Author: Jackie Stone

The senior living field is unique for many reasons. The product being marketed is not only very costly, but also one that brings about dramatic life changes. Retirement communities are not selling “widgets”; they’re selling a way of life, safety, security and more. Thus, the sales funnel for a retirement community is one of the deepest around. One estimate places the number of “touches” a potential resident needs at 20-25 before a sale is completed. That’s certainly more than your average electronic device or impulse buy at the grocery store!
However, there’s one additional catch to that sales funnel: You’re not only working the potential resident through the sales process, but in many cases his/her/their family members. This is especially true if the potential resident needs higher levels of care or is battling a specific or chronic illness. Now not only do you have to help this person see the benefits of moving to your community, but their family as well — and, let’s face it, the family can often be the tougher critic.

It all has to start at one place: a conversation.

Whether that first conversation happens between spouses looking at a community or between a prospect and his or her family, it is one fraught with concern, fear and the best interests of the potential resident in mind. Often, several family members are gathered together to have this conversation, offering advice and input from different angles. That conversation is absolutely critical for the loved ones involved and is usually the starting place for the hunt for a retirement community. The discussion is most likely to happen three times throughout the year — Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.

Why are those three holidays so important? Simply, they are most likely to gather families together. Also, in many cases, major holidays happen at the house of the patriarch/matriarch of the family. This usually gives children and loved ones insight into how a person is living. Are they taking care of the home as they always have? Is something amiss with his or her daily routine? Are they just ignoring problems rather than fixing them? These are the first telltale signs that a loved one might need more services or assistance than he or she is currently receiving.

As a marketer for such communities, it’s our job to find a way to make your community and services a part of those talks. Optimally, we want the potential resident and family to think of you as their community of choice and to reach out to one of your sales professionals. However, we recognize that you may also have a broader mission. Sure, at the end of the day, you want to make a sale, but it’s also important that you provide quality, honest resources about what senior living services are available to them. You should be happy to assist potential residents with identifying challenges and offering solutions, from addressing financial concerns to whether or not a favorite credenza will fit into the new apartment.

Leading a potential resident and his or her family through the sales funnel is hard work, but it’s also rewarding. In a way, it’s a process many marketing professionals wish they had, because the “customer” can be tracked through each step — from initial contact all the way to move-in day (and beyond). Yes, it’s a challenge, and it’s one that keeps us working to be part of those crucial conversations around the family dinner table.

Recently, Derek Dunham, vice president of client services, discussed the 90% census plateau that many communities face. This week, Jackie Stone, vice president of sales consulting, provides some strategies for filling that remaining 10%.

Those of us involved with communities know that there’s an issue when occupancy dips below a certain number. But when we’re at 90 percent occupancy, it’s easy to think everything’s fine. However, we cannot be complacent — we must always strive for full occupancy and keep building a quality waiting list. As the community ages, so do its residents, and attrition increases. And there are some units that tend to stay empty for a range of reasons. For instance, filling smaller apartments has become a challenge. Prospects want more living and storage space and will stay where they are rather than agreeing to a one-bedroom apartment.

Here are some ideas for selling that remaining 10 percent — the ones that fill up last due to size, location or other perceived weaknesses.

1. Brainstorm positive features

Naturally, as salespeople, we sell the best first and may not be as excited about the remaining inventory. When we repeatedly hear from prospects that an apartment or cottage doesn’t have a nice view or is too far from the action, we may begin to believe it ourselves. If you believe a particular residence is undesirable, you won’t be able to sell it. Take your team into that residence and brainstorm all the positive features of the style, layout, location, view, etc. Practicing verbalizing those positive aspects will prepare you to communicate them better when sharing with prospects. (I actually had a situation like this in a community in central Massachusetts. One apartment was referred to as a “dog” and was never going to be sold. Our team went through this brainstorming exercise, and on my drive back home to Connecticut, the marketing director called and said they had sold that apartment that same day.)

2. Explore big ideas about small apartments

• Is it financially feasible to combine two adjacent one-bedroom apartments to create a larger two-bedroom apartment? (If so, do this sparingly, as we always need an inventory of one-bedrooms for their price point and for current residents who decide to downsize.)
• If you can’t create a larger apartment, make a smaller one seem larger. Can your galley kitchen be reconfigured to create an open concept? If so, use the same flooring from the threshold to the exterior wall, preferably wood or laminate, with the lines going lengthwise to make the rooms appear longer. Eliminate soffits, and bring kitchen cupboards up to the ceiling to make the ceiling appear higher.
• Purchase a mailing list of single households that would feel very comfortable in a one-bedroom apartment, and focus your efforts on this niche.
• Host events, such as “Small Living, Big Life,” and feature the breadth of your cultural arts programming. Have current residents share how they live a big life at your community.

3. Be creative with policies

If you have strict policies, loosening them could help fill more units:

• Rent apartments to snowbirds. When they no longer migrate seasonally, they could become permanent residents.
• Does your community allow pets? Or is there a current policy dictating that pets need to be under 25 pounds and live on the first floor only? A 10-year-old golden retriever will sleep all day and not bother anyone. People will not get rid of their furry companion to live at your community! Forget about the one-bedroom with den, and market a one-bedroom with dog!

4. Get back to the basics

We can all fall into a routine and give the same canned presentation to everyone we meet, with little results. Dust off the sales training manuals, and follow their advice:

• Improve your discovery skills so that you are getting to what the prospect truly values in life.
• Present your community in a way that connects with those personal values.
• Practice solving commonly heard objections.
• Always ask for a commitment, whether it be a decision on the apartment, lunch next Thursday or a call in two weeks. Get the prospect to say, “Yes”!

We hope that these strategies help you fill that last 10 percent! If you have questions about your community’s specific occupancy challenges, I’d be happy to help. Please contact me at jstone@varsitybranding.com.

In the fall of 2017, a new phrase entered the American lexicon — “Swedish Death Cleaning.”

Suddenly, articles about this trend were everywhere, and some senior living communities were talking about the benefits of this extreme decluttering practice. However, the term certainly doesn’t provide a warm and fuzzy feeling, especially in relation to making a move to an aging services community. We wanted to dig into the hype and give a fresh perspective on this new fad.

The idea originates from the Swedish word, “döstädning.” Translated to English, it conveys the idea of slowly and steadily decluttering your life as you age. For the Swedes, this process may begin in a person’s 50s and continue right up until death. Margareta Magnusson, Swedish author and octogenarian, is credited with establishing the English phrase with her book, “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family From a Lifetime of Clutter.”

Magnusson certainly knows something about clutter and moving. She’s reportedly relocated 17 times during her life. Now she wants to share the tips and tricks she has learned over the years to help others who are facing similar challenges. These ideas are especially pertinent to aging services organizations.

For example, I once met a couple that was in the process of downsizing so that they could make the move to a community. The wife was working hard to clear her home of unnecessary items. She began listing furniture, appliances and other major items on internet sales websites. To her dismay, she would get low-ball offers (or no offers at all). She was stunned! In her mind, all of these items had value, but the world was harsh, and she was forced to come to grips with the idea that the family silver that she loved so much wasn’t worth much more than the scrap value of the metal. This left her feeling not only the pinch in her pocketbook, but also in her heart, as she took it very personally. If the items that she loved didn’t have value, what did that say about her?

Deciding which items to retain, which to sell, and which to give to family and friends (or even to throw out) can be difficult. Magnusson understands this and advises that the first items to go be the ones without any sentimental value, such as unworn clothes, never-used gifts and the seemingly endless pile of kitchen utensils and gadgets we all accumulate as we age. In contrast, she recommends keeping personally cherished objects that stir memories, such as photographs, letters and other ephemera.

Confronting one’s own personal decline is hard, but taking the time to sort through your personal belongings can help to refocus your attention on what is important — not just to you, but to your family. For instance, another of Magnusson’s suggestions is the “throwaway box.” In this container, you’d place items that have meaning to you, but not to your friends and family. Included in the box should be a note explaining what the box contains and why it’s okay for it to be discarded after your death.

Obviously, there are some major benefits to engaging in Swedish Death Cleaning, especially for families that have to deal with an estate after the death of a loved one; however, there are important health benefits for the person doing the cleaning as well. Studies have shown, on multiple occasions, that clutter around the home increases stress, decreases productivity and impacts how restful we feel in our downtime. Thus, the process of freeing ourselves from these items can lead to a sense of liberation.

The most important point to remember is that “Swedish Death Cleaning” isn’t a weekend-long project; it’s a way of life for people as they age. Start early, curtail shopping and use available funds for the creation of memories (such as trips and experiences) instead of objects. Before you know it, you’ll be living a clutter-free life, rich with memories. Plus, your family will thank you when the time comes to handle your estate.

Sources:

https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/what-swedish-death-cleaning-should-you-be-doing-it-ncna816511

http://people.com/home/swedish-death-cleaning-home-organization-trend-to-try/

https://www.treehugger.com/cleaning-organizing/swedish-death-cleaning-new-decluttering-trend.html

In a crowded aging services marketplace, retirement communities are working around the clock to find ways to differentiate themselves from their competitors. These tactics often include new amenities, varied dining experiences, and ever more involved life enrichment programs. While these upgrades are nice, and may help sway some new residents to sign on the proverbial dotted line, they often aren’t the deciding factor in choosing a community. We all know that location and culture trump granite countertops, lobster dinners, and symphony tickets.

So, let’s be honest with ourselves for a second, shall we? Most retirement communities are the same.

This is a blasphemous statement, I know! But, in a world populated by tens of thousands of communities, they just aren’t all that different when you get right down to it. Nonprofit communities all have a mission that involves caring for and supporting their residents to enable them to live their best life. The words might vary, but the intention is often very similar. So, naturally, these communities try to differentiate themselves from their competitors through physical amenities, unique programs, and better marketing.

Yet, as we opened with, these items usually don’t completely explain why someone chooses one community over another; they are supplemental factors to location and culture. Of course, you can’t change your location, but you can change your culture in a way that will make your community truly unique and quickly make you stand out from your competitors, attracting better leads and more new residents in the process. Here are three ways that you can grow your community culture and attract new residents.

SAGE USA

SAGE is a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting an overlooked and growing portion of the senior market. They advocate and provide services to older people who are GLBT. People in this market have special needs and wants when it comes to senior living and they can easily feel out of place at even the most “welcoming” community. Through their sagecare program, SAGE offers education courses for senior living leaders, managers, and front line employees. This education culminates in a credential provided by the organization denoting the level of training received (bronze, silver, gold.) By training staff in working with the GLBT population and implementing a culture of inclusiveness, you can quickly differentiate yourself from surrounding communities and have an inside track with a market that your competitors are probably ignoring.

SeniorAdvisor.com

Thanks to their strong marketing campaigns, you’ve probably heard of SeniorAdvisor. As an independent senior living review site, SeniorAdvisor has shown strong growth in the past few years. Unlike some other Senior Living referral sites, SeniorAdvisor doesn’t cost your community a dime and it performs two very important functions. First, it offers a forum for individuals to rate and review your community, independent of your digital presence. Of course, this doesn’t preclude you from asking your residents to review you on the site and leave feedback. By doing so, you can create a pool of positive reviews that demonstrates the culture of your community and provides a resource for potential residents who would like to know more about your community. Plus, the listings on SeniorAdvisor can create excellent backlinks, boosting your SEO in the process.

Also, SeniorAdvisor.com awards an annual “Best of” recognition to those communities who have had a sufficient number of positive reviews in the previous twelve months. This is a great credential to earn and includes both digital badges for your website and physical awards for your sales office. You should never underestimate the power of an independent review and recognition from an outside organization!

Find your niche.

This one is a little bit harder to articulate, as it’s not a certification or award, but rather a holistic piece of your culture that you must decide on. At one time, nearly every non-profit retirement was designed to service a niche in the local community. This is why we have organizations affiliated with various religious denominations, community organizations, and fraternal groups. They cater to these once large populations with a culture that was directly influenced by the common bond of membership. However, as membership in these groups has dwindled, so has interest in their retirement communities, forcing these nonprofits to go looking elsewhere for residents. Yet, the idea of a niche is still important; you just have to think about it in a different way.

Do you have a strong resident club that plays to a certain interest – perhaps the environment, organic gardening, or philanthropy? Find those niches and embrace them. While you probably can’t focus your entire community on a single niche (although some new communities are doing just that), you can use the interests of your current residents to connect with potential residents and help them see that the culture of your community lines up well with what they are looking for.

Knowing the culture of your community, and who that culture appeals to, can help you better market to future residents that are more likely to move in. While physical amenities can help sway a decision, a strong culture that attracts a broad range of residents can have a greater impact on your occupancy rates than any new restaurant or upgraded kitchen!

Regardless of industry, the goal and function of sales departments don’t change much. Sales professionals work with marketing to generate leads through a plethora of different means. Once the sales person has a name and contact information for someone interested in the product, he or she begins to guide the person through the decision-making process of purchasing the product, with the end goal of closing the deal.

However, marketing to Boomers and seniors requires a different approach — especially when your product is a major investment, like moving to a retirement community. How a salesperson engages with his or her leads and guides them to the final sale is an art that takes time to learn, and everyone can always use a refresher.

Marketing and sales professionals deal in information. The more information they have about a lead, the better equipped they are to pitch their product. Thus, it’s to be expected that they want to gather a great amount of information in a short period of time. The best example of this is the web form.

Web forms offer a great way to capture information to create a lead. Obviously, sales associates hope to get as much detail about a prospect as they can — name, address, phone number, etc. — but trying to get too much information in one shot will not only decrease your form completions, but potentially alienate customers. Your forms should capture the minimum amount of information possible for a salesperson to begin building a relationship.

Think about it from your own point of view. How much information are you willing to give an organization with which you haven’t had any experience? You don’t really know it or trust it. Naturally, you only want to provide the minimum amount of information needed to learn about the product or service being offered. Once you’ve determined that the group can be trusted, and its product is something that you want, you’re willing to open up more.  A simple web-started sales funnel may look something like this:

• SEO/SEM (get the person to your website)
• Contact Us form on the website (asking for only a name and an email address)
• Follow-up e-blast (asking for an address to send information)
• Mailer sent to lead (asking the person to call to register for an event, where he or she gives a phone number)
• Attendance at an event (where the salesperson meets the lead in person)
• Follow-up contact (via phone and email to schedule a tour)
• Personal tour (second salesperson meeting, builds trust)
• Additional meetings or tours (dependent on lead)
• Closing of sale
• Asking for reviews and recommendations

As you can see, this isn’t a quick process! The average lead will have at least 20 interactions with your community before the sale is complete — and may have many, many more, depending on his or her needs! Understanding how to nurture the lead through the sales funnel, step by step, instead of trying to go “all-in” on early stage information-gathering is critical.

Every retirement community has its own unique challenges with this process, and variations abound. At Varsity, we have become very adept at assisting communities in identifying the type of leads they are generating now and the type of leads they want to gather in the future, creating a sales process that will help increase their census for years to come.

Retirement communities often operate on tight budgets, with a goal of reducing overhead costs. Executives and administrators hawkishly watch financials, looking for any avenues where dollars can be saved. Human Resources is forced to cut benefits, while purchasing tries new products to save costs on cleaning and operating supplies. However, sometimes, saving money in the long run costs some in the short. Working with your maintenance division to convert systems to more environmentally friendly options may incur costs today that will save you thousands in years to come.

The easiest and most well-known method of savings is converting lights to LED bulbs. One community in upstate New York was recently profiled for doing just this. The community replaced 2,750 bulbs, at a cost of about $1,500. The result? A projected yearly savings of $144,000! In roughly 10 days, the community had recouped its investment and was on the path to saving money for years to come. LED bulbs are getting cheaper and brighter, in addition to having longer lives and being less harmful to the environment. Every community should be looking at a full light bulb replacement, if they haven’t done so already.

We all know that some of the biggest energy hogs in our own homes are our washers and dryers. Retirement communities are no different, spending tens of thousands of dollars every year on laundering linens and clothes. One may think that the process of doing laundry hasn’t really changed that much in the last 50 years; one machine uses hot water and soap to wash the linens, and another dries them; however, there is another way to do laundry that has been on the market for longer than you may realize — ozone washing machines. Rather than using hot water and soap, these machines use gasses and cold water (and much less of it). Rather than using detergent, the water is treated with ozone, causing dirt and stains to break down while linens remain vibrant and strong. It’s a complicated process, to be sure, which is why the machines have always been so expensive. Now, with advances in manufacturing and production technology, they are becoming more affordable, enabling communities to convert to their use, saving on energy, water and sewer costs while becoming more environmentally friendly in the process.

On the higher cost end of the spectrum, we find advanced smart home systems that include the Nest thermostat and similar devices. These products adjust home temperature based on user preference and patterns, such as lowering the temperature while the resident is asleep and at work, and raising it while the resident is at home — all automatically. Think of the energy savings that your community could yield by just turning down the thermostats by three degrees for 12 hours a day in every home. It seems like a small change, but the savings could be huge! As this technology grows, it’s being added to complete smart home systems, where community managers can monitor usage in real time, allowing them to look for areas to proactively save on energy costs by including their residents in the decision-making process.

The old adage, “It takes money to make money,” remains true today. It can also be said that “it takes money to save money.” By investing wisely in eco-friendly and efficient systems, your community could be seeing both greener trees and greener wallets.

Sources:

http://www.mcknightsseniorliving.com/news/bright-idea-expected-to-save-ccrc-more-than-144000-annually/article/640053/

http://www.ozonelaundrysystems.com/

As we ring in the New Year, the phone is also ringing at retirement communities. Often, adult children notice a change in a parent during a holiday visit, which can lead to a post-holiday spike in inquiries. But is your community dropping the ball?

Let me tell you about the experience my friend Pam had. She, her two siblings and their families visited with mom over the holidays and noticed signs that she is not okay to live alone…not eating well, clutter piling up when mom had always been a fastidious housekeeper, unsteadiness on her feet, signs that the comfy chair in front of the TV is the hub of her daily life. These observations were a wake-up call they couldn’t ignore. Pam’s sister prolonged her stay with mom, while Pam got on the phone to find resources, contacting home health agencies and several senior living communities.

Unfortunately, when Pam called and visited the communities, the reception she received didn’t leave her feeling very confident. She was confronted with unskilled staff who didn’t know the answers to her questions, unreturned phone calls and general disinterest in helping during a situation that, to her, was a crisis. Here are five resolutions you can make to ensure that your community makes a positive first impression that can convert inquiries to move-ins.

#1:  Answer the phone and/or return calls promptly. Even though Pam contacted communities during business hours, the phone would ring and ring, or her call went to voicemail. More often than not, she called back rather than waiting a day or more for a return call.

#2: Be welcoming. Often, when Pam finally reached a live person, it was a receptionist who seemed almost surprised at her inquiry (during the holidays when everyone was off) and didn’t seem to know what to say. Train front line staff to enthusiastically greet the caller, ask the right questions, be empathetic and reassure the caller that the appropriate person will return their call that same day.

#3: Know the facts. The person on the phone often gave inaccurate information, such as saying the community provided “Life Care” when it was not a Life Care community in its true definition. Educate all staff on what your community offers and the benefits of living there. Craft a positioning statement that clearly conveys your community’s unique brand in the market and require everyone that works at your community to learn it and be able to recite it.

#4: Meet everyone’s needs. During community visits, make sure that you address the needs and questions of both the adult child and parent. Sometimes an adult child might be doing all the talking for mom or dad, either because he or she is trying to be helpful, has a controlling personality, or is overcompensating for a parent that may have some memory impairment. Always direct questions to both the child and the parent to make sure everyone is heard, all questions are answered and all wishes are being met.

#5: Don’t be pushy.  When you push people, they naturally push back. Instead of making statements like, “You need…”, ask questions of both the potential resident and the adult child that get them to state their own challenges, issues and needs. It’s much more impactful to have them come to realizations about their situation themselves rather than have someone else tell them what they need to do. Some questions you might ask the person who says they’re not ready: “What would have to happen in order for you to feel like you’re ready?” “Do you think it will be easier or harder to make a move a year from now?”

Keep these New Year’s resolutions, and make sure that post-holiday spike in inquiries leads to lots of move-ins. If you’d like to talk more about selling strategies, email me at jstone@varsitybranding.com.

Events are extremely important to the senior living sales process and should be a key component of every marketing plan. Seminars and special events create a forum for prospects to experience your community and receive information in a nonthreatening environment where they don’t feel pressured to buy. If a prospect objects to coming in for a personal presentation, have an event in your back pocket as an alternative.

Here are some key tips to ensure a successful and effective event:

• Serve food. Food is very important to our prospects, so wine and dine them, and show off your culinary expertise. An event that includes a meal will also draw a higher response. Yes, we all have the “frequent flyers” that show up every time for the free food with no intention of ever moving in. But consider this: The cost of feeding these regulars is minimal in comparison to the positive PR that they provide by telling friends about your engaging programs and delicious food. And, if these people are qualified, they will choose your community when they are “ready” because they are already familiar and comfortable with it.
• Designate resident ambassadors. Include hand-picked resident ambassadors at every event, and strategically place them at each table. They will tell prospects who “aren’t ready yet” how they once felt the same way and now wish they had moved in 10 years sooner. They are your best spokespeople and carry more credibility than a salesperson. Make sure to reward ambassadors for their time and effort with tokens of appreciation, such as the floral centerpiece from their table at the event or a gift card to a popular local spot.
• Plan parking. One of the most common objections I hear about hosting events is that the community doesn’t have enough parking. Every problem has a solution: Ask staff to park off-site, shuttle attendees back and forth to their cars, and/or hire a valet company to park cars.
• Follow up. Always follow up with all attendees after an event and ask 1) how they enjoyed it; 2) if there are other topics they might be interested in learning about in the future; and 3) if they would like to come in for a personal tour of the community to get their questions answered. You should always have a reason to call prospects, and this is the perfect opportunity to reach out.

Have event ideas and tips to share? Email them to jstone@varsitybranding.com.

In today’s senior living marketing environment, the timeline from initial inquiry to move-in is longer than ever before, and it takes many touches along that timeline to convert an inquiry to a sale. These touches must be consistent, meaningful and varied in order to effectively move the prospect forward in the sales process. Some of these points of contact include events, which are an essential part of a strategic marketing plan.

The key word here is “strategic.” What are your objectives for each event? Do you want to educate, entertain or demonstrate lifestyle? Generate new leads for your pipeline? Close sales? Here are some key points to consider:

• New lead generation. If you are looking to generate new leads that are truly interested in finding out more about your community, purchase a qualified mailing list and invite its members to information sessions about your community and the concept of senior living.
• Lifestyle events. Quality speakers and special events show that the community offers interesting, engaging programs and demonstrates the lifestyle that people will experience there. Topics such as healthy aging can showcase the community’s approach to wellness.
• Addressing common objections. We know that the most common objections really boil down to fear, cost or lack of urgency due to prospects being satisfied with their current situation. Topics such as Dispelling the Myths of Retirement Living (fear), The Value of Life Care (cost) or Why Wait? (I’m Not Ready Yet) can help prospects get beyond some of these objections.
• Specific inventory to sell. Perhaps you have a number of small one-bedroom apartments that are difficult to sell. Segment your purchased mailing list and lead base by single/widowed women (cue Beyonce’s “All the Single Ladies”) and host a champagne runway show featuring your residents modeling fashions from a popular boutique, followed by tours of your community and a professionally staged one-bedroom apartment. (Tiny homes are all the rage now!)

Seminars and special events can be very effective marketing tools that produce great results. Determine your objectives; define your target audience; choose a topic that relates to both; buy a new outfit (okay, I threw that in because it’s what I would do); and put on your best host/hostess smile!

Stay tuned for more event strategies in a future blog.

Elderly, frail, uneducated and with a lower income? Surprisingly, no. Those most at risk are actually younger, more educated and well off. According to a new study by the Better Business Bureau, 69 percent of scam victims are under 45, and 78 percent are college-educated.

Other surprising facts:

• Eighty-nine percent of seniors approached by a scammer recognized the scam in time, and only 11 percent lost money.
• Three times as many 18‒24-year-olds failed to recognize a scam, and 34 percent reported losing money.

A few reasons for this:

• Younger people think they’re invulnerable to scams.
• They are more likely to shop online.
• Seniors are more scam-savvy.

Another stereotype about age debunked.

We’re all vulnerable to scams, at any age. Find tips on protecting yourself here.