How Executive Directors Help the Senior Living Sales Process
When people think of sales in senior living, the natural assumption is that the sales director leads the charge. However, the executive director (ED) can play an equally crucial role in driving occupancy and creating a culture of sales accountability.
Here’s the thing, though: The ED’s role isn’t just about supporting the sales team—it’s about ensuring the entire community contributes to the sales effort and long-term relationships with residents.
On one of our recent podcasts, Debbie Howard chatted about this topic with Erin Thompson, owner of Aspire for More. Erin coaches senior living sales teams based on her successful ED experience. (Check out her LinkedIn profile.)
Below, we’ve compiled key takeaways from the podcast. But we encourage you to listen to the full episode here.
How EDs can better support the senior living sales process.
1. Remember, your sales director’s success is your success.
Erin acknowledges there were moments earlier in her career when she struggled with her sales director getting all the glory. But she says it’s important to remember that their glory is also your glory since everyone is judged on occupancy.
She explains, “Every executive director needs to realize that the success of your sales director is your success, period.”
2. Be available and present when your sales team needs you, especially during tours.
Executive directors shouldn’t run and hide from tours. “People want to know what the leader thinks, feels, and how they operate,” Erin says. “Be able to tell that in a tour.”
Being present will also help your sales team understand they’re not alone. “The more present you are,” Erin says, “the more people know that you are a part of the sales process.”
3. Become adept at managing your sales director’s big asks with other managers’ needs.
Anyone who’s worked in senior living operations long enough has likely heard about the “demanding” sales director who’s always asking for something. For example, they go to the kitchen and request a special menu for someone coming in for a tour or cookies for professional outreach. Or perhaps they’re famous for telling the facilities director that they need a particular room flipped by a specific time.
One key challenge for executive directors is balancing these so-called urgent requests with the operational needs of other managers. While last-minute requests from the sales director might positively influence a prospective resident’s decision, they can also cause frustration for other departments if handled poorly.
This is where the executive director’s leadership comes into play. Erin says big asks should come from the ED instead of the sales director. She recommends addressing the challenge directly. “You could say, ‘I acknowledge this is a really bad time. I acknowledge that, and I respect that. But we have somebody who wants to move in to take this last room, and this is going to be the goal for all of us. Is there any way you can make this happen?'”
By acknowledging the inconvenience and presenting it as a shared goal, team members are more likely to respond positively, knowing their efforts are valued.
4. Encourage the sales team to share their perspectives with prospects.
Erin says that while sales reps must listen to family members, it’s also important for the reps to share their insights because they inherently have a perspective that the prospects don’t have. “It’s not salesy if you offer advice through your experience,” she says.
For example, when the sales rep hears a common concern or objection, Erin notes that they could share their insights by saying something like, “I’ve seen this before. I’ve heard this before. Let me give you some examples. And then you decide, based on what you want and what success looks like to you and your loved one at that moment.”
Erin says it’s important for the ED to remind the sales team their perspectives matter.
5. Be a model of leadership and sales integrity.
Good executive directors know how to keep the team focused. “It’s more about how can we inspire the team to come together through the sales process,” Erin says. “Because sales is at the beginning of the journey, in the middle of the journey, and at the end of the journey.”
She says the ED should remind the team to help the prospect rather than close the prospect—and that the sales team must be mindful of their role beyond move-in.
“Transitions to higher levels of care is one of the most vulnerable positions a community can be in legally, referral-wise, and just emotional-wise,” Erin explains. “And so we have to be mindful of how we support family members who are leaving our community for the last time, who are moving into memory care or assisted living or who passed away. How we, as a community, support those transitions is very important because what do people remember the most? They remember the way they felt when they walked out of the door the last time. And that is just as valuable as the first time that they walk in.”
Erin notes that when she was an ED, she used to call families after a resident transitioned to a higher level of care or if the resident passed away. She would tell the family, “Thank you for sharing your loved one with me. I wanted to let you know that this is something important. This is the way they impacted my life. This is what I learned from them. ”
Executive directors must teach their teams how to do the same thing. A good time to model this behavior to newer sales reps is when the family comes in for the last time.
Erin explains, “You tell the team, ‘Hey, so-and-so is coming to move the furniture out today. Give them a hug, shake their hand, thank them. And if you think of a really cute, fun story, share it because your relationship meant the world to this family. And even if they’re leaving and they don’t want to, or it’s emotional, do it because you’re worth it, and they’re worth it, and it does change everything. It really does.'”
Need more senior living sales tips?
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