Welcome to the new series Home Care Jobs where we look at staffing in home-care beyond caregivers. Having a solid office team is critical to your agency’s success. So recruitment and developing your office team with the right people in the right seats is super important. It’s really one that will help you get there. We start this new series by looking at home care marketing and hiring your first Marketing Representative.
When it comes to home care marketing, when do you hire your first Marketing Representative?
In the hierarchy of needs for staff recruitment in home-care, hiring a Marketing Rep comes after an agency has generated enough revenue to cover a full-time owner, a Scheduler, and a Nurse (in the states where a nurse is required).
Many agency owners – either by choice or necessity – are their agency’s first Marketing Rep. This might be a good thing! Home care owners who have done their agency marketing in the early years always do better when they hire someone to market their agency than an owner who hasn’t done the marketing. This is something Steve “The Hurricane” Weiss has observed time and time again.
According to business coach Meghan Smith, most agencies start looking for a dedicated Marketing Rep once they reach 1,000 billable hours. At that point, revenues can support a full-time employee and the workload justifies bringing a dedicated staff to handle it. Some owners might be cautious about bringing in a full-time employee. They might be tempted to hire a part-time Marketing Rep but “part-time work generates part-time results,” advocates Smith.
In fact, Home Care Pulse Benchmark Study shows that high-growth agencies have a full-time Marketer although it may represent 78% of their marketing budget. So don’t be afraid to invest. But invest in the right person!
Selecting and Interviewing Your First Marketing Rep
When it comes to recruitment, it’s important to consider several applicants. Don’t just hire someone because they come recommended by someone you know and trust. By all means, invite those referrals for an interview and evaluate their experience. But it’s important to see who else is available for hire. Advertise on job boards. Use word of mouth referral. Look for people you meet at networking events.
Don’t rush to a decision. Recruiting a Marketing Rep is an investment. Engage in a thorough interview process, asking pointed questions and asking follow-up questions until you are satisfied you have a good picture of the candidate.
If you have had hiring mishaps in the past, it might be because your interview skills are not up to scratch. I might be able to help with a little interview support!
When hiring candidates for the position of Marketing Rep, look beyond the resume. Marketing is about creating relationships in your community with families and referral sources. Look for candidates who feel comfortable working on their own and outside the office, reaching out to people they don’t know. Being able to handle rejection is a big one. “It is important that a Marketing Rep can handle the unexpected, and anything else that is thrown their way including rejection,” says Steve The Hurricane.
Marketing requires creating relationships over a period of time so stability in the position is important. Megan Smith offers a watch-out. When reviewing candidates’ resumes, consider how long they have stayed with each employer. If they are job hoppers, getting a new job every year or sooner, dig in and ask questions. Understand why they didn’t stay.
If a candidate comes with experience in home-care marketing, probe for how well they know local referral sources. Ask what results they have achieved at other agencies. Make sure you are paying for experience that will be worthwhile.
Compensation for Your First Home Care Marketing Rep
Speaking of paying, most experts recommend having a salaried position with the opportunity to earn a commission. During the hiring process, it is important to paint a clear picture of what earnings might look like in the first year and manage expectations. In most cases, it may take three to six months to earn a commission.
First Weeks On The Job For a New Home Care Marketing Rep
Once you have hired your first Marketing Rep, onboarding them into your agency is essential to success. Avoid blank checks “Go out there and make it happen.” Stay involved in the beginning. Create a marketing plan together. Establish realistic goals and hold weekly reviews. Create a team atmosphere between the Rep and the agency owner.
At first, the owner should go along with the Marketing Rep. It’s a great way to pass on the knowledge you have of each referral source and observe how your new employee is handling themselves.
Insist on documenting all interactions in the CRM, including names, job title, and dates of interactions, and a summary of what was exchanged. This is key to ensure continuity on the account from one Marketing Rep to the next. It’s also a great resource for the Marketing Rep so they always remember what happened with each account.
The Home Care Marketing Representative is a powerful voice for your agency. Getting their first steps right will take your agency on the path of growth.
