Life Lessons

  Mirror mirror on my desk, help me rise above the rest.   This is not rocket science: however, an understanding of what you see in the mirror is critical: 90 percent of initial telephone inquiries perceive who you are based on the tone of your voice and facial expressions.  The initial call can be your best friend or enemy. The mirror is your secret weapon if used properly. A successful call means connections are initiated, trust incubated and next steps scheduled.  Moving the sales lead from call to tour requires a transition from salesperson to partner. Screw this up and results will crash. Master it and your bank account will love you.  Prospects want and need to like you. The more you smile the better they feel and the closer you are to making a deal. This is for all of you hard working sales folks.  Place a mirror on your desk and be amazed with the results.  Rick D. Watkins rickd.watkins@gmail.com

Assess Your Vulnerability Now Sharks Are Circling Several things are in motion that will make it challenging at best to provide quality service and care to your customers in the near future. Small/Regional/Mid-Sized businesses are about to be chum for the most massive, deadly business eating sharks the United States has ever encountered. They already smell your blood, have you in sight and are waiting for any opportunity to attack. The good news is you can reduce the risk of being their next victim, but lets talk about what attracts this particular breed of shark and a possible attack scenario. They tend to thrive in atmospheres of chaos, new health care regulations, entitlement mentalities, rising workers compensation rates and low organized labor membership. I cannot accurately describe the carnage your business could experience and will certainly witness in the near future.  Imagine the potential damage a simple email or phone call to a regulatory oversigh...

During my 30 years in senior living operations and sales I've failed to understand why families or future residents rarely ask detailed questions relating to management. Even more alarming is that the checklists many are using to assist with their decision-making process does not mention them. Delivering consistent quality care and service in such a dynamic atmosphere is difficult. Imagine what it takes to provide quality meals, housekeeping, activities, maintenance, assistance with specific resident needs such as medications, bathing, grooming, mobility, emergency response, communication with physicians, pharmacies, families, therapists, hospice, home health and so much more 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Each residents needs and expectations are unique and changing. Residents and families trust the community team to deliver consistent service. The importance of employee satisfaction is often overlooked. It directly impacts the quality of care and services delivered. It's si...

Trust and Assisted Living trust : to believe  that someone or something is reliable, good, honest, effective, etc. : to have confidence in (someone or something) : to believe that something is true or correct : to hope or expect that something is true or will happen You might say entrusting an assisted living community with the care of your parents or loved one is the ultimate act of trust.  It's common for the adult children of assisted living residents to live hundreds or thousands of miles away. It may have taken months or years to convince mother to make the move into an assisted living community. She isn't completely sold on the idea but is willing to give it a chance. It still sounds too good to be true; a community filled with loving people that will meet her every need and always have a smile on their face. It better be, because mom trusted your advice.  The key to building a family "trust account"  Imagine...

Overwhelming pressure from owners/investors to meet NOI expectations, increased competition, labor retention, and increased costs created a “put today's fire out”  atmosphere in Senior Housing. Quickly adapting to market changes or other operational issues is necessary, however the foundation for sustained long term success requires a committed organizational culture. Why is employee satisfaction/engagement so important? Happy, satisfied, valued and respected employees create happy, satisfied loyal customers, resulting in lower turnover, improved quality, lower operating costs and better financial performance. Unhappy, unsatisfied employees create unhappy or fewer customers, lower quality, higher operating costs and negative financial results. Forbes referred to employee engagement as “the wonder drug for customer service”. Foresee , a customer-service  analytics firm who represents two dozen global businesses including Ann Taylor and Apple released its find...

It’s all about your TEAM People are the foundation of Senior Living success. Imagine every organization is a puzzle with many unique pieces, requiring specific talents and skill sets yet combine to form a perfect picture. Each day you are exposed to many puzzles or organizations; i.e. your company, a hotel, restaurant and let's not forget the local cable company. You form a perception of each organization based on your interaction. This post has nothing to do with a specific experience but it has everything to do with a lifetime of experiences and observations regarding the power of a completed puzzle. A significant predictor of success in the service industry is having all the pieces of the puzzle in the correct place. Have you experienced the frustration when trying to find that missing piece and more than likely have attempted to squeeze a piece into an opening, knowing it wasn't a perfect fit? There are times when the puzzle is incomplete for months, creating tremen...

Throughout my career as a change agent, this quote by Tony Robbins or Henry Ford has been the simplest way to communicate the need to do things differently in order to achieve a different result. Many of us have had the good fortune to work with organizations that experienced remarkable success. They deservedly take great pride in the results of their blood, sweat and tears. As the years pass sustaining success becomes more challenging, yet some company's continue using the original formula that created their growth. Have you noticed as organizations grow some develop internal mini-organizations (much like our government) where even the smallest change may be dismissed or met with almost hostile resistance. Many times a great idea for improving employee engagement, service delivery or enhancing revenue, are only shared with  closest friends at happy hour for fear they would be flagged as having a negative attitude. They've witnessed other brave souls share new ideas with...