HHT #153 - People Do Business with People They Like!

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In Home Health Care, People Do Business with People They Like

Are Your Referral Sources Your Friends?

February 4, 2009

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In this issue...

-- In Home Health Care, People Do Business With People They Like

-- The Relationship Edge in Business

-- Join Us in the Home Health Care and Hospice Sales Professional Winner's Circle

-- Building Relationships with Physicians

-- About the Author

-- Permission to Reproduce

Welcome,

... to Home Health Care Today, the leading electronic newsletter for home health care in America. This special report for CEOs and senior executives of America's leading home health care companies is published every other Wednesday by Leading Home Care ... a Tweed Jeffries company for our clients, friends, and advocates who want to grow their home health businesses.

For ideas to grow your Private Duty Home Care business, subscribe to Private Duty Today, the bi-weekly newsletter for non-medical home care CEOs. Your complimentary subscription is available at www.privatedutytoday.com.


In Home Health Care, People Do Business With People They Like

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Several weeks ago, Elizabeth and I were on the Island of Maui speaking at a dental conference. Our dear friends, Jim and Naomi Rhode, are the founders of a very large dental supply company in Phoenix, AZ, and they conduct an annual seminar for dentists and their staff in Hawaii.

It was such a treat to meet dentists and their spouses who had been coming to the Rhode's seminar for years. It was clear to me that these long time seminar participants and customers really like the Rhodes. The Rhodes have built a multi-million dollar business based on their relationships with dentists created during their seminars and speaking engagements. It really reinforces what I have been saying in my speeches and seminars for years:

"All things being equal, people would rather do business with a friend. All things being unequal, people would still rather do business with a friend."

Home Health Care is a relationship business. The best customer and referral source relationships are built around personal relationships. When someone in your agency has a close personal relationship with the individual making the referral, you have created significant competitive advantage.

As the rest of the economy around you slows down, now is the time to be out their nurturing existing relationships with referral sources, and building new relationships in your marketplace. Your hospitals may be facing some decline in patients as they put off elective surgeries, or delay treatments because they can't afford the co-pays and deductibles. Your physicians may be seeing a slow down in office visits or procedures for the same reasons.

Now is the time to be out there making sure that your referral sources know that you are there to support them and encourage them when things may be a little rough. Whether you are out networking and building relationships yourself, or whether you have sales reps and clinical liaisons out there, now is the time to make the connections.


The Relationship Edge in Business

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Write articles that establish your expertise.Last year at this time, we were conducting a major leadership and business development conference for a large hospital based home health system. The focus of the conference was on building relationships between the home health agency and the hospital leadership team. I came across a great book called, The Relationship Edge in Business, by Jerry Acuff.

The book contains some terrific insights into the process of building relationships with customers, and quotes another professional speaker friend of ours, Danny Cox.

Acuff says that to build relationships in business, you need to learn what someone treasures. What does the person treasure personally? What does the person treasure professionally? In order to really get to know your referral sources, you need to engage in meaningful dialogue that helps you understand what they treasure. Then you can present your home health care programs and services in a way that addresses what they treasure.

It just so happened that in the conference last year, we also had brought in Dr. Tray Dunaway as a speaker. Dr. Dunaway is a member of the faculty of our Certified Home Care Sales ProfessionalTM workshop. As I was thinking about the points Acuff makes in his book, I could not help but think about how these points relate to physicians and hospital discharge planners.

For example, Acuff lists "Thirteen Facts About Human Beings." See how many of these apply to the physicians and discharge planners you know:

  • People have a desire to be important
  • People want to be appreciated
  • They are not nearly as interested in you and your interests or concerns as they are in themselves
  • Most people want two things in life: success and happiness
  • They want you to listen to them with your full attention
  • People will connect with you only if they feel you sincerely value them
  • Most people make decisions emotionally and defend them logically
  • The average person's (doctor's) attention span is very short
  • People with common interests have natural rapport
  • People want to be understood
  • People are drawn to people who are genuinely interested in them
  • Most people love to teach
  • People want to associate with others who they believe can help them in some aspect of their lives

So what do you think? Does this list fit the doctors and discharge planners you know? What are you and your home health team members doing to take advantage of these "facts" about human beings? How can you leverage these truths to grow your business and get ready for the future?

For More on The Relationship Edge in Business


Join Us in the Home Health Care and Hospice Sales Professional Winner's Circle

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CHCSP BrochureThere's no place like Louisville, home of the world famous Kentucky Derby, in the spring time. This year, you and your sales team will want to come to Louisville in April.

The 2009 Certified Home Care Sales ProfessionalTM workshop will be held in Louisville, Kentucky on April 1, 2, and 3, 2009 at the luxurious Brown Hotel. If you, or someone in your agency, wants to participate in the most in-depth sales training program in the home health care industry, you will want to be in Louisville in April.

Participants who complete this 15 hour training program will be on their way to earning the Certified Home Care Sales ProfessionalTM designation. This is the only earned designation for sales professionals in the home health care industry.

Learn more about the 2009 CHCSP workshop in Louisville!


Building Relationships with Physicians

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We know from statistics that 75% of home health care referrals come from hospitals and physicians. It may vary in our marketplace, but in most cases successful home health agencies get many new patients from physician referrals.

Home health care is a relationship business. People like to do business with people they like. Physicians like to refer patients to people they like, trust, and respect. To build your skills in building relationships with physicians, we turn to the expertise of our friend and colleague, Dr. Tray Dunaway.

To learn from the insights of Dr. Dunaway, here's an opportunity to listen in to a series of conversations I had with him. This audio CD set was recorded during a series of live teleseminars focusing on home health care sales and marketing. You'll get great benefit from having your sales and marketing team tap into the wit and wisdom of Dr. Dunaway.

Order the CD set today to grow your business


About the Author

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Stephen Tweed, CSP, is Chairman and CEO of Leading Home Care ... a Tweed Jeffries company. For nearly 25 years he has been a recognized leader in strategy and leadership development for home care companies and associations. He is the author or co-author of five books, four of which were written specifically for the home care industry. He has served on the boards of directors of three not-for-profit home care agencies, and has served as interim President & CEO of a $25 million home care company.

Stephen is a past-President of the National Speakers Association, a 3500 member international society of experts who speak professionally. He is also the father of a 38 year-old son who is physically disabled and uses the services of home care on a daily basis.

Meet the entire Leading Home Care Team


Permission to Reproduce

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Permission is granted to healthcare publications, associations and companies to reproduce this article in your publication, or to distribute copies to your leaders, on the condition that you reproduce the credits and contact information as follows: "Reprinted with permission from Stephen Tweed's Leading Home Care Report. Copyright 2006 Stephen C. Tweed. To receive a FREE subscription to this newsletter, log on to www.leadinghomecare.com."



Contact Leading Home Care

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phone: 1-866-209-5101

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