by Diane Masson | Apr 8, 2012
Here are my results after calling 12 retirement communities in the Mid-West on a Saturday morning at 10:00 AM Central time: The scores were one A+, two B’s, five C’s, one D and three F’s…
I asked everyone the same question, “I am looking for a place for my mom – she lives in your town – how many places are there to choose from and how do you rate?” This was apparently a tough question for many…ratings were graded higher if they answered the telephone, could be clearly understood, answered the questions and asked for my name and telephone number before the conversation ended.
Only four people asked for my phone number, so those unique individuals were awarded a C+ or above for their heroic efforts. Two assisted living communities went straight into voice mail, so they received automatic F’s. The A+ person was an executive director (E.D.) working on a Saturday. The E.D. was outstanding answering all my questions and asked for my name and phone number.
Three communities had workers that mumbled when they answered the telephone (I literally had no idea what they said and had to clarify if I had called the correct number – which of course I had). One of the “mumblers” sounded like a 4 year old answering the phone. I had to clarify three times that they were indeed an assisted living community and then they said no one was available to answer my questions. They never asked for my phone number and I eventually hung up giving them a F- as a score.
The B- score asked for my phone number three times and inquired when I would be in town to visit. But when I asked them how they rated for a third time, they talked about the activities or their medical services (without answering the rating question).
A C- answered the phone with an award winning description. Then they said their boss would be in on Monday to answer more of my questions and never asked for my phone number.
One of the “mumblers” transferred me to the sweetest gal who gave the most sincere and heartfelt description of the community. The nice gal kept going and started giving too much information that I never asked about like the price, rooms were available and the nurse would need to do an assessment first. Overall the community was given a C- because of the heartfelt description.
As you can see, there was a wide variety of scores but overall, the majority of these staff were not trained on how to answer the phone correctly and to ALWAYS request someone’s name and phone number. This same challenge can happen when the Monday thru Friday receptionist takes a break during the week. Could this be why your occupancy is down? There is a simple solution – training!
You may want to check out who is answering the phone at your community on a Saturday…
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 your curiosity is peaked to 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 put on a sales retreat for your organization – please call: 206-853-6655 or email diane@marketing2seniors.net. For more information: Twitter: @market2seniors Web: www.marketing2seniors.net Blog: http://marketing2seniors.net/blog/
by Diane Masson | Apr 1, 2012
When the decision to move to a senior living community is finally made – the seniors tend to be older and frailer. Many providers blame the economy and accept a lower occupancy as a sign of the times. The days of having someone move in off the wait list have disappeared. So it is time to strategize…
Let’s enter the mind of a senior. Many have experienced painful losses in their stock portfolios in recent years. Depending on the area of the country they live, their home is worth much less than the inflated value they recognized as truth in 2007. Many seniors feel they have lost several hundred thousand dollars and can’t afford to move into a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) with an entrance fee. Some silent generation seniors are penny pinching again and think it’s less expensive to live in his or her paid off home. Other seniors are just so attached to their home of 40 or 50 years that they can’t imagine living somewhere else.
Yet as they age, day-to-day living can become more of an effort. Many of the responsibilities of their home have to be hired out – such as gardening, yard work, window and gutter cleaning, possibly housekeeping and painting. Many seniors had a do-it-your-self mindset and become frustrated at the quality of workmanship that hired help provides. Cooking a healthy meal for one or two is just too much work and who wants to wash all those dishes? Maybe the laundry room is located down the basement stairs, they live in a split-level home or stairs have become a struggle.
Now they have arrived at your CCRC or independent living door because a resident friend encouraged them to come and see it or an exciting event intrigued them enough to leave their home. This prospective resident is not going to be sold with one visit. First they have to picture themselves living in your community. The first impressions are everything, so the food, the tour, the model apartment and enjoying some of the lifestyle are all vital. This person may need to come to three events such as: a musical event, a cultural event and an educational event. If possible, they need to experience the events in different parts of your community. Hearing testimonials from vibrant residents or having opportunities to interact with lively residents can be very helpful.
Your on-going monthly phone call to this prospective resident should be full of encouragement and discovery to learn what they really enjoy most in life. Maybe they swam at the local pool every morning for 40 years, but now the winter darkness is stopping them from driving. Or maybe they enjoyed his or her subscription to the symphony, but now they can’t drive in the dark and their best friend died. Wouldn’t it be nice if they did not have to “drive” to go to a pool, a gym, see live musical entertainment, enjoy an educational program or share a glass of wine with a friend?
What moves this type of person to give up their home? It’s to have a vividly painted lifestyle that is 10 times better than their current situation. At that point the perceived loss in their home value is no longer a factor. They realize that their home has become a ball and chain and they want the freedom and conveniences that your retirement community can offer them. It can take several months or even a year for seniors to make this decision. A health setback or scare always speeds the process up. Who will they think of first when they are lying in hospital recovering from a hip surgery? Why the community that called them every month and invited them to events of course…
Selling Lifestyle is Key in CCRC and Independent living Senior Sales. Is this helpful?
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 your curiosity is peaked to 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 put on a sales retreat for your organization – please call: 206-853-6655 or email diane@marketing2seniors.net. For more information: Twitter: @market2seniors Web: www.marketing2seniors.net Blog: http://marketing2seniors.net/blog/
by Diane Masson | Mar 26, 2012
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/
by Diane Masson | Mar 19, 2012
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/
by Diane Masson | Jan 19, 2012
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/
by Diane Masson | Dec 13, 2011
Create your 2012 momentum with this new senior housing book!
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
