Where did you hear about us? Sales counselors ask this question often and for a few reasons. The answer could help to track and measure the effectiveness of an outreach campaign. This could help differentiate how many calls came in from a radio spot versus a TV commercial, for example.
But for finding out if there are any professional influencers (i.e., doctors and lawyers) or other decision makers (family or friends) involved in the process, you may want to ask a series of questions like:
Did anyone recommend our community?
Is there anyone else helping you make this decision?
If there isn’t anyone helping you, who else would you look to for advice on this?
These are some of the questions brought up in an article by SeniorLivingSMART [http://seniorlivingsmart.com/else-decision-making-process-senior-living-sales/]. The author recommends that salespeople should find out early who are ALL of the players who will be involved in making the decision:
“Sometimes, when you think you have met all the decision makers and influencers, have provided all the information they each value, and you are ready to ‘close’ – another hidden decision maker pops up! This can be a family attorney, financial planner, discharge planner, or spiritual advisor. So, it is always a good idea to confirm all of the known participants and then ask ‘who else’ will be involved.”
Keeping track of your professional influencers is something that Sherpa has recently expanded in its CRM software, allowing the user to know more about and keep track of their interactions with these potentially overlooked, but often important, players in the decision and ultimately the sale.
Whether a doctor has recommended your community for its health benefits or an accountant has calculated the savings your place will deliver, a professional influencer can be the catalyst that leads your prospects to make a decision. They can also be an important referral source for future prospects, so keep track of your influencers and build on the successful strategies you’ve recorded in Sherpa.
