How Senior Living Sales Teams Help Coach Prospects Through ‘i’m Not Ready’ Moments

“I’m not ready to move in” – it’s a common refrain among prospects going through the senior living sales journey. Often this is a result of the fact that older adults don’t know exactly what senior living entails or why they would need it.

“Everyone says I’m not ready yet. But, what’s their reasoning?” said Jason Kohler, executive vice president of senior living for Beztak.

As baby boomers and their families start to think about senior living, some are no doubt learning about the industry in a deeper way for the first time. For example, a little fewer than a quarter of the prospects in the sales funnel of Burlington, Massachusetts-based Northbridge Cos. have searched for senior living for a period of a year or less.

Information from a ProMatura and ASHA consumer sentiment report indicates that as of the end of 2024, roughly 24% of surveyed respondents had been looking for a year or less for senior living. That means there are likely a significant number of people looking into senior living who don’t know what it is or why they’d need it. Sometimes, all of those unknowns can lead to hesitation on prospects’ end.

Educating an older adult and their family early in their journey can mean they move in sooner, before they experience a major life or health event.

“Many of these families tell us they are starting earlier, recognizing the value of planning ahead rather than waiting for a crisis to drive the decision,” Jennifer Hastings, vice president of marketing for Northbridge Cos., told Senior Housing News.

Dealing with ‘I’m not ready’

Farmington Hills, Michigan-based Beztak is seeing an uptick in first-time senior living prospects in its seven communities. The company in 2025 sought to source more organic leads through in-house sales instead of national third-party referral partners.

The company in its sales and marketing seeks to “create a sense of urgency, or warm people up a little faster” to shorten lead times, Kohler added.

Sometimes, senior living operators have organic leads in their sales funnels that get “lost” due to the length of time it takes to go from inquiry to tour. That is why Beztak has focused on trimming lead times through email campaigns to revitalize interest, along with working to create a sense of urgency in prospects.

“We’ve got to get them in because we have to demonstrate how we’re different and better,” Kohler said. “We have to do everything possible to get them to our community and demonstrate how we’re different and better and see if it’s a good fit.”

In 2022, Beztak’s sales cycle from inquiry to move in was on average, 204 days for independent living and 114 for memory care. By 2024, the senior living operator had trimmed those averages to 154 days and 83 days, respectively.

LifeStar Living, a senior living operator based in Venice, Florida, tracks lead times and compares them to how many prospects attend the company’s events, according to Jessica Kraft, executive vice president of marketing and sales. The company’s sales people have candid conversations with prospects to help dispel remaining hesitations about moving into senior living. The company’s salespeople also act as a partner and source of education for prospects, not just a service provider.

For example, when prospects regularly attend events but don’t commit to living in a community, Kraft said sales team members will work with the prospect to address their concerns about what is holding them back. At the same time, the sales team regularly continues to provide educational materials, even if a prospect is years into their search.

“Even if they’re educated about who we are and what we’re doing, that reminder is always really helpful,” she said.

Kraft added following events, sales teams will add opportunities to encourage a prospect to come for a private tour of the community that is catered to the individual. Following that will be small events where prospects get a chance to meet residents currently within the community to break down the mentality of not knowing anyone when they move in. 

From there, Kraft said those kinds of prospects will be invited in for other events to further dispel the worries of moving, such as meeting with an area realtor to discuss the downsizing process, so it is easier for them to move in.

Hastings noted Northbridge will continually engage with interested prospects with tailored content, such as “Sales Mail” videos, invitations to community events, and trial stays in a community to “help them picture themselves in our communities.”

Sales journey as a source of education

Senior living operators in 2025 believe that empathy and education will help win over prospective residents in the months and years ahead. Although the end goal of senior living sales is to entice an older adult to move in, it is also a good chance for operators to educate residents on the ins and outs of living in a senior living community.

Nashville, Tennessee-based Blakeford Senior Life uses the sales process to educate prospects. Blakeford, which is a single-site continuing care retirement community (CCRC), invites new prospects in for in-person discussions and group tours to answer questions and learn more about them. The community now has a waitlist several years long, according to Carolyn Picton, Blakeford’s sales and marketing director.

Empathy is often a cornerstone of senior living sales. Prospective residents often want to take their time, and don’t want to feel pressured into making a move. That’s why LifeStar’s sales staff asks questions and listens to prospects’ wants and needs instead of simply informing them. In-person events like informational breakfasts, luncheons and social hours are a particularly good way to reach prospects and educate them.

“We pair our events with an opportunity to educate on kind of global options, if you will, helping them understand a little bit about the industry, and really pairing that along with information about ourselves,” Kraft said. “We position ourselves as counselors and educators.”

Northbridge Cos. utilizes its customer relationship management program HubSpot to help support early stage prospects to “deliver valuable content based on their level of engagement.” That includes educational materials such as guides, cost comparison worksheets and testimonials from current residents and staff.

Northbridge also creates uniquely branded clubs for prospects on the waitlists of new communities being developed.

One example of which is The Sailor Society for the recently opened The Mariner at Marblehead, Massachusetts. The waitlist club receives exclusive events, special gifts, educational opportunities and priority notifications when an apartment becomes available, which Hastings said helps “nurture early-stage prospects, keeping them engaged while ensuring they feel part of the community long before they move in.”

Picton noted while she has been with Blakeford Senior Life for around a year, the new prospects coming in are noticeably more technologically savvy, and she is in the process of updating the CCRC’s website to be as clear and educational as possible in 2026 with interactive questionnaires so prospects can find the information they need themselves.

Additionally, Picton notes electronic correspondence has been an effective way to continue entertaining prospects on Blakeford’s waitlist, along with hosting events exclusive to those on the list. The reason for doing so, she said, is to update and maintain a prospect’s latest preferences, though life can create a sense of urgency.

“Things start to change in their lives. Vulnerabilities begin to happen,” Picton said. “So they may say, ‘Let’s talk about a one-bedroom apartment that overlooks the parking lot so that I can get there sooner than I had originally intended.’”

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