How should the Sales/Marketing Office be Designed?

The first question is “ Does it matter ?”

Some successful marketers have stated that they didn’t need a “closing” office; that they would move to the close anywhere in the building whenever they sensed that the time was right during the tour. They would argue that they could do a close in a model apartment, in one of the various seating areas located throughout the building, in the private dining room, or even in the front lobby.

Although I admire their enthusiasm, I question whether that is demonstrating the greatest degree of dignity and respect for their client? The truth is that the move-in is a difficult decision for most potential residents and involves a level of emotion as they struggle with the compromises they will be making in their life. They should have the opportunity to discuss these issues in privacy, without the concern that someone would overhear the conversation.

I recently had a surgical procedure done at a hospital and went through the admissions process. This particular health care facility was better than most – I’ve seen some that reminded me of the “cattle call” approach common at the Department of Motor Vehicles – but still was fairly impersonal. Upon arrival, I gave my preliminary information to a clerk and was then asked to sit in the industrial style waiting room. A short while later, I was called back to one of several cubicles separated from the waiting room by a wall and completed my admission paperwork with a “coordinator”.

Did I build any relationship with that individual? – Absolutely not.

Did that process do anything to alleviate any of my anxiety over the upcoming procedure? – NO, I just cleared a hurdle and moved to the next step. On the other hand, the hospital had made an effort to provide some level of upgraded customer service by calling me a day or so prior to my surgery and going through a pre-admission process. That did eliminate some waiting (e.g. they already had the procedure pre-approved by my insurance company) as they had most of the forms already prepared for printing when I arrived.

Did I have any choice in the matter? – NO, I went where my doctor directed me to go.

Did I have a great experience that I would share with others? – NO WAY!

The second question is “ Should it be different for a senior living community ?”

My answer is absolutely! As mentioned above, the decision-making process is often at a traumatic time for the individual (i.e. they are often dealing with a recent loss of a loved one or a diminishment of physical or mental capabilities) and the concerns over giving up their house and perceived independence are highly stressful issues for them. The senior living community must do everything within its power to minimize these stresses and create a perception as a solution, not a problem for the prospective resident.

That is why so many organizations preach marketing thru relationship building for this segment of the industry. A quiet, comfortable and private location to meet with the client is conducive to establishing and fostering that relationship.

In the past, many companies, especially those who marketed their services on a month-by-month basis, stayed away from getting into the prospective resident’s personal financial affairs. For instance, one company said, “We don’t care as long as they can make their payment each month.” By and large, that policy worked – we actually used it as a positive marketing tool to promote the senior’s independence because, unlike some of our competitors, we told the prospect that they didn’t have to give all their financial information to us.

HOWEVER, that was before the market and real estate values crashed!

Prospective residents have always been somewhat concerned that they would run out of money if they moved into a senior living community. Now, with the equity in their houses evaporating and their retirement portfolios taking hits of up to a third of their value, these concerns become much more germane.

Accordingly, the senior living community representatives who deal with these prospects must be prepared to discuss these fears with their prospects. To an extent, they need to become informal financial counselors if they hope to re-fill their buildings as the economy begins to come out of its doldrums. They may even want to discuss some of the other financial models (e.g. use of life insurance policies) that are becoming available today.

The point is that the “counselor” needs a private place to have these conversations with the prospective resident. We know that the move-in decision, especially for independent living, is a process and not an event. Having a well-designed, comfortable location for private conversations with the prospects will further the development of a relationship and should reduce the length of the sales cycle.

Given today’s economic challenges, it might make the difference between the prospect not only choosing your community, but in making the commitment to choose any senior living community!

So what “ Should the sales/marketing room look like ?”

Boy, is that a loaded question – there are probably as many opinions as there are readers! AND, I ASK EACH OF YOU TO SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS IN THE COMMENTS SECTION.

First, I suggest that this should be a purpose-built room and not some common area or office space designed by the architect that then gets assigned for this purpose. Of course, that begs the question of “What is the purpose of the room?” There are several proper uses for the room, but these may vary from project to project based upon the operating structures of the organization.

For instance, if the property has an on-site sales/marketing coordinator, one purpose is to serve as an office location and base of operations for that individual. That will generally necessitate a work space, telephone, space for work files, and probably a computer hook-up (with printer).

I don’t consider these very resident-friendly features, but are probably a necessary compromise.

The largest independent living company utilizes a manager couple concept with 2 couples often occupying the same general office space. In their standard building, these 2 management couples are responsible for marketing, without an on-site marketer once the building achieves stabilization. In this situation, whoever is making follow-up marketing calls to potential residents needs a quiet place to do their work that isn’t “Grand Central Station”.

Because these couples live on-site, I often recommended that one of the managers go back to their apartment to make these calls, but that isn’t always practical and may lead to other perception issues.

Whether the managers live on-site or not, a marketing call should not be attempted in a multi-person office where various residents, employees, Fed-X deliveries, etc. are likely to cause an interruption.

I will conclude this section with my recommendation and personally biased suggestions. But first, let me discuss some things that I don’t think will work in the future, based upon set-ups I’ve seen and people to whom I’ve spoken.

The first contingent to weigh-in on this subject is the builder / developer. He is going to talk about the cost of construction per square foot, etc. and

based on current models is probably prepared to allocate between 120 and 150 sq. ft. for this space. If questioned, the builder will point out that this size offers a pretty good size office for the sales function, and might even point out that the marketer shouldn’t be in the office that much anyway – especially after fill-up.

There are some valid considerations in these viewpoints, but I believe that we should take a more customer-centric approach to the design and NOT THINK OF IT PRIMARILY AS AN OFFICE! Instead, it should be viewed as revenue-generating space!

Most new properties begin with a marketing trailer on-site and oftentimes the marketing office in the building is just a carryover from the trailer. I have seen offices that were lined with counter-tops and cabinets for storing various marketing materials. There was a desk area and a phone for the marketer and wall charts of the available units, etc. but only 1 uncomfortable chair for a prospective resident to sit. If the prospects were a couple and/or brought other family members along, the marketer would have to roll in other chairs from the dining room.

This design communicates the subtle message that this a working office and that the marketer is very busy and doesn’t have time to just sit down and speak to someone – unless they have an appointment!

Then there was the company that wanted to make sure their marketer saw everyone coming in the building. So, they built a fishbowl office right inside the front door.

Talk about not showing dignity and respect for someone who you hope will become a resident in your community! We must recognize that the individual is making a “life-decision” which may be just as important to them as deciding to get married, have children, etc. Might they be feeling vulnerable, a little embarrassed that they were considering this step while some of their friends are fighting the valiant fight to stay in their own home, or maybe even a little emotional in the situation? I’ve even seen husband and wife or parent and child get into loud arguments at this stage of the decision-making process. For all of these reasons, I don’t think it’s a good idea to put them on display in a fishbowl!

So, as a best scenario, what would I like to see in a marketing office? First, I would keep in mind that we are trying to build a relationship with the prospective resident and want to present a comfortable place that will create “peace of mind”, and not appear too formal. I would like to create a room that looks as much like their living room at home as possible.

That way, this space becomes a logical extension of the tour where the prospect and other family members, if present, can just sit back and relax

after the tour. I abhor the use of the term “closing room” because it always reminds me of going to a car dealership. I know hard sales people say it’s important to communicate to the prospect that it’s time to get serious about buying and not be just another “looky-loo” – and therefore wasting the salesman’s time. That is why real estate open houses always direct the people back into the sales office.

BUT, this isn’t a real estate sale – it’s a life decision and the successful sales person will be the one who is a problem-solver and helps the potential resident identify and then find a solution for their problem. That’s all part of the relationship building. Therefore, we want to make the prospect feel at home and not intimidated by having to go into a closing office! If the time is right, the senior will communicate it; and if it’s not, no amount of “hard sell” is going to force them into a move-in decision.

So, let’s talk about some of the items that should be in the sales / marketing office:

o Comfortable, upholstered furniture with enough seating for at least 4 individuals (enough for a senior couple and two children) organized in a conversation grouping. These should be living room style chairs, preferably high back, and sofa. I recommend against using office style chairs or dining room chairs.

o Many people like to place a round table in this room, but, these are often unstable and I find that papers easily fall off of them. More importantly for this purpose, I believe they are just too formal.

o If you must have a desk / work area for a marketer / manager; try to place this at the end of the room. Note, if budgets permit, I would recommend buying an upscale desk for use (e.g. Queen Anne style) that should always be kept neat and clean.

o Create a “great room” feel (even using decorative screens if available) with a clear segregation of “family” area from “work” area. The important point is that the office holder should exude warmth and friendliness by getting up from behind their desk and joining the prospective resident and their guest(s) – i.e. family or friend that they brought with them – in the living room area that has been created!

o This family area should be illuminated with warm lighting, using table lamps instead of harsh overhead fluorescent lights.

o Accessorize with a few throw pillows, maybe an afghan tastefully draped over the sofa, etc. One of my more successful managers even displayed a stuffed teddy bear on the sofa. She noted that it was surprising how many potential residents would sit down next to the bear and surreptitiously “give it a squeeze”.

o Hang some nice artwork on the walls and avoid big charts and floor layouts showing all of the empty units.

First, the use of those charts may be counter-productive. The marketer has presumably just given a tour to the prospective resident and helped them narrow their choice down to one or two units. Why would you want to confuse them by showing them a diagram with a number of other options that they should possibly consider?

Second, the use of big plats, line drawings, etc. gives more of an impression of a real estate office – a senior living community must sell a lifestyle, more than just a “unit”.

Third, the charts are more for the benefit of the marketer (as a motivator) than they are to the prospective resident. If you want to use them for that purpose, put them on an easel in the office section. That way they can be set out for reference if needed to help clarify the point for a prospect

and/or for use at special events, but don’t detract from the living room feeling when meeting with the prospect.

Finally, I have found these charts, write-on boards, etc. are often carried forward from the “trailer” and frankly, just look tacky!

o The office holder should treat this space as their home and always offer their guest a snack and beverage. Therefore, I suggest that this space include a mini-refrigerator stocked with bottled water and various soft drinks, as well as a coffee service. A set of air-pots with regular and decaffeinated coffee that are re-filled several times a day work well for this purpose. Lastly, the kitchen should provide some type of “sweets” that may be offered to the guests. (Note that this is a great opportunity to put in a “plug” for the food service in the building!}

Some people will argue that the building already has a snack bar and that the sales person should simply take the guests there to partake of refreshments. I prefer the personal touch of offering it in the sales/marketing designated space. For one thing, this encounter will often occur at the end of a tour and the prospective resident will be somewhat tired. Why make them walk across the building to get a cup of coffee? In fact, I have found they are much more likely to accept the hospitality if they don’t have to move!

Some managers have even gone the extra step by obtaining a set of fine china and serving the refreshments on china plates with coffee offered in cups and saucers. These managers understood the principle of “only getting one chance to make a good first impression!”

o The last topic is the use of a computer in this process. There are certainly many strong arguments for the use of computer technology to streamline the move-in paperwork. Going back to my hospital admission process, the clerk entered some data and then spun the computer screen around for me to review the “Terms and Conditions” and then asked me to sign the screen. There is no question that the electronic signature has become a part of our everyday life (e.g. buying groceries with a credit or debit card), but I think the marketer can build more trust with the senior by using the old-fashioned paper method.

Let me be clear – I am not saying that the building should not use a computer for the move-in process! I suggest that the marketer go

over to their desk (which means that the sales / marketing space does need to be wired for a computer [could be a laptop with a docking

station] connection) and complete the information. Then, print it out and walk back over to the prospect and give it to them. Allow them the time, if needed, to read the document and question anything they are unsure of – after all, securing a move-in is the most important thing you have to do today!

Another nice touch is having the documents already prepared when the prospect arrives, although you need to be fairly certain that a scheduled visit is going to lead to a “signing” for a specific apartment to take this approach.

In conclusion, move-ins occur in senior living communities when building personnel establish good meaningful relationships with prospective residents and their families. The proper design and use of the sales / marketing room can be an effective tool in that process and management should view the money spent in outfitting the room as an investment that will provide returns over and over.

Progressive Retirement Lifestyles is working to create the next generation of senior living communities. Your input will be appreciated.

PLEASE SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS ISSUE – whether you agree or disagree – BY COMMENTING BELOW: