Lately at Incept, I’ve been having conversations with more and more blood donors about trying to donate platelets.

When it comes to donating blood, sometimes – depending on the donor’s type and if they meet certain qualifications – an apheresis style donation is a lot more beneficial to the receiving blood bank.

When donating the component of the blood known as thrombocytes, better known as platelets, the process is literally the same as doing a red cell donation or a plasma donation. As with any aphaeretic style donation the objective and reasoning behind it all is to collect a specific component of the blood to turn it into multiple transfusable products that wouldn’t have been directly obtainable with just a regular whole blood donation.

At the microscopic level, a platelet looks a lot like tiny, fluffy, white cloves floating around in our blood streams. Whenever your skins gets a nasty cut or scratch your body produces a scab due to platelets forming so that new skin may heal beneath. Perhaps the most obvious function of a platelet cell is to clot when bleeding occurs inside or outside of the body.

One of the biggest reasons why the need for platelets is of constant concern for many blood centers and blood banks is due to the fact that platelets only have a shelf life of five days, unlike whole blood which has a shelf life of three to four weeks. Needless to say, there is little that can be done when it comes to attempting to set up any sort of steady supply. That is just another reason why a blood donor’s help is so frequently needed. Another underlying factor for the consistent need for platelets comes from many more surgeries and procedures taking place in hospitals every day. These procedures can include organ transplants, emergency room surgeries, and especially cancer patients going through chemotherapy and other treatments.

Oftentimes people with blood types of A+, B+, and especially AB+ are suggested to try a platelet donation if they meet their blood bank’s physical requirements. The process can take between one-and-a-half hours to two hours, but most blood banks offer magazines or have televisions going with popular movies to help pass the time. Many donors who meet qualifications find it to be quite comfortable.

In the upcoming summer months, if you have one of the above preferred blood types for donating platelets, what is stopping you from making a donation that can drastically improve someone’s living condition or even save their life?

Here is some good information on how you can improve your blood donor recruitment strategy!

In a recent post by Brian, he talks the benefits of a donor loyalty program and providing incentives to blood donors. Everyone loves rewards; they make us feel important and special, but let’s take a look at the numbers to see if they really help you bring in more blood donors. In a recent study done by the University of Toronto, it was discovered that 15-20% of people are more adept to donate if they receive something for doing so.

The numbers speak for themselves! The study was completed on 500,000 individuals (and donors) through 14,000 blood drives across the U.S.

What incentives do you provide your blood donors? What kind of donor loyalty program are you using to help bring in more blood donors?

When I am at work a very common question that I usually am asked on the phones at Incept by prospective blood donors is, “Do I get paid for my blood donation?” I can’t help but to think back to my days of plasma donating every time I hear that question.

Granted, time is money. But when it comes to giving a literal part of yourself, such as a blood component, who is really benefiting when you donate plasma? The fact of the matter is this: while some plasma donations are used to treat hemophiliacs, burn victims, and other certain types of medical conditions, many plasma donations go to research facilities where different types of testing can be done and not always directly to those in need. Once you donate your plasma, you really do not have any control where it goes to or how it is used.

How Donor Loyalty Programs Help You As A Donor And Those In Need

It is always refreshing when I am speaking with a blood donor who has a lifetime donation count of twenty, thirty, or fifty donations! I’ve even talked with a handful of donors that have donated blood their whole lives and have one hundred lifetime donations or more, believe it or not! Many times, these folks do not need to be given an incentive to donate blood, they just understand the importance and the healing power and positivity that a single donation can bring to someone’s life.

But since we are on the topic of being paid for certain types of donations, what better thing to bring up than donor loyalty programs? While you may be a blood donor who isn’t in it for the reward – other than saving a few lives – donor loyalty programs can be a nice way for blood banks and blood centers to give back to their donor base and build gentle encouragement toward continuous giving.

A few non-profit organizations that really hit the mark with their donor loyalty programs are LifeSource and Central Blood Bank with Brighten Life (BL Rewards).

It’s quite simple, actually. You show up and donate and get points per donation! Depending on the type of donation you do, you can get more points to spend in their online store. They have gift cards including Olive Garden, Kohls, The Home Depot, and Mobil Gas, as well as many more to choose. The best thing is even if you do not want to spend those points on yourself, you can donate those points to the Lukemia and Lymphoma Society in the form of $15 and $25 donations!

Many blood banks and blood centers have donor loyalty programs, so take the initiate to see what your local center has to offer you. Above everything else you can rest assured that your blood donation is going directly to those who need it!

What type of donor loyalty program do you participate in?

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If you work for Incept then you already know that compassion is one of our core values. There are many situations in which compassion is key to having a productive conversation, and I would like to share with you a few ways you can show compassion in your blood donor recruitment calls.

The first thing you must do to have a compassionate call is listen actively. Listening actively means that the blood donor you are talking to has your undivided attention and that you are not thinking about something else – even if it’s what you plan to say next. Not only do you have to listen to the words coming out of their mouth, but you have to pay attention to the tone they are using.

Listening actively will allow you to use empathy. Empathy is the ability to put yourself in the other person’s shoes. Think of everything your blood donor just told you, and ask yourself, “What would I want someone to say to me if I were in this same situation?”

Next acknowledge the blood donor or customer by saying, “I’m sorry to hear that!” or “I understand.” This will let them know that you were listening actively, and you would like to help them. Then proceed by giving a statement that will make them feel better. For example, “I’m so to hear that you are ill. I hope feel better soon.” This will leave the donor with a positive impression and encourage them to donate with us in the future.

There are so many ways to show compassion in your calls, and keep in mind that recruiting blood donors is a compassionate act in itself, so thank you for what you do every day!

Image Credit: http://www.savvydaddy.com/content/site/savvypack/00282/raising-kids-strong-character-compassion

Touch-Activated Phlemotomy

Using a microneedle, Seventh Sense Biosystems is developing a blood-draw device that will make getting patient’s blood a lot easier, as it is painless touch-activated phlebotomy (TAP). The device “penetrates the uppermost layers of the skin, along with a proprietary microfluidic extraction mechanism that draws blood in a painless, one-step process and leaves a mosquito bite-sized impression in the skin.”

This device can be used anywhere – at hospitals, in clinics and even at home! With so many blood tests being used now to help with diagnosing patients, along with new tests being discovered, a device like this will be used quite frequently!

What about using a device like this for donating blood? Having a donor’s blood drawn painlessly will make more donors open to donating more and should also bring in new donors who may have a fear of needles or don’t like the pain associated with donating. Nothing has been mentioned yet about using something like this for collecting blood donations, but with the development of  TAP there is a good possibility we can expect something similar in the Blood Donor Recruitment field in the near future!

Image Credit: http://www.medcitynews.com/2012/04/painless-blood-draw-device-using-microneedles-could-be-available-in-2013/

Of course, you might already know that at Incept we take pride in recruiting blood donors for several different blood banks and blood centers across the country. In fact, we’re pretty good at it. We take pride in what we do, and we support donating blood and the positive healing power it can have on someone’s life when you donate.

In terms of business and life, actions will always speak louder than words. Where words fail to resonate those actions and their implementations will still be felt. Many Conversational Marketing™ Experts (CMEs) aren’t just saving lives in other states, but right here in their own county and regional area, as well. Incept holds blood drives every quarter of the calendar year here at the company in Canton, Ohio, which result in hundreds of donations that ultimately save many lives.

The beauty behind recognizing something like this is the fact that Incept wants the people it employs to believe in what they do. We encourage our Conversational Marketing™ Experts (CMEs) to donate if they physically can because it also gives them a personal experience that they can relate to with any donor they speak with – definitely an added, albeit indirect psychological bonus if you think about it.

I can’t tell you how many times from my own calls to blood donors that I find it incredibly helpful when I use my own personal experience of donating blood to educate and successfully recruit a donor to donate. Overall, however, the most important thing for me personally is the fact that even if I have had a less than stellar day on the phones, if I have made even just one appointment and that blood donor goes into donate I still made a difference.

Quite simply put, when you practice what you preach and you encourage your employees to do the same, you strengthen the relationship with your employees as well as your customers and clients who will be the ones that really benefit.

How do you encourage your employees to “walk the walk and talk the talk”? What does that phrase mean to you?

Our Strategy

At Incept we follow a listen before you lead approach that puts you and your donors at the center of everything we do. By understanding your objectives, we’re able to customize a strategy that brings donors to you. And by knowing what motivates your donors, we can ensure the right message is delivered every time we have a conversation with them.

Our goal is to listen to the recruitment strategies you currently have in place, analyze the results of those strategies, and recommend future strategies to assist you in meeting the needs of the hospitals and patients you serve. We use Conversational Marketing™ to engage your donors in productive conversations that will drive results. Each year our conversations recruit, retain, re-activate, convert, and appreciate over 2,000,000 blood donors on behalf of the blood centers we serve.

What is Conversational Marketing™?

The core of our strategy focuses on having productive conversations, which we break down into one of five different types of conversations that compliment and/or supplement your current efforts.

Acquire

When our analysis uncovers a need for new donors or groups to meet your goals, we develop conversations that resonate with those that are most likely to respond to a life-saving message. These types of conversations include:

• Whole Blood Cold Calls
• Donor Referral
• Mobile Lead Generation
• Account Management Support
• Social Media Management
• Business to Donor Center/Fixed Site Calling

Appreciate

Everyone likes to be informed and appreciated – these types of conversations are very simple. They usually consist of a short message thanking the donor, wishing them a happy birthday, sharing wellness information, or status updates that keep them engaged and thinking about you. Appreciate conversations can include but aren’t limited to:

• Cancellation Notifications
• Post-Donation Thank-You Calls
• Birthday Emails
• Social Media Engagement and Interaction

Retain

We understand that your donor base and donor groups are an essential part of your success. By knowing what motivates both, we deliver compelling conversations that inspire meaningful relationships. There are a variety of retain conversation which include:

• Current Whole Blood Recruitment
• Automated Messaging Recruitment
• Appointment Reminder Calls
• Current Apheresis Recruitment
• Automated Messaging Reminders
• SMS/Text Message Reminders
• Email Recruitment
• Email Reminders
• SMS/Text Message Recruitment
• Social Media Engagement and Interaction

Convert

By creating models based on an individual’s donation history and blood type, we develop strategies to help donors realize their unique value to community patients. Convert type conversations are:

• Double Red Cell Conversion
• Platelet Conversion
• Plasma Conversion
• Automated Messaging Recruitment
• SMS/Text Message Reminders
• Social Media Education

Re-Activate

The number one reason a donor does not come back is because they are not asked. For those donors who would return but don’t, we compliment your current recruiting approach by offering them multiple opportunities to save a life by having conversations with them such as:

• Lapsed Whole Blood Recruitment (2-4 Years)
• Super Lapsed Whole Blood Recruitment (5+ Years)
• Automated Messaging Recruitment
• Lapsed Apheresis Recruitment
• SMS/Text Message Reminders
• Donor Referral Programs
• Email Recruitment
• Email Reminders
• SMS/Text Message Recruitment
• Social Media Education, Engagement, and Interaction

Bringing It All Together

Our belief that conversations are about building and strengthening a donor’s relationship with your blood center is what sets us apart. By empowering our Conversational Marketing™ Experts (CMEs) with knowledge and tools, we ensure your message is delivered in a way that your donors will respond to. By working with you to define goals and objectives, we guarantee our goals, are your goals.

The difference between an Incept conversation and a traditional recruitment call is, instead of reading a scripted request, we encourage our Conversational Marketing™ Experts (CMEs) to listen to the donor, acknowledge what the donor is telling them, provide educational statements and information, ask questions (determine the most convenient scheduling times or location, ask about medications, conditions, travel, etc.), and most of all, regardless of the outcome of the call, make sure to leave the donor feeling better about the blood center when the call is over than before you called.

It’s the combination of our listen before you lead approach, a well-balanced strategy featuring the right types of conversations, and the compassion of our Conversational Marketing™ Experts (CMEs) that make our methods so effective.

So Now What?

Now that you know a little more about us, and about what Conversational Marketing™ is, we’d like to show you firsthand how we can work with your team to help you reach your goals.

At no charge to you, we’d like to listen to you. And after hearing more about your organization, we’ll provide you with a written strategy that will guide you to industry best practices, increased donations, and reduced costs. If you’re interested in seeing what Incept can do for your organization, click here and let’s talk…results.

Still have questions about what we’re all about or how we could help your organization? Just let us know by clicking the Contact Us option on the right side of our blog.

Do you like where you work?

What about the reason you work where you do? Do you like why you go into work in the first place? On top of those questions, do you actually enjoy the people you work with? You know, your peers, your bosses and such? Do you like working with them every day?

You might already know a little bit about Incept and how we are continuing to steadily make it known in the blood donor recruitment field why we are able to consistently strengthen the relationship with each blood donor we talk to while representing our multiple clients. A lot of that has to do with the overall environment in which we work.

I love pizza. It is one of my personal favorite “feel good” foods. Did you have a bad day? Eat some pizza. Did your car break down? Eat some pizza. Did your girlfriend break up with you? Eat some pizza. You could be having the worst day of your life, but you’ll never not want to eat a slice of pizza. It just feels good. So picture your favorite pizza to eat. It doesn’t matter if it is one of the big-named franchises or your local, beat-up, hole-in-the-wall kind of joint. You know, the one where it looks like  mafia members do business deals. Now continue to picture your favorite pie. Remember how it tastes? How the dough is just so fresh -lightly crispy but hearty and just the perfect golden-brown on the bottom. Can you picture the sweetness of the marinara sauce as it introduces itself to your taste buds? And just when you think it couldn’t get any better, your palate gets body slammed by a wave of pepperonis surfing on mozzarella. I love a pizza pie because all the ingredients come together to make up something great.

Before I get too hungry, the whole recipe to our company atmosphere can be broken down into three essential  ingredients that come together to create this  crispy, but lightly crunchy, cheesy, saucy mess of an awesome metaphorical pizza. I guess in our case you could say the Conversational Marketing™ Experts (CMEs) are the toppings!

Simple Ingredients Towards Making a Positive Work Environment

• Invoke meaning for the job in your employees. Never before coming to Incept did I ever realize the importance of donating blood – I mean, to a point, as I did donate in high school. However, I had nowhere near as much knowledge of donating blood prior to working at Incept! I also have a clear idea of the good that I’m doing while recruiting blood donors. I’m not just flipping burgers or mowing grass or anything like that, but I’m literally making a difference in someone’s life with each blood donor who donates. There truly is meaning in what I do as Conversational Marketing™ Expert (CME) that goes beyond the paycheck. Instilling meaning into an employee’s position can give them drive to naturally want to do well.

• Be open to explain why certain company decisions are made. Our very own president, Sam Falletta, is a man that doesn’t just hide behind closed doors of an office all day. He makes himself available to company employees. He explains the choices he makes for the company and the progress our company makes to everyone during a few of our Employee of the Month meetings, as well as monthly CME meetings. At Incept, we understand why a lot of choices are made because Sam has explained on how our clients come first, followed by our own company goals, and then the company takes care of it’s employees. The beauty of this philosophy is each individual employee puts their best effort towards our clients, which in turn benefits our company ultimately benefiting them as it comes full-circle. The more our clients we represent win, the more Incept and its individual employees win as a team.

• It really is about the people you work with and employ. At Incept, the concept of family comes with high priority. I can say with confidence that I have never worked at a place where I have so many friends in one building. Isn’t that great? I truly think so. We have had employees hold company bake sales for other employees during times of hardship – where whatever the bake sale makes Incept matches to give to that person. Conversational Marketing™ Experts (CMEs) aren’t just competitive, but cooperative, and everyone is friendly to each other and learns from each other for the most part. And truly our upper management at Incept reveal themselves to be real people. They are professional, but at the same time step up to be genuinely real and offer an open door and a listening ear to anything you bring to them. The constructive and family-like atmosphere at Incept truly is what distinguishes our Conversational Marketing™ firm from just another telerecruitment agency and plays a cornerstone role in our growing success within the industry.

So now that you know some steps what are you waiting on to start building a more positive work environment for your company? What are some other ways to build positivity in the workplace? Are you someone reading this looking to join the Incept team for employment around the Canton, Ohio area? Click here!

Image Credit: http://www.mypizzabrothers.com

How many of you have tried to stick with a workout regimen?

I myself can be found in my apartment throwing around my free weights, from time to time, in an effort to bulk up. I always find lifting hardest to do when I’m on my final reps on my last sets, not because I’m tired but because my mind usually wanders on to other things I need to do that day. Still I push on and finish knowing ultimately that if I don’t cheat myself I will only better myself.

At Incept, one of the things we pride ourselves on is strengthening the relationship with each blood donor we talk to during every call we make. Much like lifting weights or running to get in shape, when it comes to strengthening the relationship with the people we talk to, the consistent practice of putting our values at the forefront of our calls is something we always strive for. There are no shortcuts when it comes to building positive rapport on our client’s behalves with their donor bases.

The reasoning behind our mantra of strengthening the relationship with each call is easy:

• First of all, we are a small company that delivers world-class service that you would expect to receive from a larger organization. World-class service starts with our Conversational Marketing™ Experts (CMEs). They are literally the ambassadors working on behalf of our clients.
• Secondly, if you are familiar with the telecommunications industry, we most likely will be calling these folks back. The idea of being able to strengthen the relationship is centered around our goal to have consistent, high-quality conversations with the donors we speak with. When we call them back we want them to remember the high-quality service they received previously, making them much more open to have a conversation with!
• Finally – and once again with our clients in mind - strengthening the relationship means ending the call on a positive note, even if that doesn’t mean getting the appointment or close. When it comes down to it the donor is always right, and it is our job to educate them on our services and be as helpful and sincere as we can.

It really is the little steps we take in each call that ultimately build relationships.

So what does it mean for your business to strengthen the relationship with your own donors? Here are some of the small steps that Incept’s Conversational Marketing™ Experts (CMEs) take in each call that make up that bigger picture.

Tips to Strengthen The Relationship

• Make your donors feel like you are on their side. With each situation a Conversational Marketing™ Expert (CME) faces, listening is always the most important step in being able to have a good conversation. If a donor feels frustrated about their past experiences, do not be afraid to let that donor know that you understand specifically why that has been an inconvenience. People want to feel like someone understands their problem, so in turn never be afraid to verbalize and empathize how much you really do understand. It opens them up to be willing to listen to solutions or advice.

• Be assumptive in your search for your customer’s solution. So you have listened and empathized with your donor. What now? This is the point where the donor is essentially relying on you to be the one with suggestions towards solutions to their circumstances. A lot of people can identify a problem that is brought up initially, but spoken words only go so far. Sometimes you have to listen to what is not being said to get a good idea of what is actually needed. Do not be afraid to be assumptive with your questions. Being assumptive when trying to find a solution will not only help you convey to your donor that you want to help them, but it gives them the opportunity to interject their own needs and questions into the process.

• Convey that you are a person, not just a voice on the phone. Recently I had to call in to one of my credit card companies to straighten out an issue with my account. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but when I did call I was pleasantly surprised with how the rep handled my situation. He explained what happened in a very friendly manner and used his own personal experiences to let me know what could be done to help me. Being personable and interjecting your own personal experiences will help you come off as a person and not just a customer service rep. When you take that step, the customer tends to feel more relaxed and will listen to what you are saying. It gives them reassurance that they are not the only ones who have been through such a predicament and sets that stage to begin to working toward a solution.

These are just a few of the ideas and practices we carry out daily in our phone calls at Incept. Just because we work in the realm of providing customer service does not mean we have to come off as script-reading robots. World-class service at its very core relies on a telecommunications firm’s ability to be not only knowledgeable about their product or service, but also about what to expect (and how to react) in each interaction with their donors. When you effectively strengthen the relationship you are not only creating a positive image of your organization, but you literally are preemptively retaining your donors!

What are some other ways a blood donor recruiter can strengthen the relationship with a donor?

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The most important part of your job as a Conversational Marketing™ Expert (CME) at Incept, and any other conversational marketing firm, is making donors (or customers) feel comfortable.

There are several ways you can do this, and one of the most important things to keep in mind is that the voice at the other end of the line is a person too. You want to treat them with respect and dignity, and always acknowledge, and respond accordingly to their concerns. By responding accordingly you will be letting the blood donor know that you are listening, which will oftentimes make the donor feel more comfortable. When the donor feels like you really care, they are more likely to be willing to listen to what you are saying.

Simply using your voice inflection in the right places and taking the time to sympathize or understand the donor’s situation will allow you to really make a donor feel comfortable. When a donor feels comfortable they are also more likely to listen to what you have to offer and what you can actually do for them. By building trust with a donor you build a relationship in the long run.

You always want to take the time to fully listen to what the donor is saying, as well. Really listen to their tone, because it will tell you a lot about the situation. The best thing to do when you can tell a donor is upset about something is to be genuinely caring, and allow yourself to show that through your voice inflection and choice of words.

In the end, a comfortable donor is a happy donor. And a happy donor is someone that a blood center like Incept can count on. So simply by making a donor comfortable, you will be building a relationship not just between you and the donor, but also between the donor and the blood center, as well as the blood center and the community. And all of this strengthens the relationship with Incept.

What tips do you have to make a blood donor feel comfortable when you are speaking with them?

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