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The Art of Empathetic Selling
By Heather L. Rooney

Dear Friends,

I am writing to you today live from the NAHC Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.  Every year, I stand in awe of this amazing gathering of people – home health, hospice, private duty and others coming together for the betterment of an industry that is focused on caring for some of the most vulnerable people in our society.  As I walked down the registration aisles this morning and looked at the large photographic displays of care and compassion, I was humbled and honored to be a part of this industry.  Perhaps now more than ever…Allow me to explain…

One year ago, while NAHC was underway, I was a brand new mom to a beautiful baby girl (she was only a few weeks old) and my father in law (a man I adopted as my own dad years ago) was diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer.  The diagnosis literally came on the day my daughter was born – I was in labor and he was in his colonoscopy.  Such was the circle of life...

Then, 8 weeks ago, as I accompanied him to his doctor’s appointments, we received the news that it was time to consider hospice. Although we all knew that hospice was coming, we didn’t think that it would happen this soon.  It took this courageous man (one of the bravest I know) several weeks to accept hospice.  We cried together, as we came to the calm sense of certainty that this was the right thing to do.  He was admitted to hospice just last week.

Over the last several weeks, I experienced a profound realization about the importance of empathy in the home care and hospice sales process.  It is incumbent upon all of us to never lose sight of our fundamental purpose – to be of service to people/families in need.  While we all recognize this on some level, it is important that we pause periodically to remember that our efforts must be grounded in empathy and service.  After all, my dad was just one admission on a sales quota sheet – One private duty live-in case and one hospice admission.  Many home care sales professionals have quotas of 5, 10, 20 hospice patients per month.  In this model, it can be easy to focus only on the numbers in one’s effort to reach quota; however, it is essential that we maintain our humanity by recognizing that each hospice referral is someone’s dad, mom, sister, friend, and more. 

I am pleased to report that my dad was never rushed, and he was provided with all of the time that he needed by everyone involved – especially the Oncologist.   My dad’s doctor was there every step of the journey, and he wanted to ensure that the hospice referral occurred when dad was ready.  Because hospice simply unfolded without pressure, dad is now benefiting from the miracles that hospice teams and home care aides perform every single day.  He is benefiting from a live-in caregiver, at home, with hospice. What a gift.

While I have written and presented on the topic of empathy in home care sales for some time, it is an ongoing process of realizing the depths of compassion that run through our industry. With that in mind, I am pleased to provide you with my latest article focused on the Art of Empathetic Selling. And to all of the nurses, aides, therapists, social workers, hospice caregivers, chaplains, and others…thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you do every single day.

Warm Wishes,
Heather

The Art of Empathetic Selling

Empathy Defined: The action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner. (www.merriam-webster.com)

I have always believed that empathy is at the heart of successful businesses. Believing in the circle of business and life – what goes around comes around – empathy is often the x-factor that moves businesses into unprecedented territory. When combined with strategy, innovation and flawless tactical plan execution, empathy adds the essential elements of humanity, humility and heart.  Whether people consciously recognize it or not, we all resonate with those people and companies that exude empathy in their interactions. Sometimes we call it excellent “customer service,” when in reality, we are experiencing the joyful impact of an empathetic interaction. Whether the interaction is with a concierge, sales person, nurse, flight attendant, or any other person, we feel a sense of understanding and warmth from people that approach their jobs and lives from a place of empathy.

In home care and hospice, we speak a great deal about the importance of compassion.  As we deliver direct care – nursing, aides, therapy, and more – we recognize the importance of doing so with empathy and kindness. 

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