Managing Marketing Representatives
I hope everyone is having a terrific summer thus far. What I love about the Healthcare Industry is how business goes during the summer months. I find that we tend to become relaxed and kick back, taking it easy for a bit. Which makes sense, specially if you have kids as they are out of school. But in this week’s episode of A Drink With The Hurricane, I’m doing to say DON’T. We have vacations for a reason, this is when you take time to recharge the battery. So use your days for that purpose. If you’re working however, you should be WORKING.
Now if you’re a full time Marketing Representative or a Home Care Business Owner who employs a (or multiple) Marketing Rep, how should I spend my time marketing in the field? This is where the importance and need of drop by visits comes in to play. After all, what are we trying to accomplish? We are trying to build a referring relationship with individuals who have the referrals to give. This is something that takes time, and so therefor we have see these folks again and again. How are we to accomplish this week after week, month after month?
Well this is a particularly debated topic from marketing company to company. Some marketing companies feel that marketing reps should see 40-50 accounts each week. I couldn’t disagree more. You want to talk about setting someone up for failure, ask them to go to this many accounts and see what happens. If you factor in drive time, office meetings, appointments, and so on, this gives you 10-20 mins to spend in each account. It’s just not enough time to be able to develop a referring relationship with someone. The visit would be quick, essentially asking for a referral and then leaving. I’ve personally recorded interviews I’ve had with social workers, and they do NOT appreciate this at all.
Here’s what I suggest you try:
Meaningful Conversations – When dropping by for a visit, don’t just ask for a referral, but get to know your contacts. People refer who they Know Like and Trust. If you only ask for referrals, you’re not developing a relationship and chances are you’re not getting the referrals you’re after!
Have a Face to Face visit with 1 person for every hour you spend marketing – If you are a Home Care Business Owner doing the marketing yourself for example, dedicate say 20 hours per week to direct referral marketing. With that 20 hours, you should have a meaningful conversation with a Key Contact with in a referral source 20x during that week. If you’re a full time Marketing Rep, working 40 hours, then do this 40x.
Plan to visit 15-20 Accounts during the week – In order to accomplish the above tip, we need to do so by seeing multiple key contacts with in a sales account. A SNF, for example, has 7 – 10 key contacts. If you’re going to take the time to drive there, make the most of it and see 3-4 of these key contacts all in one place on one visit. This is “Blanketing The Account”. It helps combat turn over, creates accountability, and helps you to ensure referrals are sent your way.
Repetition – If your accounts are well qualified (To find out about qualifying accounts, click HERE) then you need to do this again and again, week after week, month after month. Remember, it takes 8-12 visits before you start getting the referrals you’re after. That’s 2-3 months if you go weekly. The Good News, your competitors give up after 3-5.
These are part of the strategies that every coaching client of ours goes through, and you should see the referral numbers they put up! It truly is a perfect example of “Less is More”. We are trying to get individuals to trust you with their patients, and so it’s going to take time. The time we spend in front of them, the better our relationship will be and before long, you’ll be receiving the referrals you’re after.
Now if you are having trouble with this, or you have a marketing rep for your home care business but you’re not sure what they should be doing each week, then I strongly suggest you sign up for Home Care Revenue Builders now and register for the July Webinar, where I will cover EVERYTHING needed to help you hire, manage, and set up your marketing reps for long term sustained success. This essential if you wish to “Blow Away The Competition”!
