Tag: lead nurturing

Great events don’t happen by accident. The most effective ones are designed to build relationships, create meaningful engagement and help prospects move forward in their decision-making journey.

That was the focus of a recent discussion on Varsity’s weekly Roundtable, where Leslie Dominguez and Jim Alford of Greystone Communities shared how organizations can use event-based marketing to strengthen prospect connections, support sales efforts and drive occupancy. From educational programs and resident ambassadors to strategic follow-up and targeted events, they offered practical ideas for turning experiences into results. Below are a few Fresh Perspectives from their discussion.

EVENTS WORK BECAUSE THEY FEEL LESS LIKE SALES APPOINTMENTS

Prospects who may avoid a one-on-one sales conversation are often much more comfortable attending a group event first. The most effective events create a relaxed environment where people can begin picturing themselves as part of the community.

RESIDENTS ARE OFTEN THE MOST POWERFUL SALESPEOPLE

Authentic conversations with residents, future residents and even family members consistently build more trust than polished sales presentations. Prospects want to hear directly from people already living the experience.

SMALL, TARGETED EVENTS CAN OUTPERFORM LARGE ONES

Bigger crowds don’t always lead to better results. Some of the most successful events are intimate, highly targeted gatherings built around a specific audience, lifestyle or inventory need that allow for deeper conversations and stronger connections.

THE BEST EVENTS LEAD WITH EDUCATION, NOT SALES

Communities that position themselves as trusted resources through topics like brain health, downsizing or senior living education often build stronger long-term relationships. Low-pressure educational events help prospects feel informed rather than sold to.

RETENTION EVENTS MATTER JUST AS MUCH AS LEAD GENERATION

Future residents on waitlists or in pre-marketing phases need ongoing engagement and reassurance. Consistent communication, varied programming and relationship-building events help keep excitement high and reduce fallout before move-in.

A MARKETING EVENT WITHOUT FOLLOW-UP IS JUST A PARTY

Successful events require intentional strategy before, during and after the event. Clear goals, strong lead tracking, thoughtful seating, personalized follow-up and consistent CRM management are what ultimately turn events into occupancy growth.

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This collaborative article features insights from Derek Dunham of Varsity, MaryJane Fitts of Greystone Communities and Cameron Martin of The Highlands at Wyomissing following their presentation at the LeadingAge PA Annual Conference.

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Senior living waitlists were originally designed to solve a simple problem: hold future demand until an apartment becomes available. But today’s senior living consumer journey is far more complex than simply adding a name to a list and waiting for the phone to ring.

That’s why more senior living communities are rethinking the traditional waitlist model and moving toward membership-based programs designed to create earlier engagement, stronger emotional connection and more predictable occupancy growth. 

That topic was front and center during a recent presentation at the LeadingAge PA Annual Conference, where Varsity’s Derek Dunham joined MaryJane Fitts of Greystone Communities and Cameron Martin of The Highlands at Wyomissing to discuss how communities can transform passive waitlists into active membership experiences.

WHY TRADITIONAL WAITLISTS ARE FALLING SHORT

The conversation focused on a growing challenge facing senior living sales teams. Traditional waitlists often create long periods of inactivity. Prospects join, disengage and remain emotionally disconnected from the community. Sales teams spend time servicing depositors without always knowing who is truly ready to move. Meanwhile, demand for senior living continues to rise as the 80+ population grows rapidly over the next several decades.

Today’s prospects also move through the decision-making process differently than previous generations. Some are actively planning for a move within the next year. Others may be exploring options years in advance. Treating every prospect exactly the same creates friction for both sales teams and future residents.

THE HIGHLANDS AT WYOMISSING: A MEMBERSHIP MINDSET

The Highlands at Wyomissing offered a real-world case study of how communities can rethink the process. With a current waitlist of roughly 460 prospects and approximately 30 to 35 move-ins annually, the organization sees an opportunity to better align engagement with how prospects actually make decisions today.

Rather than treating every prospect the same, The Highlands is developing a tiered Future Residents Club built around different levels of readiness. The Reserve Club is designed for individuals likely to move within 18 months and includes a larger refundable deposit alongside priority benefits and incentives. The Explorer Club will focus on prospects who may still be three to five years away from moving but want to remain engaged with the community over time.

The organization also hosted focus groups with both current and future residents while developing the program. One key takeaway emerged quickly: simple was better. Prospects wanted clarity around expectations, benefits and next steps rather than overly complicated structures or processes.

BUILDING CONNECTION BEFORE MOVE-IN

The shift reflects a broader understanding of how senior living decisions are made today. Prospects don’t fall in love with floor plans or amenities. They connect emotionally to lifestyle, relationships and community identity. That’s why membership-based programs often include dining experiences, events, lifestyle access, downsizing support and financial planning guidance long before move-in occurs.

The goal is not simply to create more activity. It’s to create more meaningful engagement that shortens decision timelines, improves confidence and strengthens future occupancy pipelines. Communities also benefit operationally through clearer engagement paths, more intentional sales conversations and stronger prioritization of near-term move-ins.

The communities that win in the years ahead will be the ones that build relationships long before a move-in ever happens. Membership-based programs create that opportunity by turning future residents into active participants in community life earlier in the journey. 

Growth in senior living isn’t being held back by a lack of technology, it’s being strained by how that technology is used. As automation accelerates, many organizations are discovering that more outreach doesn’t automatically lead to more trust, more engagement or more move-ins. The real challenge is learning how to balance speed and scale with empathy, intention and human connection.

That tension was at the center of Varsity’s weekly Roundtable, which featured Lucas Hayes, founder and former President and CEO of Enquire. Drawing from his experience building one of the most widely adopted CRM and engagement platforms in senior living, Lucas shared why today’s growth strategies must shift from volume-driven tactics to trust-centered conversations. Below are a few Fresh Perspectives from his discussion.

THE REAL GROWTH PARADOX IS TOO MUCH AUTOMATION, NOT TOO LITTLE

AI has accelerated outreach, but more messages, more emails and more calls don’t translate to more move-ins. Excessive automation creates digital noise that overwhelms prospects at the exact moment they need clarity, calm and human reassurance.

AN INQUIRY IS A TRUST EVENT, NOT A LEAD EVENT

Most prospects reach out during moments of fear, guilt, health decline or caregiver burnout. That first interaction isn’t about speed or scripting, it’s about earning trust when emotions are high and decisions feel heavy.

INTENTIONAL CONVERSATIONS OUTPERFORM HIGH CALL VOLUME EVERY TIME

“Spray and pray” outreach has proven ineffective in senior living. Fewer, better conversations rooted in listening, personalization and curiosity create stronger momentum than aggressive call frequency or scripted pitching.

THE PHONE IS COMING BACK, BUT NOT THE WAY IT USED TO

Voice engagement is regaining importance because it signals real commitment and care. The future isn’t AI-powered robo-calls, it’s human conversations supported by automation that handles transcription, follow-ups and CRM documentation behind the scenes.

FACE-TO-FACE STILL CLOSES, BUT EMOTION DOES THE SELLING

Digital research and phone calls set the stage, but in-person tours remain the highest-converting step. Tours should be treated as emotional experiences that provide peace of mind, not feature-driven walkthroughs of amenities.

THE MOST IMPORTANT SALES METRICS ARE HARDER TO MEASURE, BUT MATTER MORE

Speed and volume still have value, but quality, clarity and anxiety reduction are what truly move prospects forward. Rethinking incentives around these person-centered outcomes is essential in a more human-centered sales era.

Varsity’s Roundtable is a weekly virtual gathering of senior living marketers and leaders from across the nation. For updates about future weekly Roundtable gatherings, submit your name and email address here. 

AI has officially moved past being a copy assistant and into becoming a full creative studio and operational sidekick. That was the theme Zack Collevechio of WildFig explored as a guest on Varsity’s weekly Roundtable.

From practical demos using Google Gemini to real-world applications like lead nurture, review responses, ad optimization, and market scanning, Zack emphasized that the winning approach is focused scope, clear process, and privacy-forward habits that minimize data exposure instead of relying on disclaimers. Below are a few Fresh Perspectives from his discussion.

AI IS NOW A CREATIVE STUDIO, NOT JUST A WRITING TOOL

The “six fingers” era is fading fast. Text-to-image, image editing, and even audio+video generation are now good enough for real marketing iteration, which changes speed, budget, and expectations.

CONSISTENCY IS THE REAL BREAKTHROUGH

The headline isn’t that AI can generate a pretty image, it’s that it can make one precise change without “drifting” the faces, background, or composition. That unlocks fast A/B testing and brand-safe variations at scale.

THINK “MICRO-AGENTS,” NOT “HANDLE MY BUSINESS”

The most reliable agentic setups are narrowly scoped roles (lead nurture, review response, lead scoring) with clear guardrails and handoffs, instead of one generalist bot that wanders.

AGENTS ARE JUNIOR STAFF WHO NEED SOPs AND OFFRAMPS

If you wouldn’t assign a task without context, rules, and escalation paths, don’t do it with AI. Give it the right data, define approval steps, and tell it what to do when it gets stuck.

SCHEDULED COMPETITOR CHECKS ARE A LOW-RISK ONRAMP TO AGENTIC WORKFLOWS

Weekly or monthly “scan the market and report back” is a practical first use case because it’s repetitive, measurable, and doesn’t require PHI or high-stakes decisioning.

PRIVACY IS A STRATEGY, NOT A DISCLAIMER

“Read the docs” is step one, but the real protection is minimizing data exposure: obfuscate personal details, separate PHI from prompts, and set internal policies so AI doesn’t quietly become an ungoverned workflow.

Varsity’s Roundtable is a weekly virtual gathering of senior living marketers and leaders from across the nation. For updates about future weekly Roundtable gatherings, submit your name and email address here.