Home Care Marketing & Sales Solutions by ASN

Hosted by Valerie VanBooven RN BSN

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Episodes

485

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Dawn Fiala, Lisa Marsolais, Annette Ziegler, and Valerie VanBooven RN BSN provide insight into home care marketing strategies. They cover in-person, in-field sales and online marketing every other week. These podcast episodes are part of the Home Care Marketing Mastermind, sponsored by Approved Senior Network®. Find more information at https://ASNHomeCareMarketing.com

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60 recent

August 14, 202633 min

How to Find Better Caregivers, Recognize the Right Fit, and Prepare Them for Real-World Care

Send us Fan Mail One bad caregiver hire doesn’t just create a scheduling headache, it can break family trust, put a client at risk, and damage your home care agency’s reputation in a single shift. We walk through a practical, field-tested approach to caregiver hiring, selection, and training that aims for something bigger than “coverage”: dependable, compassionate people who make good decisions when no one from the office is in the room. We start where most agencies quietly lose great applicants: caregiver job postings and slow follow-up. We talk about why recruiting is sales, what to change in your headline and call to action, how to stop burying the benefits, and why speed matters more than you think. Then we shift to the in-person experience, because your office process is also being evaluated. We share the questions we ask first about hours, travel radius, and client preferences, plus how to stay honest about schedules so you don’t create early quits. From there, we get into caregiver interview questions that reveal judgment and integrity, not just experience. You’ll hear the five traits we screen for, the red flags we take seriously, and the real-world scenarios we use to test boundaries: cash tips, late relief coverage, falls, medication requests, and shower refusals. We also outline hands-on training stations, dementia communication support, documentation standards, and a simple retention plan for the first 90 days so caregivers feel supported and stay longer. Subscribe for more home care leadership and caregiver training strategies, share this with an agency owner or scheduler who needs it, and leave a review with the one hiring change you’re making next. Continuum Mastery Circle Intro Visit our website at https://asnhomecaremarketing.com Get Your 11 Free Home Care Marketing Guides: https://bit.ly/homecarerev

August 3, 202647 min

Handling Family Conflict: How Home Care Agencies Can Help Families Get to “Yes” Faster

Send us Fan Mail Posted at https://homecaremarketingnews.com/handling-family-conflict-how-home-care-agencies-can-help-families-get-to-yes-faster/ Families don’t delay home care because they love waiting. They delay because everyone in the room is protecting something: a parent’s independence, a spouse’s pride, a sibling’s wallet concerns, or their own fear of making the wrong call. We walk through what’s really happening behind “We need more time” and how to move a family toward clarity without pushing, pressuring, or picking sides. We share the most common reasons families hesitate, then break down the four main stakeholders you’re actually communicating with: the older adult, the adult daughter, the adult son, and the exhausted spouse caregiver. From there, we get tactical with listening skills and specific questions that uncover hidden objections, build trust fast, and turn a tense assessment into a calmer partnership conversation. You’ll hear practical language for responding to “Mom doesn’t want help,” “My brother disagrees,” “It’s too expensive,” and “We’ll handle it ourselves,” while still keeping your expert role. Then we go past the signed agreement, because client experience and retention are won in the first 30 days. We cover expectation-setting, common complaints, the CARE framework for de-escalating tough calls, and a proactive check-in cadence that prevents silent dissatisfaction from turning into cancellations. We also dig into caregiver matching, personality fit, and how to gather the right details during intake so the first week of care starts strong. If you work in home care sales, senior care marketing, or client services, this one is a practical playbook you can use immediately. Subscribe for more training, share this with a teammate who handles assessments, and leave a review with the hardest family objection you want us to tackle next. Continuum Mastery Circle Intro Visit our website at https://asnhomecaremarketing.com Get Your 11 Free Home Care Marketing Guides: https://bit.ly/homecarerev

June 18, 202636 min

AI for Home Care Agencies: Practical Options for Websites, AI Search, Chat, and Phone Answering

Send us Fan Mail Google is starting to answer home care questions for families before they ever click a website, and that shift changes everything about how we market, write, and respond. We walk through what “practical AI” really looks like for a home care agency that still wants to lead with empathy, trust, and real human guidance, not a cold automated experience. We share how we’re using AI for website development and content writing as a first draft, then tightening it with human review so it doesn’t sound generic, miss local details, or overpromise. We dig into the questions families ask most often like home care cost, payment options, and whether Medicare or Medicaid pays for home care and explain why your site needs clear, easy-to-quote answers. You’ll also hear why TLDR summaries, structured FAQ pages, and better long-tail keyword content can improve visibility in Google AI Overviews and other AI search tools, helping your agency get referenced first. Then we get hands-on with AI chat for home care websites: how it can respond instantly after hours, capture inquiry details, and forward full chat transcripts to the right person on your team. We lay out the guardrails that matter most including no medical advice, no pricing quotes, no caregiver availability promises, and clear emergency messaging. Finally, we talk about AI phone answering and where it may fit best as overflow support and call routing, plus why you should start small, test carefully, and keep humans in the loop. Subscribe for more practical home care marketing and sales training, share this with an agency owner who’s curious about AI, and leave a review with the biggest question you want AI to help you handle. Continuum Mastery Circle Intro Visit our website at https://asnhomecaremarketing.com Get Your 11 Free Home Care Marketing Guides: https://bit.ly/homecarerev

June 5, 202638 min

Increase Home Care Revenue by Changing the Way Your Team Answers the Phone!

Send us Fan Mail Your phone is your front door, and families decide whether to trust you fast. We talk about the moment a stressed adult child calls looking for help for mom or dad and how a rushed “hello” can quietly kill a referral that could have turned into months of care. When most home care leads come in by phone, phone answering is not reception work. It’s home care marketing, intake, and trust-building all at once. We break down the essentials of home care phone etiquette that actually move the needle: answering live whenever possible, stating your agency name and your name, slowing down so callers can understand you, and using active listening so people don’t feel brushed off after telling their story for the tenth time. We also get specific about holds and transfers, including the small habit that changes everything: asking permission and explaining what you’re doing before you put someone on hold. Then we shift to the systems that prevent follow-up failure. We talk voicemail expectations after hours, why complicated phone trees drive hang-ups, and how to use a call champion, a simple checklist, or a CRM to capture the right details and ensure timely callbacks. You’ll hear why mystery shopping your own agency is one of the fastest ways to improve conversion rate, plus a few wild real-world call stories that prove training can’t be optional. If you want more inquiries to turn into starts and you want callers to feel calm, heard, and confident, this conversation gives you a clear standard you can share with your whole team. Subscribe, share this with your scheduler or intake coordinator, and leave a review with your best tip for answering the phone under pressure. Continuum Mastery Circle Intro Visit our website at https://asnhomecaremarketing.com Get Your 11 Free Home Care Marketing Guides: https://bit.ly/homecarerev

May 22, 202636 min

In Home Care - Your First Visit Sets The Standard For Care

Send us Fan Mail The first day of service is where home care agencies either earn trust or create doubt, and it happens faster than most teams expect. We break down what a great start of care actually looks like, using real field lessons from years in home care sales, operations, and private pay growth. If you’ve ever had a brand-new caregiver paired with a brand-new client and held your breath, this conversation gives you a practical plan that reduces risk and protects your reputation. We talk through why sending someone from the office on day one should be the standard, not the exception. We cover the problems that show up at the door: caregiver no-shows, late arrivals from getting lost, sudden changes like “walker” turning into “wheelchair,” surprise pets and allergies, and questions that caregivers should never have to answer about billing, holiday pay, or policy. We also show how a warm, confident introduction helps the client feel safe inviting a stranger into their home and helps the caregiver feel supported instead of alone. From there, we get tactical: how to walk the care plan without “training on the client’s dime,” how to tour the home respectfully while verifying safety, and what to check for bathing setup, mobility access, supplies, and emergency contacts. We also share simple time management coaching that prevents unfinished laundry and last-minute chaos on short shifts, plus why witnessing transfers can stop injuries and complaints before they start. We wrap with what to do when caregivers change and how to handle 24-hour home care handoffs so knowledge transfers cleanly and the care plan stays accurate. If this helped, subscribe for more home care marketing and operations playbooks, share it with a teammate, and leave a quick review so more agency owners and leaders can find us. Continuum Mastery Circle Intro Visit our website at https://asnhomecaremarketing.com Get Your 11 Free Home Care Marketing Guides: https://bit.ly/homecarerev

May 7, 202646 min

Medicare’s GUIDE Model: A New Opportunity for Home Care Agencies Supporting Dementia Families

Send us Fan Mail Medicare is quietly rolling out something dementia families have begged for: ongoing support that doesn’t end when the appointment does. We sit down with Nancy Gillette, Chief Growth Officer at PocketRN, to explain the CMS GUIDE Model (Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience) in plain English, including what it pays for, how it’s delivered virtually by experienced RNs, and why it’s a true shift in dementia care, caregiver support, and aging in place. We dig into eligibility and exclusions with the details that trip people up in real life: traditional Medicare Part A and B plus a dementia diagnosis is the baseline, all dementias qualify, and many people can still participate while receiving Medicaid services, veteran benefits, palliative care, or living in assisted living or memory care. We also cover the common deal-breakers like Medicare Advantage, hospice, PACE, and long-term nursing home residency, plus what paperwork typically works to prove the diagnosis. Then we get into what GUIDE actually delivers across nine care domains, from comprehensive assessment and care planning to caregiver training, medication reconciliation, referral coordination, and ongoing monitoring designed to catch changes before they turn into an ER visit. Finally, we clarify the respite benefit everyone asks about: 72 hours per year for moderate to severe complexity, used in four-hour increments, on a July 1 to June 30 “use it or lose it” cycle, and how home care partners can get paid for required in-person safety visits and respite coverage. If you support dementia clients or family caregivers, listen through to the Q&A and the real case stories about doors opening with discharge planners and senior living communities. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review so more families can actually find these Medicare dementia care resources. Continuum Mastery Circle Intro Visit our website at https://asnhomecaremarketing.com Get Your 11 Free Home Care Marketing Guides: https://bit.ly/homecarerev

April 23, 202642 min

Unlock Home Care Growth: Master the High-Impact Hospice Partnership

Send us Fan Mail Families hear the word “hospice” and often assume it means 24/7 care. Then they call and cancel home care, only to realize too late that hospice visits are scheduled, not constant. We walk through the real hospice care model and the exact gaps that home care agencies are built to fill, especially overnight, on weekends, and during the long quiet hours when families are afraid to leave the bedside. We share a clear, client-centered framework for hospice and home care collaboration: who does what, how to prevent miscommunication, and how to set up simple reporting so caregiver observations reach the hospice nurse fast. You’ll also hear what our caregivers must never do, how to respond when families ask “Is the end close?”, and why rotating at least two caregivers can protect the relationship and keep care steady. Along the way, we talk caregiver training for end-of-life care, palliative care fundamentals, comfort-focused mindset shifts, and the emotional reality of supporting families through grief. If you’re a home care agency owner or admin team member looking to grow hospice referrals ethically, we cover outreach tactics that work: meeting hospice teams, being the partner who responds quickly, sharing outcomes, and giving families real choice instead of pushing exclusivity. We also get practical about policies families ask about, including gifting caregivers and how reviews can honor great work without crossing boundaries. Subscribe for more home care marketing and operations guidance, share this with a colleague, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. Continuum Mastery Circle Intro Visit our website at https://asnhomecaremarketing.com Get Your 11 Free Home Care Marketing Guides: https://bit.ly/homecarerev

April 10, 202646 min

How Home Care Agencies Build A Bulletproof Backup Plan

Send us Fan Mail One uncovered shift can undo months of relationship-building with a client, their adult children, and your referral sources. We’ve seen it happen: a single call-off turns into lost billable hours, a stressed scheduling team, and a family that starts Googling other home care agencies. So we get specific about the fix, not the frustration, and we map out a staffing backup system designed to keep care covered fast and keep trust intact. We walk through the lead caregiver model: how to choose your most reliable field pros, how to structure guaranteed hours (instead of vague “on-call”), and how to define coverage windows around your real risk points like Monday mornings, Fridays, weekends, and holidays. We also share what makes someone true lead caregiver material, why many agencies lean toward CNA-level experience, and how to keep these high performers busy with pop-in visits, training support, and care plan updates when they aren’t dispatched. Then we tackle the silent revenue leak most agencies don’t notice until it’s too late: the words your schedulers use on the phone. If your team says, “Do you want a replacement?” you’re handing clients an easy way to say no and quietly reduce service. We offer clearer scripts that communicate confidence, protect client safety, and preserve billable hours, plus practical guidance on mileage, travel time, and setting expectations so clients understand a lead caregiver is there to stabilize coverage, not become the permanent match. If this helps, subscribe, share it with an agency owner or scheduler, and leave a review so more home care teams can stop missing shifts. Continuum Mastery Circle Intro Visit our website at https://asnhomecaremarketing.com Get Your 11 Free Home Care Marketing Guides: https://bit.ly/homecarerev

April 8, 202620 min

The Revenue Problem Most Home Care Agencies Misdiagnose

Send us Fan Mail Revenue down while your rates go up should make your stomach drop, because it almost never “fixes itself.” We walk through a real home care agency scenario where the owner assumed the website or Google Ads were the problem, but the data told a more uncomfortable truth: client census was shrinking, client hours were slipping, and the business was losing clients faster than it could replace them. We break down the exact numbers that clarify what’s really happening in a home care business, from website traffic and call volume to the operational metrics that actually determine revenue: referral leads by month, assessments scheduled, starts of care, ends of care, active caregivers, and the conversion rates between each step. Once you can see the full lead-to-client flow, you can stop guessing and pinpoint whether the gap is marketing activity, booking, closing, or retention. Then we get practical about fixes. We talk about why marketing location matters, how skilled nursing facilities and rehab referrals often produce higher-hour cases, and why you should track 12-hour and 24-hour starts as a weekly KPI. We also dig into the assessment itself: families need an expert recommendation, not a vague menu of options, and the wrong approach quietly reduces hours and revenue. Finally, we zoom in on basics that still get missed like answering calls live, plus simple weekly KPI tables and quarterly reviews that keep small leaks from turning into a lost year. If you found this useful, subscribe for more home care growth tactics, share this with an owner or marketer who needs it, and leave a review with the KPI you want to improve first. Continuum Mastery Circle Intro Visit our website at https://asnhomecaremarketing.com Get Your 11 Free Home Care Marketing Guides: https://bit.ly/homecarerev

March 27, 202647 min

Turn Facebook Into A Community Referral Engine For Senior Care

Send us Fan Mail Families don’t always start with Google. A huge number start with a post to friends and neighbors: “Does anyone know a good home care agency for my mom?” That’s why we’re getting tactical about Facebook marketing for home care agencies and why a neglected business page can quietly cost you trust before you ever get a chance to earn the referral. We walk through how Facebook actually functions as a community outreach engine for senior care: where decision makers spend time, why local groups and neighborhood conversations matter, and how to participate without sounding salesy. We also unpack the most misunderstood metric on social media right now. Follower count is far less important than comments, shares, reactions, and real discussion. If you want referrals and leads, your goal is familiarity and credibility, not volume posting. You’ll get a clear content framework you can reuse every week: community connection posts from events, educational caregiving tips that answer real questions, and human stories that spotlight caregivers and team culture. We also cover when paid Facebook ads make sense, including caregiver recruiting and simple lead magnet guides that build your email list over time. Plus, we touch the questions families ask most about home care cost and Medicare so your content matches what people actually want to know. If this helps, subscribe, share this with a home care owner or marketer, and leave a review so more senior care professionals can find practical, ethical marketing strategies. Continuum Mastery Circle Intro Visit our website at https://asnhomecaremarketing.com Get Your 11 Free Home Care Marketing Guides: https://bit.ly/homecarerev