What Percent of Time Does Your Senior Living Sales Person Spend Selling?

How much real time is your senior living sale person spending in nonrevenue generating activities? The operations team should consistently do all nonrevenue generating activities, so the sales person can just focus on selling – right?  Yet sales people can get caught up wanting to be accepted by coworkers, so they start contributing part of their precious sales day to the operations team.  Suddenly the sales person may be helping at a resident event or going to visit new residents to make sure they are adjusting to life in the community.   Sales people tend to be the best event organizers, so it is also a very frequent practice in retirement communities to have them organize the annual resident picnic.  FYI – the resident picnic should really be the focus of activity director.

Any salesperson can slowly evolve into participating in nonrevenue activities in any healthy organization. Even great executive directors, might not notice two hours here and a three hour project there. A retirement community may literally need an outside consultant or regional marketer to evaluate – how much time the sales person spends not selling.  The administrator may have just needed help with one certain project that turned into more time wasters, because the sales person was so efficient at completing his or her requests.  Then when the occupancy drops another 5% and corporate is breathing down the administrator’s neck to find out why – the administrators could be unknowingly sabotaging the occupancy themselves.

Many administrators don’t even realize how his or her salesperson is utilizing their time. I actually found out that one of my regional sales team members was vacuuming and cleaning apartments before move-ins.  The operations team could not keep up with preparing apartments for new residents.  The sales person did not want the residents moving into dirty apartments, so he stayed late at night to clean them, rather than be a burden to operations.  Are you kidding me??!!?  I met with the administrator immediately and said, “This is a great problem to have with all these move-ins!  Let’s solve it and help our sales person get back to selling.”  The administrator agreed and we hired an outside agency to clean and prep the apartments of the next five move-ins (happening that week).  The sales person was thrilled to get back to selling and the operations team got caught up.  Yahoo and problem solved.

My first rule of thumb is: The sales person does all the activities that help people move into the community – period. Once someone is living in the community, the sales person needs to direct the new resident to the appropriate person on the operations team.  I believe that some sales people are so excited about their new resident that they would rather spend time talking with them, than getting on the phone to do follow calls.  Doesn’t everyone want acceptance in person rather than possible rejection on the phone?

My second rule of thumb is:  If a resident stops by to talk with the sales person, give them two minutes. Then the sales person should nicely let the resident know that they have a phone call to make or a meeting to attend.  Residents will get the picture after a sales person gives them the two minutes rule… two or three times.

What is happening in your organization?  Watch your occupancy start to skyrocket again, if the sales people are spending all their time on selling activities.

Diane Twohy Masson is the author of “Senior Housing Marketing – How to Increase Your Occupancy and Stay Full,” available for sale at Amazon.com.  If you need an energetic, creative and analytical mind to help increase your occupancy inquire on Diane’s availability to coach your senior living marketing team (CCRC, independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing or memory care) or have her develop an effective sales retreat for your organization – call: 206-853-6655 or email diane@marketing2seniors.net.  For more information: Twitter: @market2seniors Web: www.marketing2seniors.net Blog: http://marketing2seniors.net/blog/

Learn 3 Keys how a Senior Living Community Achieved 98.4% Occupancy!

Are you looking for the secrets to occupancy success?  How can you fill up your retirement community now?  Maybe you work at a stand-alone assisted living, CCRC or independent living community?

Here are three keys being utilized by a 98.4% occupied assisted living community sales person!

1) Referrals Through Outreach – The assisted living sales person built relationships with hospital discharge planners, skilled nursing/rehab social workers and other assisted livings that provided lighter care.   The relationships were built by meeting each of these people monthly and offering interesting/fun events for referrals to visit his assisted living on a monthly basis.  When referrals toured his assisted living community they could experience firsthand how happy the residents were and see the quality of the care.

When an assisted living resident was suddenly out-placed to a hospital the resident family members might ask which skilled nursing or rehabilitation center would be the best for the recuperation of the parent.   The community could share knowledgeable communication about the available choices, because they visit them regularly.  When the family member selected a choice for their parent (with the doctor’s input of course and after visiting at least two choices), the sales person would call to their referral choice and let them know what the family selected.  Outreach sources quickly realized the assisted living community cared about their residents even when they weren’t currently residing in the community and now their healthcare referrals have increased 50%.

2) First Impressions – If a guest called ahead, the sale person would walk the possible tour path to pick up an accidentally dropped Kleenex on the floor or straighten up by putting away all the walkers by the front door.  He’d train the front desk staff to be welcoming – by standing up and greeting all guests with a smile and a handshake.  He would have chocolate chip cookies baking right by the front entrance, so it would be the first thing they smelled walking in the building.   There would always be a framed sign on the front desk welcoming the guest by name.  Checking the parking lot for cans and cigarette butts was always on his list too.

3) Orchestrating a Great Tour – When new people wanted to tour the community, he did everything within his power to make sure it would be a great experience. Instead of giving everyone the exact same tour, he would tailor it to the guest’s needs and interests (after he spent some time sitting down with them to find out exactly what prompted the visit and what they hoped to see).   He went out of his way to introduce key staff to the guests, like the dining director, administrator or director of nursing (again it would depend on their needs).  When he showed an apartment, it would be rent ready and appeal to their needs and budget.  Then he would sit down again with them (before they left), to find out if they had any additional questions and to offer to take the deposit check for the apartment they liked the best (He always asked for a deposit).  If they decided not to deposit, he assumed they would, when he made a follow up call the next day.

Congrats to my friend and colleague for 98.4% occupancy.  He was just promoted to a larger community.  It has been my pleasure to coach and mentor him!

Diane Twohy Masson is the author of “Senior Housing Marketing – How to Increase Your Occupancy and Stay Full,” available for sale at Amazon.com.  For volume discount pricing or to inquire on Diane’s availability to coach and/or train your senior living marketing team (CCRC, independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing or memory care) – please call: 206-853-6655 or email diane@marketing2seniors.net.  For more information: Twitter: @market2seniors Web: www.marketing2seniors.net Blog: http://marketing2seniors.net/blog/

Do you discuss T.E.A.M. with your senior living team?

Inspiration can be planned or it can come from out of the blue.  As I was setting up for a pancake breakfast at church, I was encouraging the other volunteers.  Then another volunteer inspired me – Michael said, “We are working as a “T.E.A.M.,” which stands for TOGETHER, EFFORT, ACCOMPLISH, MISSION.”

As we start this New Year with each of our senior living teams, are you going to give an inspirational talk to build a team approach toward filling and marketing your retirement community?  Why don’t you discuss T.E.A.M. (TOGETHER, EFFORT, ACCOMPLISH, MISSION) with them?

TOGETHER – we can support marketing!   It’s all about the first impressions each of us can provide the future resident and their family.  From the receptionist standing to greet every guest with a smile; to every director “accidentally” running into future residents on a tour; to housekeeping/maintenance paying special attention to the front entrance area, community spaces, restrooms and hallways; to a caregiver or staff member greeting guests in the elevator/hallway to say, “We look forward to you choosing to live here!” or “This is a wonderful place to work.” or “I would love to take care of your mom.”

EFFORT – is going the extra mile to be welcoming!  Can every employee smile and greet the customer who passes them in the hallway?  Out of the hundreds of communities that I have toured, only one retirement community in California blew me away when – every single staff person smiled at me during a tour.  A dining room server said, “We would love to spoil your mom.”  This community wide impression of caring and a happy staff was a huge “wow factor” for me.  I would want to visit my mom at this assisted living community any time.  That particular tour experience is forever itched in my “good moments” memory.

ACCOMPLISH – the occupancy goal!   With everyone working together to make residents, future residents, guests and family members feel welcome – it creates an atmosphere of positivity, good energy, compassion, homelike warmth and a feeling that everyone is happy and well cared for.  Does every staff member know the names of all the residents and continually use them?  Residents love this and they are your best referral sources too!  Your senior housing community will fill to the brim.

MISSION – is your retirement community’s purpose come to life!  Do marketers speak about your mission and/or values during a tour?  It can say a lot about your community when any resident will volunteer how much they enjoy living there.  Discuss how your team can live/show your mission, so future residents can see that your team walks the talk.  Differentiate your senior living community from competitors by showing how your unique staff is enhancing the lives of your residents through excellent service and compassionate care.

Showcase your senior living community through the T.E.A.M. approach!  Here is wishing your community 100% occupancy in 2012!

Diane Twohy Masson is the author of “Senior Housing Marketing – How to Increase Your Occupancy and Stay Full,” available for sale at Amazon.com.  For volume discount pricing or to inquire on Diane’s availability to coach and/or train your senior living marketing team (CCRC, independent living, assisted living or memory care) – please call: 206-853-6655 or email diane@marketing2seniors.net.  For more information: Twitter: @market2seniors

Web: www.marketing2seniors.net Blog: http://marketing2seniors.net/blog/

 

New senior housing book can create your 2012 momentum!

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The 12 keys presented in this new book can kick start your success.  Here are some of the results Senior Housing Marketing – How to Increase Your Occupancy and Stay Full produced for retirement communities in 2011:

  • Increased the average occupancy from 82% to 91% of four newly acquired assisted living communities in just four months.
  • Generated 525 deposits and 423 move-ins in 9 months with 386 move-outs (14 communities with a mix of IL, AL and MC).
  • Built momentum by balancing each team’s follow-up phone calls, tours, outreach and events.

Give your marketers a gift that can help them grow occupancy immediately.

Holiday Special available for the first 10 requests: Buy 2 books and receive the 3rd one free.  Shipping and tax included.

Diane Twohy Masson is a seasoned senior living marketing coach with most recent experience as Corporate Director of Sales for 14 retirement communities in Washington, Utah and California.  For the holiday special, volume discount pricing or to inquire on Diane’s availability to coach or train your senior living marketing team – please contact Diane Twohy Masson directly at 206-853-6655 or email diane@marketing2seniors.net.

Senior Housing Marketing – How to Increase Your Occupancy and Stay Full is also available for sale at Amazon.com for $39.95.

For more information:

Web: www.marketing2seniors.net

Blog: http://marketing2seniors.net/blog/

Email: diane@marketing2seniors.net

Twitter: @market2seniors