AUGUST 2019 //
Inspiring Senior Lifestyle Marketing & Sales Teams to New Heights
NOW BOARDING FOR FOURTH QUARTER 1
A Message
FR OM THE CREW As summer winds down and vacations end, kids head back to school. But let’s not forget about our own education. Lifelong learning is the only way to stay current and competitive in an ever-changing, ever-challenging market. We hope in this month’s Lift you’ll find tips to make you a better, more informed salesperson. Senior Lifestyle is only as strong as we make it. Commit yourself to seeking knowledge, trying new things and perfecting your process.
With appreciation for your efforts, Your Sales & Marketing Leadership Team
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2 Q U I C K TIPS F OR MORE ACC URAT E DATA — Sylvia Jones, Marketing Manager
Those of us who work in senior living sales and marketing are no strangers to collecting data. LEAP or Dynamics is the CRM tool we use to help us track and analyze our prospect’s progress through the sales process. It also helps sales teams to personalize customers’ experiences while increasing efficiency and accuracy. Unfortunately, as we go through discovery and gather data to enter into LEAP, we don’t always get the most accurate information from our prospects. People will knowingly or unknowingly tell us incorrect addresses, phone numbers or email addresses. Here are two quick tips that will help you collect more accurate information:
TIP #1 AnyWho is a free service that allows you to search the White Pages. You can look up a name or use reverse phone lookup to search by phone number. You’ll find convenient search tips there.
TIP #2 Solve the problem of finding out how prospects heard about your community by changing how you ask the question. Instead of saying, “How did you hear about us?” try “How did you get our number today?” Being more explicit makes it easier for the person to recall and the more likely to get
https://www.anywho.com/whitepages
an accurate response.
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DDSM CORNER
Overcoming Objections – Nicole Carbone
On a recent ED/Sales call, I asked some of our top sales performers to share techniques to overcome common objections they often hear in the field. Afterwards, I realized no one mentioned, “You don’t have granite countertops in your apartments,” or “I’m choosing your competitor because they’re new.” Sometimes we can fixate on all the things we don’t have versus selling the value of all the great things we do have to offer. I know sometimes the new competitor can be a challenge, but the reality is it’s usually our own perceived barrier we’ve created. For example, many times I hear DSMs offering an incentive upfront without even seeing if financial limitations are a barrier to someone moving in. They think because their rates are higher than a competitor that the person touring is not able to afford their services. Or during the closing process, we use the toolbox for someone who really didn’t need it. All because we assumed a barrier existed without exploring what’s actually being said. Another way to approach objections is by asking questions like, “Can you picture your mom living here?” The key is to pause. Wait for a response. Oftentimes, we fill silence with our own words because it can feel uncomfortable waiting for an answer. Or we simply get so nervous anticipating an objection, we talk our way over the question
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not really waiting for someone to respond.
Sometimes prospects leave without ever discussing potential barriers. One of my favorite tried-and-true questions — and one that we should be asking during the initial inquiry process — is “What’s your greatest concern at this time?” This one question opens up the conversation to financial barriers, family dynamics, distance, etc. If you’re not using it, I highly encourage you to incorporate it into your inquiry process or closing technique.
Instead of assuming a barrier, let’s do a better job exploring what the prospect’s situation is. Then work on being comfortable with the uncomfortable. Tackle objections head on. Focus on what your community has to offer versus what it may be lacking in comparison to another community. I guarantee by following these simple techniques you’ll see an improvement in your visit to move in ratios.
Practice the FRED Model. The better you get, the easier you’ll sell. FIND the most
What else is concerning you about a possible move?
important objection.
Out of the items you’ve expressed, which are the most important to you? Are there any other concerns I should know about? Are there other concerns we need to discuss?’
REFINE the most
“You’ve told me finances are the biggest obstacle for you right now.
important objection.
What else should I know about that?” “And?” “Tell me more” “I can see that you feel strongly about that…”
EXPRESS the
“So what you really want to know is…”
objection as a
“You seem to be asking…Is that correct?”
question.
“Are you asking…?”
DEFUSE or resolve
“I can understand how you might feel that way, Mrs. Jones. Other families
using the Feel, Felt,
have felt the same way in the past. However, what they found was that
Found Method.
once their mother moved in to a Senior Lifestyle community, the financial and emotional savings were even greater than they anticipated had she continued to live alone.”
Onward and Upward! 5
Planes/Trains
Stop Selling and Start Caring —Cindy Ames, Corporate Director of Sales & Marketing Training
This month, I invite you to focus on how you sell. At SLC, we talk about the relationship being at the heart of what we do. How does that happen? How do you develop a relationship or an emotional connection with your customer? I’m reading a book, “Stop Selling and Start Caring” by Michael S. Miller, referred to me by Elisabeth George an ED in Arizona. I want to share one of Miller’s thought-provoking ideas.
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“
Rather than selling the product, focus on communicating with the potential resident on an emotional level. Here are the things you need to keep in mind when making a presentation: • You are selling peace of mind, giving a person the confidence to feel that all is going to be okay. • You are selling social interaction. We are all social creatures, and you are offering the prospective resident the means to interact with other people with whom they will have much in common. • You are selling security, the ability to feel safe. • You are giving the potential resident and his or her family the validation that moving in is the right decision.
“
Instead of selling as you normally do; consider the emotional elements that pull at the triggers that compel people to act. Your prospects are looking for answers and help in making an important decision. While other factors such as pricing and location contribute to the decision-making process, it is the elements above the carry the most weight.
What do your interactions with your customers sound like? Ask your ED to provide you with a few Invoca recordings of your sales calls. Take a deep listen to determine if you’re merely spouting facts about your community, or if you’re taking the time to emotionally connect with your customer. With so many choices for our customers to choose from, emotional connections will be the deciding factor in choosing your community to call their home.
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Social Media News
What does your audience want to see on your Facebook page? 1. People crave authenticity. In fact, 86% say that is their number one priority for liking and supporting a brand. 2. Video. Estimates tell us that over 75% of mobile data will be video by 2020. 3. What posts have gotten the most comments, likes and shares on your page? What do they have in common? Once you’ve discovered that, you’re well on your way to giving your audience content that will keep them engaged and advocating for your community. Sources: Social Media Today Cisco Visual Networking Index
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Q2 Event Response Call tracking numbers (CTN) are uniquely assigned to all paid media ads and direct mail. By using unique numbers, we obtain data that gives us insight into what events and what media publications are generating the most responses. Only calls over 30 seconds are counted, and duplicate phone numbers are eliminated. Most Popular Events Guest speakers: 10.5 calls per CTN Social (Happy Hours, etc.): 8.9 calls per CTN Dining: 8.9 calls per CTN Guest Speaker Topics Alzheimer author (Tuesday at 2:00 p.m.): 45 calls per CTN Safety with memory loss (Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.): 26 calls per CTN D-Day (Tuesday at 2:00 p.m.): 23 calls per CTN Response by Media Type Direct mail: 9.4 calls per CTN Newspaper Single ad: 3.6 calls per CTN
Double sided inserts: 7.6 per CTN
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303 E Upper Wacker Drive, Suite 2400 Chicago, IL 60601 www.SeniorLifestyle.com 10