Attracting a large number of senior care leads isn’t always ideal. In fact, the wrong type of lead generation can be detrimental for your operation.
Unless you qualify your prospects, bringing numerous leads to your senior living community will do nothing but drain your sales team’s resources.
Instead of investing in prospects who are eager—and able—to move into your community, your sales counselors will make calls and plan tours for leads who can’t drive revenue.
The key to lead generation that actually increases occupancy is knowing how to attract qualified senior care leads and avoid prospects who aren’t potential residents. Here’s how your community can accomplish both goals:
Qualify Senior Care Leads during Communication
Qualifying senior care leads begins the moment your sales counselors first communicate with prospects—whether in person or over the phone. Here’s a practical example of how you can assess the urgency your prospects have to join your community now…
A Place for Mom states that the urgency of care needs is associated with shorter searches for senior living solutions.
The referral agency explains that seniors using walkers took 40 days to find a senior living solution compared to 58 days for seniors who were fully mobile.
Without doubt, a shorter search window can indicate how qualified a lead is, so you’ll want your senior living sales process to include questions that reveal the level of care needed.
During inquiry calls and interactions at events, your sales counselors can also ask questions to learn…
- Where your potential residents currently live to judge income levels.
- Why your prospects are searching for a community in the first place.
- The interests and hobbies of your prospects.
Questions around these topics reveal information to help your sales counselors make informed decisions about your leads.
Bypass Unsegmented Marketing
To avoid unqualified senior care leads, you’ll want to bypass mass marketing (also known as unsegmented marketing) because it uses a cookie-cutter approach for an audience with various needs, fears, and desires.
A good example of mass marketing is a television commercial that reaches people of all ages and preferences with a single message. In contrast, segmented marketing breaks your audience into distinct groups so you can tailor your message for each sub-audience.
While your community may not employ television commercials, it’s easier to practice mass marketing on a smaller scale by sending generic email blasts, promotional brochures, and other communication.
Ultimately, qualified leads are at stake—your indiscriminate marketing can generate leads who have no intention of moving in.
For instance, promoting a discount to all leads in your CRM database can attract individuals who are solely concerned with the price of your community, thus eroding rates by forcing your hand on a discount that may not be needed.
The more you tailor your message to attract your ideal residents, the less likely your sales counselors will waste time on unqualified prospects.
Generate Senior Care Leads from Resident Referrals
Another way to seek qualified senior care leads is to host events and activities that encourage resident referrals. More than likely your residents have friends from the same income bracket, which may qualify those they recommend to your community.
But resident referrals can be even more powerful if your operation serves upper-income seniors.
According to RewardStream, those in upper income brackets may be more likely to accept a referral from people they know.
According to company statistics, here are the percentages for those who stated they had made a purchase based on a recommendation:
- 100% of those with an income of $100,000 or above.
- 74.1% of those with incomes between $75,000 and $99,999.
- 69.9% of those with incomes between $50,000 and $74,999.
- 70.2% of those with incomes between $25,000 and $49,999.
If your community attracts luxury-seeking individuals, then supporting resident referrals may help you increase occupancy through effective lead generation.
From encouraging referrals to executing effective inquiry calls, your sales team plays a vital role in qualifying and closing your senior care leads.
Help your sales team follow effective, proven strategies for moving your leads through your sales cycle so you increase revenue with Bild & Company’s sales training.
