In 1621, our settlers acknowledged a large autumn harvest
feast as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the
colonies. It wasn't until 1863, in the midst of the Civil
War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national
Thanksgiving Day to be held each November. Ever since, Americans
have used this gathering time to be with family and friends
and reflect on those things we are most thankful for in our
lives.
So here we are, ramping up to celebrate the anniversary
of that first Thanksgiving some 148 years ago. This year,
let's take the same reflective approach and apply it to our
work worlds.
When was the last time:
- You expressed gratitude to your key customers?
- You recognized a newer prospect for sending a patient
your way?
- You were truly grateful for those customers who keep
your business viable and you showed it?
- You thought hard about your retention strategies and
if they provide the right balance between growth and service?
- You said "thank you" to one of your referring physicians?
This time of year is a good reminder to show your appreciation
for your customers—not from only a monetary perspective,
but for all they contribute to your relationships. In this
issue, we offer some helpful and, we think, creative ways to
say "thank you" this season for all of those loyal customers.
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| Customer
Moments - Don't Miss Them |
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When was the last time you sent a nice note, a thank-you
card, a small gift, a voice mail that actually connected
with your customer?
Chances are you'd say, "It's been a long time" or
you may say, "never." We know, we get it—your
reason or excuse is usually that you're simply "too
busy"!
If you really are too busy, you may be missing out
on some special customer connections. In fact, we
believe these are the connections you can't afford
to miss because they make all the difference in the
world in building and maintaining relationships.
Read
the complete article >>
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| Delight
Your Customer, or Someone Else Will |
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Customer service will always be an ongoing goal
in healthcare. But with the most recent release of
satisfaction data by HCAHPS, it's obvious there's
room to improve right now. With only 69.9 percent
of patients indicating they would recommend their
hospital to friends and family (Health Affairs, "Hospital
Survey Shows Improvements in Patient Satisfaction," November
2010), it's time to get serious about the customer
experience.
Read
the complete article >>
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Finding
a Balance with Customers:
Growth, Retention & Service |
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The connection between
sales representative and referral source must be relationship
based, so that both parties are communicating effectively
and benefiting from the outcomes of the relationship.
The current economic pressures provides a huge opportunity
to establish a sales strategy built on the organization's
reputation for delivering an outstanding customer experience.
A face-to-face relationship—whether between the
provider and the patient or the salesperson and the
referral source—provides a personal and direct
opportunity to build a trusted relationship.
Read
the complete article >> |
| "Chocolates
on the Pillow" |
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We all love chocolate. We all love service. And,
we all know that healthcare hasn't necessarily been
known as customer-centric. Yet, as we at Corporate
Health Group read "Chocolates on the Pillow Aren't
Enough: Reinventing the Customer Experience" by Jonathan
Tisch, we continue to recognize that healthcare can
learn from other organizations that have developed
a customer experience philosophy that serves as a
key differentiator.
Read
the complete article >>
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| ANNOUNCEMENTS |
Destination
Training!
Join the CHG Team, April 26-27, 2012 in the Buckhead
area of Atlanta, Georgia for a highly interactive
14 hour Relationship/Consultative Sales Training
course.
Who Should Attend?
| • |
Are you selling inpatient services and/or
outpatient services such as imaging, lab,
home health, hospice, rehab, sleep, or
wound healing for an adult or pediatric
facility? |
| • |
Do you feel confident that you have the
baseline understandings, skills, messaging
and tools that are necessary to ensure
the "action" of relationship sales that
delivers results? |
If you answered "Yes" to the first question and "No" to
the second, you are new to sales, need a sales
training refresher or have the responsibility
of on-boarding and training your sales staff,
this workshop will be appropriate for you.
Learn
more >>
Visit our
website to learn more about the benefits
of our Healthcare Sales Training.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - -
Coming Soon
CHG's new Sales Field Guide: 55 Sales
Tips is coming your way! This valuable
how-to publication has seven sections specifically
designed to help you focus on skill development
in a particular area. Featuring consecutive
topics that complement each other, you'll get
the right ingredients for effective and
interactive training. Watch for a release
date and how-to-purchase details — arriving
soon! |
| TIPS & TECHNIQUES |
The
3 A's of GROWTH, RETENTION, AND SERVICE
Consider the top three reasons a healthcare provider
refers to a provider or facility:
| 1. |
Affability - "They treat
me with respect and are nice, approachable
and empathetic."
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| 2. |
Availability - "They
take my call or call me back, can accommodate
me and my patient in a reasonable amount
of time."
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| 3. |
Ability - "They have
all of the necessary technology and expertise
for me and my patient." |
Raise the bar on your 3 A's! Remember that ability
can easily be matched by your competition. But
affability and availability are what gets and
keeps people as valued customers. Read
more >> |
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QUESTION & ANSWER FORUM |
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We
want to hear from you. For help
with a sales strategy issue, please submit
your question. Each quarter, we will
draw from all the entries for a prize! |
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