“Referrals Are the Easiest Leads to Close”
That was said by a marketing director in a recent meeting I attended at a community. If that’s true, and I would think most of us would agree it is, then how can you get more referrals? Shouldn’t that be a major marketing effort?
It should. But it is not marketing’s responsibility. If you have been a consistent reader of this blog, and in particular my posts, you’ll know what is coming next. Referrals are the product of highly satisfied residents and that is everyone’s responsibility. If you want some research on that subject, read this post from last year, Have You Become Satisfied with Satisfied?
But even without research, that statement is defensible. Just think about that last product or service you recommended. I am guessing it was the result of a great experience, especially if it was an unsolicited referral. The “you have to try this,” or the “I have to tell you,” referrals. When your residents are telling friends, family and acquaintances about how much they love living at the community, your referral activity will be strong. I am reminded of the sales counselor who told me about the call she received one day. The caller started with, “I was in line at Kinko’s yesterday and met a woman who lived at your community. After talking with her, I had to check it out.” Honestly, would that occur at your community? Would you expect it from a majority of residents?
Of course, the best communities still don’t take it for granted. They remind the residents that a full community is a stable community, and they encourage them to support the marketing effort. And they actively solicit referrals from residents. But referrals are offered and support is given because the residents feel strongly about their community.
So the next time the discussion turns to “how do we get more referrals,” make sure your entire staff is in the room, not just marketing.
This is SO true! All staff should be “marketing” every day. Smile, have a can-do attitude, say thank you, let the tenants know they are appreciated and that we appreciate them choosing our community as their home.
That being said, just how would you go about it? What precisely do you say, and when do you say it? Do you ask prospects as well as residents? Is this included in printed material?
Jeanie,
I wouldn’t ask prospects for referrals. Although you hope any interaction with the community would create a positive impression and thus strong word-of-mouth whether they choose to move in or not. As for residents, there are many ways to ask. Here are a few – you can host a house warming party for new residents and have them invite their freiends, or twice a year send a letter to all residents and ask for names to help keep the community full. At the very least, let residents know you are open to meeting any of their guests while they are visiting the community. But it does take asking if you really want to get the referrals coming in.
I’d also suggest providing the BEST support possible to every new resident that commits to the community. That’s the point when many of their friends and family members are watching to see how they handle this transition. If it’s a tough go, this says to others “you don’t want to do that!” – but if it’s a smooth, well supported transition, then others might start thinking they could do this too. Of course, living in the community must be a positive experience as well if you want residents to refer others to you, but I believe it all starts from the point the new resident says “yes, I’m ready to make this move.”
Thank you. I am fortunate to work for a community that has been serving seniors for 87 years and we have an excellent reputation.It has only been since I was hired 2 years ago that we began a real, albeit small, marketing campaign. To keep a community stable, what percentage of totally new prospects do you think need to be brought in yearly?
Jenny:
Your question actually has a mathmatical formula for an answer. First you need to figure out what your closing ratio is. This is pretty simple. Take the number of sales you have in a year divided by the number of qualified leads you have. This will give you your close rate %. Once you have that you can then determine another important number: Lead Objective. Lead Objective is your Sales Objective divided by your Close Rate %.
Hope that helps.
I m a marketing executive working for the first retirement community in india.may I know your opinion on “use of MASCOT in advertising and marketing” of the retirement community.