#82 - Why Culture Closes the Sale with Gail Peacock

Summary

In this episode, Jerry Vinci speaks with Gail Peacock, a consultant in the senior living industry, about the evolving landscape of senior care. They discuss the importance of culture, purpose, and connection in senior living communities, emphasizing the need for a shift in language and perspective towards aging. Gail shares her journey as a 'pioness' in the industry, her grassroots strategies for building community, and the significance of leading with kindness. The conversation highlights the challenges and opportunities in the senior living sector, particularly in addressing the needs of older adults and fostering a sense of belonging.

Learn More:

• Connect with Gail Peacock on LinkedIn

Takeaways

• Gail Peacock emphasizes the importance of culture in senior living.
• The term 'pioness' reflects a new approach to leadership in the industry.
• Aging perspectives are shifting; language matters.
• Finding purpose is crucial for older adults in communities.
• Communities must focus on building connections and social currency.
• Leadership should prioritize kindness and authenticity.
• The love problem often overshadows sales issues in communities.
• Grassroots strategies can effectively engage potential residents.
• Communities need to adapt to the changing needs of older adults.
• The future of senior living lies in understanding and validating residents.

Chapters

00:00 From Leads to Leases - A Senior Living Business Podcast

01:43 Welcome Gail Peacock - The Unicorn of Senior Living

06:57 Rebranding Aging: Language and Perception

11:11 Finding Purpose in Older Adulthood

13:06 Community Engagement and Social Currency

17:19 The Importance of Memorable Experiences

20:32 Thriving in Place: A New Perspective on Aging

23:25 Building a Culture of Belonging

26:55 Navigating Demand and Supply in Senior Living

31:03 The Love Problem: Culture Over Sales

34:38 Leading with Kindness and Authenticity

38:35 Grassroots Strategies for Community Connection

41:51 The Power of Storytelling in Senior Living

46:40 Mentorship and the Future of Senior Living Leadership

50:16 ccrg-podcast-outro-2025-new.mp4

Keywords

senior living, culture, community, aging, leadership, grassroots, purpose, wellness, social currency, innovation

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
We all need to work together to be kind and helpful.
It takes all of us. A lot of times communities go
right to sales that there's a sales problem.
And then I hear it is dining, it's operations, it's making
sure the apartments are ready, it's the turnover team, it's
maintenance, making sure that the new building everything's
working right. So it might not be a sales
problem, It could be a culture problem.

(00:20):
It could be that operations needs to tighten up their
processes or there is no process.
She calls herself a pioneer, nota pioneer.
GAIL Peacock isn't just consulting communities, she's
reigniting their soul. In an industry still stuck in
the 80s, Gail's grassroots strategies and culture first
approach offer a refreshing roadmap for the future of senior

(00:42):
living. Welcome to From Leeds to Leases
ACCR Growth podcast that helps senior living providers
transform their complex challenges into opportunities.
Listen in for stories from industry leaders, innovative
strategies and insights, and with our expertise, learn how to
increase occupancy faster, Guaranteed.

(01:05):
Welcome back to another episode of From Leeds to Lease is the
podcast that dives deep into thesenior living and senior care
industries, bringing you insights, strategies and stories
from the experts at the forefront of innovation,
leadership and care. I'm your host, Jerry Vincey, CEO
of CCR Growth. For those of you who don't know
about us, CCR growth is a full service marketing and growth
agency that's exclusive to the senior living industry.

(01:27):
And through this podcast, I'm here to guide you through the
evolving landscape of senior care, exploring the innovations,
strategies and leadership insights that are shaping the
future of the industry. So whether you're a provider, a
caregiver, or industry leader, this shows here to help you make
informed decisions and create meaningful impact.
All right, today I'm talking with GAIL Peacock, consultant,
grassroots queen, and unapologetic Unicorn of the

(01:49):
senior living world. She's the founder of Eye Care
Senior Consulting Group and partof the LCS team, where she helps
communities across the US and internationally reignite their
culture, rebuild occupancy, and reconnect with their people.
So GAIL doesn't just fix sales problems.
She sees through to the culture,the people, and the vibe that
really drives occupancy. And she's here to help us all

(02:12):
see the industry through a more human lens.
So GAIL, welcome to the show. I'm so glad to have you here.
Thank you. I'm happy to be here.
Appreciate it. Absolutely, this is a it's going
to be a great conversation. You've got just a, a mountain of
personality and, and, and thoughts when it comes to the
culture. There's such a shift happening
in all workplaces, but I feel like in the senior living space,

(02:34):
specifically around the the building of culture within
communities and how vital that is to staff retention to to
happy residents, to just creating more of that humans
centered lifestyle that everybody wants to to build
within their community. You started in 55 plus before it
was even a thing. What sparked that journey and
how did it shape your approach? So coming to a new consultant,

(03:00):
joining the new consulting kind of realm did a lot of take
opportunities and figure it out as we go, right?
So 55 plus was a new sector at that time.
So jumped into that out in Oklahoma, we did a lot of
educating. People had no clue what it was.

(03:20):
Was it just senior apartments? Do we have any services?
So we kind of created our own culture truthfully, around what
55, I called it 55 and better because I always thought, you
know, our people moving in, we're not 55, they were closer
to the 70s. But the, the idea of anybody can
move in and we're looking for a younger audience for those

(03:42):
communities. We launched all the different
ideas, the marketing, where do we find our people?
So it was, it was a lot of homework.
It was a lot of talking to people that lived in those
cities, what they were looking for and what important things
would make them decide to join the 55 and better community.
One of the things you mentioned too was the developer in

(04:03):
Oklahoma and called you the Piones.
Where did that come from? Yes, he was on Mr. Bob May.
He was on a lot of different speaking panels talking about 55
plus and so everyone kept gearing him to be the the
pioneer of 55 plus. So I told him that I will be the

(04:25):
Piones as we work together trying to figure out this new
industry, the ups and downs, therights and wrongs of how to make
55 and better a huge segment, which it is today.
It's really grown and a lot of people are really jumping on
board with that new segment in senior living.
Yep. And how does eye care fit into

(04:46):
the picture? Was that formed around the same
time or was that a later venturefor you?
Yeah, I first started to create a, I'm going to say Consulting
Group because I felt like the people on site didn't really
have a voice with the higher upskind of were just, you know,

(05:07):
always talked to the demand of we need this, we need that, we
need more people attending events, we need more move
insurance, get things ready, youknow, more parking, how you can
figure out everything. And so it was never really a
conversation of what it was liketo be on site.
And so I felt like the higher ups needed to hear the voice of

(05:28):
the people on site. And so I thought that I, that
was kind of my, my gift was to share what it's like to be on
Sykes. I do love being on site and all
the interactions with the residents and the staff and the
teams there. So that was a big part of why I
started it. And so in Oklahoma, we kind of
kicked it off from hiring people, training people, getting

(05:50):
the the people to attend our newprospects and just figuring out
as we go, I guess would be the the best way to say it.
And what kind of response did you get in the beginning?
At the beginning, a lot of people didn't really know what
they were signing up for. Truthfully, I think that they
just thought it was like a government subsidized type of
housing. And so our price was not that.

(06:12):
And so making sure that we went out and we explained what we
are, what our charge was and whywe felt that we could deem a
higher monthly fee than what property management would be if
they just lived in a regular apartment.
So finding your niche. And I always feel like that's
kind of one of my gifts, if you will.
And we kind of we'll talk about that later about finding your
gift on your team. Everyone has one and trying to

(06:33):
figure out from the people really what they're looking for
and finding the people that findthe value in what you're trying
to sell. So that was a needle in a
haystack in some ways. But we, we did it.
They did great. The communities were, you know,
way over budget of what the the lease ratio is going to be
before they moved in. And so it went.
It went awesome. That's great.

(06:54):
No complaints. Yes, yeah.
Yep, one of the things too you you talk about a lot of selling
without saying senior, and you're adamant we need to stop
using that word. Why is that language shift so
important now? The our new customer or customer
of the future, a lot of people are calling it different things
is, is definitely somebody now in their 70s is a way different

(07:17):
viewpoint. They come, you know, a lot of
them aren't going to retire. And so we say that retirement is
kind of outdated now because people are choosing to work and
they're choosing to work and what makes them happy versus
just a nine to five that, you know, paid their bills.
So we need to change our verbiage on how we speak to our

(07:38):
customer, you know, as say agingrebranded.
So successful aging, right? That's really important.
Our new customer, they expect choices, not rules.
And that really hits home for mebecause in the past we're always
saying like you can't exactly great for the holidays.
You can only do your door. You can only park here.

(07:59):
You can you're with me. We're always setting the rules
and our past customer wasn't really enjoying that We have to
have rules, obviously, because we're all community living
together. But I think that they they do
expect choices now. They don't want to be told they
have three meals a day and you're going to eat between this
time and this time and you're going to have this main meal.
They want choices. They want to to live the life

(08:20):
that they're living today, but join a community for the
socialization and all the other opportunities that a community
community brings to them. So that's a real important
piece, I feel like and the change of Health Center or
healthcare into Wellness. So that's our other big shift is
we're talking about Wellness. And when we talk about Wellness,
we're talking about like holistically, like they were

(08:42):
putting in Zen gardens at a lot of these new communities.
And it's not something that people are say, what do we do
there? You know, it's very much an
accepted term, but we're talkingabout the whole person in
Wellness. It's not just about how your
heart's beating and how your blood's flowing.
We talk about nutrition right past.
It was like we need to get certain amount of calories and

(09:03):
you need to have this many carbsand this many search.
And back in the day, that's how we talked and now it's all about
nutrition and making sure we getour protein.
Like the conversation has changed in the whole community.
And so in our industry has changed.
Also mental health has come about, which again is very
accepted now. 20 years ago, we really didn't talk about those

(09:25):
issues. Now it's very much talked about.
It's accepted. People talk about the UPS and
the downs just like a regular conversation that you would
have. So kind of understanding the
mental health piece and getting the education for our sales
teams to understand really what our prospects are going through
with this move to leave their home for 40 years and all the

(09:48):
all those things, right? It's a big decision and it's a
big deal. So the mental health piece, I
think is something that we'll bedigging into and learning more
as we grow in our senior living industry and finding purpose.
This is always been a huge 1 forme.
No matter what your age, this isme and my soapbox.
But no matter what your age, everybody needs a purpose.

(10:09):
So kids need a purpose, right? They like a schedule.
They they know what to expect. As a parent, you have a purpose.
You know exactly what your kids need you, what your husband
needs, what your family pets need, right?
We all have a purpose. And as a older adult, if I may,
I was going to Ding myself everytime I said senior, so we can
keep a tally on how I do. So older adult, it's the same

(10:32):
thing, right? They're retired.
So that piece, it has gone away of their purpose every day, but
they still need a purpose and they need to feel the sense of
belonging. And so those things go together.
So whether we help them get involved in the community,
right, they want to be part of adifferent groups and and start
something new, a new book club, a new adventures club, or if
they just really need a purpose to to be felt like they belong

(10:56):
where they're at. And so purpose is a big deal for
me. And I think that if we find and
make that connection with prospects, if the sale seems to
come a lot easier, they feel needed.
I hope that answers that question a little bit.
Yeah, it brings up more questions for me.
When you talk about we're not, we're not saying senior anymore,
we're saying older adult and people are not retiring, they're

(11:19):
still working. So how is it?
How is a community set up to cater to that?
Are we looking at like supporting encore careers?
Are we looking at just more purpose driven work like you
were talking about it or are there other ways that
communities are positioning themselves?
Is that why we're seeing lifestyle communities now versus
retirement communities? Yeah, that's a really good

(11:40):
point. So as we call them lifestyle
because really that is what we're selling, right, That the
apartment is just a small amountof what their life will be like.
We have the older adults, a lot of the colleges have the older
adult college classes where you can go and do you know
photography and and we sponsor those classes on site as well as

(12:01):
you can go to the college and still be part of that.
They have those type of volunteering, so getting
involved in the hospitals if they want to be volunteering at
the hospitals to give back to the school.
So intergenerational connectionswhen you know, we go to the
kindergarten and the people are reading stories or telling their
stories. The one that I love is kind of

(12:22):
being a champion. If you did taxes back in the day
and going out and talking to older adults, even mid adults,
whatever range we are midlife, it's helpful to hear their
knowledge and everything that they have have seen and gone
through to educate us on their expertise as somebody who did
taxes to come and still use their gifts right though a

(12:45):
teacher, how they go about helping with families and and
counseling. And so being able to be the
chief speaker even at your community, to share with other
people, I think is still being able to keep them involved and
sharing the knowledge that they're not just getting older,
that they still have things to say and to contribute is a big

(13:05):
piece to that. And if older adults, are they,
they still want to live life on their terms, right?
They're maybe looking to simplify and move into more of a
community setting. How does a community cater to
that? What's how do you frame reframe
the pitch for that newer generation?
I think a big part of it is I always lean towards the

(13:26):
education piece versus the selling piece.
My belief is that number one, you have to believe in your
product and why you're there andwhat piece that you fit in
everyone's pie if you will. And then understanding that our
communities offer a service to the right person and everyone's
not our customer and being able to understand.

(13:48):
And as we say in our industry, which I'd love a new term of
discovery because I feel like that's kind of a, an old word.
But being able to fact find and understand really what you're
looking for to figure out how I can, you know, pivot in our
community to make you feel the sense of belonging.
And that's our job in the chair that we sit in.

(14:08):
So it's understanding that thereisn't a fence around our
community anymore. Our community could be helping
at the hospital, if that's important to you, or doing a
speaker series of all of our residents and what their
profession was that they can still share with others in
college, right? That the freshman in college
could really learn from somebodywho's retired and done the job.

(14:30):
And yes, it's changed, but what a what wisdom we have that we're
missing out on, right? But the community has to be open
to trying new things and not everything's going to hit and
you're going to have 100 people in the in the audience, but some
things are going to hit and you're really going to make a
difference in in people's life. So really understanding what you

(14:52):
offer and what your customer is looking for is, is our job so
that we can make sure that we hit everything that's important
to them. I think this falls right in line
with what you were talking aboutwith me last time about social
currency. Tell me about that.
What does that mean to you? Because I don't know if everyone
in our audience understands thatterm.
Yeah. So this was a term that I kind

(15:15):
of learned a few years ago whichI loved.
My my term was tip of the tongue, which definitely was not
very corporate, corporate friendly maybe.
So I love the the term social currency.
In every conversation that we have, no matter who we're having
a conversation with, that conversation, that social

(15:37):
interaction has currency. So we can't put a dollar amount
on that necessary, but with me talking with my friends about a
community and how happy my mom is or hey, I went by, I was at
the grand opening and, and what I saw and felt and sharing that
is, is our the big foundation ofour resident referrals, right?

(15:59):
So when they say, my gosh, the jury, this was the best place.
And I love this. And I met Susie and my neighbor
lives there and they take my dogand they have a, a pet area.
And you know, they go on and allthat is worth money, right?
We pay for digital advertising, we pay for all this.
But that's social currency to me, in my experience, is worth a

(16:20):
lot of money. And so being able to educate
people so that they can educate others, maybe it's not right for
them, but they're going to sharetheir experience, which are
older adults definitely do share, right?
They love to say what they've been doing this week and and
they don't have a million thingsgoing on.
So those little interactions kind of take the the top seat on

(16:40):
the bus of what what they're going to talk about their
friends at their luncheons, at their family gatherings.
So I feel like having social currency and being able to be on
the tip of people's tongue when they're visiting is so
important. So you have to make it
memorable. You have to make it hit here.
And I think sometimes we get toobusinessy and this is about the

(17:03):
heart, right? And, and where we're going to
feel a sense of belonging and, and all those things.
There's a business component, but this is a heart decision and
a feeling decision. So that's what's going to remain
in their minds to share with others.
How do you think more communities could do a better
job with social currency? Because I feel like a lot of

(17:23):
communities, they're pretty intentional when it comes to
promoting a specific event or a campaign of some kind.
And they're they're big in the community during those moments.
But then there's other times where it falls to the wayside.
I feel like this type of approach should be something
they're doing on a regular basisas part of their strategy.
What? What kind of advice do you have
to communities to help keep thisgoing?

(17:44):
So we talked a lot about the preevent, the event and then the
post event. So when we have an event, we we
have to plan to be have a successful event and what goes
into having a successful event? And we talked about being on
camera, doing a video and and people being able to see who you
are. So that also when they come into

(18:05):
a room of 50 people, they're like, oh, she looks familiar.
I saw her on the video, you know, and that might seem very
one-on-one, but a lot of communities don't do that and
welcome them on video and say, can't wait to see you.
You know, remember, it's Thursday, 1:00.
You know, we're meeting here. Watch where the parking is, you
know, to give those little tidbits on the video so that

(18:28):
people feel like you're personally inviting them.
And they have a stake that, you know, when we're invited
somewhere we don't go, we have that little tinge inside where
it's like, oh, I should have been there.
They were counting on me and so that I think is part of the
video piece and and videos. Thank you, you know, to everyone
getting comfortable with that, but it really makes a
difference. So being able to plan and and

(18:50):
have that interface where peoplecan see eye to eye makes a
difference. And then obviously welcoming
them and making sure you have the right team, the staff to be
able to acknowledge everyone, help them park, help them come
in because those first like 5 seconds or whatever the, you
know, researchers find, but those are the most important
parts that we have. Make it a break it right Then if

(19:11):
they're frustrated and you know what I mean, they don't feel
like they knew where to park. They didn't know what door to go
to it. And they've already talked to
three people on their way into the event and no one was
helpful. And so we're kind of making up
time. So I think that that being
personable. So calling people prior to
events and just doing the confirmation and yeah, that's
kind of a check in the box for us that, hey, did you call

(19:33):
everybody who's coming? And we're like, yeah, yeah,
yeah. But did you really call everyone
and say, hey, you're looking forward to seeing you, You know,
and I know that you're a Baylor graduate and we have more people
that are going to be attending the event that went to that
college. And we're going to make sure
that you meet different people that, you know, have a similar,
similar interests. That's a call to confirm that

(19:54):
makes a difference versus hey, Jerry going to be there at, you
know, 5:00. OK, we'll see you at 5.
Thanks. Bye.
And that there's no personable piece of that.
And at my my joke always is makesure you bring your checkbook,
which nowadays we're going to change that to credit card
because no one has a checkbook anymore.
And that's one of the I kind of do a tongue in cheek a little
bit, but you know, to make sure that they know that they're

(20:17):
going to make a decision today and just plant that seed that
what you're going to hear is you're going to like.
So those are some different ideas for the event to make make
them feel a little bit more of the feelings versus just the
business piece of it. It takes the mystery down to I
think a lot of people are hesitant to go to something like
that. It's already, I don't want to

(20:37):
say stressful, It's not always stressful, but it's it's an
emotional decision obviously. And it's a huge decision for
somebody to even be considering a move into a community.
So if you can do anything to make them feel more comfortable
before they even get there, that's going to make such a huge
difference. And that's the first interaction
they're having with your community, with your brand.
I mean, that says so much for how they're going to be treated

(20:58):
when they're there. And real and I share with people
that this could be the first time to your point that they've
ever set foot into a senior community, senior living
community. And we have a huge
responsibility to make them feellike we are as welcoming as what
you hear. And so if we flub that up, that

(21:18):
just becomes then they're kind of, you know, again, senior
living and they're staying at home and they're not going to
kind of move and all those feelings come out.
So well said. Well said.
That's a big responsibility thatI think sometimes we get so in
the rut. And so this is what we do and we
become a machine at it that we forget the human part.
And just a quick story that we had an event recently and the

(21:41):
presenter was kind of nervous, like I've never really presented
before and I hope I do a good job.
And I'm like, and I just held her hands and I was like, be
you, be you, you're wonderful. You know what you're talking
about. You have passion, just be you
because there's nobody like you.And that just kind of, you know
what I mean, brought down the nerves of trying to be something
that we're not with all of our notes.

(22:02):
And you know, are you that person or are you just going to
speak off the cuff and be passionate about this new
expansion that you guys are offering?
So I think that that's also a piece that we have to remember.
The human piece is way more important than the business
piece and you know the owners are saying no, no, no.
No, that's so true. Wouldn't go.
Yeah, yeah, it's huge. It's huge.

(22:23):
And you know, I was kind of laughing just doing some
research and having calls. So it's budget time.
So we're having calls and in oneof my and kind of when we talked
before my fleeting thoughts thatcome in back in the day, and I'm
going to say it back in the day,people moved into to, I'm going
to really say senior living, nursing homes, was it their last
place? And that was a place that they

(22:43):
were going to be dying in. And this lion came to me and I
was giggling about it actually. But then when I wrote it down, I
was like, you know what? This might be something where
instead of I'm going to, this isvery dark, but dying in place
now it's thriving in place, right?
So we talked about aging in place.
And that's another term that we've talked about for a million

(23:03):
years, right? But instead of aging in place,
how about thriving in, you know what I mean, in that place.
And that's going to be a switch for all of us because that's
what they're looking to do. They're looking to live their
next chapter thriving and not necessarily just sitting
watching TV. So I thought that little quote
was kind of interesting to have a mind shift of.

(23:25):
I love that. I love that.
And that goes right with what you're saying about the human
piece of it being, in my opinion, the most important
piece. And then aside with that, I
think is culture, which is what I wanted to talk about next.
I, I think you and I both agree that it's not the amenities that
sell anymore. It's the culture because every
community to some degree is offering the same set of
amenities. It's really hard to

(23:46):
differentiate yourself on that. So it's really the culture
piece. So how do you build that culture
from the inside out that makes people want to want to join, to
be a part of something to to live in that community?
I think making sure that everybody is a salesperson at
your community. We all sell from housekeeping to

(24:06):
the maintenance guys walking by with the ladder, being cordial
and helpful and smiling and saying hello.
Our communities, we need to makeit a place of community and
being able to like a lot of our communities have really done a
great job with culture acceptingeveryone doesn't matter.
You know, solo aging is now likea big another tag word keyword

(24:29):
is solo aging, where probably inmy parents day being a solo ager
was negative, right? You you were mourning somebody
that you lost your partner or you know what I mean?
You you're a widow or widower was more of that tag and now
it's like solo ager, which againis such a positive way to go
into aging that you don't have to have a partner.

(24:53):
And so I love to spin on that and and accepting everyone.
So no matter what your beliefs are, no matter who your partner
is, it doesn't matter. And so when we start that early
in a community and open our armsto everyone and that sense of
belonging and we have a community at LCS that does that
so wonderfully and everyone knows it.

(25:14):
And so that, that friendship, that kind, you know, shake of a
hand and then and hello means more to them than some
communities that I, I think haven't really adopted that
there's so much that goes into that location and how long
they've been doing business and all that too.
Culture is so apparent within 5 minutes when you walk in the
community. So the culture of do we stand

(25:36):
and shake hands? Like back in the day, we stood
up when somebody came into the room and we would shake their
hands, you know, now not so much, right?
And, and we used to make sure that we were kind to our elders,
right? We almost were like a child,
like giving extra kindness. And I think my magic in senior
living is I've always said is just treating them just like I

(25:57):
treat everybody. They don't want to be treated
differently. And yes, they want to be treated
that they have knowledge and, and all that, yes, and
expertise, but not as a person. Like they still like to cut up
and laugh and tell jokes and, and be a real person versus kick
gloves. And we're like doing this around
them to make sure that they feel, you know, sturdy, if you

(26:19):
will. So I think that we start with
culture with every single person.
And and I love to stop people tosay what why are you here?
Why did you choose to work at our community?
And that really brings out that the culture.
We can have a million different things that we believe is our
pillars and all that. But when you really get down to
the people, are you here for theright reasons?

(26:40):
Older adult community, I'm all set it.
Our older adult community, they feel that they know if you're
genuine or not. And I will give that to people
that are, you know, seasoned. They definitely can feel if
people are being authentic or not.
A couple of data points for you.Just talking about occupancy, if
we look at like the primary markets, occupancy climb from

(27:04):
80% in Q2 of 21 to about 88% in Q4 of 24.
And also in terms of the number of units that are available, the
80 plus population is expected to grow 36% by 2030.
So about 564,000 new units will be needed, but we only have

(27:25):
about 191,000 that are expected to be built.
My question is, with the demand outpacing supply, what
opportunities exist for communities to differentiate
themselves through grassroots culture and connection?
So a lot of communities are throwing around, some are doing
it actually about like a community without walls, if you
will, so that we can keep up with the demands.

(27:46):
And I'm sure you've heard that term.
Depending who you talk to, you'll hear different beliefs.
I do, I'm a believer. I do think that we can offer
services to people that are at home that that they are missing.
The social piece is a big piece of that until we are able to
grow the unit count to be able to have.

(28:07):
And we love to hear those numbers.
But then we sit back and say, are those really people that
want to be in a community? Because I do believe there's a
piece of that too, right? A lot of people just want to
stay at home, which is fine. Like we're never going to win
that war, right? But being able to bring the
socialization and opening our communities up to people that
are at home that are by themselves and they don't have
anyone to have Thanksgiving with.

(28:27):
And those little invitations canmean a lot.
So we, we have a tall order, I feel like to be able to
accommodate this silver tsunami everyone's been talking about.
I personally don't feel concerned about it.
I feel like we have apartments that are available and we're
trying to tweak our industry so that every community is what

(28:48):
everyone would want in a community, which obviously is a
big undertaking. But I feel like being able to
offer services, the senior centers in your areas that offer
or different classes and still asense of belonging, but they're
not ready to be in an actual community yet.
So we have some work to do, that's for sure.
But we also have a wait list of five years.

(29:10):
Some communities we came and build it that quick.
And so people are waiting because now this is something
that they actually want this newcustomer.
They actually want this versus US trying to sell the old
customer. But that what they want is very
specific. And so being able to win that
war of what they want is what we're selling is kind of where

(29:32):
we're at now. That's the new paradox, if you
will. That was actually a question I
had to. And we keep hearing about the
silver tsunami. There's so many more older
adults entering the market, but just because they're of the age
to enter the market, are they really entering the market?
Or is the sentiment that more older adults are going to be
looking towards some type of lifestyle community versus

(29:56):
staying at home? Or is the likelihood that more
of them will stay at home? Or is it just a numbers game?
There's just more more people inthe market, therefore there's
going to be a higher demand for senior living.
I agree. I think it is just the numbers
game and you know, if we have 1000 people, right, some of them

(30:16):
are going to want the 55 and better apartments.
That's that's the lifestyle thatthey're looking for.
They don't want the yard anymoreand those things, but they want
the sense of community and some are going to be the the CCRC
life plan community people wherethey want to feel that security,
you know, that the buy in amountand that they're made their
decision no matter what happens to them through their different

(30:38):
stages of life. So I think we have enough
segments to to fit the people that are coming.
But a lot of them, you know, we always say our biggest
competitor is the home and then they want to stay at the home.
And so this new kind of life plan, CCRC without walls, I
think could, could help that where they could come into the
community and feel that that they're part of something, but
they can still be at home. And if they're not ready, it's

(31:00):
kind of the best of both worlds is how I see it.
Definitely. One of the big challenges too, I
think was diagnosing the root problems within a community and
often it does come down to culture.
It's but everybody loves to blame sales 85% of the time.
I think you said it's not a sales problem, it's a love
problem. Can you explain that?

(31:21):
Yes, so again with my big words.So I call it a love fest.
And so I think it's really, it'simportant that all the systems
are in place. You know, everybody has a role
to play in a community and that's any community.
We we have a role to play. Dining needs to be 100% doing

(31:42):
right. And if they're not doing right,
having that, the person that is going to figure out the problem
and solving the problems on the spot, fixing it on a weekly
basis. Same with operations.
You know, a lot of the, the handbooks, if you will, that we
send out again, I'm going to go with the rules.
These are the rules of living inour community.
And now our people aren't reallywanting rules, right?

(32:05):
They want to know that, hey, if I want in my garage to set up a
art studio, I can do that. It's not like I can't, right?
Because it keeps saying you can't do this, you can't do
that, you can't do this. And so our new customer isn't
going to play like that. So we all need to work together
to create since the moment you walk in the reception to be kind

(32:29):
and helpful and not just be there watching the clock to be
like, when's my next break time that I get to, you know, go and
have a coke, whatever. So it takes all of us.
So a lot of times communities goright to sales that there's a
sales problem. And then I hear the other
operations, you know, person on my shoulder of, you know,
operations is so mammoth, right?It is dining, it's operations,

(32:50):
it's making sure the apartments are ready.
It's the turnover team, it's maintenance, making sure that
the new building everything's working right?
And if it's not, don't do you have 24 hours to fix the
problem? You know, what's the action that
you're taking? And sometimes the action is, I'm
so sorry that your light over your kitchen sink is not
working. We have to order a light bulb,
right? Communication.

(33:12):
Let's communicate with them. That's all that they ask.
We don't necessarily always haveto.
We'll be there in 2 minutes and you know, everyone's frantic.
It's communicating to say I'm sosorry.
Analyzing the situation and figuring out when can we really
fix the problem. So it might not be a sales
problem, It could be a whole, itcould be a culture problem.
It could be that operations needs to tighten up their

(33:33):
processes or there is no process.
So what is the process for a work order, right?
And we kind of laugh because this goes back to a long time
ago, but do people call to say, hey, how was it when we came in
to fix your light over your sink?
Was everything taken care of? Was there anything else that we
could have done differently? Is anyone calling an actual

(33:53):
person, not AI, an actual personcalling and asking those
questions? Because what I found when
there's a maintenance issue, that's what I would do.
And what I found is there's so much more of problems and it's
not really about the light over the sink.
I know it was about the carry out now and dining is taking too
long. My food's cold and I'm not happy
about you get so much more when you ask people what their

(34:17):
feedback is. So yes, you go to sales because
as I always say, it shows up in sales, right?
You're the issues that you have in all the different departments
are going to show up in sales because you're not going to have
move insurance in your back dooris going to be wide open.
So it is going to show in your numbers.
But we need to dig into those numbers and figure out really
where where the issues are and fix them.

(34:38):
What about in leadership? The one thing you had coined was
the permission to be human rule for burnt out leaders.
I think it's really important towork as a team, to be honest
with your team. You know, we as the sales team
are always having to be on. So as soon as we walk out of our
office, we are on stage. And that is the expectation that

(35:00):
the residents have, the team has.
And so if you're having a bad day, be respectful of your team
to be like, you know what, I'm just going to make calls today.
Like I can't, I can't do it today.
And, and being able to be real with your team, might you be
real every day of the week or two times a week.
But it's nice to know, you know what, I didn't sleep.
I was up with my kid last night.I'm just going to kind of stay

(35:21):
in the office. I'm going to do the envelopes.
I'm going to put, you know, whatever is the task for the
team and know that your team like I got you, I'll go work the
dining room today and I'll make,you know, I'll do the smiling
piece for the sales team and make the, the heart connection
for you today. Because we have to validate
where people are. And I think that's a lot more
acceptable now than it was in the past.

(35:43):
That's always how I've been withwith my teams.
I think we all need to come together and you can't again,
you can't fake it out there because people are going to know
that you're not genuine of why you're asking.
And another piece of the, the culture is working the dining
room. So this is kind of my, my
soapbox about the dining room. I think it's so that is when we

(36:04):
have our residents, right? And they're in a comfortable
scenario because usually dining time is a very open time to
visit with, with residents always bringing a notepad
because we think we can rememberthings, but we can't.
And, and asking people, how's your meal?
How's it going? Can I get you anything?
And they look at you because they know that you're part of
the sales team, the OPS team, whatever team you're part of

(36:26):
that they see you in a differentlens when you're in the dining
room and asking those questions.I think it's real important to
at least every leader to hit onemeal a day.
And we used to back in the day, we would assign people who was
doing breakfast, who is doing lunch and who is doing dinner so
that somebody from the leadership team was walk in the
dining room. So that's really where you find
the magic, the good and the bad from the residents.

(36:48):
So that's a piece of the the culture to.
Best communities I've seen. It all revolves around the
dining schedule. Some leaders in the communities
I've spoken with, they basicallythey rotate staff that are in
the dining room, where managers in every department are working
the dining room during various times of the day or the week.
Just for that reason. To get to know the residents, to

(37:09):
understand them on a deeper level and to maybe get some
unique feedback, you know, that maybe the dining staff wouldn't
get. And the insider, you know, and,
and it's also nice to be like, oh, I've been in the dining room
and she always loves, you know, Key Lime Pie.
And so when there is an issue that we're resolving, we know
that that's her favorite dessertto make a note to make sure that

(37:29):
that's what we bring up to her apartment when we're going to
maybe say, Hey, you know what, we're going to have to move you
because we're redoing the air vac or whatever, right?
And, and noticing the detail piece is what is going to make
you stand out and be different. I'm a huge TikTok fan and I know
a lot of people judge that, but my, my belief in the TikTok in
the tickety tockity, as I call it, But my belief in TikTok is,

(37:52):
you know, we, we as leaders seemto, to preach the same, the same
goals, the same methods, if you will.
But I think hearing it from someone else makes such a
difference. And TikTok is pretty casual,
right? So people can learn like we've
been talking about, this is so important.
And when you send a TikTok of somebody else saying it is the
same message, it's just someone else.

(38:13):
And so I found that sales trainings, customer service, one
O 1 is so much more, has so muchmore impact when we can follow
up with TikTok or Facebook or orLinkedIn, any of those social
media sources to send them an article or something else that's
saying the same thing, but from a different, you know,
viewpoint, different mouth, if you will voice.

(38:35):
And given your experience with grassroots style of finding best
fit prospects and what are your top strategies that you would
recommend that communities implement?
To find people where they are. I think that.
So let's say a new thing is pickleball.
Well, maybe it's not that new, but pickleball is a huge thing,
right? And that's our active older

(38:57):
adults. And so when we go to where
they're comfortable and they choose to go is when I feel like
they're more open to hearing oursong and dance about what we're
doing at the community. So they're comfortable in their
surroundings. Their, their expectation is not
to really be caught off guard with somebody saying, Hey, have
you heard about our new expansion happening and XYZ and,

(39:18):
and give your little blurb. And so I feel like making sure
we know where our customer is. I love the element of surprise.
That's a big one for me. So going into restaurants or
places that are demographic is hanging out and buying desserts
for the table or, you know, making sure that if we know it's
their birthday, because you know, when it's a birthday at a

(39:39):
table, we all know it's a birthday at the table no matter
what. And making it important to give
your card, always give your card, but leave your card and
just say, hey, you know, I'd love to buy you a dessert from
XYZ community and make that again that social currency
piece. You know, they're going to be
telling their family, their friends, their neighbors that

(40:00):
they got dessert from XYZ and you're going to still have your
card and that element of surprise.
And that shows way before they even come to your community, how
you're going to be treated at the community because it's it's
kind of that soft close, if you will, that they get a
personality what the community is about considering what you're
you're doing for them. That's a big piece of it.
I always believe that we don't really sell again, I kind of

(40:21):
talk about educating and I just explained to people, Hey, just
wanted to let you know what's happening in in your market.
Can you believe we're adding 70 more, you know, apartment homes
to your area because of the need?
Like, do you even know there's that many people, you know what
I mean, like educating them through that curiosity versus so
we're here and we're offering this and it offers this and

(40:43):
that's nobody cares. Nobody cares that much.
But if you make it about them and it's about their, their
group of people, their age demographic, they definitely
come on and it's amazing how many people will want to come to
your community and, and hear more about it.
Yeah, I guess every generation has FOMO on some level.
Everybody has that fear of missing out.
Well. We have a lot of people that see

(41:05):
an expansion, right? And they drive by every day and
then they'll say, well, we want to definitely come by.
We just want to, we're not looking, but we want to see what
the market's offering. And so I'm always, you know, we
call them looky loos, but it's looky loos are your social
currency. So even though we all kind of
they're just coming to look to me, you are our advertising.

(41:27):
So roll out the red carpet just as much for those people because
that is going to make the impact, right, of those people
coming in and they're going to be talking because they're not
really looking to move. So they're going to tell the
positive, they're going to really share their experience
because they don't feel like they're being sold at all.
So that is very, very valid, Very valid.

(41:48):
We we love to show what we're doing in the community.
One thing I wanted to make sure I share with our audience too,
is that you're a podcaster at heart.
So just real quick, I wanted to talk about The Girlfriend's
Guide to Senior Living, which was the name of your show.
What did that podcast unlock foryou?
So the podcast was definitely anadventure being this was before

(42:10):
being on camera before COVID andall that was acceptable.
The main reason why I started the podcast was to educate
people before they were sitting in our office in our community
and having an emotional reactionto having to make a decision.
So educating people about our industry signs to look for,
educating them that it's not so scary and making it fun and

(42:32):
concise and community driven. So that was kind of my goal for
it. So people could listen and be
like, Oh my gosh, that's so me and my mom's going through the
same thing. I'm not the only person that is
fighting with her mother about getting on a ladder to change
the battery on a clock, which was my personal story that I

(42:53):
share with my mother going on a ladder to change the battery.
You know, we shared personal stories with our aging parents,
which also I think makes that connection with people that we
were giggling and frustrated alongside everyone else that's
going through it. But it was amazing to hear the
comments from all over international comments would

(43:13):
come over. Thank you so much.
And, you know, you helped me take the keys away from my
parents that they shouldn't be driving anymore.
Like, you know, those are big, huge moments and sharing because
I was going through that with myfather at that time and sharing
our personal stories of, you know, the ups and downs of of
making those big decisions as a family.
So it was awesome. I loved it.

(43:35):
And the, and I commend you againfor doing this because I feel
like it's something that I love and I don't know why I don't do
it anymore. I don't have an answer for you
because I, I do think it makes adifference to understand the
passion of what we do everyday that it, it is passion of why
we're in this industry. Just like people that work with

(43:56):
young kids, they're passionate about young kids and framing
their mind to, you know, as theygrow older and all those
different important things, we're the same on our end as
well. Of all the people I've spoken to
over the years that there's probably a handful that I've
heard have left the senior living industry.
I mean, everybody is here and they're here to stay.
Everybody loves this industry. And that's one of the biggest

(44:17):
reasons why we have this podcastis to highlight some of those
stories and to share those with other people so that they know
they're not alone. Whether you know, whether it's
someone just sharing some insight like you're sharing
today or someone who's struggling with the challenge
within their community or their leadership team.
I think it's so important for usto just recognize that, that our
problem or while our problems are unique, the the overarching

(44:41):
challenge that we're trying to accomplish are very similar
across the board. And we can all learn from each
other and this industry. I feel like everyone is very
open to sharing. Nobody is gatekeeping anything,
which is one of the reasons why I love it so much.
It's amazing because as a consultant, going into all these
different communities and they would kind of have the same

(45:02):
story, right? And it was always the same
problems. So they felt like we cannot
crack this and we don't know whythis is happening, but it is the
same. So one after another, the
community is something somethingis failing.
And so you have to find out whatthat is.
And then once we get it back on track and it's usually not too
hard to get back on track, whether it's just more training

(45:25):
or not. So close minded to think of like
we're saying, you know, our new customer doesn't want any, any
restrictions, right? They want to be able to do and
travel and go and lock their door and know that we're going
to feed their cat. Those things are important to
them. So our industry is very small,
but it's, it's getting to be very big.

(45:46):
And my, my big belief is we needto start just changing our
verbiage so that we entice our new customer.
And we're not saying those bad words that, you know, would be
bleeped out because senior is just, nobody wants to be a
senior, right? No matter how old you are.
My father, I will leave you withthis.
My father who was 92, I think 91at the time.

(46:08):
We want him to get into the Senior Center.
And he went there. Like all they are is old people.
I don't belong here. Mind you, he had a Walker and
he, you know what I mean? And yet to him, the audience,
that was not his people, but it was his people.
So, you know, whenever people use terms that are old and
archaic, I just say the stories,that's what they see.

(46:29):
They don't see themselves. Like we sell the 50's, the New
30 and all those kind of jokes back and forth.
But it is true. So we need to, you know,
validate our customer where they're at and how they see
themselves. My last question to you, given
the fact that we're in this transitional phase of leadership
within the industry, what would be your message to the next
generation of senior living leaders?

(46:50):
I love that question. And let me say, I talked to my
mentor and I said all my mentorsare retiring and she's like,
you're the new mentor. I'm like, that is very scary.
That is scary to think that that's what we are now.
I believe and I mentor people toalways be human and lead with

(47:10):
kindness. And I know that that's a big
peace over social media, but I preach that if you leave with
kindness, you can do no wrong. So whether that is, you know,
again about the work order, right?
Just being honest to be like, hey, this is where we're at.
We have a guy sick today. They're not going to be coming
out. And so tomorrow it's top of the
list. I just want you to know, is

(47:31):
there anything else I can do foryou?
And, you know, being human to people is, is what they want.
And I think that we forget that when we're in the hustle and
bustle. So for people coming up in this
industry, I would say no holds barred.
Do so much research that you canto hear different people's
opinions on different topics. If you don't, something doesn't

(47:51):
sit right with you. Investigate it, right?
Be curious and listen to TikTok,read some articles on LinkedIn
to really understand the why. I think that's really important
that they don't just take what we tell them as truth and
gospel, that they do a little bit of research to make it feel
right with them. So, but it's scary to think that

(48:12):
we're on that side. Now we're going to teach them
the ropes. Yes, that is a little spooky to
me, but I believe that hopefullywe're going to teach them
differently. We're not going to have phone
scripts anymore, right? There's a reason why we have
those to help navigate the conversation, but we don't need

(48:32):
to be told like machines on how to ask questions and, and all
those things. So I hope that that those
changes happen and we have services like you, right?
You have podcasts now you can listen to and there's so much
more information at people's fingertips than there was back
in the day too. So think that'll make a
difference? Absolutely, absolutely.

(48:53):
GAIL, thank you so much. This is such a great
conversation. Where can our audience go to
learn more about I Care or Connect with You?
Probably LinkedIn would be the best way to find me so you can
find me on LinkedIn. Thanks.
Awesome, awesome. Well, thank you so much.
All right, so as we wrap up today's episode, I want to thank
GAIL Peacock for showing up withfull energy and fearless

(49:15):
honesty. From grassroots prospecting to
redefining what leadership really looks like, Gail's
perspective challenges us all toput culture and connection at
the heart of senior living. If you want to connect with GAIL
or learn more about her work with Eye Care Senior Consulting
Group, her LinkedIn is in the show notes.
And as always, we hope you foundthis episode insightful and
inspiring. Don't forget to subscribe to our
podcast on your favorite platform and stay tuned for more

(49:38):
episodes where we continue to explore the evolving world of
senior care, covering everythingfrom innovative care models and
leadership strategies to family support technology in the future
of aging. Also remember that From Leads to
Leases isn't just an audio experience.
We're also a video podcast. So if you want to see the video
versions of our episodes, make sure to subscribe to our YouTube
or Spotify channels. I'm Jerry Vinci, CEO of CCR

(50:01):
growth. Thank you for joining us on From
Leads to Leases and please like,subscribe and share this episode
with anyone who might find it useful.
I'm truly grateful for your timeand attention.
And until next time, leave a strategy and with heart chat
with you again soon. Thanks, GAIL.
Thank you. Thanks for listening to From
Leads to Leases. Are you ready to fill your rooms

(50:22):
faster and increase occupancy? Visit ccrgrowth.com to learn
about our Senior Growth Innovation Suite, a proven
system to generate highly qualified tour ready leads,
accelerate sales and reduce acquisition costs.
Let's connect and turn your challenges into opportunities.
See you next time.