Sales & marketing Using empathy


The best performing sales consultants are those who connect through empathy. They cultivate a relationship based on trust and serve as a resource and a guide, rather than someone who is there to sell or convince. Relationships should be nurtured through direct conversations and activities like home visits.


We define home visits as a face-to-face, in-person interaction with a prospect at their home or a neutral location that is not a tour of your building. Research of Sherpa users found that sales team that carried out at least one home visit per prospect increased their sales conversions from 28 per cent to 52 per cent on average. There will be plenty of environmental clues in a prospect’s home. Keep asking questions related to their surroundings. An understanding of the prospect’s world will open up along with clues to what is behind resistance or uncertainty. Understanding their world allows a consultant to see what potentially needs to happen or change before they can even consider a move. Taking this approach not only forges stronger connections, it supports what should be the overarching ethos of your organisation as a whole, that residents should be seen, heard and valued, on their own terms.


A dedicated sales team and training budget Your best performing sales consultants will be those who understand that the sales process is all about connecting with prospects and going on that journey with them. Ultimately, these salespeople will never have to convince a prospect to move; instead, they will help a prospect arrive at that decision themselves. That being said, your sales staff should be made of professionals who are able to own the process from initial enquiry to


There is an emotional gap between a prospective resident’s current situation that may be just barely working for them and the benefits of a care home or retirement living


conversion. This may take many twists and turns, but that is part of what makes this type of sale so unique. Recruiting the right calibre sales staff will be important. You may be selecting from a pool of former sales professionals from another industry or even hiring from a competitor. The most essential point is their induction and training. Introduce baseline measurements and set some key benchmarks, if you have not already. This supports consistency right across


your team during the onboarding process. Training helps your staff work towards the same goals while all adopting an effective sales style and approach.


The role and goals of the sales team needs taking seriously, which means investment. You cannot leave occupancy levels to chance. That means investment both in time and budget to allow for proper learning and training. If your salespeople are not equipped with the right skills for this role, it could potentially be a waste of time and effort. We have seen successful teams get results by aligning goals, celebrating wins and being genuinely excited about the task ahead. Sales advisors are often the first introduction a prospective resident has with your community. So, they need to reflect a culture of support and care, especially in regards to the emotional aspects of the decision.


Planning ahead A sales training seminar hosted by Sherpa January 2022 www.thecarehomeenvironment.com


Full occupancy is not something that just happens. Again, it is about time. One of the key metrics we found is to allow time and resources for planning for each interaction with key prospects. These sessions involved


Using technology to connect It can still be challenging to expect prospects and their families to come and view your community. Many of us will have turned to technology to support our


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group decision-making, often with a managing director present. From our user data, we found that the highest performing sales teams had around two planning sessions per lead worked in independent living, and at least one per lead for higher levels of care.


Building in time to look back at sales notes on previous conversations and engagements with a prospect will mean sales teams are on the right footing for picking up the phone or heading into that in-person viewing. Demonstrating a deeper knowledge and understanding of an individual and their situation will prove invaluable in making progress with them. How can we take our interactions a step further? After a prospect call or meeting, we suggest proactive design and delivery of a personalised follow-up gesture such as flowers for a milestone date, their favourite meal, or something even more creative. We have found that the presence of one of these creative follow-ups (CFUs) increases conversion rates to 37 per cent compared to a 22 per cent ratio for leads that are not followed up creatively. Your prospects can immediately see that the sales consultant genuinely cares about them, that they know something about them that has made an impression. It has a much deeper and unforgettable impact. To secure more occupancies, you need a fully thought through sales plan.


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