|
|
Private Duty Today
Welcome to Private Duty Today,
the bi-weekly electronic newsletter for Private Duty Home Care Leaders
from Leading Home Care ...a Tweed Jeffries company. In this issue, we
bring you ideas, information, and insights to help you grow your Private
Duty Home Care business.
Private Duty Today is a permission-based
newsletter. It is only sent to our recent customers and those individuals
who have requested it, or who have given permission for their address to
be included on our list of subscribers.
I'm Jason Tweed, Director of Business Development for
Leading Home Care, and Editor of Private
Duty Today.
Private Duty Today is published every
other Wednesday, and currently goes to over 6000 subscribers.
|
|
|
|
It was a big week in the Tweed household. My wife
and I became stupid.
You see, my six year old twins are learning to ride their
bicycles. We took them to the marina to practice where Ainsley
fell and skinned her knee. "This bike is stupid!"
She said with tears rolling down her cheeks.
My wife assured her that the bike wasn't "stupid", and it
wasn't the bike's fault.
"Then you are 'stupider' for letting go of me!", she said to
Kristen.
Kristen would have been angry had she been able to stop laughing.
Defending my wife's honor I told Ainsley not to call her mother
"stupid".
Ainsley looked at me point blank. "You told her to let go!
You're stupider than stupid!"
Now Kristen is sitting because she laughed so hard her knees buckled.
The good news is that after three more practice sessions in the
driveway and at the marina the twins are both riding their bikes like
old pros. Furthermore, Kristen and I probably won't become
"stupid" again until they are teenagers.
|
|
|
|
When you started your private duty business it was sort of
like riding a bike. You fell down a couple times and probably
even skinned your knee. But after a while it became easier.
You learned the basics.
Similar to bicycles, running your business is all about balance.
When you started your business you knew the basics -- find clients,
hire caregivers, schedule services, invoice customers, pay caregivers,
and pocket the profit.
Then your business became more complicated. Caregiver shortages
changed the way you recruit. Finding clients seems more about
marketing and less about shaking hands. Schedulers now have to be
database experts. Billing and payroll have become critical to
cash flow. Profits (hopefully) are now scattered between capital
reinvestment, company growth, owner salaries, and the Internal Revenue
Service.
Unfortunately as your company grows sometimes you fall off the bike.
Here are some things you can do to help you get up, start pedaling, and
reestablish balance.
Shake hands with
customers -- In the days before marketing budgets and
ad campaigns you made sales by shaking hands with referral sources and
customers. You increased your revenue by offering more services
to your customer base. Most of your marketing was word-of-mouth
because of the relationship you've built.
I'm not suggesting you dump your marketing plan, simply make sure that
you still take some time to reach out to the customers. Their
needs are constantly changing and evolving and your marketing plan will
be better if you stay in touch with referral sources, clients, and
prospects.
Work smarter,
not harder -- Today, technology gives us the ability to
work smarter, but unfortunately sometimes we end up working
harder. E-mail, cell phones, software and databases give us
instant access to people and information. Unfortunately this
instant access sometimes creates more chaos.
Get back to the basics with your technology. Schedule time to
answer e-mails. Use your cell phone for outgoing calls and your
office line for incoming calls. Identify the best people in your
organization to operate your database or scheduling software, and give
them the task of providing you with information rather than wasting
time searching.
Build
relationships with your staff -- As a CEO or team
leader your staff looks up to you. The reason you have a staff is
to remove some of the burden of your work load. Unfortunately
many CEOs focus so heavily on managing other people's work that they
don't have time for their own. Build relationships and identify
talents. Motivate your staff to use those talents to the best of
their ability.
As a business owner you probably know every job in your company.
Because of this you may have a tendency to want to do a little bit of
every job. Focus on your responsibilities and let your team focus
on theirs. When recruiting new team members, try to find people
that bring something to the table rather than being merely trainable.
Keep score
-- When you started your business there was only one number that
mattered. Was the number at the bottom of your profit/loss
statement red or black? As your company grows there are more and
more numbers that need your attention. Make them simple to
find. Create reports that pull critical numbers together, ideally
on a single sheet of paper.
Outsource
-- Don't lose sight of the fact that your company is a service
organization that provides care for seniors and people with
disabilities. Your job is to provide the best care possible.
Any element of your business that isn't directly related to provision
of care should be streamlined or outsourced wherever possible.
Build relationships with experts that can provide other elements
necessary to your business. Consider outsourcing billing and
payroll. Develop relationships with IT companies. Hire a
decorator instead of remodeling the office yourself. Ironically
bringing in these outside professionals is almost always less expensive
than doing it internally.
Keep your focus on your customers, your referral sources, your
community and your caregivers and you'll be able to regain balance...
like riding a bike.
|
Private
Care Association Annual Conference
Register Today & Make Plans To Attend the Biggest and
Most Valuable Conference Ever Created for Caregiver Registries!
The Private Care Association has prided itself over the last 30 years
in being the only national association representing and providing for
the needs of the private duty, in-home care referral industry.
This year is no exception and we have invested more than ever in making
this year's conference a must-attend for everyone who is either operating
or considering the caregiver registry model.
What is a
Caregiver Registry? A caregiver registry is a
service provider that identifies, screens, and refers independent
contractors for in-home and private duty care. Depending on the
requirements and regulations in different states, caregiver registries
refer professionals for services ranging from companion sitters to
24-hour full nursing care.
Why Should I
Attend this Conference? There are too many
reasons to count, but here are a few that you should take note of:
· Learn Top Professional Marketing
Techniques for the Industry from Michael Giudicissi of Leading Home
Care, One of the World's Foremost Experts on Private Duty Marketing.
· Participate in Registry Advocacy
Training and Our Lobbying Day on Capitol Hill, as well as the PCA
Legislative Appreciation Reception in the Rayburn House Office
Building.
· Avenues and Methods for Top Notch
Grassroots Involvement in your State's Legislative Process from Dean
Heyl of the Direct Selling Association, One of the Most Effective
Grassroots Organizations in the Nation.
· Strategies for Bolstering Independent
Contractor Status of Caregivers from Russell Hollrah, Esq. of Hollrah
Leyden, the Leading Law Firm in the Nation on Registry Issues.
· Tactics for Handling Difficult
Situations with Clients and Caregivers.
· The Ins and Outs of Escrow Accounts
in the Registry Business Model.
· The Scoop Regarding Which
Technologies Can Really Help Build Your Business from Joe Krauss of
Stratis, a Leading Provider of Software Systems for Client Management
in the Healthcare Field.
· Networking Opportunities with Your
Peers Who Have Generations of Experience.
· A Chance to Impact the Future of Your
Association and Industry!
Where Am I Going
to Stay & What Does All of this Cost? You
are going to love this! We are holding the conference at the
elegant Madison Hotel in Washington, DC.
Rooms can be obtained for the affordable price of $285 a night by
calling 800/424-8577 and telling them you are attending the PCA
Conference.
Now for the best
news yet!
PCA Members can register for the conference at the low rate of $297
each for the first two attendees and only $197 for each additional
attendee from the same company.
PCA Soon-to-be-Members have two extraordinary options to attend this
critical conference:
1) They can register the first attendee for $397, their second attendee
for $297, and only $197 for additional attendees from the same
company. PLUS, if they join PCA before the end of the conference,
they will get a $250 credit toward their membership dues!
2) They can take advantage of our pro-rated 2008 Membership Dues of
$597 by joining now and get One Free Registration for the Annual
Conference, and only $197 for additional attendees from the same
company.
Take advantage of these excellent deals today by calling 850/222-6000
to register over the phone or by registering on-line by clicking here:
See you in
Washington, DC on September 23-26th!!!
Get more information and
download the conference brochure.
|
|
Our best selling e-book is now available in print.
It takes innovation, creativity, passion, and persistence. In
this down-home, practical marketing manual, Angie Landmesser and Trisha
Menoni give you the details of their innovation and creativity. Marketing
to Die For... Without Killing Your Budget shows you step by
step how to apply their ideas to get more referrals that turn into
admissions. They'll stimulate your thinking to come up with
your own innovative ideas that will work for you in your marketplace.
E-books aren't for everyone. This valuable e-book is now
available in a spiral bound print edition. It's printed on
quality paper with a glossy cardstock cover.
This book makes a great addition to your company library. Buy a
copy for all your marketing pros.
Read more about
Marketing to Die for...
Quick order links...
Spiral Bound Edition $149
Downloadable e-Book Edition $149
Teleseminar Series on 3 Audio
CDs $249
Package Deal: 3 Audio CDs and
Spiral Bound Book $299
|
|
|
|
