While having stellar services is important, it is not enough to boost home care agency sales. People use emotions when making such decisions. Thus, when you show that you genuinely care about them by listening and making statements that prove the same, you will be better positioned to close a deal with them.
With senior home care market getting more and more competitive, an in-home care provider needs to do everything they can to get a leg up on the competition. By utilizing this home care sales guide, you will not only close more deals but will also be a better home care agency.
