When you run a home care agency, you know how important getting referrals are. By making the right alliances, you’ll be able to ensure that your agency gets referrals on a regular basis. Anytime a sales representative markets a business, it’s their skill to deliver powerful messages that are being tested. When your agency becomes the better communicator, you can win over patients from your competitors.
As a home health care agency, you will be marketing your business to healthcare professionals, physicians, hospitals, medical facilities, and other such places. You’ll need to show them how your home health care agency offers higher quality care services. Demonstrate why your business should be picked over others. But how do you go about starting this process?
Identifying Sources Of Referrals
The first thing that you need to do is identify what the potential sources for getting referrals are, for your business. Let’s look at what a few of these sources are:
- Physicians: Home health care agencies often build strong relationships with general practitioners as well as medical specialists. They receive a large number of patients, and where necessary, can refer your agency to their patients.
- Hospitals: Another source of getting referrals is hospitals. Stay connected with discharge coordinators, social workers at the hospital, as well as the nurses. They are more likely to provide you with referrals.
- Nursing Homes And Rehabilitation Centers: Nursing homes often care for patients who might need professional care even after they go home. Let nursing homes within your service area know about the services you offer, and that they can refer their patients to you.
- Associations Related To Specific Diseases: There are many medical associations that aim to help patients with diseases like multiple sclerosis, ALS, and more. Such associations can refer patients to your agency.
Connecting With Past Clients
Another great source for getting referrals are from the patients you have already provided care services to. Reach out to past and current patients for their testimonials, and ask them to provide you with referrals as well. Build a relationship with them that’s centred on trust. That can help in encouraging them to refer your agency to their friends and family.
Consider using consumer marketing as well. This is where you develop marketing strategies meant to target specific clients. The goal here is to raise awareness about your business while also engaging people. Help people understand the services you provide so that your agency comes to their mind first if they ever need to avail certain services.
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A Marketing Action Plan To Get You Started
Here is what you should do to start getting more referrals:
1. Hiring Sales Professionals
As a home health care agency owner, always look out for talented sales representatives. Ideally, they should have experience with sales in the medical industry as well. They’ll need to make connections, set up meetings, and go around increasing the number of referrals you get.
2. Find Your USP
There’s fierce competition among home health care agencies when it comes to attracting patients. This is why you should isolate the unique value proposition of your business. Identify what makes your home health care agency unique from others. Simply creating a presentation that highlights how your agency stands out, can help you in attracting more clients.
3. Professional Pitches And Presentations
You have a limited amount of time to grab the attention of a medical professional before they decide whether to refer patients to you or not. This is where having a professional pitch ready comes into play. Create a five minute presentation as well, on why your business should be chosen above all others.
4. Create A Sales Plan
When you have a sales plan ready, you’ll know what you’re aiming for through your marketing strategy. With a good sales plan, your sales representatives will know how to target referral sources that are of high value.
Conclusion
If you want to secure more referrals for your business, then you need to actively market your home health care agency. Reach out to potential referral sources, such as physicians and hospitals. At the same time, also approach old and existing clients, to ask them for referrals as well. This guide helps you learn how you can get more referrals for your business.
