No matter how well we know our agency and its services, when a prospective client calls, it can leave us tongue-tied and searching for the right words to say. It’s natural to freeze under pressure, and it happens to the best of us.
However, when you’re trying to sell your services to a first-time caller, the natural uneasiness and hesitation don’t lead to a great first impression. This is where a sales script can come in handy.
Scripts aren’t just for actors. Salespeople use scripts regularly to ensure they have the information they need to represent the organization well. Scripts often include responses to common objections and answers to frequently asked questions.
This approach can lighten the pressure on your salespeople, ensure consistent and thoughtful responses, provide answers the caller is searching for, and assure potential clients of your agency’s expertise. In fact, there are even more benefits to using scripts consistently, including:
- Improved brand cohesion
- High level of confidence among staff
- Better demonstration of expertise
- Objection responses that demonstrate value
- And higher close rates
How Can I Implement a Home Care Sales Script to Increase Conversions at My Agency?
Something to keep in mind is that, in home care, empathy and compassion are key. So, while a script is very helpful, you don’t want your inquiry takers to sound like they’re reading from a script. They still need to infuse their interactions with warmth and assure the callers that they are actively listening to their needs. Focus and tone are very important. Team members should be trained to use scripts as a springboard, add their own personality and communication style, while presenting the pre-planned and consistent response.
Similarly, when interacting with callers, your tone, as well as the answers to their questions, should remain positive. This helps you avoid coming across as an agency that “doesn’t do that.”
While drafting scripts, keep in mind that the best responses are written from a “Yes, we can…” perspective.
For example, a caller might ask, “Can you guarantee that my mother will have the same caregiver every day?” If your inquiry taker responds, “No. We can’t guarantee that,” this language could turn the caller off from your services. In reality, the response may be true. Most agencies cannot guarantee that the same caregiver can report to the same client every day.
However, a more positive spin would be: “Our goal is to provide consistent care for our clients. We try to ensure that each client is matched with a caregiver who they can develop a strong bond with, but caregivers do occasionally need time off and we want to make sure that your loved one always has reliable care. We have found that preparing to have several caregivers trained and familiar with your loved ones’ specific care situation is the best way to ensure a continuity of care.”
This messaging still lets the caller know that their loved one may not always have the same caregiver, while reassuring them that we share a common goal, are committed to ensuring their family member always has a familiar face available to meet their needs and has experience doing so.
How to Write a Good Home Care Sales Script
A good home care sales script needs some key elements in order to promote your agency’s services, make callers feel heard, and create conversions.
- Objection Responses: Scripts have proven to be an especially helpful tool for responding to objections optimally. Write scripts for common objections, such as the price is higher than expected. Responses to objections should always demonstrate value and/or emphasize quality. For example, although the cost may be higher than the caller was expecting, your rate reflects the high quality of care your agency provides. Retaining the most experienced, highly trained caregivers leads to reliable and high-quality care.
- Ensure Consistency: “Are you bonded and insured?” is a commonly asked question. However, we know from listening to internal mystery shopping calls that answers are often inconsistent, even among team members from the same organization. And furthermore, they often lack confidence. Ask your team what some of the tough questions they commonly hear are and where they lack confidence. Help them out by crafting answers that ensure your organization is represented well with consistent and accurate answers that enable them to project confidence.
- Educate: “Do you take Medicare?” is another common question. The correct answer is not “No.” Instead, take the opportunity to demonstrate your expertise by educating the caller that home care is a non-medical service and therefore not covered by Medicare or other medical insurance providers. Avoid giving the impression that a competitor may be a better fit for them. Take the opportunity to give the caller as much guidance as possible, such as on funding sources that help pay for home care, features and benefits of home care, and other community resources they may find helpful.
- Address Pain Points: As the caller answers your questions and engages in a dialogue, you should pick up on a number of pain points that your services can address, such as a need for medication reminders or respite care to help a loved one while the family member is working. Scripts could help your team member use the right verbiage to explain how your services can solve these issues using a consultative approach to sales.
- Active Listening: This part of the “script” can’t really be scripted at all, but it is no less important than what’s written on paper. Actively listening to inquiries can help you pick up on what their needs are, but also helps you build a rapport with them and shows that your agency cares.
Making a Sales Script for Home Care Services Work
Personalization is the key to making a sales script for home care work for your agency. It is important that team members remain mindful that home care is highly customized; the first conversation with the caller should reflect the personalization that comes naturally in home care. Therefore, scripts should be used selectively based on what is relevant to the conversation.
Train your team on using the scripts and have them practice using them. This way everyone feels comfortable and empowered to use the scripts effectively. With consistent practice and repetition, home care sales scripts can ensure that all employees communicate warmth and understanding, experience, and a positive reflection of your brand in order to convert more inquiries into clients.