The latest data from NIC shows rising operator expenses are now the top-cited challenge of survey respondents. With expenses increasing, driving occupancy remains critical for senior living operators. Your sales team might have momentum with more move-ins, but you’re always looking for ways to supercharge your senior living sales. Here’s how you can become more successful in less time, using less effort.
1. Apply the Pareto Principle to prioritize
We get it, your sales team has a to-do list a million miles long. They are already using every minute of every day – and then a caregiver doesn’t show up because we’re dealing with a staffing shortage. Now your sales director is folding laundry instead of crossing off the most important things. When they get done, they waste hours going back and forth between the 30 + software systems it takes to run the community. Things become unproductive…fast.
Introducing the Pareto Principle: a strategy that helps workers determine their highest priority tasks that will yield the most ROI, often referred to as the 80/20 rule.
This isn’t an equation; it is an observation between effort and outcome. For example, 20 percent of your sales efforts account for 80 percent of your revenue. The lesson?Your sales director still needs to do everything on this list, but this rule can help them prioritize. Focus your team on the tasks that drive the most significant results first. What results in the most move-ins?
Maybe for your community it’s tours or referrals. Whatever it is, focus on freeing up your sales team’s time so they can focus more on building relationships that drive occupancy. Consider setting up a project planning meeting every Monday first thing to prioritize the most important sales efforts.
2. It’s fun to win- create gamification in sales
Don’t let your sales team ever forget how far they’ve come. Sales roles are hard, and it can be difficult for teams to see the forest through the trees.
Rate pressures are increasing, there’s a senior living community on every corner, buildings are aging, and trust is low. How does your team tell if the small things they are doing are important in the long run?
Sales leaders help their teams focus on a goal, bigger purpose, and create a culture of recognition. Those are all good things. One of the best ways to do these things is through gamification.
According to HubSpot, sales gamification is the process of turning pipeline tasks, like calling prospects, setting meetings, and closing deals, into a game. Completing tasks often comes with a reward, which motivates salespeople to continuously repeat the behaviors that helped them succeed.
A study from Talent Ims found 83% of those who receive gamified training feel motivated, while 61% of those who receive non-gamified training feel bored and unproductive.
With VIA Sales, your sales team can build good habits the fun way.has gamification features (i.e. streaks, leaderboards, badges) keep teams motivated, recognized, and competitive.
Ready for engaged employees motivated to increase your bottom line? See how VIA’s gamification features can work for you.
3. Don’t underestimate continued educational development
Sure, when your sales rep first started you spent significant time training them to understand your company and everything that your communities have to offer. It’s a good start, but do you know that 26% of sellers say that their sales training is ineffective? Another 84% of reps say that their sales training is forgotten within 3 months.
Ongoing training will sharpen your team’s skills, increase morale, and even increase retention. A great place to start is to secret shop your communities, learn your weaknesses, and then set up sales training around your findings. For example, is your sales team missing calls? Are they following up with leads?
These are all aspects to measure and then improve upon with further training. Plus, when a team member feels more equipped, that typically means a boost in earning potential for them and higher occupancy for you. Everyone wins!
Ready to improve your sales team’s efficiency even more by winning in occupancy and staffing? Request more information about VIA; a unified platform that manages the lead and applicant journey.
