Most home care executives are eager to grow their companies through new client acquisition, but not all of these executives know how to create a system for consistently driving those acquisitions. Tracking is one of the keys to creating an efficient system for acquiring new clients. By regularly collecting and evaluating information in these four categories, you will make your acquisitions system more effective:
Client Information
In order to prepare a quality presentation for a potential client, you need to know a bit about her or him. Train your office staff to recognize client inquiry calls and to gather key information when they come. Create a digital or paper form for your staff to fill out during these calls that includes the client’s name, phone number, email and mailing address, and the needed services. After filling out this form, your staff can then schedule a follow-up call or presentation. You can then use this information to plan a personalized presentation as well as to keep track of the types of inquiries you’re receiving.
Contacts
To turn a lead into a client, you need to maintain consistent, though not overbearing, contact with the interested party. This means you need to plan out deliberate and specific ways to reach out to the client over a specified period of time. For example, after the initial inquiry and presentation, you could immediately reach out to the potential client with a personalized thank you card. A week later you could then follow up with an email related to their specific care needs. Two weeks later you could begin sending short, relevant articles from your company blog. At the eight-week mark, you could then make a follow-up call to check in. If the potential client still doesn’t express interest, you can then end contact or try again in a few months. As you develop your own system, work to create a consistent schedule that works for you and your staff and ensures that every potential client who calls receives the follow-up necessary to turn into a client.
Sales Numbers
If you want to improve your sales record, you first need to know what that record is. You can begin by tracking the number of inquiries you receive each month, which you can then compare from month to month. Next, you should begin tracking how many of those inquiries turn into assessments and how many assessments turn into admissions. As you track these numbers, you will be able to monitor your improvement over time and catch any areas that need improvement.
Client Feedback
Satisfied clients are the best sources for finding new clients. By regularly tracking your current client satisfaction, you can discover who your promoters are (those who would recommend your company to others). Once you identify your promoters, you can start regularly asking them for referrals. Promoters are generally enthusiastic about your services and willing to share that with friends and family.
As you look for ways to increase your new client acquisitions, begin by improving the way you track information in your company. By creating a system based on regular tracking and follow-up, you’ll find that your staff is better prepared to receive inquiries and more equipped to turn those inquiries into contracted clients.
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