Game Changer

Rules change, games change, people change. Life's like that.

Not so many years ago if you were an NFL team and scored a touchdown you had one choice: kick for the extra point (1). At some point the rules makers decided to add another option and adopted the 2 point conversion from college football. People screamed and complained that it would "ruin the game".

Also years ago in the NFL, the quarterback was treated just like every other player on the team. You could hit him, knock him down, bash him in the helmet, etc. Now the quarterback has a bunch of rules that protect him (and hopefully someday, her) over and above the rules that protect other players. People screamed it would ruin the game and we should "let them play".

Many years ago in soccer if you finally scored a goal after 90 minutes of running back and forth it would only count as one measly point, but nowadays it.....oh shoot, forget it. Still one point.

You get the idea though. The game rules change to adapt the game to current times. There are many times that people don't like the rules changes. Some get so upset they swear they'll never watch or attend the sport again...and some probably hold true to that promise. Most however, realize that change is inevitable and doesn't have to mean the end of the sport they love.

In the realm of homecare sales, the rules have changed for us dramatically over the past year. Some of these rules are never going to change back, yet others show signs of changing back already. For instance, some SNF's and Rehabs have locked you, the salesperson out, and are never going to allow you in again. Why? Because they can....and because they've seen that it works better for them. Don't fret, hospitals have been doing it for years and somehow our industry has found a way to continue to serve hospital discharges. What rules are changing back? Over the past 3 weeks I've polled a group of sales reps I've been working with from around the country. In fact, I've polled a number of reps every single week since the pandemic started. The first question we ask is always the same, week after week:

Were you able to make at least ONE in person sales call over the past 5 business days?

Over the last 3 weeks, for the first time in a year, the answer was 100% YES each and every week.

Even I was surprised. The industry is racing headlong back toward some state of what we used to consider normal. The moral of the story is simple. The "game" of homecare sales is different. In some ways it is changed forever, but the underlying principle will never change. Find a way to connect with your referral sources, understand their needs, show them how you meet those needs, ask for the opportunity to serve, and you win. Always, exclamation point, end of story.

The more the "game" changes, the more it remains the same. Have a great week of selling and meet me on March 26th in The Woodlands, TX for our "game changing" sales training seminar. Open to the public and ready to teach you the "new rules" of homecare sales. Get all the info and register today!

Good Selling!

Michael Giudicissi