Top mistakes providers make in the aged care customer sales journey and how to avoid them.
For families navigating aged care, the customer sales journey is complex and emotional.
The stakes are often high. Urgency may arise demanding quick decisions and families may be under pressure to find alternative living arrangements or support for their loved ones. Even for those seeking out home care and senior living options, there may be a process which involves elements of denial and sadness.
Adult children, often balancing full-time work and living some distance away, face guilt and worry while seeking suitable solutions for their ageing parents’ needs. These experiences can be marked by resistance and a steep learning curve in understanding the system and seeking out options.
Financial considerations add another layer of complexity, requiring families to navigate allowances and confirm their financial position.
The sales process is a critical factor in customer acquisition. However, too often we seek providers making mistakes or not fully leveraging the opportunity.
Marketing can generate enquiries, but if your sales acquisition process fails and your customers don’t feel heard and respected, then you are failing—not only in managing conversions but also in building trust and reputation in your community.
Here we outline the most common mistakes we seek providers making with their customer sales journey.
They underestimate the importance of a positive first impression.
First impressions matter – so make the most of this first encounter. We can’t underscore enough how important this is to building successful customer relationships. It’s really important to create rapport from initial enquiry onwards.
Above all, families seek care providers who offer empathy, reassurance and respectful engagement. The reason why first impressions are so important is that they last well beyond that moment. This is thanks to the Primacy Effect, which means that when someone experiences something before other things in a sequence, they remember that first thing more.
They lack an effective communication strategy with agreed upon key messaging that enhances their service’s key benefits and value proposition.
Lack of agreed key messaging and scripting can lead to inconsistent communication that doesn’t serve to attract your ideal customer. It’s important that the same key messages are reflected in your marketing and then across your sales journey. Clearly define your care philosophy and unique brand attributes to differentiate from local competitors. Documented scripting, Q&As, and briefing notes ensure consistent and on-message responses to all enquiries by team members.
There is an absence of documented and consistent processes for sales enquiries and on boarding ensuring consistency and quality of this key customer event.
Too often, knowledge and responsibility are concentrated with just one or two key individuals, leading to poor documentation and a lack of adherence to best practice protocols.
A documented process provides clear guidelines for tasks, improving outcomes and ensuring consistency. In case of staff absence or turnover, documented procedures enable smooth continuity and mitigate operational risks.
A consistent sales acquisition process ensures clarity, efficiency, and repeatability, enhancing customer experiences and improving the predictability of sales outcomes.
If you’re looking for a marketing consultancy trusted by long-term clients in Aged Care, Senior Living and Home Care across Australia, please contact us.
Senior living, home care and aged care marketing consultancy
Our Edmonds Marketing team combines strategic industry counsel with highly skilled aged care marketing consultancy experience. We have supported leading brands across the Australian aged care and retirement living market for many years.
To find out more, visit Aged Care Marketing or read our most recent blogs including:
How to attract and retain the best with a stand-out employee value proposition
Aged care and retirement living: How to stand out in a crowded market
