Senior Living Communities

Part of your sales strategy for include senior communities. In 2019 there were nearly 21,000 senior living communities throughout the United States. In 2022 that number has increased to around 24,500 or 3.15 million units. Find senior living communities in your area by searching the keywords below with “near me” or with the name of your city or county:

Senior living communities
Luxury senior living
55 and up communities

Once you’ve found the right places with in your community, the next step is opening the door to working with those senior communities. In this section you will learn important details about the communities and what your first steps should be.

Understanding the Communities

Senior communities are defined in three main types -- independent care, assisted care and skilled nursing facility.

Independent Care: These communities are built for active, older adults. You will find one- to three-bedroom apartments in
Assisted Care: This community focuses on residents who require assistance with daily tasks. These communities can have
Skilled Nursing Facility: This community is one level removed from a hospital. They provide acute care for their residents. These facilities are typically one-room accommodations for each resident.

In addition to the above terms, you may hear Continuing Care Retirement (CCR). This is a community that provides both independent and assisted living care. As the independent resident ages, they can transition to an assisted care situation – many times, in the same apartment.

Many senior communities are part of larger companies with multiple locations. Study their websites before calling so you will know the size of your potential partner. Most will have a section on the website listing all their locations.

Erickson, for example, is a community that has locations across the eastern United States. Are you committing to just your local community, or do you want to service all locations?

Understanding if the community is a standalone location or part of a larger organization will help you understand their needs and how to sell yourself.

While you are on the website, look to see if they have a directory or page highlighting key employees. You are looking for a sales director or move-in coordinator. These are typically the employees that manage new residents.

Suggested Script for Calling Senior Living Communities

The following pages contain easy-to-follow guidelines for calling on a community you recently moved a client into:

INITIAL CALL

Thanks for calling our senior living facility. How may I help you?

Hello, my name is (your name) from (your agency). We recently moved (customer name) into your community. May I please speak with (name of move-in coordinator or sales director)?

Sure thing! Let me connect you to our move-in coordinator.

INTRODUCTION TO MOVE-IN COORDINATOR

Hello, my name is (your name). We recently moved (customer name) into your community.
Based on the great experience our client had I’d love to have a conversation with you about your current moving services providers. Our agency has been a trusted provider of moving services for the older adult community for (number) years. I’d love to learn more about your process. Do you have current partnerships with moving providers or do you offer names of movers as part of a referral packet to new clients?

We currently have a moving partner we coordinate with and promote. Their name is XYZ Movers.

IF THEY HAVE A CURRENT PARTNER

I’m very familiar with that company and can see why you choose to work with them. I’m sure from
time to time they will be unable to provide the services you need. When that happens, I’d love to be able to help! Can we schedule an in-person meeting to discuss this opportunity? I’m happy to bring the move survey from (client name) so you can see feedback from your current residents regarding our services.

Thank you for asking. At this time, we’re not interested, but we appreciate you reaching out.

IF THEY SAY "NO"

I understand you are very busy. Could I follow up in a couple of weeks?

I don’t think that will be necessary. But thank you for asking

IF THEY SAY "NO" AGAIN

FOLLOW UP ANYWAY! Be especially sure to follow up any time you are moving a client in or out of the community.

IF THEY PROVIDE CLIENTS WITH A LIST OF PREFERRED VENDORS

Fantastic! How can I get on that list? Would you like me to provide any type of brochure or flyer to be included in the packet? What other opportunities are available for your preferred vendors (community open houses, web banner ads, educational opportunities, etc.)?

Absolutely! Please send marketing materials to email@fakeaddress.com for our review.

Once the opportunities are provided, be sure to follow through within five business days on deliverables such as flyers, brochures, web banners, etc. Stay in close contact with the community and keep an eye on their events for potential sponsorship opportunities. Offer
to host a free educational seminar for their community on topics such as downsizing and preparing for a move. Advise your RSD of the relationship – the van line may be able to coordinate a screening of Legacy List with Matt Paxton onsite

End every conversation by setting an appointment for your next contact.

What is Your Connection?

Most agents already have a foot in the door with nearby senior communities. Look at your previous customers. Have you recently moved a resident into the community? This can be a great reference for you to start the conversation with the community.

Questions to ask yourself include:

Who have I moved into the community?
Did it go well?
Do I have a customer survey from the resident or are they willing to speak on my behalf?
Are any community employees a part of my professional / social networks?

Make sure you have this information organized and ready to go when you call a senior community.

Ask yourself:

Do I work with a Senior Move Manager?
Does a member of my networking organization work in the community

Finally, if you have performed a move into the community in the past, there is a good chance you have a certificate of insurance on file with them. Again, this is another step in the process that is already in place and shows you are a professional mover.

Start Your Search

Given the wide variety of senior communities across the country, it is recommended that you figure out which type of community best fits with the services provided by your agency and start targeting and interacting with those communities. As always, the key to forming any relationship is follow-up. Once you form a plan of action, you must continually follow up with the contacts at the senior living communities until a relationship is formed and you receive referrals on a regular basis.

Contact your RSD for assistance in forming your marketing plan when you’re ready to create a valuable relationship with a community
near you.

What are the community's processes?

Most senior communities will have a person controlling the physical moves in and out of the community. Remember that it is not only the mover that is involved, but the resident, community security, maintenance and a host of other departments as well as people working to settle the resident into their new home. The standard title is move-in coordinator, and they will be the people you deal with daily.

Some things to consider when scheduling a move into a senior community include:

Time restrictions: Most communities only allow two moves per da and contain them to a morning or afternoon arrival. Most of the time you will be using a common elevator, which the community wants clear during dining hours.
A shuttle will be required: Most communities are not built to accommodate a tractor trailer, so a smaller truck must be used. Additionally, most have assigned parking spots and entry points for each building.
What are the community rules?: Some require the mover to check in at the front office each time they are on the grounds. Some require them to wear badges. Your goal is to ensure each crew member is aware of and follows community guidelines.

Many communities will have a preferred vendor list they provide to new residents. Make sure you ask how you can be on the list or if you can provide a flyer advertising your business. The van line can assist you in creating a flyer that is tailored to you and the organization.

The community will often have expos for new residents. This is a chance for you to get in front of potential residents. These are great opportunities to broaden your brand reach

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