Here are three reasons why senior communities may not give you referrals.
Why aren’t you receiving more referrals from senior living communities? Let’s say you’ve done everything you’re supposed to do: you’ve toured the community, introduced yourself to the marketing director, and stayed in touch. Still, they aren’t sending you any leads. What happened? There’s no one correct answer, but there are some common reasons why agents don’t receive referrals from senior living communities, and we want to go over three of them with you today:
1. They might not have anyone to refer you to right now. Sometimes when we don’t receive referrals, we take it personally. However, this situation happens. If someone moves into a community from another one, they probably don’t have a home to sell. Perhaps they already have a Realtor they’ve been working with for 20 years and aren’t interested in a referral.
“You need a point of difference to stand out from the crowd.”
2. They already refer clients to another agent. If this is the case, you need to step up and demonstrate your value. Let them know you’re a reliable agent they can trust. If their relationship with the other Realtor falls apart, or if they need a secondary referral source, you should be the first person they think of.
3. They don’t see you as different from anyone else. Why would they refer to you when they can choose from 10 other Realtors? One of the most important things we teach in our senior real estate course is how to create a point of difference that separates you from the crowd.
So what’s your point of difference? If you can simplify the downsizing process for your clients, find a way to communicate that to the community. When you speak to senior living communities, they want to know two things about your point of difference: why it matters to them, and why it matters to the people they serve. If you can convincingly answer these questions, you will receive more referrals from senior living communities.
At the end of the day, community representatives are gatekeepers who care about their residents. They want to make sure they’re meeting their residents’ needs, so if you demonstrate that you can, you’ll get more referrals.
If you have questions about today’s topic, or if you feel like you need a little training in the senior real estate field, please call or email us. We’d love to speak with you!