Self-educated consumers “You can’t do what you’ve always done,” said Morgan. The biggest challenge is just trying to keep up with the changing consumer, who wants complete customization and may have different expectations than what provid- ers have come to anticipate, she said. Mather LifeWays, which enjoys an impressive 98 percent occupancy, oper- ates luxury communities in Chicago and Arizona, with another opening soon in Washington, D.C. “They want to self-educate before they call us,”
Morgan said of today’s prospective residents and their families. “More than half of our move-ins come from 12- to 18-month leads. That used to be three years,” she continued. As a result, sales and marketing profes- sionals have had to learn how to establish a relationship in a shorter period of time with less face time. “People used to answer the phone,” she said. “Now, staff have to learn how to have a conversation via email that is con- ducive to establishing trust and building a relationship.” Morgan has the advantage of a veteran sales team,
most of whom have worked for the company for 13 years. Her newest team member has been on staff for three years. Still, they know they have to be nimble. “We’re training them now to say to the lead, ‘Did you see our Facebook story? ‘Did you see our blog?’” Thanks to technology, companies know what prospects
are seeing, how much time they’re spending on website pages, and what they’re visiting first. “We have to con- sider what prospects have already seen,” said Morgan. They already know the floor plan, the dining options, and the activities offered. This reality creates a fine balance of electronic and
human interaction. “Communities and customers ex- pect salespeople to manage local social media,” added Angela Green Urbaczewski, Solutions Advisors vice president of sales and strategic services. “We have to use personal texts and emails strategically to get that face to face, but customers won’t buy into a process that’s simply driven by technology.” Another consideration: Electronic interactions may
not be limited to the sales and marketing team. AdWeek recently reported that it’s no longer just the “marketer’s responsibility alone to deliver exceptional consumer ex- periences. The interactions people have with brands to- day span marketing communications, customer service, sales, and more.” As a result, “Companies will begin to experiment with organizational structures that facilitate cross-functional collaboration and co-innovation.” The person who answers the phone, for example, may be part of the marketing team. Seventy to 80 percent of leads are lost over the phone, pointed out Mike Miller, president and CEO
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