Neighborhood Training

While there are many great sales books on the shelves and many outstanding consultants to give you advice, I believe you might learn most from your own personal buying experiences.

Let's take a look at some examples from the "outside world" and consider how you might incorporate these strategies, comments and behaviors into your own business. Have you ever experienced any of these situations?

1. The physician who calls the next day after outpatient surgery to see how you are doing.

2. The waitress who spends an extra minute or two at your table making sure she has the order correct.

3. The FedEx delivery person who leaves your package. The last thing you see is a smile on his face, and you hear him wish you a great day.

4. The billing person at the phone company who graciously corrects your bill with all those incorrect long-distance calls and sincerely apologizes for the problem.

5. The salesperson in the department store who not only takes back the blouse you decided you didn't want but is actually eager to help and invites you back again.

6. The shoe salesman who, even after you have tried on 10 pairs and haven't found what you like, is still smiling.

7. As you reach the checkout line at the food market, the cashier who says hello and asks how you are even before you have had a chance to empty your basket.

8. The teller in the drive-through window at the bank who has taken an extra moment to locate your name on your check so she can greet you appropriately.

9. When you finally get some help at the restaurant takeout counter, the person at the register who thanks you for your patience since the line was so long.

10. You register for a teleconference but then find you are unable to attend. The office manager tells you "no problem" and says the company will refund your registration or apply it to another program — you make the choice.

Now let's translate these scenarios into your own home care business strategies:

1. After you make the delivery and leave the 78-year-old patient home alone with that oxygen concentrator, it should be valuable to call the next day to see how she is doing. Your call will show you care and possibly catch a problem before it erupts into something more serious and is repeated to her physician and/or hospital discharge planner.

2. Taking an extra minute to verify a patient's address, directions to their home or their Medicare number can help to reduce costs and ensure rapid payment.