Working with hospices is one of the best ways to acquire new clients and it may surprise you to know that the hospice patient's caregiver is not the primary prospect. It's the hospice volunteer.
Unlike our other programs which personally involve the CLA in the interview process, hospice patients are not always awake and alert, which makes it impractical for a CLA to be available and ready within a minute's notice.
We created the Certified StoryKeeper Course to train hospice volunteers how to do this work so they can teach the caregiver to do it themselves. In essence, instead of being the interviewer, we become the teacher that teaches the students to become teachers in their own right.
This approach has been successful in the past and you will learn the benefits of mentoring the hospice volunteer by viewing the 15 minute video below.
SPECIAL NOTE: The video will show a price for the course. At this time, we are offering the course at no charge which is another benefit you can mention to hospices. By saying this is a limited time offer, they are more likely to get started sooner than later. Please ignore the pricing slide in this video for now.
CERTIFIED STORYKEEPER COURSE
As you have learned in the video the Certified StoryKeeper Course is delivered online and does not require a CLA to facilitate the training. However, you also learned why it is to your advantage to insert yourself in the process. As a CLA, you already know how to create a Pict-Oral Memoir slideshow. However, the course covers additional information about working with the family and other issues.
Therefore, before you can facilitate the course you must know it like the back of your hand and maintain consistency. You won't need to do the most time consuming part of the course, practical application, but you need to know how the course is presented, its flow and set up, the order in which each part is introduced, and where and how to access the supporting documents and collateral.
You'll also need to know the course registration process and how to implement the course as outlined in the Volunteer Coordinator's Training Guide. So, take a few minutes to learn the Coordinator's Guide then take the next hour or so to view the actual course tutorial and review the related information.
Volunteer Coordinator's Training Guide
MARKETING TO HOSPICES
As you learned in the CLA course, there is no substitute for networking in circles of influence in your area. Relationships are the primary way business is earned when it comes to 21st century. marketing. So, if you want to seize the unlimited opportunities that are waiting in the senor care community you should immediately join your local senior care business network.
You can also approach hospices directly. There are two distinct approaches you can take, one which caters to the Volunteer Coordinator and a second appealing to the Marketing or Outreach Director.
The best way to win both is to start with the Volunteer Coordinator. Once the course is implemented and results start to be revealed, it will be easy to ask the Volunteer Coordinator to introduce you to the Marketing Director. Armed with tangible results you are very likely to have his or her ear.
The reason you'd even discuss the program with the Marketing Director is becaue he or she can use the program to gain favor with assisted living and memory care communities. This means you can be introduced to decision makers with an endorement from a hospice about your programs.
Hospice Outreach (Marketing) Directors curry favor with these upline facilities so they are out front when referring famlies downline to hospices. If you want to break into these facilities there is no better way than to be introduced by a hospice Marketing Director. They have well-established relationships and regularly visit the facilities introducing new ways for them to get the referrals. Imagine the advantage they would have by introducing you to explain how the Legacy Matters New Resident Welcome Program works. They win and so do you.
There are several other benefits to working with the Marketing Director but that all happens by choice, only after you have implemented the course with the Volunteer Director.
There are two key marketing elements that will do all the selling for you. The first is a press release (see Resources below). If sent via email, the release will have an embedded video that can be viewed which adds a lot to the emotional sell. However, you may be in a position to speak face to face and want to leave them with information. Simply print out the release and they will learn everything they need to know about the program.
The second marketing option is to send them to the dedicated hospice webpage specifically designed to outline the benefits to all parties. If no internet, you can click on the printer icon on top of the page and leave that with them as well. The webpage has the same embedded Pict-Oral Memoir Sampler as found on the press release. Of course, there will be no video when printing out the page as a handout.
To view both of these marketing elements click on the links below:
Hospice Webpage; You can find the link to this page by going to LegacyStories.Org before logging in and clicking on the Programs>>Hospice from the drop down.
You should read both of these collateral pieces thoroughly so you are fully prepared as the expert representative.
Now that you understand the program, make your first move. If you need help or clarification don't hesitate to ask us. We know this arena very well and can help get you in the door in some cases. If you take this approach it can lead to some of the best clients you can fins. Just take action now!