By Michael Giudicissi, CSC, CHCSP, CPDSP (2008)
Six Vital Questions for Home Health Care Sales Reps
I coach salespeople. That is, I don’t manage them…but rather I focus on coaching to bring out the best in them in order to maximize their results. I never met in person most of the 150 or so reps that I coached in 2007. The majority of coaching was done over the phone, so I needed to find a way to connect with these clients quickly….get to know them and get to business.
In addition to using the DISC assessment on most clients, I developed 6 questions that IÂ ask during the first session to uncover some key get-to-know-you points vital to moving the coaching process forward.
If you are a full time sales manager, you might not have asked these questions of your team. Don’t let the fact that you “know” your team prevent you from asking….you might gain some valuable insight into their training needs….and maybe even get some shocking answers!
In what area of the sales process do you excel? I ask this to find out what the rep thinks they are great at. It doesn’t mean (of course) that they ARE great….but it does point me in the direction of what area they don’t want to be questioned about. Many times, I’ve found that the area the rep believes is their biggest strength (i.e.. “I’m a people person” or “building relationships”) winds up being their biggest weakness. “People” persons are usually reluctant to do anything to jeopardize being likeable (like asking for the sale) and relationship builders might be great at that….but we get paid to sell. Lots of relationship builders never make the leap from building the relationship to professional selling in that account.
If we could immediately improve one area of your sales process, what would make the biggest positive impact on your results? Now we’re getting somewhere. Most people will give a general answer like “prospecting” or “cold calling” but I always dig deeper. If I get “cold calling” as an answer, I’ll follow up with “what part of cold calling is preventing you from being effective?”. For instance, a rep could have trouble getting past the gatekeeper. Perhaps they have not practiced an effective 20-30 second presentation that focuses on their unique selling criteria and have prospects lose interest quickly. There are several facets of “cold calling” that we need to explore before we decide if this is REALLY the area that will move this rep’s sales forward.
Outside of your sales skills, what is the biggest challenge in your home health territory? This question gives me some insight into an area of the country, or an industry that I’m not familiar with. Asking your reps this question will give you a better idea of their REAL area of improvement. Taking the “your sales skills” off the table gives the rep the freedom to talk about the things that truly keep them from succeeding. Don’t get me wrong……this isn’t a license to bitch and complain…but it is a forum to talk about some specific needs or weaknesses in my offering versus my competition.
How do you get paid? I know, you’re saying “Michael, you’re kidding me.” Nope…I’m not. Now I realize that I’m working with people that I don’t manage although I may have written their compensation plan. That said, it amazes me how many sales reps don’t understand their comp plan and have little to no idea how to maximize their bonus/commission. You can (and should) ask your reps to describe their comp plan in detail…and let them tell you how they intend to get the highest return possible under the plan. If they can’t, it might not be their fault…it could be yours. Is the comp plan clear and easy to understand? Have you worked with each rep to make sure they know how to focus their sales in order to make as much money as the plan allows? This question (and answer) may surprise you….but don’t judge your reps based on their answer. Educate them…and if needed, judge your role in keeping their compensation at the front and center of their mind.
What is your goal? Again, a fairly simple question. Your reps should easily be able to discuss their goal (and their performance relative to it). I carefully watch for words like “about” $50,000 per month or “between” 7-10 units per month. If your reps are using words like “about” and “between” they don’t really have a goal (you’ve given them a concrete goal, haven’t you?) they have a wish…or a hope. If you tell me to sell $500,000 worth of product this year, I can do it…or I can’t….but I’ll know every single day where I am in relation to my goal. If I believe I have to sell “about” a half million dollars worth of product…..maybe $425,000 will be ok. If I enter December with $300K in the bank…I’m focusing on another $100K in order to get close to my “about” goal, rather than knowing I need a $200K sale in order to reach my real goal. Don’t let your reps squirm away when you ask this question.
Look out 12-18 months….where do you want your career to be? If you are going to act as a coach to your reps, you can really add value to them by coaching them on the things they will need to achieve in order to meet their 12-18 month goal. A rep that wants to move to sales management needs more than sales success in order to get the nod..right? They need to understand the financials, get up to speed on writing compensation plans, and get some solid supervisory experience. If you don’t ask the question, you won’t know (perhaps until it’s too late) what your rep needs to meet their goals…and to help you meet yours. Use this question and answer to draft a career path that can be referenced each time you meet to coach your rep. By doing that, you have a two-tiered plan where you are coaching them to achieve higher levels of sales success, while simultaneously making sure they are ready for their next level of responsibility within your company. This kind of coaching really builds loyalty as your rep not only sees their current opportunity, but you effectively “lock them in” to their next job as long as both of you meet your commitments to the coaching process.
6 simple questions that will open a variety of doors to help you develop your sales team. What I’ve found in sales is that there is so much available just for the asking….and it’s no different when asking your team these question.
Take the answers and draft a plan…take the answers and decide who needs to be on the team, and who doesn’t….take the answers and look inward as the manager to see where YOU can develop….but please, ask the questions…and get the answers.
Managing and coaching are two unique and valuable skills. Start your coaching process by finding out who you have and what you have to do to help them excel. Then, YOU are ready for YOUR next, best level of success!
©2008, Michael Giudicissi
Michael Giudicissi, CSC, CHCSP, CPDSP is the President of the Sales Coaching Academy and developed the Certified Sales Coach™ program to turn good sales managers into great sales coaches. With 16 years of selling and coaching experience he is the author of 3 books and numerous articles on sales coaching and management. He is also a 4 time Ironman Triathlete. Michael Giudicissi has the tools and knowledge to take your agency to its next level.
