‘Sales and Marketing of Seniors Housing & Care’ to be Held May 18-21, 2005

Contact Chip Rose
UMBC News
410-455-5793
crose@umbc.edu

or

Renee Tilton
410-626-0805

David Smith, president of One On One, Service to Seniors, a St. Louis, Mo.-based sales consulting group, and partner of One McKnight Place, a large continuing care retirement community, will lead the next executive development course at the Erickson School of Aging Studies at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). “Sales and Marketing of Seniors Housing & Care” will be held on May 18-21, 2005.

Guest lecturers from the senior living industry will join Mr. Smith in facilitating discussions on best practices in sales and marketing, including Brian Swinton, former executive vice president of Sunrise Senior Living; Dan Rexford, senior vice president of marketing for Erickson; Margaret Wylde, Ph.D., president and CEO of ProMatura Group LLC, a marketing research company based in Oxford, Miss.; and Tony Mullen, director of research for the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industries (NIC).

The four-day course covers the role of marketing and sales, how it is linked to a competitive advantage, and why the best companies treat their entire staff as salespeople. Other topics include: discovering customers’ wants and needs, segmenting markets through research, understanding the relationship of pricing and value, and obtaining honest feedback. Students also learn about the science of promotion, and how to develop leads, design an effective marketing plan, and use successful selling techniques. Lastly, the best ways to manage the marketing and sales process is discussed, including the use of mystery shopping and sales training.

The cost for “Sales and Marketing of Seniors Housing & Care” is $2750. Classes are conducted in a participatory, seminar format and are limited in size. To register, visit www.umbc.edu/erickson or call (410) 455-1570. For more information, email Jennifer Cathro at ericksonschool@umbc.edu or call (410) 455-3361.

About The Erickson School of Aging Studies

The Erickson School of Aging Studies at UMBC was established in April 2004 with a $5 million commitment from John Erickson, CEO and founder of Erickson. The school focuses on credit and non-credit professional education, research, and policy in aging services and care.

The Executive Development Program at the Erickson School of Aging Studies at UMBC is presented in partnership with NIC, a nonprofit organization that has been the leading source of business and financial information for the senior living industry since 1991. For the last six years, NIC has conducted executive development courses in operations, management, sales, marketing, development, finance, and service quality for emerging industry leaders.

UMBC, an Honors University in Maryland, is a four-year, public research university that is home to leading experts on aging who are active in research, education, and service in the field of gerontology. It is one of a handful of universities in the nation to offer a Ph.D. in Gerontology.