Insights from Julie Podewitz’s “Grow Your Occupancy” Masterclass
Recently, Julie Podewitz and the Grow Your Occupancy team hosted the first Regional Leadership Masterclass in Seattle, WA. The class consisted of regional sales leaders, vice presidents of sales, and directors from various well-known senior care providers. The goal was to collectively explore the skills, techniques, and processes necessary to effectively guide teams toward increased community occupancy.
This two-day event was packed with information and a great deal of important takeaways. One of the themes present throughout the masterclass was acknowledging that the way leadership coaches their sales teams will directly impact the sales team members’ interactions with their prospects, families, and referral partners.
Practice isn’t just for sports
Julie highlighted that when individuals want to see progress in sports, music, and more, practice is a vital part. However, when it comes to sales, there is hesitancy and resistance toward the idea of practicing. Running through role play scenarios, working through hypothetical conversations, and attempting new approaches all build confidence and capability. In fact, it’s highly unlikely that sales team members will show up comfortably to a tough situation without having practiced the process and verbiage to best support the next steps and intended outcomes.
Process is key to occupancy
Another crucial takeaway was the importance of consistency and structure. Following an outlined sales process will provide an orderliness to the experience for both the prospective residents going through the buying process and your internal team, as well. Knowing what to expect and becoming comfortable navigating within the structure will benefit all parties.
As was noted many times during the masterclass, prospective residents come into the sales process with a problem. Many are hoping the sales team member, as well as the community at-large, will have a solution. Empower and remind your team that guiding prospective residents to the appropriate “next step” is vitally important.
Time management is crucial
During the masterclass, a particularly impactful exercise emphasized the importance of time management through the identification of a “time pie.” This “time pie” provided a visual indicator of where attendees allocate their most precious resource. While it may be easy to recognize the most important tasks one hopes to accomplish in a given day, week, or longer, the reality is that demands elsewhere for that time are constant. By dedicating to become more aware of where time is actually being spent versus where those hours should be going, intentionality is brought to the forefront of teams’ time management.
As a video messaging platform, Covideo has helped dramatically reduce the time teams spend interacting internally while still providing supportive analytics, records, and intuitive follow-up options. Screen sharing of CRM activities, role play practice with scripts (including teleprompter features), and reviewable videos for coaching techniques are all additional ways in which the right technology can further bolster your team’s time management.
Are you or your team looking for ways to grow your community’s occupancy, better manage time, or embolden sales team members through tactical practice? If so, now is a perfect time to connect with one of our senior living experts to take your process to the next level.
