"Thanks for calling XYZ Homecare; my name is Jason.  May I help you?"

-- "I'm thinking about getting care for my mother, Jason.  I wanted to check your rates."

"I'll be happy to help you.  Each of our clients is an individual.  Can I learn a little more about your mother, and your situation?  I know it's personal, but it really helps me give you an accurate quote."

-- "Well, I just wanted to get some prices.  She doesn't need much care, I just want someone around while I'm working all day."

"I worry about my dog while I'm here.  You must worry about your mother.  What do you do?"

-- "I'm a CPA."

"I bet you work long hours come tax time.  Does your mother live with you?"

-- "Yes, and yes.  From January until April I rarely get home for dinner.  And my husband is a surgeon, so he frequently gets called away.  She moved in this past summer."

Okay, let's press "pause" on the conversation now and take a look at what we've learned.  First, we haven't given away any information about our company.  The likelihood that this is a competitor trying to sneak a peek at our rates has been reduced.

Here's what you've learned about the potential client.

They're a dual income family.  It's likely they have significant income and can afford the care.  They can probably afford quite a few hours of care if necessary.  The daughter is a CPA so you know she can manage a budget, but you also know she will be looking at the value in terms of dollars and cents.

Press "play".

"I'm beginning to understand.  May I ask your name?"

-- "Patricia.  People call me Patsy."

"Patsy, I have a few questions about your mother.  I'd like to learn more about her needs and abilities.  I want to make sure she gets the level of care that is appropriate."

(You ask four or five questions about activities of daily living.)

"Honestly, Patsy.  It sounds like your mother is doing fairly well.  I get the feeling that your needs are more about security and companionship than actual physical care for your mother."

-- "I guess that's true.  She moved here from Rochester.  She doesn't seem as happy, even though the climate is so much better."

"Spending time alone while you're at work probably doesn't help.  What if we got her a companion aide, someone closer to her age that likes to have conversations?"

-- "That would be wonderful."

"If it's okay, here's where I have to put on my salesman hat.  Let me tell you about the benefits to our companion aide program.  First, each aide is far more than a glorified babysitter.  Each aide is screened for all the standards; criminal background checks, drug tests, elder abuse and child abuse clearances.  But every agency does that.  Second, each aide is screened by our highly trained human resources department using a unique pre-employment assessment.  The pre-employment assessment helps us flag candidates with questionable integrity and dependability.  This all happens before they're even hired."

"After our caregivers are hired, we invest in them.  We make sure they have competitive wages and benefits, and then we invest in training them.  Each of our companions participates in monthly trainings.  These trainings help them identify early signs of dementia or depression, create a safer home, and we even have training about ways to keep a senior citizens brain stimulated.  You don't want to hire an aide who's going to sit with mom in front of the television all day."

"We find that this rigorous screening and training pays off.  A typical aide works for us for many years.  This is terrific for clients because continuity is so important.  The aides become almost part of your family."

"By the way, we also have Geriatric Care Management available.  Our Certified Geriatric Care Manager is actually the first person you will meet.  Her name is Amber and she will visit your home to do a brief assessment.  Amber will create a plan of care.  This care plan helps us give you rates for weekly care.  Amber will make this first visit at no charge with no obligation.  It's really the best way for us to give you an accurate quote."

"Patsy, if I can get your contact information, I'll be happy to set up a time for Amber to visit.  We can do it in the evening if that's more convenient for you and your husband."

-- "That would be more convenient.  Jason, before we set up an appointment with Amber can you give me an idea of cost."

"Absolutely.  Many of our working families hire companion aides for three to four hours a day five days a week.  We have a package for up to 20 hours weekly for $XXX.  This package also includes a Geriatric Care Management visit each month and one of those safety alert buttons for those times when your mother is alone.  It's a great balance between cost and security.  Plus she will get daily contact."

-- "It's more than I anticipated, but I can clearly see the value.  Let's set up something with Amber this week."

By now, Patsy and Jason feel like old friends.  The conversation actually takes only 5 to 10 minutes, but the value created is immense.  You've gone through most of the sales process very quickly.  This is a best case scenario, but not unrealistic.

Remember, your potential clients and referral sources frequently ask questions to which they don't really want an answer.  Your potential clients and referral sources want solutions and information, they just don't know exactly what questions to ask.  They fall back on the generic "tell me about your service" or "what are your hourly rates?"

If you're careful, you can lead your callers in a different direction.  You can pace the conversation, ask good questions, and you'll learn what information the caller actually wants and needs.  After that it's easy to steer the caller into an appropriate level of product or service.

This takes practice.  Think about all the calls you receive in any given week.  If you're like most agencies only a handful of them have the potential to turn into business.  Managing these handful through the relationship selling process is critical.  Because of this I recommend coaching and lots of practice for key contact people.  Write out and memorize key words and phrases that are targeted to specific types of callers.