Welcome to the inaugural issue of Sales Manager Interactive! If you’re a homecare sales manager, administrator, agency owner, leading sales rep or anyone with sales responsibility for your agency, you’ve come to the right place. This weekly newsletter will focus on important sales management topics like compensation, territory planning, recruiting and hiring, sales team motivation and much more. If you have an idea for a story please email me.

This newsletter comes to you courtesy of Leading Home Care and serves as the gateway to the full Sales Manager Interactive program that launches in beta test in November and in full on January 1st. What is the full version of SMI? Great question. Imagine a place where sales professionals can work collaboratively on the topics we mentioned above (and more!). Imagine a monthly “managers only” training teleseminar on similar topics where we leave lots of time to answer questions. Imagine a repository of knowledge and sales tools to manage your team to their next, best level of sales performance. Imagine input from a variety of industry experts. Imagine an interactive forum to submit questions 24/7. It’s like having your own consultant on call all the time! That, my friends, is Sales Manager Interactive. For more information, or to register and get the first two months free, visit the Sales Manager Interactive page.

We are going to revolutionize homecare sales. That’s a pretty bold statement, isn’t it? But it’s true. As we build a team of the nation's leaders in homecare sales, we will share best practices, we’ll raise the level of sales professionalism in our industry and we will define the way that people look at home care salespeople. I won’t do it alone, I need you! For a full list of benefits of the new Sales Manager Interactive program, visit the SMI page on the Leading Home Care website.

Welcome to Sales Manager Interactive. You’ve taken another step toward becoming one of the elite in our industry. I congratulate you and look forward to working with you in the future. As always, I want to hear from you, so please send me an email.

Now go sell something!

It's one of the issues that I see most often in agencies today. (In a deep voice) In this corner the sales team. They're trained, they're sharp, they're out in the field getting referrals. In the other corner, the clinicians. They're skilled, they're compassionate, they're in demand.

LET'S GET READY TO... solve this issue!

I used to believe that the "natural" tension between sales and ops was a good thing. The sales team would keep bringing the referrals in, thereby assuring that the ops (clinical) would take absolutely as many patients as safely possible. On the other hand, the clinicians would never take on more patients than they could safely handle, thereby "tempering" the sales effort. I used to believe this worked, but I don't anymore. What this scenario does is lead to staff burnout (in both groups) and resentment. I remember a time when a salesperson needed one admission at the end of the month to make their quota for the first time,one more! They had the referral on the final day, the patient had a skilled need, was homebound, had Medicare, everything was in place. When they brought the referral in, the clinical manager (who was truly very apologetic) said no. Staffing was too tight to safely admit the patient. Can you imagine the frustration that this new sales rep felt at being so close,and falling ONE admission short?

So if we don't want the "natural" tension to remain, what can we do about it?

1. Make sure admission goals are clear to everyone.
During the forecasting process for the next year, involve both sales and clinical to assure they "buy in" to the goals that wind up in your agency's budget. Of course, this is a dynamic business and things change daily, but you're much better off if both departments have agreed in principle that they can achieve a certain goal.

2. Meet at least weekly (a daily briefing is better) to discuss staffing availability and focus of the sales staff.
If your PT's are tied up and cannot admit a patient for several days, have your salespeople focus on referral sources where nursing is likely to be needed. You'd think this one was a no brainer, but if there is some tension between the two groups, they may rarely communicate.

3. Put them in your debt (in a good way!).
Can you imagine if every department in your agency owed you a favor? If you had gone above and beyond for them in recent memory? How do you think they would react if you came to them and asked to take an admission from an important referral source? If they "owed" you one, they would probably do everything in their power to make it happen. Keep doing them favors,and they'll repay you without you even having to ask.

4. Make them stars.
Your clinicians are caring people, at the top of their profession. More so than money, the one thing I've seen people hunger for is recognition. Talk up your clinicians to referral sources, patients, everybody! Ask them to attend important sales presentations to enhance your efforts. Every time someone in the community says something positive about them, bring that back to them and their supervisor. A little recognition goes a long way.

5. Practice teamwork.
If your agency formed a softball team, you'd probably schedule a few practices before the first game in order to see who should play certain positions, run through the double play and to just have some fun. We don't often get to practice teamwork in the workplace. When we show up in the morning, it's game time,and what team would take the field without a little practice? Get the two departments together for lunch, schedule a one day retreat, form a company team and encourage both departments to join. Anything you can do to get your sales and clinical team working (and playing) together will allow them to know each other better and become closer. It's much easier to say "no" to someone you don't know and barely talk to every day,isn't it?

Ultimately, we work in a wonderful industry that faces the challenge that all healthcare faces today. Too many patients and not enough people to care for them. We'll always want to serve more patients than we have the resources to do. When you sit your sales and clinical departments down in the same room, you'll be surprised (and they might too) that they both have the same goals, take care of as many patients as possible. Now you have some tools to help them do that. Communicate, have fun and succeed. Start here and your agency faces a bright future.

Do you need help in developing Excellence in Teamwork in your agency? We can help. Visit us on the web or call us at 1-888-668-9333.

Whether you've been selling home care for ten years or ten days, Michael Giudicissi will help you become better at your job. If you're the director of a sales department, he'll help you train your current sales reps as well as new hires.

A message from Michael - "This is a great book for anyone involved in homecare sales. Of course you'd expect me to say that since I wrote it! Here's the thing, this book contains more training and information about homecare sales than many salespeople in our industry will get in their entire career. Buy it, read it and use it. Once you do, let me know how it works for you.

This e-Book is more than just bedtime reading! It's truly a sales training manual and workbook with exercises and examples for individuals as well as teams of sales people. You'll find ten exercises, worksheets, and resources including:

• Five role playing exercises
• "A Day in the Life of Physicians"
• "A Day in the Life of Case Managers"
• "Elevator Speech" creation guide
• Additional reading and resources list
• Dozens of real life illustrations and examples
• A blend of theory and practical tips
• Writing that is clear, concise, and conversational.

This manual is ideal for both certified home health agencies, as well as non-medical or private duty home care companies. Here is one of the early reviews of "Making the Approach":

"Got it - love it! Honestly, I never thought anyone would be able to accurately put into words all of the emotional issues, let alone key phrases and skills to get the job done in one piece. And, on top of that, it was actually an enjoyable read. Congratulations. We will be using this as our sales training foundation for new and current staff. Thank you Michael!!"

Joan Hatley
Senior Independence

Click on the link below. In a matter of seconds you'll be able to download this e-Book to your own computer. Literally, in the next five minutes, your ability to sell home care services will improve. Inside of an hour, you'll feel like a veteran. And by the end of the week, you'll see results!

Check back here often to see where Michael will be speaking next. If you'd like Michael to speak at your organization or present a Sales Boot Camp in your area, email us or contact your state homecare association.

Home Health Line's Power Referrals Conference
February 21-23
Rio All Suites Hotel, Las Vegas, NV
Event Website

Sales Training Boot Camp
February 26 & 28
Northern and Southern California
Locations to be announced
Presented by CAHSAH

Here's what's new on the members only Sales Manager Interactive website. These tools are available to download for free to all subscribers.

• Sample Sales Rep Compensation Plan
• Sample Sales Manager Compensation Plan
• Sales & Marketing Scorecard
• Sales Rep Sales Activity Tracking Form
• Sales Manager Sales Activity Tracking Form

Visit a Preview of the Members Only Site.