In our last blog entry, we talked about step 1 to outbound sales calls success for selling to seniors, creating the proper enviroment. Today, we’re going to talk about steps 2 and 3 for selling to the mature market. Again, today’s topics are nothing new. In fact, several different sales training programs utilize these very same techniques. Two sites I highly recommend every sales team visit is Traci Bild’s site and Selling and Persuasion Techniques, written by the incomparable Dr. Robert Caldini. Traci is one of the industry’s premier sales trainers and much of what we write about has been learned by applying her techniques from her book 7 Steps To Successful Selling and then making adjustments as we learn from our clients’ experiences.  In addition to joining the Tuesday Morning Sales Club, I recommend purchasing anything Traci publishes. She is a genius.  The secret is knowing how to apply these techniques to what you are doing each and every day … selling senior housing.

Step 2: Let Your Smile Shine Thru

For most retirees, the decision to call us did not come lightly. After all, moving to an active 55+ retirement community, continuing care retirement community (CCRC), assisted living facility, or skilled nursing home is a life altering decision. When people call us, they are scared. Usually, despite what they might be telling us, that call has been stirred by negative circumstances in their life (failing health, the death of a spouse, or loneliness). It’s our job as a sales team to lift them up and reassure them that they made a good decision to call us. The first task in accomplishing this sales goal is for our voice to exude courtesy, warmth, enthusiasm and knowledge.

If this is an incoming call, the correct way to answer is, “Hi! This is FIRST NAME. Thank you for calling COMMUNITY NAME! How can I help you?

If this is an outbound call, we’ll be taking a much different tack on our opening communication, but more on that later.

• Exude a warm, friendly attitude topped off with generous dose of enthusiasm and knowledge.

• Conveying energy and a can-do-attitude is the key to success. If we show excitement towards our jobs and the community we are selling, our customers can’t help but be excited. Remember, enthusiasm is contagious!

• Speak clearly, loudly and at a pace that they can comprehend (remember, like me, much of this audience has lost a good part of their hearing).

Step 3: Engagement

The key to senior housing sales success is placing outbound phone calls. Lots of them! At a minimum, you should be making 20 outbound calls a day (except on event days).

The top senior housing sales people in the country convert 1 of every two calls they place. How? By following a process. Remember, these people — the prospects —contacted us. They have a need.

Opening step for outbound calls

“Hi, is John in? (Pause, wait for “yes.”) Hi John, this is Tom Mann calling. (Pause, wait for “yes?”)

Most people say “Hi, is John Smith in? This is Tom Mann from the Heritage of Green Hills. How are you today?” And the prospect will say something like, “I’m fine” or “Hi, Tom, unfortunately, I can’t talk right now.” Why? Because they instantly recognize you as a sales person.

When we know we’re dealing with a salesperson our guard instantly goes up. In fact, most people HATE sales calls. Why? Well, first off, you are interrupting my day with your call. Second, I know you want my money. And my money is something I and our prospects guard with a zeal … and they are thinking, “Please, I have stuff to do. I don’t have time for this right now” and they might even be polite and talk with you a little, but they want to get off the phone. This conversation is destined for failure.

When you start a conversation this way, you might not even get to discuss the real reason you called…to talk about how your community can help them. So avoid that trap that pretty much ALL sales professionals get in to — which is naming your community. Instead, we would like you to use this very successful and proven opening step.

Here is how simple it is.

Ring, ring. “Hello is John in?” PAUSE, WAIT FOR REPLY

“Yes, this is he.”

“Hi John, this is Tom Mann calling.” And pause.
 
Polite and personalble, and I’m sure you are wondering “OK, when are we going to tell them who we are with?” And we will, just not yet. Because if you do, you can kiss the likelihood of this call being a success goodbye. This is a relationship business. If you open with this technique, you will form the personal connection.

I am not TR Mann Consulting, I’m Tom Mann, so I am never going to call someone up and go, “Hi, this is Tom Mann with TR Mann Consulting, how are you today?” If I did, that person KNOWS it’s a sales call. Instead, I’m going to say “Hi, John, this is Tom Mann calling. And they are going to go, “Hi Tom” if they know me. And if they don’t know me, they’ll reply, “Hi, Tom?” and then they’ll wait for me to tell them what the call is about. Or, they go, ”How can I help you?”

It’s very important that you address the prospect by first name only. Don’t say, “Hi, is Mr. John Smith in?” Yes, I know you were trained to be polite and that Miss Manners would like you to address people this way. Unfortunately, Miss Manners can’t help you sell. Even after we train people, this is a hard habit to break. I don’t even think sales people even realize they are doing it. But what friend do you know, that calls you up and asks, “Hi, is Tom Mann in?” So you’re going to go, “Hi, is John in?” Pause and wait for “yes.” “Hi John, this is Tom Mann calling.” Research shows us that the word “calling” instigates a “yes?” response … but you have to pause, so that they can say “yes?” The team at The Tuesday Morning Sales Club believes that communication is about two people engaging. You speak, I speak. In a poor sales environment the sales person typically does 85% of the talking. That is not communication. You must use your ears as well as your mouth. Learn to listen. So your new parameters are:

A. Address them by first name. If it’s a couple and you only have one of their first names, address them only by last name, “Hi, is Mr. Smith in?” NOT “Hi, Mr. John Smith.” (Note: when meeting in person, it’s OK to refer to them by Mr. or Mrs. and then their last name as is a common sign of respect in the South, ie., Mr. John.)

B. Then you are going to introduce yourself by both your first and last name and you are going to use that magical word “calling” directly after your name. Followed by a pause. When you pause, they are going to say “yes” 99% of the time. Now, don’t worry if you don’t get the “yes,” there are two other things they’ll do.

They’ll say “oh, Hi Tom, how are you?” When they do that that means they recognize you. That’s a positive and that’s what we want, a positive response.

The other thing they might do is pause.

“Hi, John, this is Tom Mann calling.” (If they don’t respond after a long pause,  start back up, “if you recall…” then you go on to step 4.

The other thing they might say is “who?” In that case, just restate your name. “Tom Mann.” They will respond with a, “yes?” This just means they can’t remember or place your name, so they are trying to figure out who you are. That’s a good thing, now instead of trying to figure out how to get off the phone, you have them engaged. They’re thinking … thinking … thinking… “Tom, who?” That is what we want. We want them engaged.

So your call should go like this:

“Hi, is John in?” (Pause)

“Yes, this is he.

“Hi John, this is Tom Mann calling.” (Pause)

 “Yes?”

“If you recall, you requested an information kit from the Heritage of Green Hills.” (Pause)

“Oh, yes I did.

You have now prepared your customer for step 4, which we’ll write about next time. In the meantime, share the passion you have for this incredible life-changing product! Also, I invite you to join our Tuesday Morning Sales Club.

Interesting side note: “Calling” is not the only magic word.  Dr. Caldini in his book The Principals of Influence, discusses the power of another magical word:

What single word increases compliance from 60% to 93%, simply by adding it to a request?

That single word is . . .  “because”

“This parallel form of human automaticity is aptly demonstrated in an experiment by social psychologist Ellen Langer and her co-workers (Langer, Blank, & Chanowitz, 1978). A well-known principle of human behavior says that when we ask someone to do us a favor we will be more successful if we provide a reason. People simply like to have reasons for what they do.

Langer demonstrated this unsurprising fact by asking a small favor or people waiting in line to use a library copying machine: “Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I’m in a rush?” The effectiveness of this request plus-reasons was nearly total: 94 percent of those asked let her skip ahead of them in line.

Compare this success rate to the results when she make the request only: “Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine?” Under those circumstances only 60 percent of those asked complied.

At first glance, it appears that the crucial difference between the two request was the additional information provided by the words because I’m in a rush. However, a third type of request tried by Langer showed that this was not the case.

It seems that it was not the whole series of words, but the first one, because, that made the difference. Instead of including a real reason for compliance, Langer’s third type of request used the word because and then, adding nothing new, merely restate the obvious: “Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I have to make some copies?” The result was that once again nearly all (93 percent) agree, even though no real reason, no new information was added to justify their compliance.”

Additional note: I’ll be presenting the 10 Steps To Sales Success For Selling To Seniors  in full at the National Active Retirement Community (NARA) 11th Annual Business Conference in Columbia, SC October 20-22.

As many of you know, I speak at a lot of conferences on boomers, seniors, and the mature market, so I’m hard to impress but this is a conference that I can’t wait to attend (let alone speak at). America’s top professionals involved in building for, marketing to and serving people 50+ will be speaking at the National Active Retirement Community (NARA) 11th Annual Business Conference in Columbia, SC October 20-22 (http://www.retirementlivingnews.com/).

Think about it, you’ve got three major associations represented at this one event! The National Active Retirement Association with Dan Owens … the International Council on Active Aging’s (ICAA) Colin Milner … and the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB)!

Professionals, academicians, real estate developers, marketers, sales people and other businesspeople seeking to capitalize on the unprecedented aging of America will attend. Topics will range from internet marketing to strategies to attract retirees to invest in your community to advice on how to successfully design, build and market 50+ housing.

Hearing Colin Milner speak is worth the price of admission alone. In addition to being a dynamic speaker, Colin is the founder of the ICAA, a spectacular association focused on promoting healthy aging. Today, Colin’s vision is shared by over 8,200 organizations connected to the ICAA network across the world.

In addition, I always like to be where the money is. John Randolph of Lancaster Pollard, one of the powerhouses in financing senior housing, will be speaking.

Dr. Joe Gribbin, head of the masters’ program at the Erickson School of Aging at the University of Maryland, will give a detailed presentation about the future of Social Security and Medicare.

I’ll be speaking (Tom Mann of TR Mann Consulting and The Tuesday Morning Sales Club) on “Selling to Boomers and Retirees – A Boot Camp on Getting to ‘Yes’ in a Challenging Market.” For those of you who don’t know me, here’s a short bio.

Throw in the honorable Andre Bauer, Lt. Governor, State of South Carolina and you have one powerful event!

Plus, NARA will be collaborating with the National Association of Homebuilders to offer special 55+ courses to builders in conjunction with the conference.

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Wednesday, October, 20 2010
(Open to the General Public)

8:15 – 8:45 a.m. Coffee/Juice/Networking 

8:45 – 9 a.m. Convene/Welcome/Recognition of Guests

9-10:15 a.m. Opening Speaker

10:15-10:30 a.m. Break

10:30-12 a.m. Taking a Sharp Eye at Social Security and Medicare
Dr. Joe Gribbin, College Park, MD, Dean, Masters’ Program
Erickson School of Aging, University of Maryland

Special Conference Seminars:

1-4 p.m.  Retirement Relocation Seminar (Separate Conference Event)
Trends and Tips on Luring Retirees to Your Community

Sponsors/Hosts: Thomas,Warren + Associates of
Phoenix, AZ, Retirement Lifestyles™ magazine and NARA.
Facilitators:  Gene Warren and Alan

1-4 p.m.  Selling to Boomers and Retirees (Separate Conference Event)
“A Boot Camp on Getting to ‘Yes’ in a Challenging Market”

Sponsors/Hosts: TR Mann & Associates, Retirement Lifestyles™ magazine and NARA.
Facilitator:  Tom Mann, co-founder of TR Mann Consulting, The Tuesday Morning Sales Club, and Mature Market Experts

6 – 8 p.m.  Welcoming Reception/Networking – (Dinner on your own)
Thursday, October 21, 2010

8:15 – 8:30 a.m. Coffee/Juice/Networking 8:30 a.m.  

8:30 – 8:40 a.m. Convene/Welcome/Recognition of Guests and Introductions

8:40-9:30 a.m. A Look at Our Aging Future

Colin Milner, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
CEO, International Council on Active Aging (ICAA)

9:30-10:30 a.m. Trends in Boomer Services, Retiree Marketing and 55+ Building

PANELISTS:

*Dick Ambrosius, South Dakota, NeoCorta

*Dave Segmiller, Charlotte, NC, Freeman White

10:30-10:40 a.m. Break

10:40-11:45 a.m. Serving a Growing and Powerful Market:  55+ Active Adults

David Reitz, Chicago, Ill, 55+ Active Adult Expert

11:45-12:45 p.m. Lunch at Columbia Convention Center
   Preparing for an Aging State (And World!)

The Honorable Andre Bauer, Lt. Governor, State of South Carolina

BREAKOUT SESSIONS:

1-2:30 p.m.  A Study of the 55+ Housing Market:
Designing, Building and Selling Active Adult Housing

PANELISTS:  

*Nancy Borum, ID Collaborative, Greensboro, NC

*Dan Horner, Tribute/True Homes, Charlotte, NC

*Jim Chapman, Jim Chapman Communities, Atlanta, GA

1-2:30 p.m.  Retiree Recruitment for Towns, Cities, States:
Recruiting Retirees through Tourism & Special Programs

PANELISTS:  

*Simon Hudson, Columbia, SC

*Miriam Atria, Capital City/Lake Murray Country

*Sherri Gothart-Barron, Director, GO TEXAN program, State of Texas

2:30 – 2:45 p.m.  Break

2:45-4 p.m.  Internet Strategies to the 55+ Consumer

2:45-4 p.m.  Getting New Projects Financed

 John Randolph, Atlanta, GA, Lancaster Pollard

6 – 8 p.m.  Reception/NARA Awards (Offsite:  Directions and transportation options to be provided; dinner on your own)
Friday, October 22, 2009

8:30-9:30 a.m.  Opening Speaker

9:30-10:45 a.m. Economic Development through Rural Retiree Attraction

John Cromartie, Washington, D.C., Senior Demographer, USDA

10:45-11:45 a.m. Speaker Roundtable/Final Thoughts on Marketing to “Boomers and Beyond”

11:45 a.m.  Door Prizes/ADJOURMENT

I don’t know if I’ll be able to attend, but I’d like to congradulate the team on pushing beyond the standard promotion.

Cheers,

Tom

Mature Market Experts: more news and stats you can use on boomers, seniors and the mature market – Marketing to Boomers Event - How to Build Your Business with the Mature Consumer – More than 15 experts on the Boomer market, including moi (Tom Mann of TR Mann Consulting), will share strategies for marketing to Boomers in a workshop at the East Side Marriott in Manhattan on May 14. The organizer of the workshop is Dr. Leslie M. Harris, a noted Boomer expert and the author of After Fifty: How the Baby Boom Will Redefine the Mature Market and After Sixty: Marketing to Baby Boomers Reaching Their Big Transition Years. The workshop is titled “Marketing to Boomer Men and Boomer Women: How to Build Your Business with the Mature Consumer.”

After conducting successful workshops in the Chicago and Washington, DC areas, Harris decided to organize a third workshop in New York to help marketers tap into the $7 trillion in personal wealth that is held collectively by people over the age of 50.

“Marketers continue to undervalue Boomer and beyond consumers and therefore allow these consumers to make their buying decisions with few marketing or advertising programs to gain their loyalty or favorable brand attitudes. This is a long-held and failing attitude toward these consumers,” Dr. Harris tells Selling to Seniors. “The Boomer and beyond generations are the most written-about age segment. The objective of this workshop is to try to point out that Boomers are big business. The presentations will clearly identify the importance of the 50-plus marketplace.”

Confirmed speakers for the workshop are as follows:

• Jerry Shereshewsky, CEO, Grandparents.com – luncheon speaker
• Kevin Lavery, managing director of Millennium Direct, UK, and president of the International Mature Marketing Network (IMMN) — keynote address
• Adriene Berg, CEO, Generation Bold, a business development and marketing consultancy
• Pat Burns, author of the best-selling book Grandparents Rock
• Helen Foster, Foster Strategy, Former Partner, JWT Mature Market Group
• Todd Harff, president, Creating Results, and a founding member of IMMN
• Steve Howard, author of 50 Low-Cost Ways to Acquire New Customers and Boomer Selling
• Paul E. Johnson, former account manager at TNS, who will report on his recently published article “Grandparenting: A New Image”
• Dr. Elaine Lyons and Ken Lyons, Perceptive Market Research, who will report on a national omnibus study of “Boomers and Beyond” that they recently conducted
• Jerry Maffia, a 30-year veteran of marketing research and promotion
• Kurt Medina, president of Medina Associates consultancy and co-author of the best-selling book 77 Truths About Marketing to the 50+ Consumer
• Tom Mann, managing partner, TR Mann Consulting, and founder of the Mature Market Experts (a LinkedIn networking group and blog for anyone who serves or sells to boomers, seniors, or the mature market) 

Special Panel Presentation

 Also, a panel presentation titled “Marketing to Boomer Women: How to Successfully Reach Them Using Social Media” will be moderated by Martin Diano, CEO of Boomer Authority and publisher of the Baby Boomer (Knowledge Center). The four panelists will be:

• Nancy Padberg, CEO, Navigate Boomer Media        • Marva Goldsmith, CEO, www.branding50.com
• Sandra Levitan, CEO and publisher, www.KalonWomen.com
• Dotsie Bregel, founder, National Association of Baby Boomer Women

Tom Mann

I love Manhattan, so I’m really looking forward to speaking at this workshop. I’m constantly amazed at all the wonderful people and meaningful business contacts I make when I attend these events. Usually, the most valuable contacts come from companies and people that hadn’t been on my radar prior to the event … but something magical happens when you get a bunch of people together, focused on a few important topics. By the way, I’ll be presenting on “Changing how we age: innovative trends in health care and commercial products.” In fact, if you have any ideas or products you think I should consider including in my presentation, let me know. I hope to see you there!

Early-Bird Deadline: March 1

Those who register for the workshop by March 1, the early-bird registration deadline, can attend the workshop for $175 per person or $275 for two attendees. In addition to breakfast and lunch, each attendee will receive a copy of Medina’s book 77 Truths About Marketing to the 50+ Consumer and a copy of one of Harris’s books – either After Fifty or After Sixty; both are described at http://www.beyondboomers.com/.

Additional Sponsorship Opportunities

A Sponsorship at the workshop of $500 gives you:
- Two (2) complimentary registrations to the workshop.
- Company logo and acknowledgment on Workshop Entrance Signage.
- Company logo on any Educational Workshop web page, highlighting sponsorship.
- Verbal acknowledgment during workshop made by the workshop organizers and speakers.

Don’t miss the opportunity to be a sponsor at this workshop.  It’s a great way to engage your peers, reach potential buyers, and show your commitment to the largest and wealthiest age cohort bar none. In addition to face-to-face interaction with the most highly qualified and knowledgeable people in the Boomer Market today, sponsorship helps you gain market leverage to an audience ready to embrace this market’s incredible revenue potential. If your company sells markets or promotes products or services directly to boomers and beyond, then your company should have a presence at this workshop! Trust me, this market … particularly older women, control the world’s wealth (to see some incredible statistics, check out this PowerPoint)! Please contact, Paul Johnson at pejconsulting@hotmail.com for additional sponsorship information.

 Info: For more information about the presentations or speakers, or to register, visit the website or contact workshop organizer Dr. Harris at mmrharris@aol.com; he will contact you with instructions about how to make your credit card payment.

PS   Here’s an earlier presentation I gave to T. Rowe Price that might be of interest to you on Inspiring the 65+ Market to Act.

Who couldn't use a little sunshine in December?

Mitch Albom

Mitch Albom, author of Tuesdays with Morrie and one of my favorite sports reporters will be the keynote speaker. Mitch is an author, playwright, journalist and screenwriter who has written seven books, including the international bestseller Tuesdays with Morrie, the bestselling memoir of all time.  His first two novels, The Five People You Meet In Heaven and For One More Day, were instant number-one New York Times bestsellers. All three books were made into acclaimed TV films. Plus, Mitch oversees three charities in Detroit.

Also presenting will be my good friend and client, Maestro David Dworkin of Conductorcise. If you haven’t seen his program yet, I can tell you it’s worth the trip. Here’s a TV clip that gives you a good idea of the fun you’re in store for.

Not on Mitch’s or the Maestro’s level … I’ll be (Tom Mann, Managing Partner of TR Mann Consulting and co-founder of Mature Market Experts) presenting “Becoming A Wellness Sherpa” which is all about relational marketing and becoming a trusted advisor. Here’s an article on the topic if you’d like a preview.

I hope I see you by the pool.

The conference’s thought-provoking education includes techniques, strategies and resources that get results today and prepares your organization for tomorrow. Gain tools to become more versatile in your offerings and more adaptable to needs and circumstances. Discover best practices, case studies and ways to improve your business and marketing models. Plus, talk to industry leaders, experts and colleagues from diverse older-adult settings, to learn what they’re doing.

To view conference schedule and full session descriptions, visit http://icaa.cc/convention/sessions.htm

Register for the conference before July 1, 2009, and SAVE.

Maestro David Dworkin the founder of Conductorcise with Dr. Roger Landry, President of My Masterpiece Living. The Maestro and Dr. Landry will both be presenting at this year's upcoming conference.

 To register by phone, CALL ICAA TOLL-FREE at 866-335-9777 or 604-734-4466. To register online, visit http://icaa.cc/registrationForm.asp

Note: I (Tom Mann of TR Mann Consulting) was recently elected to the ICAA’s Visionary Board. This is an incredible organization that puts on some of the best run conferences in the country. This year, I will be speaking on the topic of “Becoming A Wellness Sherpa” which is all about relational marketing and becoming a trusted advisor. I hope to see many of my friends from Mature Market Experts in sunny Florida this December.

One full day. . . 10 nationally-known senior/boomer market experts…. and now just $195 per attendee!

You are invited to this information-packed one-day workshop, which brings together top mature marketers from around the globe to share valuable insights, new research and proven strategies for building successful relationships with Boomer and mature market consumers.

Speakers include:
• Andrew Nibley, Chairman and CEO of Marsteller
• Todd Harff, President of Creating Results – strategic marketing
• Stacie Owen, Sr. Sales Strategist, Grandparents.com
• Tom Mann, TR Mann Consulting

Additional presenters include: Dr. Leslie Harris, Founder Mature Marketing & Research; Gerald Linda, President of Gerald Linda & Associates; Dr. Carol Orsborn, Senior Strategist with Vibrant Nation; Adraine Berg of GenerationBold; Bud Myers, Senior Director of Merchandising, FirstSTREET for Boomers and Beyond; Laura Weber Rossman, Vice President, variPhase Financial Partners.

FULL AGENDA & SPEAKER LISTING: Click Here

The event is limited to 130 participants.

We look forward to seeing you at “Targeting Boomers and Beyond”!

Mature Market Experts: more mature market news and stats more often – Mature Market Experts Members Receive Special Reduced Rate At DC Conference! Joining Market Experts is Free, and the benefits are awesome. Members receive special rates on conferences like Hot Trends In Marketing To The Boomer and Mature Consumer which is now just $195! Here’s where to register. I’ll (Tom Mann of TR Mann Consulting) be there . . . more importantly, there’s an incredible lineup of speakers:

New Insights for Companies and Their Agencies
Targeting Boomers and Beyond

A Workshop Sponsored by the International Mature Marketing Network
and the Market Research Global Alliance

May 15, 2009 in Washington, D.C.,
at the Marriott Residence Inn Arlington – Pentagon City*

• Hot Trends in Marketing to the Boomer and Mature Consumer
• Breakthrough Strategies
• Case Studies
• New Ideas
• Solutions to a Recession Economy

About this special one day event:

The workshop provides new insights into how to develop new products and services in these challenging economic times. Attendees will hear from some of the leading experts and thought leaders on how to build successful relationships in this fastest-growing demographic segment which has its unique combination of needs.
Our culture places a premium on “youth”. However, age 50 plus is the fastest growing demographic segment (and will be for the next 30 years). This group more than any other generation before them is highly focused on the brands that satisfy their unique combination of needs.

Receive practical advice, case studies and actionable research. All in an exclusive setting limited to 130 participants designed to maximize networking opportunities with key decision makers.

You will learn how to:
• Segment and reach this lucrative market using new methodologies,
• Develop products and services that reflect the needs and wants of this market,
• Create meaningful and effective advertising messages,
• Market your products and services in even the worst economy,
• Turn the recession marketplace into a unique opportunity for increased sales.

MME Members $195.00 (Mature Market Experts)

Special offer: Register before April 30 at $295.00 and bring a colleague for Free.

Please contact Dr. Leslie Harris, workshop organizer, at mmrharris@aol.com.

*Attendees will receive a free copy of
After Fifty :How the Baby Boom Will Redefine the Mature Market or
After Sixty: Marketing To Baby Boomers Reaching Their Big Transition Years

Market Leaders Confirmed as Speakers:

Kevin Lavery
One of the co-founders of Millennium Direct and is currently Managing Director. Millennium is the leading resource of marketing and research services in the United Kingdom for the 50+ population. Kevin is also President of IMMN, an international network formed to provide marketing services to the Boomer generation.

Andrew Nibley
Chairman and CEO of Marsteller, the advertising interactive, event management and production unit of Burson Marsteller, the world’s leading public relations agency. Andy has been a President, CEO or Chairman in four different industries: news, internet, music and advertising.

Sandra Timmermann
Assistant Vice President, MetLife, and Executive Director, MetLife Mature Market Institute. In her role, Sandy is responsible for research, education and consultation on aging and the 50+ market for MetLife and its business partners.

Dr. Carol Orsborn
Senior Strategist with Vibrant Nation.com, an information sharing website for leading edge Boomer women. Carol has provided counsel to over 100 leading companies in a broad array of industries including AT&T, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Prudential, The Walt Disney Company, Hallmark and Visa. Dr. Orsborn was also co-founder of Fleishman-Hillard’s FH Boom, the first initiative by a global public relations agency dedicated to helping companies market to the Boomer Generation.

Laurel Kennedy
Founder of the “thinking firm” (part think tank and part consulting) called Age Lessons. She has appeared on national television including CNBC and Comcast TV, and as a keynote speaker before numerous industry and corporate forums. She has consulted for such clients as Johnson Wax, Keebler, Kraft, Kellogg, Quaker Oats, Pepsi and Sara Lee.
*Kennedy’s book “The Daughter Trap” is due out from St. Martin’s Press in spring of next year. Look for it!

Tom Mann
Managing partner of TR Mann Consulting and is a recognized leader in the senior industry. Tom is the managing partner of TR Mann Consulting and is the co-founder of Mature Market Experts. Tom was the Senior Vice President of Advertising for Erickson Retirement Communities. His responsibilities included market research, strategy, budgeting, creative review and media placement. In addition he was the publisher of the Erickson Tribune, the nation’s largest monthly newspaper addressing health, active lifestyles for people 62 plus. His clients include real estate developers, retirement communities, exercise and fitness programs, car companies, magazine publishers, the travel industry, and companies that sell consumer goods or services to the senior marketplace.

Jacob Brown
President of In-Depth Research, a strategic market research company specializing in Boomer/Senior Research, Healthcare Research and Technology Research. In-Depth conducts research for many leading companies, including Microsoft, Tivo, United Healthcare, Intel, Varian Medical Systems, Adobe and Disney.

Todd Harff
President of Creating Results, a strategic marketing, public relations and advertising agency that develops demand for lifestyle-oriented products and services. Todd is a nationally renowned expert in understanding and motivating mature consumers. Over the past 15 years, Creating Results has worked with government agencies, not-for-profits, Fortune 500 companies and entrepreneurs in a variety of industries to build relationships with Boomers and beyond. Some of the clients that have been served include: National Association of Home Builders, Rhode Island Hospitality & Tourism Association, Mystic Coast & Country Travel Industry, Willow Valley Retirement Communities, Potomac Hospital, Ingleside Retirement Communities.

Gerald Linda
President of Gerald Linda & Associates, a 15-year-old marketing consulting firm. The firm provides marketing strategy, planning and research services to a wide mix of large, sophisticated marketers as well as smaller entrepreneurial companies. A second service is adding advertising and public relation agencies with their new business and account planning efforts. And a third service is the provision of Interim Marketing Leadership services for organizations. He is a frequent writer and speaker, whose thinking has appeared in dozens of trade and professional journals. And he has made over 100 presentations and speeches at association meetings and conferences. He also serves on the editorial review board for the Journal of Current Issues in Research and Advertising (JCIRA). And he is the co-author of the forthcoming book, MORE Guerrilla Marketing Research, which will be published by Kogan Page in the first half of 2009

Brent Green
Brent is a marketing communication strategist and consultant with internationally respected expertise in generational marketing He is the author of Marketing to Leading Edge Boomers: Perceptions, Principles, Practices, Predictions. Established in 1986 and located in Denver, Colorado, Brent has received over 50 regional, national and international awards for creative and strategic excellence. The firm has produced programs for a diverse range of clients including The Broadmoor, Total Petroleum, Orange Glo International (OxiClean brand), McDonalds, Blue Cross Blue Shield, The American Water Works Association, The General Merchandise Distribution Council, The American Numismatic Association, Men’s Fitness Magazine, Rodale’s Best Life and Men’s Health magazines, Experimental and Applied Sciences (EAS), FrontRange Solutions, Hewlett-Packard, and the United States Olympic Committee.

Space is limited to 130 attendees, so sign-up now!

Continential Breakfast and Full Lunch will be served.
Hotel is located 2 miles from Ronald Reagan Airport w/ complementary shuttle service.

*Sponsorship Opportunities Available*
Workshop Sponsorship

See you in May!

Details

When: Friday, May 15, 2009 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM

Where:

Marriott Residence Inn Arlington
550 Army Navy Drive
Arlington, Virginia 22202
USA
703.413.6590

Mature Market Experts: Designed to develop your business

Whether you are a CEO, manager, wellness director or personal trainer, there is something for you at the International Council of Active Aging Conference 2008. Leave the conference with cutting-edge information, resources and tools to help you make the most of the opportunities you’re pursuing.

You can gain the knowledge and insight needed to:

• identify opportunities in active aging
• plan an entry or expansion into the older- mature market
• market your products and services
• offer programs that address the challenges of seniors over 50
• increase participation levels

(Note: Shameless pitch, TR Mann Consulting – page 9)

The International Council on Active Aging Conference 2008 offers you the opportunity to gather your staff for an extraordinary educational experience. Senior managers can pursue trends and best practices, wellness staff can immerse in programs and training techniques, and communication mavens have a chance to investigate social marketing that works. If you seek the right venue to increase your staff’s expertise in marketing and management, programs and leadership, look no further than this conference. Think of the potential when you all get together again to share the power of collective knowledge!

The active-aging industry has created — and will continue to create — unprecedented business, professional and personal growth potential. Are you ready? Please consider this your personal invitation to attend the Sixth Annual International Council on Active Aging Conference. I hope to see you there. Register before June 1, 2008 and SAVE. Call now 866-335-9777.

At 125 million strong, Boomer and Mature consumers spend over $3 trillion annually and represent one of the biggest business opportunities of the 21st century. As this multifaceted group redefines what it means to “grow old”, their behaviors and attitudes are having a profound effect on retirement, health, finance, leisure, technology and many other industry areas. As a result, the business community at large is directing their attention to this once “overlooked” senior demographic, devising strategies and tactics for understanding them, reaching them and creating products and services that can meet their needs.

According to the press release: Focalyst Executive Forum is the pre-eminent event for marketers and leading executives targeting Boomers and beyond. No other event provides as many industry perspectives and actionable insights as this one. Conference programs are thoughtfully built with the trends of the market and the needs of the business community in mind. Through our work with hundreds of clients across a wide range of industries we are acutely aware of the challenges businesses face and are well-versed in best-fit content for meeting information needs.

The Forum is unique among emerging Boomer conferences because it:

• Caters exclusively to senior executives and experts, specifically those in marketing, market research, advertising and brand management
• Attracts high-level speakers from Fortune 500 corporations leading their industries in understanding and targeting Boomers and Matures
• Focuses on business issues and actual case studies – not consultant self-promotion speeches
• Presents proprietary ideas and data from Focalyst
• Delivers a high-class, unique brand experience from the venue to the quality of networking opportunities

For more information you can review the 2006 Focalyst Executive Forum site.

In my daily life, I’m vice president of communcications and public affairs at Ecumen, which is one of the country’s largest non-profit senior housing, services and development companies.  We’re based in Minneapolis/St. Paul.  I invite you to visit our “Changing Aging” blog here.

I had not attended the Boomer Summitt that Tom mentioned in his earlier post for a couple of years.  What I was struck by at this conference is how issues of “caregiving” had a more significant space on stage than the previous one I attended.  A lot of marketers, media and others like to skip over the part about aging where we get sick and die.  But it’s reality.  Gail Sheehy, who has authored 15 books, including the mega-seller Passages was one of the keynote speakers.  She has a book coming out from Harper Collins next year on Caregiving.  This is an issue that’s going to continue to rise and the boomers are going to elevate it because they’re going to be (and many already are) living it.

What did I find most impressive? Qualcomm is coming out with a device that could revolutionize the ability for older adults to stay in their homes longer. If I understood the presentation, in a couple of years they’ll have a phone that can:

-         serves as an emergency response (push a Bluetooth button and it dials 911)

-         can act as a hearing aide (and will look just like the Bluetooth ear piece most of us use, thereby eliminating the stigma of a hearing aide)

-         monitor your loved ones movement in their house through GPS tracking

-         possibly monitor additional health factors like blood-level sugars and blood pressure

If all of this is true, it has the potential to be a market homerun. I should note, that the good folks from Verizon were their as well, so I expect this to be a competitive field. Anyway, these types of innovations are fascinating developments that could change the face of aging.Another interesting development is the race to create media for boomers. My good friends from Retirement Living TV, along with the folks from AARP, PBS, and Martha Stewart were in attendance showing their love of seniors. My prediction is that this will soon be a very crowded, very competitive playing arena. One word of advice for the players that will soon be entering the field, “it’s about stage, not age.”

Maryland-National Capital Building Industry Association 50+ Council’s next networking/breakfast event Wednesday, March 12 at the Bethesda Marriott, 5151 Pooks Hills Road. The topic will be–Looking Forward: Trends, Insights, and Opportunities for the Active Adult Market Register for the next 50+ Council Breakfast Event (registration flyer attached) or Register on-line from the MNCBIA March Calendar at http://www.mncbia.org/cde.cfm?event=204783. Registration/Networking at 7:30 – 8:00 am, program 8-10:00 am. Note: must submit payment at time of registration. Walk-ins still accepted. 

The Boomer Summit – Wednesday, March 26 at Omni Shoreham Hotel – 2500 Calvert Street NW, Washington, DC 20008. For details, click here: http://www.boomersummit.com/ . The What’s Next Boomer Business Summit is an annual event that brings together the country’s top businesses and organizations that are leaders in the baby boomer marketplace. The 2008 summit promises to be a grand event with premier participants such as AARP, Microsoft, Yahoo!, American Express, Verizon, MetLife, DecisionStreet, and Posit Science, unleashing the latest baby boomer news, product strategies and distribution tactics. (Note: this is a pre-conference to the NCOA-ASA conference)

And one non-industry related event: 

“A retreat from illness.” Believe In Tomorrow’s Port to Fort 6K Run/Walk, Sunday April 27, 2008 @ 9:00 a.m. at Baltimore Museum of Industry, 1415 Key Highway. For information visit http://www.believeintomorrow.org/p2f/ . Believe In Tomorrow is an organization near and dear to my heart. They provide hospital and retreat housing for children with critical illnesses (including the Children’s House at John’s Hopkins). This is a great event that my family and I have attended every year. You can skip the walk and just donate; sign up as an individual; create your own team; or join my illustrious team of winners. . . Team Waverly (http://www.firstgiving.com/tommann). 

Hope to see you soon, 

Tom