StartupHomeCare Blog

How To Close More In Home Assessments

by Editor

Posted in Senior Care | No Comments

When a potential customer calls a home care agency to find out more about their services the first goal of that home care agency is to ask the client engaging questions that will prompt them to give their “download” over the phone and spend about 15 minutes doing that. In order to keep someone on the phone for 15 minutes, the home care agency must ask the right questions and say the right things when asked questions. However, the ultimate goal of this initial conversation is to schedule the all important “In Home Assessment.” This is where the real magic happens and where the relationship of trust will be established with the client.  Usually, a potential customer will only want to spend 15 minutes giving their download to one agency and therefore if you manage to get them to do that you will usually end up getting them to schedule the in home assessment.

The question then becomes – what will you say to keep them on the phone for 15 minutes? Equally important, what should you not say over the phone?

In our experience, a home care agency needs to not only ask the right questions and say the right things during this initial call – but also say things that are unique and not said by others. One such unique topic of discussion that is always used by AHI Group Members is the Veterans Pension Benefit with Aid and Attendance. It is estimated that 40% of seniors could potentially qualify for this benefit nationwide. That is millions of people. Only 1/2 million of them currently have it. This is because most people don’t know a pension benefit exists which could pay them up to $2,100 per month for “Aid & Attendance” in their home from a personal attendant. Letting potential customers know about this benefit when you talk to them is a hook that gets our AHI Members into living rooms. When you start telling people you can potentially get them funds to pay for the services you are trying to sell them on – they usually start listening.

AHI Group is the only home care organization in the nation with an in house VA Accredited Team of Benefits Agents that can assist all AHI Member Agency clients with successfully applying and receiving this VA Pension Benefit – that is extremely difficult to navigate if one is not an expert with the paperwork.

Let’s just say that one of our AHI Members gets 10 in home assessments scheduled and uses the VA Pension Benefit as the “hook” to do so. Once they go into the 10 homes they will ask the potential benefit applicant 8 screening questions. If the person passes those screening questions they have a 95% of qualifying for the VA Benefit and the home care agency will refer them to AHI Group VA Benefit Team for processing. Let’s just say that 3 out of the 10 in home assessments will qualify for the VA Benefit and get sent over to AHI Group VA Team. 50% of the other 6 will likely want to move forward with getting care services in place whether or not they will qualify for the VA Benefit. The agency sat in front of them – discussing the VA Benefit – is now in the pole position to close these individuals on setting up “Private Pay” home care services with their home care agency.

So, the VA Benefit is not just helping the home care agency find people who can have their care paid for – but helps the home care agency get in front of clients who will be private paying for their care. Having a niche that sets you apart is key to standing above the existing embedded competition in your area.

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