PROVIDERS THAT ARE WINNING THE WEB REFERRAL GAME . . . are seeing up to 35% of their move-ins come from the Web.

PROVIDERS THAT ARE WINNING THE WEB REFERRAL GAME  . . . are seeing up to 35% of their move-ins come from the Web.

It’s well documented that more and more consumers are using the Internet as a primary research vehicle for senior housing and home services. The profile of the researcher has evolved into savvy internet shoppers.

Just a few years ago internet leads were not recognized as a major source of new residents for many of providers. But this year alone our corporate clients are telling us that they are becoming more and more significant in their overall occupancy picture. 

It’s very common to hear that up to 35% of leads are coming from internet referral services for some of their communities.

Doing It Differently

So, if some senior providers are capturing more than their share of Internet leads, what exactly are they doing differently than their average-performing colleagues? We find that they share some common characteristics:

  • These providers are proactive. They are waiting for these inquiries and deal with them quickly. If shoppers are throwing out inquiries like baseballs, the first provider to catch it is likely to be the one the prospect will play ball with.
  • They are consistent and persistent. They implement daily routines into the work flow of their sales team. And they don’t just call once, or respond once via email. They have a plan and execute it by giving more than one effort to connect with these referrals.
  • They have sales people who know how to professionally deal with the call and stay focused on scheduling face-to-face meetings and tours.  Those who are not as successful will tend to call, answer questions, and maybe send a brochure. They do not have a clear objective to get face-to-face.  
  • They train their sales people. They are recognizing that ‘the how’ in how they work these referrals is a critical variable in how “good” they turn out to be in terms of opportunity. They don’t expect to sit back and have referral agencies hand them a ready move-in.

As a senior provider, if you are not getting leads form Internet sources, you are missing out on a growing audience. Can you really ignore this segment of the market?

You might also want to check out the Senior Housing Forum Event Calendar to find a DEI-Central/Caring.com (both Senior Housing Forum Partners) one day “Maximizing Your Internet Leads” event near you.