Selling to seniors? The success of a good senior housing sales team rests in their ability to build relationships over the phone. Why the phone? Because after a retiree requests information, they are WAITING for us to tell them what the next step is. In fact, the mature market needs us to help them break the inertia that comes from living in the same home 10, 20 or even 50 years.

Trust us, no one ever requests information on a active 55+ retirement community, CCRC, assisted living facility or skilled care because they are low on a little light reading. If they have requested a brochure (or retirement information kit as we like to call the brochure), they are in need!

And yet, despite the fact that the phone is the pipeline to sales success, we find it is often one of the most ignored areas of sales training.

Over the next several weeks, we are going to share with you the 10 steps for phone sales success. This system was designed by the Love and Company team … a team with over 40 years of senior housing sales and marketing experience. They have helped sell over 20,000 homes with a settlement pace four times faster than the industry average.

By reading Mature Market Experts, you’ll not only benefit from the Love and Company’s vast experience, you’ll also benefit from the latest techniques and research that will cull for you from the rest of the senior housing industry.

Some of what we will share with you will be old hat, some of it will be brand new to you. In our experience, what separates the top 5% of sales people in the country is a practiced system that is followed religiously.

It is our belief that lack of training leads to lack of confidence and success on the phone … which in turn leads to lack of outbound calls. A confident, well trained sales person loves the phone.

So, let’s get started. The first step is the most obvious, but also one of the most overlooked.

(Write these steps on index card as they appear in the gray boxes, then place them in front of you during your calls, cycling through each as the call progresses.)

Step 1: Environment

Just like a good pilot does a walk through before taking off, you want to make sure that you environment is set up for success.

Never let the phone ring more than 3 times before someone picks up.

It’s important to answer as quickly as you can (always by 3rd ring). It shows the prospect that we are all about prompt service and that their call is important to us. Also, it is a proven fact that people will often hang up if they think they’re call is going to go to an answering machine. People HATE answering machines. NEVER, EVER, EVER, let a call go to an answering machine (unless it’s after hours). Answering quickly gets the call off to a good start!

Give full attention

• There are many distractions going on around us when we pick up the phone; be sure to give your full attention to the caller. Our callers are important to us, so let’s show them we care enough to give them the courtesy of our attention.

• Do not let your computer distract you during your conversation. While you are handling calls the only thing that should be on your computer screen is the customer relationship program and your appointment calendar. Nothing else.  (We estimate that an open email program knocks down your effectiveness by at least 25%).

• If you have an office door, keep it closed during your calls.

Nationally speaking, the average cost per lead for an independent retirement community is in excess of $500. Each time we don’t answer before 3 rings (or we let the WRONG person pick up the phone) we are tossing $500 in the office paper shredder.

Are you ready for step 2?

Free Marketing and Sales Audit (excluding travel) – call today to ask about our free marketing and sales audit for your community, 410-292-4333.