As a sales counselor for a senior living community, that seems like an odd question to ask a prospect. But it’s a prompt that gets an individual verbalizing his or her concerns, goals, and even life story. Example: Every day since his wife passed away, a gentleman found himself visiting a local McDonald’s with a friend for coffee. He had talked about his options with a nearby senior living community, but was reluctant to leave a home filled with memories of his wife. The sales counselor wanted to learn more, so he brought a McD’s coffee to the prospect’s house, and posed that seemingly counter-productive question: “…Why would you move?”
The prospect opened up, saying his biggest objection to community living was how to fit all the things from his house that reminded him of his wife into an apartment – a common objection. He began to talk about how much he missed his wife, and how lonely he had become – his daily McDonald’s coffee, in fact, was born out of a simple desire to be around others. It was then the prospect understood all the socialization (and floor plans) that a community could offer. The question also made him realize that no matter how much he missed his wife, he wouldn’t be able to create a happy or healthy life at home alone.
View more Stories