When it comes to senior living sales, sometimes it’s easy for Marketing Directors and Sales Counselors to feel like a one man band. Many times, literally, they are: coordinating events, strategizing referral development, handling inquiries and walk ins, giving tours and preparing for move ins. Let’s not forget all the front end work salespeople handle within the first 30 days of the admission, as well!
When you have the right team in place, one of the first steps in systematizing your sales infrastructure is identifying your “A Team”. While this might make you think about the amusing TV show of the same name, we are specifically talking about developing a core team to help support the sales process.
Let’s dive into how to put this team in place!
- Who is on the team?
Ideally, your A Team is anyone who is able to handle a website inquiry, initial phone call, walk in or scheduled appointment. Typically, these can’t be people who have schedules so inflexible, they wouldn’t be available. The best A Teams are usually made up of the Sales Director, Executive Director, Director of Wellness or anyone else who truly understands the value of making prospects and families feel welcome during the first impression.
- What do they need to do?
The entire team should be trained on how to handle the inquiry process and the visit experience. Whether it’s through one on one coaching, shadowing a “real” tour or otherwise, basic training and expectations need to be set so everyone feels comfortable.
- How do you implement this?
Once you have selected your team and everyone is trained and ready to roll, the rest of your community needs to be aware who is on the team and how to contact them. At Bild, we call this an “Inquiry Hierarchy” – who you call and how you contact them, in the event the salesperson is out of the building or busy doing something else. Make sure this is written out and posted anywhere there is a phone.
- Why is this so critical?
Marketing Directors and Sales Counselors are busy, and we know that prospective families reach out to communities for information 24/7. It costs the average property nearly $800 just to make the phone ring ONCE! Think about what you might be missing by not having someone to help right when that family member is looking for help.
Remember, families are reaching out to you because they are in a time of crisis, or they are in the process of beginning a decision making process that can be daunting. Put yourselves in their shoes: if you needed help would you want to end up in a voice mail box? Told there was no sales person there and to come back? We hear it happen every day on hundreds of mystery shop calls! Get ahead of the curve and put your A Team in place. If you aren’t sure how to do this, reach out and we can help you through step by step.
For more information on how Bild & Company can help build your A-Team, please contact us →
