By Rick Banas of Senior Living provider BMA Management, Ltd.
What if what we have learned about the best ways to sell is not entirely correct? What if we need to take a step or two back from “selling benefits rather than features” and from “probing for need and selling solutions”?
Selling solutions assumes that prospects or potential prospects recognize that they truly have a problem. Just because you have a need does not mean that you acknowledge that a problem exists.
The daughter who is inquiring about senior housing or assisted living for her 85-year-old mother quickly comes to mind. The mother is living alone in a single-family home. The closest family members live at least a half-hour away.
Mom doesn’t drive so she is socially isolated and dependent on other family members for transportation, especially for groceries and medications. She has developed the shakes so she is not as steady as she used to be on her feet. She is losing interest in cooking so she is not consistently eating the way she should.
The bathroom is long and narrow so there is not much room to maneuver, and the vanity is positioned almost right up against the bathtub, making access difficult. The washer and dryer are located down in the basement so every time Mom does a load of laundry, she must walk up and down a poorly designed set of stairs.
Mom certainly has need. The daughter is convinced. The community can provide all kinds of benefits and a solution to many of Mom’s problems.
There is, however, one problem. Mom is not going anywhere. It is not because Mom is stubborn. It is because in Mom’s mind there are no problems. She is getting along just fine.
Even the best salesperson is unlikely to have much impact on Mom using the selling benefits and solutions approach, Matt says. After all, why should Mom pay attention to someone who is talking about solving problems that don’t exist.
Instead, Matt contends, what the salesperson needs to do is take a few steps back in the sales process. The focus needs to be on helping Mom understand that real problems do exist.
And, from my experience, the salesperson will then mostly likely need to plant the seeds necessary to get Mom to do some deep thinking about the potential consequences of doing nothing about those problems.
Matt is a leading authority on the Science of Subliminal Influence. He preaches passionately about the importance of Signature Stories and Persuasive Presentation Skills in the sales process.
His thinking about the best ways to sell have changed.
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and let us know.
“BMA Management is the leading provider of affordable assisted living in Illinois and one of the 20 largest providers of assisted living in the United States.”
By Rick Banas of Senior Living Provider BMA Management, Ltd.
Ellen Belk of Keep In Mind™ talked with me last week about a magazine that she has launched for those with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia and their caregivers.
I know Ellen from the days we worked together at the Alexian Village of Milwaukee continuing care retirement community.
A Wisconsin native, Ellen played for the Marquette University (MU) women’s basketball team while earning a degree in broadcast journalism.
She was living in New York and enjoying a successful broadcasting career when 9/11 happened. They cancelled the show and “within a six month period, I went from covering the NBA courtside in Madison Square Garden to leading a music program in a nursing home in Wisconsin,” she said.
Since then, she has been working in senior living and focusing on the memory impaired and their caregivers. She has developed a Mature Musicians Concert Band and a Fine Arts Appreciation Program. She is a monthly contributor to the Alzheimer’s Reading Room and writes a Blog called “They Don’t Remember” where she tells heartwarming stories from her vantage point as a professional caregiver. We hope to be posting her work on the BMA Blog in the future.
She and her husband, Dan, started Keep In Mind as a small family-owned business that is dedicated to developing innovative products for the memory impaired while supporting their caregivers through resources and coaching.
The memory care magazine that she has started publishing is based on her years of work with and her observations of those with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. She noticed, in particular, how they connect with pictures.
Memory Magz™ features full page pictures free of word-clutter and advertisements. No stock photography is used. It is printed on a heavy weight paper stock, and both the cover and inside pages have a coating that protects them from most spills.
A person with cognitive impairment can use Memory Magz™ sitting alone by themselves, Ellen said. The 8½” by 11” format makes it small enough for a person with Alzheimer’s to hold. “I have had people flip through it for five to ten minutes to over an hour.”
At the same time, Memory Magz™ is large enough for caregivers to use in small group discussion. It also can be used by family members to sit and reminisce with a loved one.
A printable conversation starter can be downloaded from the Keep In Mind™ website.
She also sees Memory Magz™ being used in doctor’s office and hospital waiting rooms; in adult day care and senior centers; by home health care and Hospice providers; and by first responders when they are transporting a person with Alzheimer’s to the hospital.
To date, Ellen has published two issues of Memory Magz. Happy Faces features vibrant pictures of babies and toddlers in precious poses and Outdoor Beauty pictures of landscaping, plants and outdoor scenes.
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and let us know.
“BMA Management is the leading provider of affordable assisted living in Illinois and one of the 20 largest providers of assisted living in the United States.”
By Sgt. William Cushman, Chairman of the Illinois TRIAD Board and Senior Services Director of the Manteno Police Department
Thanks to Ella York, Community Outreach Liaison with the Illinois Office of the Attorney General for letting us know about this information from Sgt. Cushman and to Sgt. Cushman for giving us permission to post these tips as a Guest Blog. The Illinois TRIAD is a program that focuses on reducing the criminal victimization of and enhancing the delivery of law enforcement services to older adults.
Identity theft often starts outside of the tax administration system when someone’s personal information is unfortunately stolen or lost. Identity thieves may then use a taxpayer’s identity to fraudulently file a tax return and claim a refund. In other cases, the identity thief uses the taxpayer’s personal information in order to get a job. The legitimate taxpayer may be unaware that anything has happened until they file their return later in the filing season and it is discovered that two returns have been filed using the same Social Security number.
Here are the top 13 things the IRS wants you to know about identity theft so you can avoid becoming the victim of an identity thief.
The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. The IRS does not send emails stating you are being electronically audited or that you are getting a refund.
If you receive a scam e-mail claiming to be from the IRS, forward it to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov
Identity thieves get your personal information by many different means, including:
• Stealing your wallet or purse
• Posing as someone who needs information about you through a phone call or e-mail
• Looking through your trash for personal information
• Accessing information you provide to an unsecured Internet site.
If you discover a website that claims to be the IRS but does not begin with ‘www.irs.gov,’ forward that link to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov
To learn how to identify a secure website, visit the Federal Trade Commission at onguardonline.gov
If your Social Security number is stolen, another individual may use it to get a job. That person’s employer may report income earned by them to the IRS using your Social Security number, thus making it appear that you did not report all of your income on your tax return. When this occurs, you should contact the IRS to show that the income is not yours. Your record will be updated to reflect only your information. You will also be asked to submit substantiating documentation to authenticate yourself. That information will be used to minimize this occurrence in future years.
Your identity may have been stolen if a letter from the IRS indicates more than one tax return was filed for you or the letter states you received wages from an employer you don’t know. If you receive such a letter from the IRS, leading you to believe your identity has been stolen, respond immediately to the name, address or phone number on the IRS notice.
If your tax records are not currently affected by identity theft, but you believe you may be at risk due to a lost wallet, questionable credit card activity, or credit report, you need to provide the IRS with proof of your identity. You should submit a copy of your valid government-issued identification – such as a Social Security card, driver’s license, or passport – along with a copy of a police report and/or a completed IRS Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit, which should be faxed to the IRS at 978-684-4542. Please be sure to write clearly. As an option, you can also contact the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit, toll-free at 800-908-4490. You should also follow FTC guidance for reporting identity theft at ftc.gov
Show your Social Security card to your employer when you start a job or to your financial institution for tax reporting purposes. Do not routinely carry your card or other documents that display your Social Security number.
For more information about identity theft – including information about how to report identity theft, phishing and related fraudulent activity – visit the IRS Identity Theft and Your Tax Records Page, which you can find by searching “Identity Theft” on the IRS.gov home page.
IRS impersonation schemes flourish during tax season and can take the form of e-mail, phone websites, even tweets. Scammers may also use a phone or fax to reach their victims. If you receive a paper letter or notice via mail claiming to be the IRS but you suspect it is a scam, contact the IRS at irs.gov/contact to determine if it is a legitimate IRS notice or letter. If it is a legitimate IRS notice or letter, reply if needed. If the caller or party that sent the paper letter is not legitimate, contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1-800-366-4484. You may also fax the notice/letter you received, plus any related or supporting information, to TIGTA. Note that this is not a toll-free FAX number 1-202-927-7018.
While preparing your tax return for electronic filing, make sure to use a strong password to protect the data file. Once your return has been e-filed, burn the file to a CD or flash drive and remove the personal information from your hard drive. Store the CD or flash drive in a safe place, such as a lock box or safe. If working with an accountant, you should ask them what measures they take to protect your information.
If you have information about the identity thief that impacted your personal information negatively, file an online complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov. The IC3 gives victims of cyber crime a convenient and easy-to-use reporting mechanism that alerts authorities of suspected criminal or civil violations. IC3 sends every complaint to one or more law enforcement or regulatory agencies that have jurisdiction over the matter.
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and let us know.
“BMA Management is the leading provider of affordable assisted living in Illinois and one of the 20 largest providers of assisted living in the United States.”
By Rick Banas of BMA Management, Ltd. the leading provider of assisted living in Illinois.
Thanks to Erin Weir of Age Options, we learned earlier this week about an article on the National Council on Aging (NCOA) website that notes that financial scams with older adults as the victim have become so prevalent that they are now considered to be “The Crime of the 21st Century.”
The scams can be devastating to older adults, the NCOA warns, adding that it is not just the wealthy who are being targeted. Low-income older adults also are at risk.
In the article, the NCOA also warns that more than 90% of the reported cases of financial abuse allegedly involve family members taking advantage of parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles.
Here are the scams that made the NCOA list of “Top 10 Scams Targeting Older Adults.”
Healthcare/Medicare/Health Insurance Fraud
Counterfeit Prescription Drugs
Funeral and Cemetery Scams
Fraudulent Anti-Aging Productsv
Telemarketing, including fake-accident ploys, fake charities and The Pigeon Drop.
Intranet Fraud, including messages that appear to be from a legitimate company asking for personal information.
Investment Schemesv
Homeowners/Reverse Mortgage Scams
Sweepstakes/Lottery Scams
The Grandparents Scam
For more information on each of these scams and to read the full story, click here.
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and let us know.
“BMA Management is the leading provider of affordable assisted living in Illinois and one of the 20 largest providers of assisted living in the United States.”
Illinois continues to be headed in the right direction.
No, I have not tipped back a few too many glasses of the Spiked Egg Nog. And yes, I am aware of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute poll referenced yesterday in a Chicago Tribune editorial that says Illinois voters believe otherwise.
When it comes to older adults and adults with physical disabilities, Illinois in 2011 continued to head in the right direction with its innovative Supportive Living Program.
For those of you who are not familiar with Supportive Living, the program grew out of the state budget crunch. Rather than follow the usual paths of cutting services or raising taxes, the state developed a wonderfully innovative program that benefits both the state and those who need some level of help to maintain their independence.
The program gives those of all financial means, including those on Medicaid, the opportunity to enjoy a residential-style apartment living with the availability of personal assistance and support services. For those unable to afford private pay assisted living, struggling alone at home or moving to a nursing home are no longer the only options.
In a press announcement earlier this month that summarizes a decision to continue to expand the Supportive Living program, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) noted that Supportive Living “makes these critical services available at a significantly lower cost than in a nursing home.” The program also “can successfully prevent or postpone the need for nursing home care.”
The Dec. 19 announcement highlighted the State’s approval of five new Supportive Living communities designed to serve adults with physical disabilities who are 22 to 64 years of age.
Our company, BMA Management, is involved with three of the five communities.
BMA Ventures, LLC, a sister company of BMA Management, Ltd., will own and develop the community that was approved for Bourbonnais, Illinois. The community will house 76 apartments. BMA Management will manage the community.
BMA will assist the owner, Budslick Investments, LLC in developing the community that was approved for Carbondale, Illinois. The community will house 76 apartments, and BMA Management will serve as the management entity for the community.
BMA Management will manage the community that was approved for Peoria, Illinois. The community is being developed by Vermilion Development of Chicago.
While we will be serving a younger age group in these communities, our focus will be the same as in our affordable assisted living communities that serve older adults. Our emphasis will be on promoting the resident’s independence and will be framed by our values of love, compassion and dignity.
2011 also marked two other milestones for the Supportive Living program:
The number of apartments available in Supportive Living communities topped the 10,000 mark. There are now 133 communities in operation in more than 70 Counties throughout the State. Thirty-three of our communities are affordable assisted living communities that operate through the Supportive Living program.
The first two Memory Care Supportive Living communities opened for occupancy as pilot projects.
We were also pleased to learn in November, that the Department of Healthcare and Family Services gave BMA approval to develop a pilot Memory Care Supportive Living community as part of Heritage Woods of South Elgin. The Memory Care community will house 32 apartments in two specially designed neighborhoods of 16 apartments each.
As we look back at 2011, we express our thanks to the State of Illinois for its continued promotion of the Supportive Living program.
Rod Burkett is Chief Executive Officer and President of BMA Management, the largest provider of assisted living in Illinois. He has served for the past two years as President of the Springfield based Affordable Assisted Living Coalition (AALC).
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and let us know.
“BMA Management is the leading provider of affordable assisted living in Illinois and one of the 20 largest providers of assisted living in the United States.”
