Nearly every week, we receive questions from our WSM readers and our clients about how to give a great tour that helps you stand apart from the competition. Let’s dig into the top five ways to take your visit to closing conversion to the next level:
1. Differentiate
How is your community different from the competition and how do you explain that to a prospect? Do you really know your community? A great tip is to take away all the real estate options and amenities – what is left? Why have your residents chosen your property? If you don’t know, start asking your residents what helped them make the decision to move. Chances are, it won’t be due to your pool, bistro or one-bedroom apartment options. Get to the emotion!
2. Personalize
The inquiry process is the most valuable stage of the sales process. It’s your first impression over the phone and your opportunity to gain as much information about the caller as possible. In order to personalize a visit experience, you must know about the person on the other end of the phone. What are their interests? What don’t they like? What might make them feel welcome when they walk through your front doors? Treat your prospects just like you would treat guests coming into your own home.
3. Engage
Your Executive Director, Director of Nursing and all your other team members are your most valuable resources. Do they come in when you have a visit and introduce themselves? Do they know your visitors by name before they ever come through the door? Remember, prospects are always wondering, “is this a good fit for me?” and “will they do what they say they are going to do?” Start building that relationship from day one by engaging your entire team in the visit experience.
4. Listen
This tip sounds simple and easy, but it’s pretty tricky. Have you ever given a tour and by the end you feel exhausted? Like you’ve been talking all day? If that’s the case, start to practice asking more questions and reducing the amount of your “talk time”. Use the power of open-ended questions and really listening to your prospects to get to the heart of what they need and want.
5. Be the Expert
The number one area of opportunity in the visit experience is closing to next steps at the end of the tour. After observing hundreds and hundreds of tours, one thing remains consistent: sales people are uncomfortable stating the next steps or asking for the sale! Remember, they came to you because you are an expert in the field of senior care. Close with confidence and avoid using uncertain words like “might”, “do you think” or “would you”. Follow the easy steps to closing by recapping what was most important to them (use their words), state the next steps and offer an option of two.
