As senior living operators prepare for 2026, one theme is impossible to ignore: the industry is operating with the wind at its back. With demand rising, new construction still lagging behind, and consumers becoming more discerning, communities must enter 2026 with a plan that is data-informed, strategic, and above all, consistent.
In Grow Your Occupancy’s final webinar of 2025, panelists from Continental Senior Communities, Arete Living, and Yardi came together to share what the industry can learn from 2025—and what needs to shift in 2026 to drive occupancy, improve sales performance, and exceed rising consumer expectations. Their insights reveal a roadmap for operators seeking stronger outcomes in the year ahead.
What 2025 taught us
Demand is up—and so are expectations
The industry saw continued momentum in 2025 as limited new inventory collided with consumer demand. As Barmi Akbar, CEO of Continental Senior Communities observed, the result has been higher occupancy, increasing rates, and a more discerning customer. Families are asking better questions. Prospects are comparing their options carefully. And they expect communities to clearly demonstrate value.
The top performers do the fundamentals well
One of the strongest trends from 2025 is that the best-performing salespeople excel in the basics. As Thomas Cloutier, Chief Marketing Officer at Arete Living shared, their top sales team members consistently show:
- Excellent listening and discovery
- Strong, timely follow-up
- Proactive outreach and event planning
- High enthusiasm and positive energy
These aren’t new tactics, but they are often inconsistently executed. The communities winning today are the ones where fundamentals are performed with discipline and care.
Accountability is an accelerator
Ashley Eyink, Regional Director of Sales and Marketing at Continental Senior Communities, emphasized a key shift she’s carrying into 2026: leading with accountability.
Holding people accountable isn’t punitive—it’s an investment in their growth and in the organization’s outcomes. When expectations are clear and consistently reinforced, trust grows, performance improves, and teams feel more confident in their work.
Sales cycles are shortening—but nurturing still matters
Kristine Schrudder, Senior Consultant at Yardi, shared data from Yardi that confirms that sales cycles are shrinking. With more hot leads entering the pipeline, speed matters.
At the same time, independent living prospects may still need years of nurturing. Coutier shared an example: one community’s “magic number” is three visits—the milestone that most reliably predicts an eventual move-in.
The takeaway: teams must be excellent at both fast-response tactics and long-term relationship-building.
The data trends to know to drive your 2026 strategy
1. Lead volume is rising—but so are past-due activities
More leads create more strain on sales teams. Yardi’s data shows an increase in overdue activities—calls, follow-ups, and tasks that slip behind. This signals an operational issue: the workload has outgrown the capacity of many on-site teams. Without support, teams risk losing momentum (and move-ins) due to simple overload.
2. Many leads are getting missed at the top of the funnel
One of the most eye-opening insights came from Arete Living’s deep-dive lead audit. They found:
- 40% of inbound calls never received a call back within 24 hours.
- Only 30% of calls made it into the CRM.
- Overall phone impressions averaged 64%.
These results highlight a universal vulnerability across the industry: even with rising lead volume, many prospects never enter the sales funnel at all.
Solutions such as call centers, centralized lead capture, or sales support specialists can dramatically improve conversion, reduce missed opportunities, and relieve pressure on community teams.
3. Competitive intelligence must be continuous, not periodic
Yardi emphasized the importance of capturing:
- Why prospects inquire
- Their motivators and concerns
- Why they didn’t choose your community
- Competitor pricing, incentives, and lifestyle offerings
This real-time data—directly from prospects themselves—should feed into a living SWOT analysis that evolves with the competitive landscape.
What today’s senior living consumer wants
A shift from care-based to lifestyle-driven expectations
Akbar described an industry that is at an inflection point. Consumers are no longer only seeking support with daily living—they are seeking an elevated lifestyle that promotes longevity, wellness, purpose, and self-direction.
Residents want:
- High-quality dining
- Holistic wellness programs
- Social connection and engagement
- Opportunities to shape their experience
- Transparency and personalization
These expectations reflect a more modern, empowered senior—one who views senior living not as “a place to put mom,” but as a lifestyle choice.
COVID’s long tail
Eyink reminded us of something we all saw: isolation was devastating for older adults. Today’s consumers are making lifestyle decisions with that experience in mind. They recognize the value of community life, socialization, and belonging.
Priorities to solve in 2026
1. Improve the first impression—every time
Communities must train all employees—not just sales—to understand that every interaction influences a family’s decision.
A warm greeting from a caregiver, a resident saying, “You’ll love it here,” or a dining team member offering a sample can sometimes matter more than the tour script.
Culture and hospitality start at the top. If community leaders model exceptional engagement, teams will follow.
2. Strengthen lead handling systems
In-house call centers, AI-enabled call-response tools, and remote sales specialists offer consistent coverage and prevent leakage.
With shorter sales cycles and rising lead volume, speed-to-lead is non-negotiable.
3. Build a culture that drives outcomes
Culture is not an abstract concept—it is a measurable performance driver.
Cloutier shared the example of Arete’s week-long onboarding, where every new team member learns the brand’s values, hospitality standards, and expectations. Daily reinforcement keeps the culture alive and consistent.
4. Use technology to increase efficiency and impact
Akbar posed an important question: “Are you flowing with advances in technology, or flowing against them?”
New tools can reduce administrative burden, speed follow-up, automate nurturing, and improve decision-making. Technology doesn’t replace humans, it frees them to do what humans do best: build relationships and earn trust.
5. Augment your sales team by adding remote sales specialists.
Give your onsite team more time to do outreach and customized tours, planning, follow up and home visits. Add true sales power to your team by having a Grow Your Occupancy Remote Sales Specialist working your database a few hours per day, scheduling tours, responding to new leads, and keeping cooler leads warm by nurturing with proper cadence.
Final advice for building your 2026 senior living sales and marketing plan
The panel offered three parting thoughts:
From Thomas Cloutier:
- Keep the plan simple.
- Hire for kindness, enthusiasm, and passion—not just senior living experience.
From Ashley Eyink:
- A strategy only works when teams understand it, execute it, and remain accountable.
- Failure will happen—use it to improve.
From Barmi Akbar:
- Embrace technology to work more efficiently and effectively.
- Let innovation support you, not overwhelm you.
Communities that listen to, learn from, and act on data will dominate in 2026
Senior living is entering a year of tremendous opportunity. Communities that succeed will be those that:
- Use data to guide decisions
- Execute fundamentals consistently
- Support their teams with adequate resources
- Prioritize culture, hospitality, and responsiveness
- Stay aligned with what today’s consumer truly wants
A data-driven, disciplined sales and marketing strategy isn’t just a competitive advantage—it’s a requirement for thriving in 2026 and beyond.
Grow Your Occupancy is your partner in sales success and occupancy growth in 2026
Grow Your Occupancy offers a full suite of services senior living providers need to meet and overcome the emerging challenges the industry faces. Learn more about what we do here. Ready to talk? Schedule a time below.