Episode 5 - Guest Speaker Lex Cumber, Untold Living

Show notes

In this session with Lex Cumber, Sales & Marketing Director for Untold Living, we cover:

• Lex’s background and experience • Understanding customer psychology in the context of Integrated Retirement Communities (IRCs) • The critical role of psychology in the purchase decision • Customer centricity vs. product centricity • The shift towards person- or prospect-centred selling • The complexity and nuance of the customer journey • The fact that over 60% of the purchase decision is driven by trust and emotional factors • Practical tips to enhance effectiveness including spending more quality time with prospects, building connection, untangling obstacles, advancing conversations, and the vital importance of timely responses • The two-part nature of the journey: 95% is about moving away from the family home, and only 5% about moving towards a retirement community • The urgent need to accelerate sales rates • The importance of delivering excellent customer service at every touchpoint – from phone calls to tours to follow-up • Focusing on what really matters: measuring key conversion ratios such as: o Visit to Move-In (USA: 33%, UK: 15%) o Lead to Move-In (USA: 11%, UK: 2%) • The UK’s need to stop resisting change and adopt new sales approaches – focusing on controlling the controllables • The importance of capturing and benchmarking the right data • The call for greater professionalisation in sales – robust processes, clear methodology, and having the right people with the right skills (e.g. empathy and active listening) • Learning from international best practices – including extended opening hours, using AI to support marketing and sales, and consistently tracking Net Promoter Score (NPS) • Addressing the perception and knowledge gap around the sector • Being honest with ourselves when something isn’t working • The wish that more people were genuinely obsessed with customer service and experience • A recommendation to read Unreasonable Hospitality • The desire for a consistent, sector-wide way to measure customer experience in IRCs – for the benefit of both operators and customers • The increasing attractiveness of working in the sector