Year-End Ideas for Your Senior Clientele

In music, a grace note is considered “non-essential,” an ornamental embellishment — yet something about it distinguishes the piece, or the composer would have omitted it. It’s the same with a signature piece of jewelry or a personalized flourish on gift wrap: the effort adds an ineffable, lovely meaning for the recipient.

This time of year can be challenging for seniors and their families alike, particularly if a family member is serving in a caregiving capacity.

Here are some simple ways you can create grace notes to close out the year, as part of your reverse mortgage mission of senior service:

• Reach out, reconnect. Have you kept in touch with your past reverse mortgage clients? How about prospects who didn’t pursue the loan application, or for whatever reason chose to wait? This might be an excellent time to reconnect — not in business mode, but because you care about their welfare and want to know how they’re doing. The phone call or visit will be sure to brighten the senior’s day — and you never know how this caring contact will, in fact, benefit your business down the road. Kindness has a long memory.
• Play Santa. A festive holiday open house is always a delightful way to show your reverse mortgage clients, potential clients, referral resources and friends how much you appreciate them. Hold the gathering during daylight hours in an easily accessible location to encourage your older invitees to attend. If your community provides paratransit or similar senior transportation services, arrange for those you know will need a ride to be picked up, and taken home later on.
• Be a snail. In our digital age, when even nonagenarians are device-adept, it’s a real treat to receive an old-fashioned holiday card in the mail. Buy a box of nonsectarian greetings, and add a personal message before signing your name. For some seniors, this will be the only holiday card they receive — and it will be treasured, Anyone, of any age, would like to be remembered — especially at this time of year, whether they celebrate the holidays or not. There’s an elusive feeling of inclusiveness that permeates the season, and nobody wants to be left out.
• Lend an ear. Community service is especially welcome during the holidays when extra hands and attentive ears are greatly valued. Your local senior center, or a community group that caters to mature adults, will be grateful for any time you can devote to serving their members. Offering a receptive ear for an hour is quite a gift, magnified ten-fold if you’re able to visit someone who is housebound.
• Collaborate and co-create in 2019. This time of year is also a timely moment to reach out to your referral resources and show gratitude for your business relationship. Contact the CPAs, financial planners, tax advisors and other professionals you work with who serve the senior market and offer to hold an informal New Year’s Q&A to update them on HECM changes, as well as educate their staff, clients, and associates.

As you put these ideas into practice, you’ll be playing the grace notes that set your reverse mortgage business apart in an elegant, important way. Happy 2019!

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