Amber Infrastructure paves the way to sales velocity
Amber Infrastructure Limited is a specialist international investment manager, with over £4.5 billion in funds under management. Amber’s core business focuses on sourcing, developing, advising, investing in and managing infrastructure assets across the public, transport, energy, digital and demographic infrastructure sectors that support the lives of people, homes and businesses internationally.
When the company launched into the retirement living space a few years ago, they chose Sherpa for their community Albany Meadows in Balsall Common. With a dedicated sales team and a goal to make deeper, more meaningful connections with prospective buyers, they were able to rapidly increase the number of sales during 2021.
They achieved full occupancy in 2022, yet Albany Meadows continues to find Sherpa useful. The work done in 2021 gave the team a foundation to support resales in the form of relationships built and reflected in Sherpa CRM. Meanwhile, Amber Infrastructure has access to transferable tools and training to drive success for their future retirement living projects.
An investors view on sales performance
As a new entrant into the retirement living space, Amber Infrastructure had carte blanche to establish and develop their sales processes. They implemented a CRM in both of their communities before bringing in Sherpa to increase sales performance and align processes at Albany Meadows. Even at first glance, the advantages to using Sherpa’s platform were clear to see.
‘As an investor, the Sherpa approach with Albany Meadows gave me far more intuitive information back,’ said Senior Originator & Investment Director Mike Leto. ‘It was quite interesting comparing the two, just the fact that I could press a button and get a quick overview of what’s going on at any stage was key.’
Instant visibility into valuable sales analytics was one of the benefits to using Sherpa, but the processes themselves also proved to be fruitful. The sales team at Albany Meadows were outsourced and came from backgrounds in traditional real estate, not retirement living. Using Sherpa required a new mindset that focused on building relationships with prospective buyers and nurturing those connections. After adjusting to Sherpa CRM and the methodology behind it, the sales team began to see the benefits both for the prospect and themselves.
‘The process of trying to get more information in relation to prospective purchasers, understanding who they are, where they’re coming from, what makes them tick, it took a while, but the sales team enjoyed it,’ Mike says. ‘The creative follow-ups were quite fun; they enjoyed the variation it gave them.’
‘[Sherpa] helped the sales team see that we are selling a lifestyle and a community rather than just a real estate transaction. It set a better sales culture at a local level.’
A foundation for sales (and resales) success
Amber Infrastructure began using Sherpa during a time where lockdowns due to COVID-19 were preventing tours and move-ins. The situation, however, presented an opportunity to get to know future residents and serve as a guide and a resource rather than someone who simply emails you a floor plan or contract.
The sales team at Albany Meadows was able to help their prospective buyers get to a point where, once restrictions were lifted, they were confident in their decision. As for those who didn’t make the move before the property was sold out, their relationships with the sales team paid off even after the property was fully sold.
‘During that stage of time, we were able to contact and get to know people,’ Mike says. ‘The information we collated at that time was useful because we identified people who certainly weren’t ready. But we’re going through some resales this year where the information that was collected a year ago is proving useful.’
With meaningful metrics and a sales philosophy that can be felt both by the buyer and seller, Leto foresees using Sherpa’s technology and training for future projects through Amber Infrastructure. The opportunity to compare Sherpa with another CRM gave the sales team and Mike Leto perspective on how this approach, one designed specifically for the retirement sector, could help more prospective buyers get ready for a move.
‘It certainly improved things dramatically from the more generic, “Last-in is the first we concentrate on,” type of approach,’ he says. ‘Rather than the thinking, “Who are the five or ten individuals we are going to be focusing on this week? How are we going to be developing a relationship and those links to take things forward on their journey?”‘
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