Day 2:Cracking The Code: Questions to Increase Family Visits

Transcript

Tiffany: 0:00

/Uh huh. Welcome to Start With Occupancy, the podcast for senior living owners, operators, and sales professionals./Hi, I'm Tiffany, marketing strategist and former corporate baddie who got tired of producing results for wall street and wanted to make a change on main street./I provide quick tips, idea nuggets, and case studies to help you with proven sales, marketing, and business development strategies along with leadership concepts so that you can inspire change, impact lives, and improve outcomes for the aging, their families and your teams./I'm committed to equipping you with the tools, the knowledge and resources that you need to excel in your business./With over 12 years of experience working inside senior living companies, large and small, I've developed a deep passion for advocating for the aging adult and those who care for them, all while driving business growth./So whether you're already in the senior care industry or maybe you would like to be, if your mission is to serve them, my mission is to serve you./Join me as we unravel the strategies and tactics that drive success in your business while making a difference in someone's life./The goal in 2024 is to touch, guide, and impact the lives of 10 families per month!/Are you with me? It's time to be inspired, gain practical tips and own your future./Hey there and welcome back Um, as you know, today we're doing the 21 days of senior living, a social media campaign, everything, senior living and today's day two. So today I would like to talk about. Getting to the heart of the needs. It's about understanding what is the need that the family has when it comes to their true priorities, when they're thinking about their loved ones When contemplating moving their loved one into hopefully your community. I did a, um, episode prior about, connecting with families and asking the right questions I'll have that in the show notes, so that you can go back to it but we're going to do a really quick, deep dive. Is there anything such as a really quick, deep dive people always say I talk a lot, but at the end of the day, I'm when you're training and I want to make sure you get this information. Um, I probably firehose people, but I want to make sure you have everything that you need in order to be successful and to, um, Really. Uh, Help families at the end of the day, my goal has always been to help 30,000 families in a 12 month calendar year. and so sometimes that starts in January, sometimes the year starts in November. Just depends on every you start, but the key is that you always start, so we're going to go right into it. And the first thing I would like to do. Is talk about discovery. We call this the discovery process. When somebody calls into your community and ask for information, um, about your community for their loved one, We talked on the last episode. Um, about answering the phones, first impressions, and things like that. Here though is what questions do you ask a family? How do you interact with the family? Why is asking the right questions. Um, important. And the thing is, is that as you're going through the sales process, it is so important to ask the right questions. Because number one, you'll be able to uncover what is happening with their loved one and within that family. There are a series of questions that, um, I go through. What I call. Or we call, I don't know where the training came from. I did not think of this. I call it the trigger event. Um, what triggered them to give me a call today because no one really wakes up and say, I want to move into an assisted living. We're even an independent living or, um, a memory care community for my loved one. That's, something that takes time and thought process before they even call you. So these families, once they call you, their journey down this road has already started. Sometimes years before. And so, that is why, which we talked about responding fast is so important. on our last episode, and if you haven't caught that that's on day one of the 21 day series. What is the trigger? There's five components that you should be able to discover. I like to think of it as the the question prompts, meaning. What happened? Why is it happening? Who is influencing, um, how are they going to pay? Like, it's the, what, when, where. Why is all those questions The way I have it broken down and the way I was taught when I first came into the industry is what that trigger event is. What is the emergency or the emergent thing that happened at that moment in time? And then the second thing is going to be, what are the needs? Because most times when a family calls you, they immediately go right into it. So be ready to have your pen ready, because they're going to I'm looking for assisted living for my mom. Okay. Well, what's going on the next thing you know, they're going to go right into the needs. So it's up to you to listen and to decipher. you know, as they're talking fast, rapid firing. And sometimes they're not, sometimes they're just sad and, sometimes there's guilt. you know, There's so many different scenarios that happen. The key is that you are in a place of reception, meaning that you're in a focused moment when you either call the family back or when you take the call. We talked again about that in day one. So. It is what is the trigger? What are the immediate needs of the family member? What is the. Loved ones preferences. What is their lifestyle? What is their daily routine? Um, and who are they as a person, right? That is the second thing. We called it. Um, life story, we called it legacy. We called it different things. But at the end of the day is who is the potential resident moving into your community and getting to know through the lens and the eyes of the caregiver who their loved one is. People love to talk about the people that they love. And, um, it is up to us to get that information so that we can better serve them once they move into our community and, or figure out whether our community is the right fit for them. Okay. Number three is who is going to be influencing this decision. While the person who brought them there might be the main caregiver. They may not be the POA. They may not be, the, um, financial guardian. They may not be the healthcare surrogate. Like those are words that if you're not familiar with, we have an episode coming up, that's going to talk about that. As well as I have a. cheat sheet that I will have for you. I'll put it into the show notes that you can download and it's going to be like the lingo words within the industry that you should know. After that it is the, how, how are they going to pay for the care that their loved one needs? Um, and there's a way to ask that particular question that doesn't seem awkward. It doesn't seem salesy and it first has to come from your heart of trying to help the other person. But at the end of the day, you have to know, because is this the place where you can work with them? Do you take outside help with Medicaid? And you're going to walk them down that path, like I think a part of our job in this industry. Is to help people. Um, figure out the path and the journey that they're on. And so you want to be able to guide them. And then, the when is the timeframe. When are they looking to number one, make a decision if they made a decision today, when are they looking at moving in? Like, you need to know what their timeframe is. I will say this that most times the family's timeframe is not going to be the actual timeframe in their mind, they might be thinking six months. But once you start digging into the needs, then what ends up happening is you realize, oh, this probably is going to happen within the next two months. And vice versa. They want to take their loved one home and try and see if they're at a skilled nursing or hospital first and want to see how they can manage at home. And then they realize, oh my God, we can't do this. And then immediately they're going to move in. So there's different ways and scenarios. Every family and every situation. I say is different. Understand that your approach to be very much present with families so that you can really ask the right questions and then listen in to find out what the answers and what's going to be the best for their loved one. Sometimes they need guidance. For, um, for sure. And sometimes to be honest, they don't know what's best You in this arena are going to be the expert. So it is important that you know, what the outcomes are and what happens and are able to communicate that to families. Um, and let them decide. But give them good guidance at the end of the day. The questions that you ask a family. There are foundational questions, meaning you're trying to find the foundation. Um, the way that I was taught, there's a trunk, which is your trunk questions and the branch questions. Right. So you're, there are certain foundational things you need to know, like, what is the person's name? Where are they living right now? Those are what I call foundation things that are just going to help frame what the situation is, giving you that. That, that bird's eye view. And then from there you ask the trunk questions now. What are some of the things that they need? What can I provide for them? Oh, they need medication management or, oh, they're going to, need, assistance, uh, getting dressed in the morning or whatever those needs are. Those are the things that you're looking for When they're telling you the needs. That's where the branches are. Well, tell me more about that. What does that look like? Um, there. Falling all the time. So now in your head, you know, oh, they're a fall risk. Well, how many times have they fallen in? Let's say the last three months now you're going to say, oh, they only fell one time in six months, you know, but the family thinks, oh, but they're at risk for falling where you have somebody else come in and says, oh, my mom has been to the hospital and fell six times in the last six weeks. Wow. That's a different type of fall risk, right? And so you have to manage what you're able to do, um, and be very transparent and honest with families. Asking the right questions will uncover what's happening in their lives. And it will genuinely help you to understand what is important to the family. As well as what is important to the residents? Um, even a question that's a good trunk question is have you talked to your mom, dad, whoever about moving into senior living and what are their thoughts? And so now you have a whole nother dynamic that you're able to uncover. That if they haven't even had the conversation I feel, at least it was my job to help that family with how to have a conversation. How do you open up the door? Um, and then if they have, then it is okay, what was the loved one's response? So now that tells me what I need to do when they say, I talked to mom about it. She's okay with it. But she has concerns about, you know, a few things. Well, now I can dig deeper and ask more questions or I've talked. Talked to mom about it. She says absolutely no. It's not going to happen. So now I know. Well, Like my branch questions. Well, why, what is some of the things? So she said, what are some of her fears about moving Oh, she just wants to be at her house. Um, and so now I'm asking more questions. How does she think that she can be at home and living alone and she's falling all the time? Like what is her mindset? Because understanding the resident's mindset will help me to make the resident feel better about the decision. Once the decision is made. Um, and to also help me. Um, Really connects with the residents because at the end of the day, that's the person who's going to be living with you, not the family. So you want to connect with the resident. The whole idea is safety and concern. And so I have a S.A.F.E. Method of asking questions. The first part is the situation questions. That is your starting point. You want to ask those situational questions, meaning. what's going on? What was the trigger? Where do they live now? We also want to know, the needs. So what are some of the common needs you talking about? Um, socialization, maybe they feel isolated. Maybe they had a loved one who just died. You also have, medication management, you have nutritional needs. You have their safety. Maybe that they're confused, maybe they're at risk at home for leaving the house and not, knowing how to get back home because of memory issues. That is the actual starting point in the foundation. The second part is about them. This is the personal portrait of that person. And this is understanding their preferences. This is understanding, um, what is important to that particular resident. And I said, preferences. I mean, from the resident, It's understanding what their daily routine is. What time did I get up in the morning? What time do they usually go to bed? With TV shows, they watch, if they're watching TV, they are playing puzzles. So you're asking questions in regards to who that person is, how many children did they have? What did they do for a living so that you have a conversation pieces to talk about and get a picture of who your potential resident is? Are they a veteran? Were they a General? that was something I always enjoyed about my job is learning about all these different people what their backgrounds were and who they are now. I want them to feel like they're valued and important. And learning who they are was a great way of doing that, because then I figured out ways to connect with them. that is so important. when it comes to caring for aging adults. The F is family and values. And this is who is their support system, who is helping them to influence this decision. Who is the POA? Who's the surrogate. How do they feel about the decision? Um, what is the support system they have at home? What will be their support system when they move in? And one of the questions, and I know I've said this before on a prior episode, but is asking the caregiver literally how they are doing. To me, that is one of the most important questions because they're so busy being a caregiver and taking care of their loved one that rarely does someone ask them, how are you? Are you okay? And a lot of times and they'll be like, yeah, I'm good. You know? But sometimes have the tissue box ready because sometimes they're not. And so that is something that, you really, want to kind of dig deep in. like I said, I love this part of the job is where you are actually connecting with families and understanding who their loved ones are and helping them. The last, the E portion of the S.A.F.E. Framework that we're doing here is the essentials. So this is the logistics. This is like, okay. The question I asked is how did your loved one prepare for this time in their life? I did not originate that question. I believe it was a trainer called Tracy Bild, because it was already an ingrained in my training process or in one of my corporate jobs. Cause I think they said that back then, that that was, she was one of the people that they contracted with or something. But at the end of the day, that particular question is something that really resonated with a lot of families. It wasn't what's your budget? You know, what are you looking at to spend like those or so, like, I don't know. How does someone prepare because long-term care is a preparation process. It's a plan, you have to prepare for that. And so that is something that is important is how did that love one prepare for this time in your life? Who's going to help influence that one in their decision. Who's going to help with the logistics of moving. What can we do to help with the transition? Do you need resources and support? Those are the things that the E is the essentials. And then of course the timeframe. When is the timeframe that you're looking at making this move or making this decision? Um, what is the help that also that the family is going to need, um, with talking to their loved one about it, and how are you going to help bridge that gap for them, or at least guide them in that. And so I call it the S.A.F.E. Method of asking those questions and really digging deep. When you have your core questions it's good to have them already printed out for you. So that you're getting the correct information each and every time. What I find most is that when people. And I'm not saying like, you want to be able to be flexible, so you don't want to sound like you're just reading off questions because a part of that is also listening intently, which is going to be on our next episode. But you want to know that you're not missing anything. I say, if you're a beginner and this is your first community, then you should actually just go ahead and have a question written down. I think is the easiest way. And then also if your staff is going to be answering the phones and taking these inquiries, when people are calling in. Then I think it's important for them to also, um, um, have something to go by. So everybody's on the same page. I'm not just asking the foundational questions and then the trunk questions, but I'm branching, branching, branching. By the time we're done, I have such a clear picture of who this potential resident is of who the family is, what their dynamics are with each other. Um, um, what their financial situation is. I'm already thinking about what resources they're going to need. I put together a transition team. So I know what realtor I'm going to refer to them or what VA assistance that is going to be available for them in terms of what specialist I'm going to refer I already have all of that based off of that real deep dive of, asking the right questions because when you do that, you actually will even find that you can uncover what are their fears, what are their feeling guilty about? What is their major concerns? What have they heard about either your community or about the industry in and of itself? And you are able to then address those potential. We call them objections or I would say concerns, um, ahead of time, meaning that as you're inviting them into your community. Um, you're going to be able to talk to them about that. So, again, this is only the jump off. And then when they come in. Um, you're going to go deeper even into those questions and, and that's how you establish the rapport. You establish the trust, you establish the connection. And from there you move on to then helping the family through their decision-making process. And their journey through this because caregiving is a journey. It is not quick. It is not easy. Caregiving is a path. It's a journey that people are going through. And some people, it may be very short, but for a lot of people it's multi-year, and it's a multi-year process. And so the more that we can help families in this multi-year process of caring for their loved one as they age. Um, the better you are going to be seen as an expert in the field and the more you're going to get referrals from those families. I always believe that if you do the right thing, the right thing is going to happen to you. And so that is what I have today. I'm going to do is give you 20 essential questions that you can help you connect with prospective residents and their families. This goes for independent living. This also goes for assisted living. This also goes for memory care communities. I will have the different questions for the different type of communities, meaning like, There'll be a list of for independent living only. Um, there'll be a list for assisted living and there'll be a list for memory care because while each of them, the core information is the same. You can tailor your questions to each of them based off of what that particular product line that you're offering. has, and, um, so it's just going to help you prepare for the actual visit because the goal of every inquiry that comes in is to get them to come and see you. If you're just telling them the information and you give them too much information about your community, they may never show up. You want to lead them into your community? By listening to what they're telling you you're going to talk about your community. your features, the advantage, and the benefits, but again, you want your call to action. is I really would like for you to come in to see us, because I believe that we have what you need. Um, and what you're seeking and what you're desiring based on the information that you gave us. And so now you're talking about those things and you're breaking it down. One of the things that always helped me in getting the people to solidify and say yes to coming in is when you come, because I always did the assumptive, they call it the assumptive close, Like you have to come see me. And my thing was, when you come, I'm going to give you this. When you come, I'm going to give you that because there was tangible things I had for my, my families who visited us. Um, and so whether it was a memory care 36 hour day, book. I got a box from Amazon. I'm from Maria Shriver. And that's what I would give out. If it was something that had to do with the VA aid and attendance or financial information, I had something to give out. Like I always wanted them to come and see me so that we can have a face-to-face and that I can give them the resources that they need for their loved one. And for their journey. I hope this helps. I know I went through it real quick. I try to keep these down to 30 minutes. Don't forget. inside the show notes, you're going to be able to get that, guide on the 20 essential, discovery questions. for helping you connect with families. All right. Thank you so much. And I appreciate you.