{"id":39655,"date":"2024-04-18T13:44:14","date_gmt":"2024-04-18T17:44:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loveandcompany.com\/?p=39655"},"modified":"2024-04-18T13:44:14","modified_gmt":"2024-04-18T17:44:14","slug":"a-cultural-shift-happening-in-senior-living-for-the-better","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/resources.loveandcompany.com\/dev\/blog\/a-cultural-shift-happening-in-senior-living-for-the-better\/","title":{"rendered":"A Cultural Shift Happening in Senior Living for the Better!"},"content":{"rendered":"

The term \u201ctire kickers\u201d has always rubbed me the wrong way. It conjures up a specific image with a clearly negative connotation. It used to come up in Roobrik demos all the time when we talked about website visitors who weren\u2019t calling or touring yet. It was understandable, sure \u2013 senior living sales is a long and tough game \u2013 but a culture that accepts negative language around a prospect is a culture that will lose sales by inadvertently turning off or missing qualified prospects.<\/p>\n

But these days I almost never hear it, and I\u2019m thrilled. It\u2019s been steadily replaced by language around educating, informing, empowering and helping everybody and treating every inquiry like a future resident, even when they\u2019re not.<\/p>\n

In short, relationship-based selling, which was traditionally the norm before the rise of digital marketing, is once again becoming the norm. But how do you build a culture across your company that does it right, continually optimizes and is sustained beyond individual high performers? A few thoughts:<\/p>\n

\n\"May<\/p>\n

Watch the webinar recording to learn more about some proven strategies to unlock the potential of selling to seniors in today’s digital landscape.<\/h2>\n

In our April 25, 2024 webinar, The Vectre Partner Hoyle Koontz, Roobrik CEO Nate O\u2019Keefe, Love & Company Strategic Sales Advisor Joan Kelly-Kincade, and Love & Company President\/CEO Rob Love shared their insights on proven strategies to unlock the potential of selling to seniors in today’s digital landscape in our webinar, \u201cEmotional Intelligence Drives Success in a Digital-First Marketing World.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watch the Webinar<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

First, for simplicity\u2019s sake, let\u2019s break down senior living move ins into just two categories:<\/p>\n

Transactional move ins<\/strong><\/em> are driven by a time-sensitive need and don\u2019t require as much active selling. These tend to be the norm in assisted living sales.<\/p>\n

Relationship-based move ins<\/strong><\/em> happen because of a provider\u2019s ability to sell. These are the norm in Life Plan Community sales.<\/p>\n

By this point, sales and marketing leadership recognizes that you need both, and your best length-of-stay metrics come from the latter group. But earning those consistent<\/em> relationship-based move ins requires a genuine cultural shift that gets to the core of how a provider approaches connections with prospects.<\/p>\n

As we all know, the journey of a senior living buyer is far from linear, influenced by health (physical and mental), family, money and more than a little emotion \u2013 the same rich tapestry that makes up each one of us. Knowing the unique circumstances of that tapestry, including the colors, patterns, textures, size and shape, is now the standard required to stay competitive. \u201cIf you can\u2019t show that you want to know me, I don\u2019t want to come live in your home.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

A simple case in point: In 2023, of 75,000 consumers who completed Roobrik\u2019s \u201cIs it the right time for senior living?\u201d survey, 54% were older adults researching for themselves and 30% were adult children researching on behalf of a parent.<\/p>\n

When asked their motivations for considering a move, \u201cconcerns about safety\u201d was the top motivation for adult children, but it was the least motivating factor for older adults! Older adults\u2019 top answers were about curiosity, future care needs and downsizing considerations. Adult children, however, were concerned about their parents\u2019 safety, loneliness, isolation and future care needs.<\/p>\n

Without those insights, a marketing team might miss an opportunity to engage and educate web visitors. Similarly, a sales team might launch into a conversation emphasizing a selling point that doesn\u2019t resonate.<\/p>\n

So how do you build a culture around that? How do you empower a sales team to invest the time and energy into knowing everyone<\/em>, while still meeting aggressive business goals, managing costs and handling the dozens of operational ideals that make it all seem effortless?<\/p>\n

Here are some common characteristics we\u2019ve gleaned from nearly 10 years of working with senior living providers at Roobrik:<\/p>\n