Straight Talk for Tough Situations
The headline of the article reads, Leaving a Life I Loved. Trading one’s home for ease of living takes courage and honesty. It was another first person account of coming to terms with aging and another person finding out that retirement communities are a lot different than the nursing homes they remember from the past – and it was another happy ending. I never tire of reading these even though the plot line rarely differs. I don’t tire of reading these because each personal story has some nuance or twist that gets me thinking about marketing senior living.
This particular story got me thinking about straight talk and giving people the facts. The headline used the words courage and honesty. These words speak to the magnitude of this decision for many individuals and the complex set of emotions it brings into play. But with that comes the opportunity to be direct in our messaging and to help someone come to grips, even recognize for the first time, many of the signs they have been ignoring or missing. We sometimes can get caught up in our marketing lingo or in spreading the honey a little too thick. The most effective sales people in this business know how to confront the issues with their prospects, helping these individuals really assess their situation.
Give them the facts. Be honest about their situation. Let them know you understand what they are going through. In an economic climate that is creating more and more reasons for prospects to say “not now,” it may take blunt and honest messaging to say “yes now.” Do we have the courage to be that honest?
