What is Marketing Automation – for Retirement Community Operators?
Leads nurturing at all paces
As explained on our Marketing Automation page our product is a Marketing Automation software tool to help businesses get more qualified leads and quality sales. There is no limitation on prospect numbers – you can nurture thousands of prospects as easily as one and for just one day or more than 10 years.
The sales process has changed dramatically in recent years. Prospects looking for products and services do their research and seek confidence in what is on offer ‘before’ they progress to a sales environment.
The silver surfer generation has grown rapidly and is with us to stay, but it’s not just the over 55 community researching retirement living options, it is also their children and grandchildren who have grown up with the online sales environment. It’s never too late to embrace Marketing Automation, not only can it transform your business performance but it will also build and maintain the trust your prospects and customers have in you.
Understand your prospects
Imagine that an elderly couple has reached that critical point where they understand that they will soon be unable to manage in their current home. They have had that difficult discussion with their family and everyone has started to deal with the emotional response to the prospect of selling the family home and helping them downsize to a better-suited property.
The couple and their extended family all start researching opportunities and separately come across the website for your Retirement Village. They take a look and like what they see. On one of their early visits the grandchildren respond to a couple of pop-up questions. Are you looking for yourself or a family member? How many people is the property for?
The couple also visit your site separately, they request a brochure and fill in their email address to receive it.
Over time the different family members respond to further questions and engage with other information you have that is relevant to them such as downsizing tips or financial services advice for example. Should they then approach you directly as a family, by phone or in person, it will not take long before your sales team, using the life of the lead information available via the SharpSpring platform, is able to link the various enquiries from each family member and build a really clear picture of what they want and therefore what you have that will suit them. This will greatly reduce the time to sale process, or quickly highlight that what you have isn’t suitable and not waste anyone’s time.
Time is on their side
Not everybody is in a hurry to retire and when they do reach that stage your prospects are experienced and knowledgeable, they understand that it pays dividends to research and take things one step at a time. This is likely to be the final big financial decision they make so this decision is vital for them. They may also be making enquiries now, but planning three or four years down the line.
Don’t lose track of them simply because they’re not a hot sales lead right now. They may take their time but you will steal a march on your competitors when they return at a later date. You will still have the accumulated knowledge of their requirements from their original contact with you – regardless of whether or not the personnel in your entire sales and marketing team might have changed. It's automation that delivers a personal touch.
If you have any questions please contact us by email or on 07956 306 940.