Are you a Game of Thrones fan? We have a fandom in this office, too.
One of my personal favorite lines from the series started in the very first episode: Winter is coming.
It’s from House Stark and it is a warning to be constantly vigilant. Yeah, it’s kind of used in a mob boss way, but it’s also a warning of a different kind.
The Starks are always working to be prepared for winter, when their lands are hardest hit.
Unlike most of the pool companies here in Michigan.
Don’t be like the pool companies
We bought our house almost three years ago and immediately began searching for a pool company. Our hope was to find someone to install a pool the summer after we moved in.
Like senior living communities, in-ground pools are a fairly significant financial investment. Deciding who to use and what kind of pool to get is a process that requires learning a whole new language and doing loads of research.
It also requires pool companies to…call you back.
The last five or six years since the economy has been booming, they’ve all gotten pretty complacent. There is so much demand for pools around here that there’s been no selling required from the sales teams.
With leads literally falling off the trees, pool companies just have had no sense of urgency or desire to get their act together from a marketing perspective.
No resource-rich websites. No email campaigns. No educational seminars. No long-term lead nurturing.
No returning a single phone call. Or any of the 57 messages I might have left. (I did.)
The one exception?
The pool company with the best reviews and the longest waiting list.
They called back. They showed up for a consult at our home. They stayed in touch for almost two years.
Finally, in October of this year, we will be getting a pool!
Make friends with technology to boost senior living leads
The early indicators here in the Mitten state are that winter is indeed coming.
Economically speaking, the drumbeat of recession is growing louder.
Who knows in these wild political times if it’s true or not, but it’s best to make like the Starks and be prepared.
If you’ve worked in senior living long enough, you know how tough it can be to keep occupancy up when the economy is down.
Homes don’t sell. Seniors are less to cash in their investments. Acuity gets higher among new move-ins.
Leads are fewer and further between.
Get your senior living lead nurturing systems in place now
Has your community gotten lazy complacent about lead nurturing during the economic good times?
One complaint marketing teams often cite is that internet leads take a long time to move in. So they ignore them or work only with those looking to move in the next few weeks.
Are you relying heavily on expensive referral agencies?
That’s especially problematic during a recession when acuity is higher and apartments turn over more quickly.
Whether or not winter really is coming, it’s time to get your senior living lead nurturing systems in place.
Fortunately, technology has made nurturing senior living leads much easier and less time-consuming than the last time a recession came around.
You can:
- use a CRM to send out targeted email campaigns to stay top of mind
- set up a private Facebook group for wait listers
- host Facebook Live events to share tips for packing or for downsizing
- create a resource library for your senior living website with guides, articles, and helpful information
Make like a Stark and capture every lead, even those that aren’t looking to make a move very quickly.
Drop us a note if you need some help.
Oh, and all those other pool companies? The ones that didn’t call us back?
Word on the street is pool sales have already fallen. Most have openings for spring for the first time in years..
Until next time,