I recently needed to visit about ten senior housing communities for a competitive market analysis. As consultants, this is what we advise our clients they need - to know the competition as well as you know your own community.
Marketing consultants rarely share their road tales or the trials and tribulations of researching.
I really enjoy finding my way in a new city. Thank goodness for GPS - although the GPS wouldn't warn me of closed expressway exits - I don't think I could have accomplished my tour without one.
There's a lot of alone time on a market research trip - communities sales offices are closed and I like to use some time to let my research go beyond communities. You learn a lot from talking to locals.
Communities need to come to terms with the fact that they will be shopped. It will either be done honestly with a consultant volunteering that they are doing a competitive market analysis or it will be done with someone posing as a potential adult child.
Think about it....do you want your sales person's valuable time spent with someone posing as a family member? That's about 1 hour down the drain coupled with followup (hopefully). Wouldn't it be better to have them talk with a consultant and provide a quick tour which takes all of 15-30 minutes?
Also, they may as well be honest. Telling someone you are at 99% occupancy but there are flyers on the desk advertising discounts and referrals--hummm. Makes you kind of suspicious.
Develop a policy for the welcome center-sales office so sales people know how to handle these inquiries.
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