July 25, 2025

Senior Living Marketing Perspectives: Reimagining Sales Training for Senior Living with Reed Davis

42 minutes

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Senior Living Marketing Perspectives, Debbie Howard chats with Reed Davis, Chief Learning Officer of One On One Sales Academy, about the changing landscape of sales training in senior living. With decades of experience across operations and vendor-side leadership, Reed offers a fresh, strategic take on why traditional sales methods are falling short—and what to do instead.

They dig into why most communities are underinvesting in their highest-revenue department (sales!), why salespeople need community—not just training—and how empathy, curiosity, and coaching can transform conversion rates. Reed also shares what’s ahead for the Sales Academy and why elevating sales training industry-wide is the key to closing more sales and creating better resident experiences.

Key Takeaways:

Sales Deserve More Investment: Despite being the primary revenue driver, sales teams often get minimal training support. It's time for that to change.

Training Isn’t Enough—Ongoing Learning Is Key: One-off training fades fast. Sales professionals need a learning ecosystem with masterclasses, webinars, coaching, and community.

Empathy and Curiosity Close Sales: Scripted pitches don’t cut it. Listening deeply, slowing down, and letting prospects guide the conversation leads to better outcomes.

Marketing and Sales Must Align: Messaging and follow-up must match a prospect’s stage in the journey. When marketing speaks one language and sales another, trust erodes.

Less Is More When It Comes to Leads: The sweet spot? 125–150 active leads per counselor. Focused follow-up leads to deeper relationships and higher conversions.

Nurturing Long-Tail Leads Is a Must: 60% of leads are in research mode. Pushing them to move too soon backfires. Instead, nurture with empathy, content, and patience.

Culture Sells: Everyone from the front desk to dining staff is part of the sales process. When the whole community supports occupancy goals, performance soars.

“Slow Down to Go Faster” Still Applies: Pushing creates resistance. Empathetic engagement shortens the sales cycle for the right prospects and improves move-in quality.

Resources:

Transcript

Connect with Reed Davis on LinkedIn

https://oneonone.com/academy/

Learn more about Senior Living SMART

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