What does it take to get in that door? What should I leave behind with the new customer? What will remind the referral source that we are here to help them? How can I make sure they are thinking of me?
Pens, pads, mugs — home care companies have spent thousands of dollars to make sure their logo resides on the front of the next best marketing item. Sales representatives are often found scouring boxes and closets just to find that key chain with the company name on it.
Many reps check on the giveaway supplies in the warehouse before they make their calls for the day. And when the pads and pens are out of stock, some sales reps begin worrying, "What will I take to the account?"
Hold on, are we dealing with an addiction that cannot be easily solved without a long stay in rehab? I think not.
Some of our marketing programs may need a new look and a careful analysis of their real value. The financial investment in a salesperson needs to be clarified. With salary, taxes, insurance, car allowance, cell phones and other benefits, the cost of reaching the referral source may be far more than most companies realize. Add to that expense the lunches, mugs and pens, fees to exhibit at health fairs and conferences.
So what is the alternative?
The best way to be remembered is to focus on your salesperson and his or her message. I have found the best salespeople are those spending the least amount of money marketing to referral sources. Taking one or two key people to lunch may be far more beneficial than buying a large spread of food for the 15 social workers in the office (many of whom might be psychiatric social workers and would never be our customers).
As a former referral source, social worker and case manager, I can tell you we never took the brochures from all the home care companies in our community, placed them on a table and reviewed them in order to make a decision about which company we would use for our patients. It just didn't work that way. We referred to companies because of the relationships we had formed with their staff.
Several companies have told recently me they have taken a break from buying all those "toys." The most successful salespeople in many of the companies I have worked with have said, "I don't need all that stuff." A clear and easy-to-read business card may be just what the doctor ordered.
It is time to reconsider what actually brings in the business: quality service, a caring company and one that is responsive to the needs of the referral source and their patients. More frequent visits with our customers, working with them in doing association work and working with them, not for them, can help your company and your salespeople move away from the marketing giveaway addiction.
It's all about partnering with our customers.
Will they remember you without your pad on their desk? Do they really need a pen with your name on it? Of course it is nice to have all these items, but are they necessary? No.
What is necessary is a salesperson who knows what to say and understands how to meet the needs of the customer. He or she knows how to find common ground with your customer and understands what will make those relationships grow and thrive.
If you sense the pain of withdrawal when the boxes of pads and pens are no longer within reach, take a deep breath, maybe have another cup of coffee and put a smile on your face. Look in the mirror and tell yourself, I need to get the customer to like me and the company I represent.
It could be possible that you might now have some extra money for a free walker for an indigent patient, or could help a customer in need of an extra bit of assistance with the purchase of wheelchair.
Addictions cost money. If you can't afford them, all is not lost. Consider yourself and the good products and services your company provides the best gift for any customer.
Louis Feuer is president of Dynamic Seminars & Consulting Inc. and the founder and director of the DSC Teleconference Series, a teleconference training program. You can reach him through www.DynamicSeminars.com or at 954/435-8182.
