The need for home care is at an all time high, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that an agency’s sales are through the roof. The recent influx of seniors flooding the marketplace has also led to a huge increase in the number of new home care agencies popping up to meet the need for care. This heavy competition means your agency is likely running into some common home care sales obstacles when marketing senior care, including the following:

• Getting Past the Gatekeeper: In any type of sales situation, there is always a gatekeeper – the person responsible for keeping a decision maker from being bothered by irrelevant callers. The trick is to demonstrate to the gatekeeper that it will benefit the decision maker to speak with you, but that’s often easier said than done. When your agency’s salespeople visit referrals sources, what do they bring with them for leave-behinds? A brochure? Some pens? Refrigerator magnets? In order to stand out, your marketing materials need to help referral sources do their jobs better and meet the needs of their clients so that they know to turn to your agency when clients need home care services.
• Communicating with Non-Committal Callers: Oftentimes, an adult child of an aging person will call your agency looking for information about your services, but isn’t quite ready to commit or doesn’t think his or her loved one will respond well to bringing a caregiver into the home. Many also feel guilty for not being able to handle a parent’s care on their own. When a caller is non-committal, a seasoned home care salesperson knows that he or she needs to first empathize and follow up on the customer’s statement. Respond with, “I certainly understand that you need to think about this. After all, it is an important decision and you need to do what is best for you and your loved one. I can email you some more information if you’d like to have something to show your family about our services.” After that initial call, make sure you’re following up with the caller on a regular basis, without being pushy, to check in and see if you can provide more information.
• Establish Yourself as a Resource: The step is important for both referral sources and potential clients. Establishing your agency as a resource is key to gaining the trust of and building relationships with referrals and clients. Your staff must be knowledgeable both in person and on the phone, and your marketing materials – your agency’s website, brochures, flyers, and even social media posts – must provide relevant, informative content that showcases your expertise and abilities.

Getting past the gatekeeper and building those important referral and potential client relationships are vital to the growth of your agency. Our MOST home care marketing program has been developing marketing materials that educate and provide helpful resources to referrals and their clients. Learn more about our MOST program and how it can help your agency get past the gatekeeper, or contact corecubed to learn other ways we can help improve your strategy for marketing senior care.