Caregiver Recruiting and Retention is the top concern of agency owners and the most-discussed topic on Home Care Heroes and Day Service Stars.

In this episode, Nick Bonitatibus returns to the podcast to discuss How to Create an Irresistible offers in the realm of caregiver recruiting.  Guess What? It's not the offer letter (that's far too late) and it's not only about the money.

Your irresistible offer begins long before you meet the candidate.  Some of the key concepts that Nick shares are as follows:

•  Recruiting is Sales and needs to be treated that way
• The one truly unique thing about your agency is your personal story - you need to tell it well
• You need to convey WHY you do what you do. It's means more to candidates than what you do
• Next is culture...  You need to show that your caregivers are happy and well taken care of by your agency
• Your website needs to tell all of these stories
• and more...

You can get in touch with Nick, plus get free resources, by visiting https://www.thedigitalchamps.com/.

Check out the full episode to learn more:

Home Care Heroes and Day Service Stars is produced and sponsored by Ankota - If you provide services that enable older or disabled people to continue living at home , Ankota can provide you the software to successfully run your agency. Visit us at https://www.ankota.com. 

Please read below for the transcript to this episode:

The ultimate marketing champion, Nick Bonitatopis, is back with us today for a second time on Home Care Heroes and Day Service Stars. He's gonna talk about when you're creating an offer, how to make it an irresistible offer that caregivers can't refuse. Enjoy.

Welcome to the Home Care Heroes and Day Service Stars podcast. If you provide services to keep older or disabled people living at home, then this podcast is for you. Now, here's your host, Ken Accardi.

00:30

Hey, welcome to another episode of Home Care Heroes and Day Service Stars. We have a repeat guest today. It's Nick Bonitatipis. I remember at first I couldn't say his name. I think I got it down.  Nick is, is he's an awesome home care marketer and he has a great program. We'll tell you about that at the end. And we actually did an earlier, uh, session.

00:55

with Nick where he really talked about using video and personalized videos to, you know, spice up your marketing and really make personal connections. And he actually gave a presentation on that at a conference I was at, which was the Steve, the hurricane conference. And it was really, really compelling. So I'm really excited. Uh, so welcome back, Nick. Hey, thank you Ken so much for having me grateful to be here. Yeah, it's, it's fantastic. And so today we're going to go in a totally different direction. I mean, the biggest.

01:22

issue that faces our industry is the shortage of caregivers and really getting caregivers who are going to want to work for us and stay with us and all that kind of thing. So the topic, and I love the title that was suggested by Nick, we're going to call it caregiver recruiting, creating an irresistible offer. And with that, let's just dive right in. I guess the first question that comes to mind, Nick, is like, what's the most important element in recruiting?

01:51

Great question, Ken. Yeah. And the big thing that people need to understand when it comes to recruiting is that this is sales. And there's a quote, and I actually pulled it up just to say, recruitment is marketing. If you're a recruiter nowadays and you don't see yourself as a marketer, you're in the wrong business. And I think so often I see home care agency owners and they're constantly trying to just like get...

02:19

more caregivers and they want to get more caregivers and it's just this constant aspect thinking that if they get more leads, if they spend more money on Indeed, that that's going to solve their problems. And so the way that I like to think about it from an analogy standpoint is like a bucket. And you've got this bucket and so often people are just more, more, more and they're trying to fill this bucket. But the problem is that there's all of these holes in...

02:47

the bucket. People aren't showing up for interviews. They're not showing up for orientation after they did an interview and they want to come work with you, or they apply and they just disappear. And so we have to ask ourselves, where are these people going? Why are they going with other organizations? And when it comes to the recruitment process, specifically with Indeed and Caregivers, I mean, they're applying to your business and at least six other ones.

03:14

And if you're in that recruiting space, that world, you know that it's probably even more than that. And so how are we looking at our recruitment process in a place of sales and truly selling and focusing more on conversions? And so when we really look at, hey, like what's our sales process? And I say that very specifically, very intentionally, because again, recruiting...

03:43

is sales. And so we need to look at it, are we using all the tools that we have to convert? Are we doing everything that we can to drive more of these conversions when someone is coming into the business? And so when we really start to see this and we start to think about, okay, well, what are some of the elements that become really impactful to driving results to attracting more caregivers?

04:10

Well, one of the number one things is people say company culture, and that's what they explain and they say, you know, we've got great company culture. Well, so often, and I hear this with so many owners that I've worked with, I'm like, well, when do you talk about company culture? Oh, well, you know, in orientation. In orientation, that's like getting a sale and then being like, oh, by the way, here's the stuff that you get. Thanks for joining. Like, you already sold them. They're already in orientation.

04:40

And so often with home care owners, you are already doing these really great and amazing things that showcase your company culture, that show how awesome you are. And so it can just be an aspect of really, hey, how are we showcasing the things that you're already doing and turning these resources, turning these tools into marketing tools, into sales tools, to increasing those conversions.

05:06

so that you can hire more caregivers with the same number of leads and applicants that you're getting right now. All right, fantastic. And you know, as I think of the next question that I had jotted down, which was, you know, kind of about how to make that offer really attractive, I feel like, you know, we'd be jumping ahead too far, right? So we have some people, they're coming in the door, they're coming and meeting us with an interview, and you've kind of, you know, you've kind of given me the lead here that says,

05:34

We've got to be talking about our culture and really kind of getting our message out right away. So, so before we even go to this question of how do you make this really attractive offer? Yeah, let's, let's talk a little bit about that earlier funnel management, right? You know, so we have these folks and we're trying to, you know, kind of move them through our process of, you know, getting to know them, having them get to know us and interviewing before we even get to an offer. Yeah, absolutely.

06:00

And this comes into really looking at your systems and potentially your automation as well as what's online. So a misconception that people think is that caregivers aren't doing their research and they're just going to where the money's at. That is not true.

06:23

They're wet your website, they're looking at your social media and they're determining whether or not they want to proceed with your organization versus other organizations. And so we want to really think about what are some elements that are going to help differentiate you early on in the process. And one of the things that I help my clients do and, and, and, you know, as an owner, you know,

06:51

you likely have a really remarkable and incredible story about why you got into this business. So often people say, oh, we've got the best caregivers or we've got the best service. None of that's true. The only true differentiator that you have in your business is you and why you got into this business. Simon Sinek says, people don't do business with what you do, people do it with why you do it.

07:16

And so the same thing works with caregivers and having that positive company culture, that they understand who you are as an individual and what your goals and mission are, so that they can be a part of something bigger, so that they can truly thrive, so that they can not just show up to work every day. They want to be part of a community. They want to be part of a culture. They want to be part. And that starts the top down as the owner.

07:43

What's your representation? What's your reason? What's your mission? What's your why? And how can you share that story and get that out there in as early as possible to really driving more people? And what's nice about this type of topic, like your story is you can use it to attract clients, you can use it to attract referral sources, but specifically, cause that's what we're talking about today, really leveraging your story and your why to get more caregivers.

08:13

Okay, so now I've got my folks and they've come in the door, I've interviewed them and I'm like, wow, this is somebody who I really would like to join my team. And I've done that kind of work on the side. So I'm trying to say, hey, who is my website and my social media targeting? And if we're making the mistake of only targeting clients, that's probably a big mistake because we have to not only be, first of all, targeting clients if we think in the private pay world.

08:41

they're not the one who's choosing your service. It's their daughter, it's their son. So you have to think about, you know, who are you targeting even when you're trying to target clients, but you know, what we've all come to learn, except for the, you know, the people who think this is an easy industry and don't make it is that the agencies who, you know, are like, okay, as soon as I get some clients, I'm gonna go get some caregivers. Those are the ones who fizzle out. The ones who say, you know, hey, I need to, if I have,

09:10

great caregivers, you know, it's like if you build it, they will come kind of situation. If I build a cadre of great caregivers who are passionate and want to work for my agency and I can get them and I could staff cases quickly and that type of thing that I'm going to win. So, so here we are, we've had some, you know, some folks and they've come in the door and we've been, you know, really trying to tell more, you know, like why we're doing it and what makes us special and unique and that sort of thing.

09:39

So now what do we do to give them that attractive offer? I mean, what do we do? Like I guess, like you said, let's make that offer irresistible. What can we do? Absolutely. Yeah, so one of the first things to really note is understanding what your desires are, what their desires are. What do they want when it comes to joining a team? What are their problems? And so I'm gonna circle back too, because again, we're selling, right?

10:09

What is selling? What is a business? The whole idea of selling is problem solving. Every product, service is designed mostly to solve a specific problem that people are having. When you think about the caregivers that you're focusing on, you're not just solving, like getting them a job. That's not their problem. They can get a job anywhere. What is it that they really want? What are some of the struggles that they're having?

10:37

hey, maybe they just feel like a number and they feel unappreciated. Maybe money is a factor, but usually that's not one of the bigger aspects of why they got into this business. The number one reason that caregivers got into the business is the desire to help people. And so when they're part of that bigger vision, right, that aligns with their desire to help people when you're in it for the right reasons and you're showcasing what your goals and mission are and appreciating them. And then also understanding like,

11:05

different elements of what they want to achieve in their lives. And to me, this is one of those really missed opportunities when it comes to attracting good caregivers, because most people, they say things like, oh, we've got ongoing education. Great. So does everyone. You know, it's like required by law. Like you have to get CEU credits. There's a certain, you know,

11:32

requirements that you need to do on a basis. But if we're being truly honest, the reason that you're doing that is not for them. Like yeah, the education's good and they like it, but really it's for you, because you want to make sure that they're better at their job, so that they can do better for your clients. Which is great. Like don't get me wrong, it's an important element. But what if you were able to help them to achieve their goals in a way of...

11:59

helping them to become a nurse, helping them to buy a car, helping them to buy a house, and really thinking about understanding what it is that they want. Hey, maybe they want more freedom, right? Well, how do they get that? Well, money and also time flexibility for their schedule. So that leans into crafting this offer that you're creating for them. And so in order to create an effective offer, it starts with really understanding their problem.

12:30

and then being the solution to solving their problem. Are you the person that's going to be the person? And there's a lot of other companies out there, a lot of other businesses that they can choose from. So how do they know that you're the right person for them? There's gonna be a lot of objections, right? And I use that word very intentionally, just like in that sales process of whether or not they think that you're the right person, whether or not that they can trust you.

12:58

How are you really thinking and crafting? All right, so when you join our team, here's everything that you're gonna get. We wanna think about it like you're giving a sales pitch, that you're giving a sales strategy on like, well, you get this and you get that and you get that. And we're value stacking all of the different things that we offer that are focused around helping to solve that their problems, right? So, you know, hey, maybe it is continuous education. Maybe it's top pay in the area.

13:27

You can even create a program around the things like helping them achieve their goals. So maybe it's like financial advisory or something along those lines. All of the different things that you offer, maybe it's a swag bag that they get when they join. Maybe it's opportunity for growth. And so you can see all of these different aspects. And so you want to stack all of these different things that they're going to get when they join your team. And so now you're building.

13:56

this offer that is irresistible because it's not like, oh, well, we have a job. It's like, well, no, when you join our team, you get this, this, this, this, and this. Oh, wait, there's more. You get this, this, this, and this. And it becomes this really powerful moral lure to get more caregivers. I love it. And then so...

14:19

I guess, you know, I've never been interviewing as a caregiver, so I'm trying to think how it would go. But you know, you're offering me all these things and you know, just in part of the conversation, I mean, you're interviewing them, but you're selling them that, you know, we have this and we have really this great set of things. I guess my question is, is the offer sort of the letter that they get after they pass the interview or is the offer kind of the way that you're portraying things during the interview or maybe both?

14:49

Yeah, so a lot of this is before the interview. So because here's the thing, I mean, you're going to be a little selective a lot of times in who you bring in for an interview. You know, you really want to bring in the best, the best candidates. And, you know, I'm sure you guys know that you're getting people that aren't the best fit and you're like, yeah, no, I don't think you're, you're the right fit for us. And so we really want to think about when can we get this information?

15:19

to them as early as possible. And really where a lot of this information is gonna go is actually on your website, on your recruitment page, as well as on your social media. So when they're doing research and they're looking at your company, you've got all of these resources. And so what this is gonna do, it's actually gonna increase your show up rate because somebody just applied and then you're reaching out to them and you're like, man, why aren't they booking an interview? Like what's going on? They just applied, but now they aren't booking an interview.

15:47

And so it becomes that tool to even just get them in for the interview. Because what often happens, if someone's coming in for the interview, you know, yes, there is that element that you're trying to sell to them, especially the good candidates, but the best ones, they're doing the research, they're looking, they're not even going to show up for that interview unless they truly think that you're going to be the right company for them. And so what this does when we really have all these tools and these resources, it's going to, it's going to attract.

16:17

the best candidates. And that's really what we want is attracting that high level, high quality people that are going to come in. And so we want to use it both in the process of getting more people to schedule those interviews, and then yes, in the interview process, hey, letting them know, hey, here's some things that you should know, and there's some different things that you can do even while they're in the waiting room or different aspects. But if you're gonna offer them a job,

16:46

right then and there, there's a lot of ways that you can do it in that format and showcasing, hey, here's everything that you get. Would you like to move forward with us? And I do that very intentionally as if you're asking for the sale, and that's what we're trying to do, really remembering and focusing on that everything we do, every interaction with a

17:16

work with, right, to the caregivers that we want to bring onto our team. Because they may seem like, oh, this is great. And then they leave that interview and they're like, I'm going to go somewhere else. So we do need to make sure that we are leading up with these sales, leading up with this offer so that when they get done with their interview and you want to move forward with them, then they're excited, like they're excited, they're thralled, they're like, man, I can't wait to work for you.

17:44

How many of your caregivers are saying that right now? How many caregivers are coming to you and being like, man, I really want to work with you? And if they're not saying that, then there's some things that you want to make sure that you're doing outside in your marketing to really start to attract these high-level caregivers. Love it. OK. So I guess I've definitely seen my share of home care websites and that type of thing. And a lot of them are like, they show their open positions. And you just come to this forum.

18:13

and some of them are asking, here's the 20 questions, you wanna work with us and that kind of thing. So what you're saying, I mean, don't even go there. What you wanna do is you wanna have a page that it's like why you should work with us and testimonials and all these kinds of things and then it's there on the page and it's like schedule your interview.

18:38

but it's all about kind of selling first and that kind of thing. And I guess, I mean, so then a question, I mean, I'm kind of, I know that you're a video guy, I know that you, but what would you say like, is the best tool for closing that deal and getting them to wanna come with you? Absolutely, yeah. One of the most powerful tools that you can leverage and utilize is social proof. And so...

19:06

There's a couple of different elements that go into social proof. And so as I'm talking about all these things, you know, talking about company culture and a lot of times you guys may already be doing things like appreciation, you know, different events for holidays, you know, Christmas parties, Thanksgiving, things like that, that are really valuable. And you've got the, you know, you're having these events. It can be as simple as taking photos, posting it on social media.

19:33

putting it on your recruitment page that showcases, hey, we do these things. And so, so often, people say, oh, well, you know, we're great to our caregivers. We do it. Well, prove it. And so, we really want to think about what can we do to showcase that social proof. So, what are some other avenues of social proof? So, that's one is just like photos that showcase your company culture. The second thing that showcases your social proof.

20:00

is potential accolades and awards that you may have. So this could be from home care polls. You know, if you're part of a franchise, maybe you've won some franchise awards, anything that's gonna give you that additional credibility. Now, the third and final part of social proof that is the most effective and most powerful thing that you can use is testimonials. When you guys go to Amazon, you're looking for a product, where do you go?

20:28

You go to the reviews, you check out the reviews, you see, hey, how many reviews? And if you're like me, I don't even really look at the reviews except how many they have. And if they're at like a four, nine, or there's like 9,000 reviews, I'm like, yep, that's good enough for me, as long as they hit that ranking. And so the same thing works for Google, right? For clients, if you're not getting Google reviews, stop what you're doing, go get more Google reviews, because that's gonna be huge. The side note there. Well, when it comes to these testimonials,

20:58

how are we using and focusing these testimonials in a way that's going to create the greatest results? And so, Ken kind of hinted already because he knows that I'm a big video guy. The most impactful and powerful testimonials that you can do are through video. And the biggest reason behind that is the emotion that comes with that. And so Maya Angelou says, people don't remember what you said or did, they remember how you made them feel. And...

21:27

What we do is we take a bunch of video testimonials from our caregivers, and there's very specific questions that we have our clients ask our caregivers, and then create a compilation video of all of the best things that they say. Now you've got this video that specifically is all caregivers, all social proof of them talking about how much they love working for you.

21:54

And to give you an example of really how impactful this can be is someone that uh, eventually signed up to work with me. They went to my page on my website and they were looking at some of the examples that I have of what these testimonial videos look like. And she told me that she cried watching one of the videos. And so that goes to show you the emotional

22:21

aspect that comes with video that you don't get when you read something. You don't get that same feel, that same emotional connection that you're looking to create. And that's really what makes the Difference Maker is creating that connection, creating that trust through these emotional experiences. And when you truly hear these transformations of what it was like when a character first came to you or why they left their other job and then how they came to you,

22:50

and how much of an impact and a difference that you've made and how much they love working with you, this video alone will create drastic results in increasing your caregiver show up rate, increasing the amount of people that apply. It is so powerful. And it's a video that you could just use again and again and again. Testimonials Social Proof is the most impactful and powerful tool that you can use for recruiting more caregivers. Unbelievable.

23:19

Well, hey, I mean, time flies when we're having fun and that, you know, continues as we go today. So I think we'll probably move towards a wrap up. I would love for you to share a little bit about, you know, how do people get to know more about Nick Vonatotopis and, and digital marketing pros and how, you know, how could they engage with you and what, you know, what kind of, how do you help agencies? Absolutely. So, uh,

23:42

The main program and offer that we have is called Video Sales Accelerator. And it's really about creating a series of video content that's going to build these assets that you can leverage both on social media but also in your business. We start with creating your why, which I talked about. We create your recruitment video and then we lean into education. Because as you know, if you've been in home care for a while, there's a lot of unknowns about home care. And so we focus around really important topics like...

24:11

fall prevention, dementia, questions to ask a home care agency, how to have a proper discharge, and really leading with that expertise to become an expert. And so there's two things that I would recommend if you found this valuable that you can check out. One is if you go to my website, thed slash examples, you can see a number of what we're creating for our clients. The proof is right there, like, hey, this is what we're creating. I also have a free course.

24:40

that if you go to my website, thed it's called Home Care Brand Mastery, where you can go. It's like a couple, I think it's, you know, over two hours long free training that you can watch. That's really gonna just kind of build off of some of the stuff that we talked about today and really give you an overview and all the different things that you can do to build an amazing brand that's going to attract clients, generate warm referrals, and help you to hire more caregivers.

25:09

Perfect. So it all starts at the digitalchamps.com. And so that's a great place to go, the digitalchamps.com. You could find the free training, you could really kind of get on the pathway, and then you could also engage with Nick and the team to take your agency to the next level. I love it. Hey, Nick, maybe next time when we get together, let's talk more about the why, because I think that a lot of people, they'll listen to Simon Sinek and they'll be like, right, I'm really excited. But, you know, and I know why

25:39

you know, I got into this business and I'm really, really passionate about it, but I don't know how to tell my story. So maybe we'll talk a little bit about that the next time we get together. And other than that, thanks everybody for, you know, joining us on this installment of home care heroes and Nick, listen, thanks again and have a great day. Hey, thanks for having me.

26:02

Thanks for joining us today on the Home Care Heroes and Days Service Stars podcast, produced by Ankota. You can listen to back episodes by visiting 4HomeCareHeroes.com. That's the number 4, then the words HomeCareHeroes.com.

Thanks for joining us today on the Home Care Heroes and Days Service Stars podcast, produced by Ankota. You can listen to back episodes by visiting 4HomeCareHeroes.com. That's the number 4, then the words HomeCareHeroes.com.