Six weeks ago I blogged how uncertain times call for straight talk with our prospects, that we needed to get back to core messages and to honestly addressing real issues facing seniors. Honesty leads to trust and trust to relationships, and it is relationships with our senior living prospects that net us sales.
Well, who knew the last six weeks would take us into economic times no one could have predicted. If seniors were understandably hesitant to make any decisions because of the slumping real estate market, you have to believe the stock market slide, bank failures and credit crunch have them ignoring our direct mail, not accepting our seminar invitations and refusing to take our calls. Why would they, everything suggests it is time to wait and see.
But here is the good news, that isn’t happening. At least not to the level you might expect. Life goes on for all of us including our prospects. We are still seeing strong interest in the product. Prospects are attending seminars, calling communities and checking out web sites. It is admittedly harder to get them to sit down for a serious sales appointment and “getting the check” is even harder given the damage to most everyone’s portfolio. But they want to talk and that is a big first step. When any of us are uncertain we look for information and assurance from others. We want to know what other people know and what they think. This is the short-term opportunity for senior living communities.
Be a resource. Don’t try to make the sale with every contact. Focus on building the relationship because that is a realistic goal. Use this opportunity to bond with leads and create new relationships. Acknowledge fears and educate prospects on the benefits of senior living communities. Share how current residents are somewhat insulated from the chaos because they had already made the move.
People want to talk and they are open to hearing from knowledgeable individuals. When things settle down and we find our new economic reality, whether that is three, six or nine months from now, the relationships you build now will become the sales you gain then. As a marketer and sales person in these uncharted times, that is our golden parachute.
For those developing senior living communities who are looking to discover what prospects in their area desire, a new book, by Researcher Margaret Wylde, Right House, Right Place, Right Time outlines the features most desired by Silent and Boomer middle-American households.
She cautions that to make a community a winner, you must also consider the market’s nuances and characteristics.
Her list includes lots of storage, a master suite with a bedroom, bathroom and walk-in closet; guest bedrooms separated from the master suite; built-in microwave, pantry and kitchen island; office space; laundry room on the ground floor; outdoor living space; green features.
Kitchen upgrades most desired include natural stone countertops, cabinets, water filtration, and media centers.
How many times have you been approached about buying a listing in an online senior living / retirement community directory? These digital directories vary in level of sophistication, features and advertiser offerings. It’s hard to sort the good from the bad, but here are two things I consider when evaluating directories.
First – let’s remember the Golden Rule: a worthwhile directory listing is the one that generates good leads. So, regardless of what I say here, if you have a good lead source, keep it!
1. Does the directory listing include a link to your web site? If not – I usually throw it out. For whatever reason, some directories are more concerned with keeping people on their site instead of getting them to your site. They sort of recreate your site within their domain, collect info requests and send a report every month detailing how many leads their directory generated for your community. In my experience, many of those leads are low quality. When properly configured, free analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, can tell you if traffic referred from another web site generates leads, so you don’t need someone else to do that for you.
2. Is it a good resource? Is the directory easy to use? Does it include a good array of senior living options? Would someone looking for senior living communities in your market find the directory useful? Search “retirement communities” or “senior living” in your market and see which directories show up first. Usually it’s the ones with the most substance. You can bet those are likely sites your prospects visit. Then – see #1.
