The Top MUST DOs and MUST AVOIDs for a Great Senior Living Tour Experience

Each month, Grow Your Occupancy’s sales specialists call and visit dozens of senior living communities to perform mystery shops and skills assessments. They see and experience what is working well and what is not. In other words, what are the big wins and misses in the senior living customer visit experience.  

For this month’s blog, we asked our sales specialists to identify the top things teams MUST DO and MUST AVOID to optimize the customer experience. None are difficult and most will seem common sense.   

Stay competitive by following the MUST DOs and avoiding the DON’Ts: 

MUST DOs 

  1. Your building must be clean and smell good. This was the overwhelming #1 MUST DO from our shoppers. Visible dirt and grime and bad odors are very off-putting. The message dirt and odors send is that, if the staff can’t keep the building clean, how can they take care of your loved one?  We are still experiencing buildings that are NOT clean. 
  2. Your building needs to be in good shape. Nicks and marks on walls and stains on the carpets are inevitable in active senior living communities, but these things come across as a building that is tired, worn out, and isn’t maintained well. This isn’t entirely on the maintenance staff either: straightening crooked wall art, keeping the front entrance area tidy, and so on are tasks that all staff can easily take on.  
  3. Greet your prospects warmly. The front desk staff, concierge, and sales team members should offer a warm greeting, preferably including the prospect’s name, if their visit is known ahead of time. 
  4. Use the prospect’s name during the tour. People respond strongly when addressed by their name. The benefits include them listening more closely to what you’re saying, and giving you their attention. They’ll likely also be more diligent about remembering your name. 
  5. Introduce me to staff members and residents. Our shoppers often commented that they felt like they were touring a community in a vacuum, isolated from encounters with both staff and residents. Break down that barrier by introducing prospects to staff members and residents encountered on the tour. Also, make a point of meeting at least one of the department heads or the executive director on the tour. 
  6. Set an expectation of eye contact and smiles from the staff. Prospects are trying to picture themselves – or their loved one – in your community, so they’re noticing how the staff members interact with them and the residents. Set the expectation that all staff members give eye contact and a smile to any prospects and visitors encountered throughout their workday. 
  7. Wrap it up at the end. Shoppers noted that some salespeople left them hanging at the end of the tour. Always spend a few minutes after the tour wrapping up the visit, including recapping the tour, asking some open-ended questions, and setting a confirmed next step. 

MUST DO Runners Up:  

  • Good smells, according to Psychology Today, create feelings of pleasure and can bring back memories, so it just makes sense that the aroma of cookies or pies baking, popcorn popping, or fresh coffee brewing in your community are going to have a beneficial effect on your prospects.  
  • Encountering residents doing something – it doesn’t have to be an activity, simply two people talking, or staff interacting with residents – shows prospects that your community is alive and vibrant.   
  • Meet the executive director. Show the prospect that they are important and valued by incorporating this visit into the tour.      
  • Show off your activities calendar and weekly menu in the elevators. It not only highlights the community’s vibrancy, it also gives the prospect something to take in during an otherwise dull elevator ride.   
  • Keep your elevator clean, inviting, and engaging. Post engagement and notices, updates, and if possible, pipe music. 

MUST AVOIDs 

  1. Keeping the prospect waiting. We understand that things happen that can throw off your schedule, but unless you’re going to be only a minute or two late, you need to have a plan to lessen the negative impression waiting can create. Work out a protocol with the front desk staff in which they offer a beverage, and then either bring the prospect to the conference room or even give a mini-tour of some of the amenities close to the lobby. Be creative.   
  2. Referring to the prospect’s mother as “your mom.” It’s way too casual and informal for the relationship between salesperson and prospect. Instead, refer to the prospect’s mother by her name. The same goes for the prospect’s father. 
  3. Giving the prospect an exhaustive tour. Taking them to every corner of your building to see every single amenity and area can come across as aimless. Tailor the tour to what you know about the prospect or their loved one.  
  4. Passing up opportunities to make introductions. Unless their office door is closed, pop in on key staff members to make a connection between them and the prospect. Know of a resident or two who are great ambassadors of the community? Make a point of meeting them during the tour. 
  5. Letting the prospect leave without wrapping up. Ending with “Call me if you have any questions,” or “Call me if you want to bring mom in to look around” are not effective for moving the prospect closer to a move-in. Instead, recap the tour, ask some open-ended questions, and set a definite next step (e.g. a day and time for a follow-up call, or setting up a home visit or next tour with the loved one).  
  6. Failing to remind the prospect about the tour/appointment. No-shows happen, but calling the prospect the night before to remind them of the tour can prevent many of them.  
  7. Skipping the post-tour follow-up call. Use this as an opportunity to thank the prospect for touring and recap the next action step. 

What is your senior living community’s prospect experience like? Grow Your Occupancy offers phone and in-person mystery shops, skills assessments, and SWOT analysis, all performed by highly skilled and knowledgeable senior living sales experts, to help you grow and maintain your occupancy. Find out more about Grow Your Occupancy: book your free 30-minute consultation today. 

The Importance of Gathering Senior Living Reviews Throughout the Resident Journey

Most senior living operators ask for reviews from their residents. What so many fail to do is to ask for reviews from prospects and their families at various stages during their journey. The sales and marketing benefits of asking for reviews starting at the inquiry stages all the way through to the resident stage are many. Read on to learn more!

Why senior living reviews are so important in sales and marketing

Choosing a senior living community is a very emotional decision filled with doubts, fears, and concerns. Online reviews provide seniors and their loved ones with affirmation that others have been in their place before them and have come out of the process for the better.

Online senior living reviews provide a sizable portion of your prospective residents and their families with a comprehensive and up-to-date picture of your community. The numbers are there to back that up:

  • The 2021 PowerReviews Ever-Growing Power of Reviews report found that more than 99.9% of consumers read reviews when shopping online at least sometimes, and 98% of consumers feel that reviews are an essential source when making purchase decisions.
  • Reviewtrackers found in their 2022 report that consumers are checking reviews predominately on Google (63.6%) and Yelp (45.18%).

With that many consumers doing their homework on those platforms, it’s hard to ignore the importance of reviews to your senior living communities.

Brightlocal’s 2022 survey found that when deciding which business to choose, the 3 most important review factors are the overall average star rating, how recent the latest reviews are, and the total number of reviews. The same survey found that 3.3 stars is the minimum average rating customers accept. The takeaways here are:

  • A less than perfect star rating isn’t necessarily a turnoff for your prospects;
  • Recent reviews are very important to prospects; and
  • The number of reviews is also a critical deciding factor.

Tips for getting more – and better – senior living reviews

According to Brightlocal’s 2024 data, 69% of consumers who were asked to leave a review did so, and 45% did it at least half the time. The same Brightlocal data found that the most effective ways of asking for a review are:

  • In an email (32%)
  • In person during the sale/experience (28%)
  • Through social media (27%)
  • In a text message (26%)
  • On a receipt or invoice (25%)

As we mentioned earlier, the opportunities to get reviews of your senior living community extend beyond the moved in stage. Here are other effective times to ask for them:

  • After tours: This time is so effective because your community’s first impression is still fresh in the prospect’s mind. They’re likely to mention key aspects in the review, including cleanliness, friendliness of the staff, overall ambiance, and the initial impressions about the residents.
  • During the move-in process: Downsizing and moving are among the top stages that prospects and their families are worried about when making the senior living decision. Reviews at this time can help to capture the positive experiences during the transition and initial adjustment period.
  • Ongoing: There’s a tendency to think that “one and done” is all you need when it comes to senior living resident reviews, but regularly requesting updates from residents and their families can help to build the number of reviews and keep your reviews recent. Suggest to your prospects, residents, and their loved ones a focus on daily living, activities, care quality, and community engagement for inspiration.

If you find that the number of reviews is lagging, a strategy of incentives and encouragement can turn that trend around. Offering small incentives like gift cards and branded community swag are great ways to encourage participation. Encouragement by the executive director and even from corporate leadership to participate in leaving a review can also have a positive impact.

Don’t forget reputation management: a key component of a strong reviews strategy

Negative reviews are inevitable, so understanding how to effectively respond to them is important to maintaining your overall online reputation. Google itself offers businesses some valuable guidance for responding to reviews: “You can reply to reviews, which can help build customer trust.” “When you reply to reviews, …reviewers will get a notification when you reply to their review. After they have a chance to read your reply, they can update their review.” And if a review is inappropriate, Google even offers a process to request its removal.

Ready to generate more senior living reviews as part of a complete sales and marketing strategy? Grow Your Occupancy provides the sales coaching, accountability coaching, and sales-skill coaching essential to establish, implement, and maintain your occupancy growth strategy. Find out more about Grow Your Occupancy: book your free 30-minute consultation today.

Attracting Quality Leads: 10 Tips for Senior Living Communities 

For senior living communities, maintaining a steady flow of high-quality leads is crucial for ensuring stable occupancy rates and achieving long-term success. However, many communities face challenges in attracting quality leads in the first place. Without a solid strategy to attract quality leads, maintaining a flow of leads that convert into residents is a challenge. Below, we explore effective strategies to attract quality leads to your senior living community. 

The importance of lead quality 

Lead quality directly influences conversion rates. High-quality leads are those that are most likely to convert into residents, meaning they are a good match for the community’s services, amenities, and levels of care offered, and are financially qualified. Focusing on the characteristics of a quality senior living lead ensures that marketing efforts and resources are not wasted on leads that are unlikely to convert, thereby increasing efficiency and effectiveness. 

10 strategies to attract quality senior living leads 

Below are 8 strategies that can help you to attract the leads most likely to convert to move-ins to your senior living community. 

#1: Improve lead targeting with advanced data analytics  

Utilize data analytics to refine your targeting strategies. Analyzing data from past interactions and engagements can help identify patterns and characteristics of leads that convert. By understanding these traits, communities can tailor their marketing efforts to attract similar prospects. 

#2: Leverage content marketing  

Develop informative and engaging content that addresses the specific needs and interests of your target audience. Educational blog posts, live virtual events, and downloadable guides on topics such as how to pay for senior living and how to choose the right community can attract more qualified leads. 

#3: Optimize your website for online searches  

Enhance your online presence by analyzing your website’s search engine optimization (SEO). A poorly designed website can mean that Google is less likely to place it high in a prospect’s search engine results page (SERP). Key things to look for are effective use of keywords and meta descriptions, and a website that is optimized for mobile platforms.   

#4: Embrace social media 

Today, seniors are willing and enthusiastic participants in social media. Engaging potential residents through social media platforms is therefore a winning tactic. Post content that shows off all of the great amenities and services your community offers. Be sure to include lots of pictures and videos of residents enjoying their day.  

#5: Utilize paid digital ads 

Paid advertising should be strategically used to target the specific demographics of potential residents, such as adults looking for living arrangements for their aging parents. Options for paid digital advertising range from affordable boosted posts on Facebook up through Google ads at the high end. 

#6: Maximize the tools in your customer relationship management (CRM) software  

Your senior living CRM is a powerful tool for not only nurturing your prospects but for analyzing what has worked and not worked in attracting quality leads. Most CRMs offer some form of lead source analysis that can point you toward the information you need to make informed decisions about how best to spend your sales and marketing time and money.  

#7: Focus on referral programs  

Existing residents and their families often provide high-quality leads, so creating a referral program is a no-brainer. Offering incentives for referrals can motivate more residents to recommend your community. Additionally, partnerships with healthcare providers and local businesses can also be a source of high-quality leads. Lastly, don’t forget about your staff, who can be an equally valuable referral source. 

#8: Host community events  

Organize events within your senior living community that invite potential residents to experience the lifestyle your community offers firsthand. These events should be well-planned and target the interests of your desired residents’ personas to attract individuals who are a good fit for your community. 

#9: Continuous training for sales teams  

Continuous sales skills training is imperative for ongoing occupancy success. Regularly train your sales teams on your processes and procedures for converting leads into residents. This includes training and role-playing on interpersonal communication, building rapport, handling objections, and effectively matching the benefits of your community with their needs and wants. 

#10: Monitor and adjust lead generation strategies regularly  

Continuously evaluate the effectiveness of your lead generation strategies. Regular assessment and adjustments based on performance data will help you fine-tune your approaches to maximize lead quality. 

Conclusion 

Lead generation is not just about generating more leads but about attracting the right leads that are more likely to convert into residents. By implementing targeted marketing strategies, utilizing advanced analytics, optimizing digital tactics, and fostering strong community relationships, senior living communities can significantly improve their lead quality. 

Learn more   

Looking for more ways to attract high-quality leads and drive strong occupancy growth at your senior living community? Grow Your Occupancy is here to help with sales coaching and training for your team, hiring and onboarding support, optimizing your sales funnel (Occupancy Funnel,) and more. Reach out to us today at [email protected] and let’s take your senior living sales to the next level.  

How to Tackle the Lost Lead Challenge in Senior Living Sales 

In the competitive landscape of senior living sales, the challenge of lost leads stands as a significant hurdle toward achieving target occupancy rates. The time and money spent to attract and nurture a lead is simply too high to let leads slip away. When you add up all the expenses involved, from advertising, marketing automation, maintaining a website, and your sales and marketing team, you begin to get a sense of the value attached to a senior living lead. In a 2018 article by Rick Whittington in McKnights Senior Living, it was noted that “the average cost per lead/lease for senior care marketers was $431.”  It is now significantly higher. This is not counting on potential lost rent and care revenue.

Understanding the senior living lost-lead challenge 

A lead that is not promptly and effectively engaged can be quickly lost to a competitor or choosing to stay at home with the help of home care. When you consider that the industry average inquiry to move-in rate is anywhere between 5-20%, you begin to see the great opportunity in capturing leads through meticulous – and fast – attention to digital inquiries, phone calls, and walk-ins. 

Capturing digital leads 

Digital marketing represents the biggest piece of the lead generation pie. Implementing a robust marketing and sales strategy that ensures every digital inquiry receives a prompt response is critical. This includes optimizing your website for lead capture* (including web forms, live chat, and chatbots), using marketing automation, and maximizing your CRM’s features to engage potential residents or their families directly. 

Engaging phone inquiries and walk-ins 

For phone inquiries and walk-ins at the community level, the focus is on always being guest-ready to create a positive first impression, and ensuring that every interaction leads to a next action step. Training your community sales staff – including your sales director, executive director, and back-up team – to handle inquiries effectively is key. Establishing and continually training that backup team on how to handle phone inquiries and walk-ins will ensure that someone is always available to engage with prospects when the sales director is unavailable. 

Implementing a systematic follow-up strategy 

A systematic follow-up strategy is crucial for engaging database prospects still in the pipeline. A structured follow-up strategy to keep you top-of-mind to your potential residents includes a mix of  one-extras, personalized calls, emails, videos, home visits, and invitations to tour or otherwise engage with your community. 

Leveraging marketing and sales technology for greater efficiency 

Technology plays a pivotal role in managing and nurturing senior living leads. A sales and marketing tech ecosystem today includes your CRM, marketing automation platform, and an assortment of other specialized platforms. They should be working in harmony to nurture your leads, track interactions, schedule follow-ups, and analyze your lead sources for better lead management. 

Training and leading sales teams 

At the heart of addressing the lost-lead challenge is a competent and motivated sales team. The first part involves ongoing training that focuses on relationship-building skills, effective communication, and resilience in the face of rejection. The second part is a strong and effective leadership team that encompasses an executive director that supports sales, a regional director that provides training, direction, guidance, and accountability, and corporate-level leadership that creates and supports a sales-focused culture from the top down. 

Conclusion 

Tackling the lost-lead challenge in senior living sales demands a multifaceted approach, combining effective lead capture, strategic follow-up, leveraging technology, training, and leadership. By putting all these pieces to work, senior living communities can enhance their sales performance, thereby improving occupancy rates and ensuring a thriving community. Through diligent application of these strategies, the challenge of lost leads can be transformed into an opportunity for growth and success. 

Learn more  

Looking for more ways to solve the lost lead challenge and drive strong occupancy growth? Grow Your Occupancy is here to help with sales coaching and training for your team, hiring and onboarding support, optimizing your sales funnel (Occupancy Funnel,) and more. Reach out to us today at [email protected] and let’s take your senior living sales to the next level.  

*Ask about our Occupancy Funnel lead engagement system. 

5 Things You Can Do Now to GROW Leads

It’s easy to be complacent about attracting new senior living leads when your CRM database is full, but that’s the time to work hardest to keep your sales funnel full.

We all want more leads, but for most, this means more leads who will move NOW.  Keep in mind, there are multiple ways to grow your lead base.  Growing leads is a function of both marketing and sales efforts. 

If you find your CRM database getting thin and there aren’t enough leads to sustain the level of sales activity to result in your occupancy goals, read on!

5 things you can do now to GROW leads

 

#1: Maximize your digital strategy.

Digital channels are the primary source of senior living leads. The goal of your digital strategy is to drive people to your website, where you can educate them on your community and convert them from a visitor to a lead. We accomplish this by getting in front of them organically and through paid campaigns.

We want website visitors to stay a while, to visit multiple pages, and interact with the website, either by watching a video, downloading a piece of marketing material, or taking an action like scheduling a tour or connecting with the sales team. (We used to want visitors on and off our websites quickly. These were the days when our websites were little more than informational pages with a contact phone number. Times have changed!) 

#2: Capture your website visitors.

A lead capture system is key to converting a website visitor to a lead. Your website should be rich in lead engagement tools such as web forms. As mentioned in the previous item, we want them to take an action like downloading a piece of marketing material, scheduling a tour or connecting with the sales team. To do so, they should have to fill out their name and contact information. Those details are captured and added to your CRM, where they become a lead.

#3: Drive traffic by hosting events.

Prospective residents and their families want to know what it’s like to live in your community. The prospects who aren’t ready to move need to experience more of your community. Invite them in to meet the staff and residents, enjoy lunch or dinner, engage in an art project, join in on a sports, music, movie, or happy hour event, or take an exercise class.

Differentiate yourself by offering robust ways for prospects to engage. Events don’t need to be big, expensive parties. In fact, results show that smaller group events have greater impact. The benefits are lower cost, less preparation, and greater opportunities to engage with the prospects.

#4: Increase referrals from residents, families, staff, professionals, and community presence.

Consistency is key to keep referral traffic strong. The number of leads may be less than other sources but the conversion rate is much higher, so it’s worth the effort made in these areas.

Audit your friends/family/resident referral program. How is it communicated? By what channels? How often? You can’t mention it once, print a flyer and expect everyone to know you want (and need) referrals. Send a reminder about it in the monthly billing. Acknowledge a referral with a thank you message in your monthly newsletter. Post it to social media. Mention the program and recognize those who refer at monthly resident council meetings, during mealtimes, and on community bulletin boards.

#5: Keep the pipeline WARM – Finally, nurture the leads in your database.

A common error is only working “hot” leads, those who will move NOW, and ignoring the rest. As a result, the database is heavy in cold leads. Cold leads tend to be ignored because we don’t know what to do to keep prospects who aren’t ready yet engaged in the process.

Once the handful of “hots” move in, we look for more new leads and comb through them looking for more hot ones. This is a vicious cycle that will never grow occupancy, because only a third of those who move into a community do so within the first month of initial search. Maximize your sales by keeping more of your leads warm. Keeping the sales pipeline from being heavy in cold leads is an important component of growing leads.

Remember the days when lines would form for holiday shopping deals? Those first in line often got there the night before, camping out to be first in the door to get the best deal. Visualize the sales pipeline in a similar way. Everyone in line is a customer, not just those first five or ten. You want a long line – customers who are still standing there after the first bunch buy what they want. Those farther back are cooler, they won’t be coming into your store right away and may not buy something when they do, but you want them in line.

Ways to keep pipeline warm include:

  • Confirming a next step that makes sense to them based on where they are in their decision process.
  • Being strong and consistent in your follow through
  • Engage them through events and home visits.
  • Utilize marketing automation to keep them interested and your community top of mind
  • Post social media stories about what your residents are doing and what life is like living in your community.

Conclusion

Keeping your CRM database full of viable leads takes work, but it is achievable with the strategies we shared above. It’s truly a case of working smarter, not harder, and being methodical and disciplined.

Learn more

Looking for more ways to keep your senior living community full and thriving year-round? Grow Your Occupancy is here to help with sales coaching and training for your team, hiring and onboarding support, optimizing your sales funnel, and more. Reach out to us today at [email protected] and let’s take your senior living sales to the next level.

5 Habits of a Highly Successful Senior Living Sales Director

January is a time of “new.” New year’s resolutions, new commitments, new goals. While looking at how to enhance our life is a positive, what tends to happen is an overcommitment; a complete overhaul of behaviors or setting the goal out of reach. It leads to frustration and failure. In fact, over 90% of “new year’s resolutions” are forgotten by the end of January.  

To be successful in senior living sales, one must commit to focusing on income-producing activities. Evaluate how your time is currently spent. Be honest. How much of the day is spent talking with customers? 

Some statistics say that only two hours a day are spent on revenue-generating activity. This needs to shift. Maximize your time. Spend it with your leads.  

Sounds simple, right? It is simple, but it’s not easy. 

Most people have a tendency to procrastinate. There are many ways to get distracted away from sales, especially at a senior living community. If your goal is to achieve better outcomes (more sales = move-ins), commit to one of these habits at a time, until mastery of all is part of your daily schedule.  

Five (simple) habits of highly successful senior living sales professionals

#1: Pick up the phone. The phone is your friend. Remember, you are not “bugging” your customers.They reached out to you. They “raised their hand” for help. It’s our job to reach out to them, not theirs to reattempt to reach us. Even in this virtual world, our customers need to speak with us.

#2: Respond immediately to all new leads and continue attempting daily to connect for at least 5 days. Sprinkle in texts and emails, but remember, the connection is the next step in the process. These are warm leads, not cold calls. They reached out to you for help. Here is where your sense of urgency comes into play. You have a problem? It’s my priority! Waiting several days before attempting a phone call is a recipe for failure.

#3: Keep your CRM current. “I did it but it’s not in the CRM” is an excuse. Data entry may not be your favorite thing to do, but it is a vital part of sales. Your CRM is your business management tool. Treat it as such.

Past dues mean broken promises.  Prioritize your day for your CRM and lead follow-up. Don’t overschedule your day  and never go past due.

#4: Utilize the “Power Hour” strategy. Hang a sign on your door that you are unavailable and on important calls. Engage your A-Team to provide back-up for you while you are focused on your CRM. Do not allow interruptions. Redirect residents. If you have a lock, lock your door.  

Vary your call-out times to evenings and weekends to allow for ample opportunity to connect with customers. Ask your executive director is you can adjust your schedule to come in later on the day(s) you stay late to make calls. Track progress. You’ll be impressed with how much is accomplished during non-interrupted “Power Hour” time. 

#5: Prioritize your time. Revenue generation is your responsibility. Delegate tasks that are not income producing activities. Examples include putting together brochures, making copies, running errands, decorating, etc. Ask to be excluded from meetings that do not require sales director input.

And finally, 

#5 ½: Stop relying on email communication as your primary communication source. Emails are the LEAST effective form of communicating with leads. In fact, they provide a false sense of security that connection is occurring. There is zero correlation between the number of emails and number of sales. Emails are the least productive, but often the #1 sales activity. Pull a T12 sales activity report. What percentage of time is spent sending email? One resolution may be to reduce this percentage by 50%. Phone calls and text messages should always be the primary focus with emails offering secondary communication.

Learn more

Looking for more ways to keep your senior living community full and thriving year-round? Grow Your Occupancy is here to help with sales coaching and training for your team, hiring and onboarding support, optimizing your sales funnel, and more. Reach out to us today at [email protected] and let’s take your senior living sales to the next level.

7 Ways to Keep Senior Living Sales and Marketing Outreach Warm During the Holiday Season

As the holiday season twinkles on the horizon, it’s the perfect time to add some extra sparkle to your senior living community’s sales and marketing outreach efforts. Here are seven of our favorite ways to help you not only light up your occupancy rates but also bring joy and warmth to your community. Let’s unwrap these festive ideas together!

1. Unleash the magic of social media: Host a holiday contest

Get ready to sprinkle some digital cheer and show off your community’s holiday spirit online! Organize a holiday-themed contest, such as a competition for the best-decorated tree or the most creatively designed, scrumptious-looking holiday cookies. 

Encourage local professionals, family members, residents, and staff to post their entries on social media, tagging your community. For a first prize, offer something that’ll have them jingling all the way like a gourmet dinner or a festive holiday gift basket. Set a specific week, like the second week of December, for the contest. This digital festivity spreads holiday cheer far and wide and showcases the creativity, closeness and vibrant life at your community. 

2. Support a good cause: Host a heartwarming holiday drive

Imagine your community as Santa’s workshop—a place of giving, where kindness is the currency. Host a food drive, winter coat drive or Toys for Tots initiative, and watch as generosity fills the air. 

Transform a part of your community into a holiday photo booth, complete with twinkling lights and festive décor, where donors can capture their good deeds.  

This isn’t just about collecting donations; it’s an opportunity to showcase the warmth and welcoming nature of your community. It’s a fantastic way to get people through the doors and let them experience the holiday spirit that permeates your community.

3. Promote fellowship: Invite prospects for a holiday meal

The holidays can be a lonely time for many older adults. Extend an invitation to prospects, especially those who might be spending the holidays away from family, to share the camaraderie of a special holiday meal at your community. 

This gesture is not only an act of heartfelt kindness, but also a chance for them to experience firsthand the caring, family-like atmosphere your community offers. As you showcase the welcoming spirit, the sense of belonging and the nurturing environment that awaits potential residents, you give them a chance to taste the lifestyle, quite literally! An experience like this could be the deciding factor for those considering joining your community.

4. Deck the halls with creativity: Resident wreath and door decorating contests

Foster a festive atmosphere and let the creative spirits soar with a holiday wreath and resident door decorating contest. Invite everyone – residents, staff, local professionals and community members– to participate. 

Keep the excitement buzzing by running the contest for about 10 days or so and set up a voting system for the best decorations in various categories. Invite the public to vote, bringing in potential prospects. 

This event isn’t just about decoration; it’s about weaving a tapestry of community involvement and holiday spirit among residents, staff, and visitors. It’s a fun way to display the vibrancy and creativity of your community, making it attractive to potential new residents.

5. Spread joy beyond your doors: Reach out to homebound prospects

In the spirit of the season, why not extend your reach beyond your community? Reach out to your network of referrers, find out who’s homebound during the holidays and play Santa by preparing and delivering festive meals to folks who might be spending the holidays alone. It’s a gesture that says, “We care, no matter where,” and it’s a wonderful way to strengthen bonds with referrers while demonstrating your caring commitment to the broader community. 

6. Sweeten the holiday season with a community tour of lights and cookie deliveries

Another tasty way to spread the holiday cheer beyond your senior living community is by pairing a Festive Holiday Lights tour with cookie deliveries. 

First, gather residents and family members for a fun day of baking and packaging Christmas cookies. Then, embark on a tour of the local area in the community van to admire the dazzling holiday lights. Along the way, stop in at the fire department, city hall, and local businesses to share the homemade cookies. 

This delightful combination of sightseeing and spreading joy not only entertains residents but also strengthens community bonds, and shares the caring spirit of your senior living residence. 

7. Warm hearts with a holiday card party

Create a cozy gathering where residents, staff, and their families come together to sign and mail holiday cards donated by your referral partners. Everyone, from the youngest to the oldest, can add their personal touch with a warm message, while sharing Christmas treats. 

These cards filled with joy and good wishes will travel near and far, reaching service members overseas or brightening the day of local homebound seniors. It’s a simple yet beautiful way to weave together the threads of community, kindness and holiday warmth.

7½: Shine a light on isolation with insightful content

As a bonus, complement your holiday outreach with engaging content about the impacts of isolation, particularly during the holiday season. Share articles or videos that discuss the benefits of living in community, tailored for the holiday context. This will present your community as not just a place to live, but a place to thrive, especially in the challenging winter months.

Learn more

Looking for more ways to keep your senior living community full and thriving year-round? Grow Your Occupancy is here to help with sales coaching and training for your team, hiring and onboarding support, optimizing your sales funnel, and more. Reach out to us today at [email protected] and let’s take your senior living sales to the next level!

Navigating Rent Increases 

It’s that time of year again. Around mid-October, fear and despair come creeping in, sending shivers down the spine! 

It’s budget meetings season!  

A time when we must address the rising cost of doing business and – GASP! – rent increases!    

We’ve all been there. We don’t need to live in fear of raising our rates. Reverse your thinking: rent increases are a way to show how proud you are of your community, the quality of staff and the quality of services provided. 

Understand your market 

Raising rents starts with a thorough competitive analysis. Understanding your market and the competing offerings are key to a strong Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) analysis. SWOTs allow you to capitalize on your strengths, know where your rates land and find your special place in the market.  

Share the competitive analysis with your leadership team and involve them in the SWOT process. This provides them the opportunity to look “ON” the business, to analyze facts, not react to feelings. It also allows them to see the value in your community through the scope of multiple departments. Team members need to see and believe in the community’s value to help ‘sell’ the increase to residents.   

Help your residents to see the value 

The perceived value of the community will ultimately translate into the value your prospects and residents perceive, but they have to FEEL and SEE the value. We cannot sell what we don’t believe. 

Prospects choose a community based on many factors, not solely on price. They choose based on their value. This generation of residents are aware of inflation and rising costs, so most of them will be willing to pay an increased rate if they perceive value. 

Communication softens the shock 

Communication, as always, is key to navigating rent increases. Communicate early, often, and via multiple channels. A personal phone call or visit from the executive director can go a long way in terms of developing a relationship and building rapport and trust.  

The psychology of pricing 

We read left to right, which makes the .99 cent theory something to pay attention to when increasing rates. Reading that your new rent is now $4,999 instead of $5,001 is somehow easier to swallow. Although it’s only a $2.00 difference, our brains think, “Oh good, it’s still $4,000!”, not, “My rent is now $5,000!” 

Spread out the increase if possible 

Split up the increase over the course of the year if possible. A 6% increase on January 1st and a 6% increase on April 1st is easier to swallow than a 12% increase on January 1st. 

No surprises 

No one loves a surprise, so set the yearly rent increase expectation at move-in. Explain that the amount is unknown and is based on the economy. Be transparent and upfront and you won’t have surprised residents and family members. 

Cover all the revenue bases 

Ensure that all revenue is captured: care revenue, rent, and ancillary services. Quarterly care level reviews are imperative to be sure that levels of care and staffing are in alignment. 

Don’t give away revenue by giving move-in concessions. Collect the community fees. Be proud of your product (after all, you now have a thorough competitive analysis to back you up). Most residents would rather not be given a concession than receive a 12% rent increase because the community gave so many concessions throughout the year. 

Respect your current residents 

Ensure your current residents’ raised rates are lower than the new market rates. If that’s not the case, review your costs and margin goals and adjust your market rate accordingly. 

We’re here to help 

Wondering if your community should roll out a large rent increase? Wondering where you truly sit in the market? Reach out to the Grow Your Occupancy team at [email protected] – we’re here to help with competitive analysis and SWOTs. 

5 Steps to Warm Up Cold Senior Living Leads

How many times have you looked in your CRM and noticed the cold lead numbers growing? 

Statistically, most senior living sales databases are heavily weighted in COLD leads. If a customer doesn’t move quickly through the funnel, or if they aren’t reached on the first or second call attempt, they often go COLD.

Companies vary on closing out leads. We have known some companies that do not close out cold leads closed until 20 call attempts have been made, or the prospect has passed. Even then, bi-yearly flyers are sent in case they know someone who may be looking. 

It is no wonder some people have a negative opinion of sales in senior living.

Cold leads are diamonds in the rough

It takes a special sales counselor to open this cave of wonders and find the hidden gems! Playing the detective, and combined with a determination and polite persistence, databases can be less “cold heavy.”

Finding out the following from the prospect may get results in warming up a cold lead:

  • What needs do they have that are not being met? 
  • Where are they on the journey? (This one is important. Creating a timeline with moving in at the end is a valuable sales tool.)
  • What is their emotional state? 

Once you can identify where they are, you have to meet them with grace and wisdom.

Meet the family where they are  

The chances of them fitting neatly into your sales cycle are slim. Each family is different and their journey is different. Yes, we see the same common themes, but complacency and making assumptions are the enemies of sales, so do not assume. Instead, ask and learn.

If you can’t go forward, go deeper  

Learn about your customer. On the one hand, delving deep into a cold lead conversation is rewarding. You may make someone’s day. On the other hand, not following through is a broken promise. Continuing to connect builds meaningful trust with the family and elevates you to a trusted advisor who helps them take the next steps forward.  

We all know situations can change on a dime. David Hopkins, Sales & Operations Specialist with Grow Your Occupancy, shares: “I reached out to a cold lead and the situation had changed. Instead of her mother needing care it was her father. The father had continuously covered and made it look like her mother was the one needing help. One bill to collections and the daughter realized what was going on. If we had been able to establish an in-person visit, we would have been able to help divert the disaster that awaited her. Making specific and customized recommendations helps the family know we are listening and become a trusted advisor.”

5 steps to warm up cold senior living leads

  1. Go back to the last notes in your CRM. (If you do not have notes, please call Grow Your Occupancy ASAP! We need to talk!). What was the problem?  Ask yourself why a solution wasn’t found. What is the specific problem they need help with? Start a conversation where you left off with a simple statement of fact: “I understand you started your search a year ago,” or “Your mom went through a long bout with pneumonia a few months ago.”
  2. Brainstorm with your team to determine the best advice to provide your customer. What should the prospect do, decide or think about? Where are they “stuck?” How can you help? It may be something tangible – a service to help the process along. It may be emotional, something they need time to talk through.
  3. Deliver uniquely. Sending another brochure will surely end up in the trash and cause more annoyance than helping. Perhaps send them a custom video sales message by email. Or schedule a senior move specialist or organizer to come to their home and provide 2 hours of “help” sorting their stuff. Often a simple home visit to learn more about your prospect is all they need to build a stronger connection and help them decide, “I want to live at your community.”  
  4. Be consistent. Think polite persistence. They raised their hand, be it a day or a year ago. They asked for help. It’s our job to continue the effort to be of service.
  5. Treat your “cold” leads as “new” leads. Start a brand new cadence of connecting. Do not space attempts weeks and months out. If a prospect has been in the database many months – or years – they are often the ones with the highest need today. Scheduling a call in 6 months does not help anyone in this process.    

Remember, we are experts, and families sometimes need our guidance to avoid the woulda, coulda, and shoulda. 

Ready to take your senior living occupancy growth success to a new level by warming up your cold leads? Grow Your Occupancy provides the sales coaching, accountability, onboarding, playbook, and marketing expertise essential to your senior living sales and marketing success. Learn more about Grow Your Occupancy here. Or book your free 30-minute consultation today.

5 Steps to Get 10 Senior Living Move-Ins in a Month

Converting 10 senior living prospects to move-ins in a month sure sounds like an impossible task! It’s right up there with monthly goals like walking 100 miles, reading 4 books, doing 20 random acts of kindness to strangers, or losing 10 pounds.

With the right mindset and strategy, they’re all achievable goals for most people. Since we are not fitness experts, we will steer clear of advice in those areas. We do have advice on what needs to be in place to accomplish double digit move-ins.

Here are our five tips for senior living sales success.

5 steps senior living salespeople can take to get 10 move-ins in a month

1. Culture

What is one trait that most successful businesses have in common? Culture. It is common in most industries to talk about creating a sales-focused culture, but even in 2023, sales is still perceived as a dirty word in the senior living industry.

It is imperative to remember that in the senior living industry, sales equals helping people.

The biggest complaint I hear from staff in other areas of senior living communities is, “Sales will move ANYONE in,” because they’re worried about staffing ratios and how they’re going to care for those new residents.

Big-picture thinking, though, would realize that more residents equal more revenue, which in turn affords the community the ability to hire more staff at competitive wages. In a sales-focused culture, EVERYONE should want to move in more residents each month.

An excellent sales culture starts with the recruitment process.  Sales is introduced and emphasized at the very first interaction. Recruiting for positive mindset and a “We can do this” culture is the first step to achieving high occupancy.

2. Communication

A common new move-in delay is the assessment process. Common culprits are a lack of communication, lack of urgency, and a weak or non-existent assessment system. A move-in should never be pushed back due to inability to complete the assessment timely.

Every community should have well-documented systems and processes in place for new resident assessments. This process could look different for each community – it’s what works for YOUR team.

Communication between departments is key. Sharing an assessment schedule calendar and communicating between the departments during morning stand-up will prevent the clinical team from being caught off guard. Coordinating with nurses at your sister communities in the area is a great backstop in the event of an absence or other scheduling conflict.

3. Be strategic about your sales and marketing activities

All too often, we see the activity logs in our clients’ CRMs filled with meaningless activities. We’re talking about dropping off flyers and brochures at area businesses that don’t have the clientele to refer to your community; attending networking groups that really don’t have members that overlap with senior living; spending excessive time creating posts for the community’s social media accounts; or ‘just checking in’ calls and emails to prospects without setting a next action step to name a few we’ve seen.

Instead, your strategic marketing plan should map out your path to successfully meeting your monthly move-in goal. What should be in your plan?

  • Tap into your CRM database to uncover prospects that are “low hanging fruit” prime for a follow-up call. Pull the Post-Tour Prospects T90 days – these are the prospects who have experienced your community, have been considering this for some time, and have had multiple contacts.  This is your “low hanging fruit” – not the “new leads” who we think will move quickly. We could stop here, because this is a sure-fire way to get to 10 move-ins a month.
  • Utilize your CRM to the fullest. We’re talking about logging all activity, recording calls, taking detailed notes, always scheduling next steps, and following the discovery path to truly get to know prospects and their needs.
  • Nurture relationships with the professional referral sources in your area most likely to refer prospective residents. Geriatric care specialists, case workers and discharge planners at hospitals and skilled nursing facilities, elder law attorneys, financial planners, and clergy have tremendous influence with seniors and their loved ones. Forming and maintaining valued relationships with them will pay off in the long run.

4. Believe in your product – and your team

A sales team member who does not believe in the community is a liability. Apathy about or a lack of confidence in the community shows during discovery and tours. We talked earlier about the importance of the sales culture, but the community’s culture of caring for its residents is equally – if not more – important for the entire team to buy into. Rely on regional and corporate team members to assist with any obstacles that are in your (or a teammate’s) way of believing in your community.

If YOU don’t believe you can move in 10 residents a month, then it will never happen.

5. Tour and inquiry training  

There is such a thing as a bad tour. A bad tour can drive a hot prospect to your competitor’s door in no time flat. As a sales director, it’s imperative to continually train all staff members (yes, ALL staff members) in the community on etiquette when they encounter a tour. Staff meetings are the perfect time to grab a few staff members and have them shadow you on a mock tour. Have a tour tip sheet available for all team members: a grab and go tool that maps out the tour and prompts answers to common prospect questions they may be asked.

As a sales director, unless you want to work 24/7 (you probably already feel like you do) you need a back up team. Work with your executive director to establish a backup team who can handle inquiry calls in your absence.

Train the backup team in your procedure for handling inquiry calls. Practice with them often.  

Converting 10 prospects to move-ins in a month is not impossible. It takes confidence that it can happen, a positive mindset, sticking to a winning strategy, and the entire community team’s involvement. You need to have a plan and a process, communicate often, work through challenges, strategically plan time in the highest impact areas, and identify any gaps in your processes and address them before they become larger problems.

Ready to take your senior living sales success to a new level by empowering your sales leaders to achieve their goals? Grow Your Occupancy provides the sales coaching, accountability coaching, and sales-skill coaching essential to fill that important role. Learn more about Grow Your Occupancy’s sales coaching and training here. Or book your free 30-minute consultation today.

Optimizing the Three Phases of the Senior Living Sales Cycle for Occupancy Growth Success

In the increasingly competitive senior living industry, guiding leads to, and through, the sales cycle is essential for occupancy growth success. This article explores the three crucial phases prospects take in senior living sales cycle:

  • Finding the funnel through digital marketing
  • Stepping into the funnel with lead engagement and conversion tools
  • Moving through the funnel by nurturing prospects through the sales process

By optimizing each phase of the sales cycle, senior living providers can improve the prospect experience, increase conversions, and ultimately grow their occupancy. 

Let’s dive into these three phases and discover key techniques for achieving sales excellence in senior living.

Find the Funnel – Digital Marketing 

Senior living providers must embrace digital marketing strategies to capture the attention of potential customers. It is essential to have a strong online presence if you want your prospects to find your senior living community. This includes creating a user-friendly and informative website, optimizing search engine visibility, and maintaining an active presence on social media platforms.

Senior living providers can leverage digital marketing tools such as search engine optimization (SEO) to ensure their website ranks highly in search engine results. This helps attract organic traffic and increases the chances of potential customers finding the funnel. 

Additionally, targeted online advertising campaigns and content marketing can effectively generate leads by promoting relevant and engaging content to prospective residents and their families. This is commonly knows as pay per click or search engine marketing.

Step into the Funnel – Lead Engagement and Conversion Tools 

Once potential customers enter the funnel (find your website,) it’s crucial to engage and nurture them effectively. Lead engagement and conversion tools play a vital role in this phase. Interactive chatbots, surveys, tour schedulers, and downloadable content are valuable tools for capturing leads.

Chatbots provide instant responses and personalized assistance, helping potential residents navigate their options and address specific concerns. Some can also schedule tours and appointments, ensuring a seamless customer experience. 

Surveys help gather feedback and better understand the needs and preferences of prospective residents, enabling sales teams to tailor their approach accordingly.

Downloadable content, such as e-books and guides, serves as a valuable resource for educating potential customers about senior living options, care services, and amenities. By providing informative and helpful content, senior living providers can build trust and establish themselves as industry experts.

Offering a variety of engagement tools allows customers to engage at every stage of the funnel – matching their journey.  If a website visitor does not want to speak with someone but downloads content, they are put in nurturing campaigns until they are ready to move to the next step.  

Move Through the Funnel – Nurturing Prospects Toward Moving in 

In the final phase, senior living providers must focus on advising customers throughout the sales process. This involves the critical role of the community sales director, delivering an exceptional prospect experience, and ensuring follow-up and follow-through.

A skilled sales director is the linchpin of a successful sales process. They possess in-depth knowledge about the community, care services, and amenities, allowing them to offer personalized guidance and recommendations. 

A strong sales director builds rapport with potential residents and their families, answering questions, addressing concerns, and demonstrating empathy throughout the decision-making journey.

Creating a positive prospect experience is paramount in senior living sales. Promptly responding to inquiries (speed to the lead), providing valuable information, and offering personalized tours can significantly influence the decision-making process. Going the extra mile by arranging meetings with current residents or organizing special events showcases the community’s vibrancy and helps potential customers envision themselves as part of the senior living community.

Lastly, diligent follow-up and follow-through are essential for closing sales and ensuring future customer satisfaction. Maintaining regular communication with prospects, providing timely information, and addressing any remaining concerns demonstrates commitment and professionalism. Customer relationship management (CRM) tools can help sales teams stay organized, track interactions, and streamline the sales process.

Mastering the senior living sales cycle requires a strategic approach that encompasses finding the funnel through digital marketing, engaging leads with conversion tools, and providing exceptional guidance throughout the sales process. By optimizing each phase, senior living providers can enhance their sales strategies, improve customer experiences, and increase conversions. 

Embracing digital marketing, leveraging lead engagement and conversion tools, and focusing on delivering personalized advice and excellent customer service are key to success in the senior living industry. With a strategic approach to the three phases of the sales cycle, senior living providers can improve their sales outcomes and grow their occupancy.

Want to learn more, or need help implementing these strategies? Book a 20-minute Occupancy Coach discovery call today. Gain clear direction on your sales and marketing approach and grow your occupancy!