An Uptick in Optimism!
Just a few weeks ago I woke up in a hotel room on a day when I would meet with clients to brainstorm ideas for increasing lead generation and sales to offset a wave of cancellations for a community opening this fall. Turning on the news, the stories were so universally bleak I wondered how anyone hearing the same could make the decision to move to a retirement community or go on with a decision they made months ago, especially if they hadn’t sold their house yet. How much easier would it be to just stay put? How could our marketing messages offset what they must be hearing and reading constantly? Or, was it just me obsessing about the state of everything? It’s important to keep the customer top-of-mind in our business, but equally important to avoid projecting. After all, our customers have been resilient through a lot of economic ups and downs, and may be less concerned about the current state.
That day, I didn’t doubt we could generate the additional new leads and reinquiries from current leads. That hadn’t changed much. All along, people continued to be interested in researching their options. Getting the commitment, though, closing the sale — that seemed so much harder.
Now, all of a sudden, I’ve been seeing for myself and hearing from clients in several markets about what seems to be an uptick in optimism. Not only are customers coming to events and personal appointments and requesting information in increasing numbers, but more people are buying. Sales counselors are closing more sales.
So I Googled it – the word optimism. Psychologists say a positive outlook motivates us to plan for our future and may have an effect on our long-term physical health. Of course, on some level this is just a BGO (blinding glimpse of the obvious). On another, though, it’s a perfect match with the fact that people who move to retirement communities tend to be “planners,” and that community residents often live longer, healthier lives. Perhaps optimists are uniquely equipped to see past current events and newscasts, to move on with their lives and plans with the expectation that things will get better.
I also found something called the Optimism Barometer, an online tool that shows you how your outlook compares with the rest of the nation. It’s based on The American Reality Study, research commissioned by Northwestern Mutual. It suggests people are maintaining a positive outlook while addressing real challenges. Unfortunately, it follows suit with what we see with most research, that short shrift is given to seniors’ point of view compared with other age groups. The study’s age breakdown at <17, 18-29, 30-45, 46-59 and 60+ suggests less interest in response variations among those age 60 or older. I suppose because older adults buy less insurance (surely those under 18 buy less). Still, it’s worth taking a look at this barometer (www.newamericanreality.com), and it won’t take but a couple of minutes unless you decide to read the whole report.
Here’s to a renewed sense of optimism! With hope that it’s contagious, I pledge to cultivate a more positive outlook and watch-read-listen to less news.
