When I speak with operators and managers, I often hear the same hesitations:
“We’re not salespeople.”
“We don’t need marketing right now, we’re full.”
“Facebook ads will fix it.”
The reality? These are myths that hold us back.
Sales and marketing aren’t dirty words in care – they’re lifelines. They’re about being present for families, building trust in your community, and creating long-term resilience for your home.
Here’s a guide to the five most common misconceptions I see in our sector – and how to rethink them.
1. Myth “Sales is a dirty word.” Truth: Sales = Service, not pressure.
For many care teams, sales feels uncomfortable. It sounds transactional, target-driven, and at odds with the compassion we stand for. But enquiry handling and follow-up aren’t about “closing deals.” They’re about supporting families through one of the hardest decisions they’ll ever face.
Think about it: families don’t pick up the phone on a whim. By the time they call, they’re often exhausted, overwhelmed, and worried about doing the right thing. If you don’t follow up, they’re left feeling forgotten. If you do, you show you care enough to walk alongside them.
I once worked with a home that stopped following up because they thought it was “too pushy.” When they started calling families back, half of those “lost” enquiries converted – simply because someone took the time to check in.
Practical tip: Reframe “sales” as service. Instead of “Have you made a decision yet?” try, “I just wanted to check how you’re feeling about things since we last spoke.”
Takeaway: Sales = service, not pressure.
Reflection: When was the last time you followed up with a family who said “not yet” rather than assuming it was a “no”?
2. Myth: “Marketing is only for emergencies.” Truth: Marketing is the heartbeat, not a sticking plaster
Too often, marketing is treated like a plaster: something you stick on when occupancy dips or a crisis flares up. But good marketing is more like a steady heartbeat. It keeps your home visible and trusted in the community day in, day out.
The homes that market consistently are the ones that never feel like they’re scrambling. Why? Because families already know their name. They’ve already seen their stories. They already feel a connection before crisis hits.
One operator told me, “We only really post when we’re desperate.” Unsurprisingly, their community presence was patchy. A competitor down the road, who kept up a steady rhythm of marketing – whether through local press, community events, simple website updates, or yes, social media – was always the first name families thought of.
Practical tip: Build a rhythm. Share small, regular stories – resident activities, staff milestones, community partnerships. It doesn’t have to be glossy or expensive. The point is consistency.
Takeaway: Marketing is a heartbeat, not a sticking plaster.
Reflection: If your marketing stopped tomorrow, would your community even notice?
3. Myth: “A few Facebook ads will sort it.” Truth: Trust is built over time, not in a single campaign
There’s a belief that you can throw money at PPC or boosted posts and enquiries will flood in. Sometimes you get a spike, but without strategy it’s usually short-lived.
Ads can amplify your voice, but they can’t create it. If you’re not clear on who you’re trying to reach, what they care about, and why you’re the right choice, you’re just paying to shout louder into the void.
And remember, ads don’t work in isolation. They’re most effective when they run alongside everything else you’re doing – community networking, PR, events, website updates, online directories, etc. Together, these create the familiarity and trust that ads alone can’t buy.
Practical tip: Before you spend a penny, get clear on three things:
- Who is our ideal audience? (Daughters researching care? Professionals looking for referrals?)
- What do they value most? (Reassurance, locality, affordability, lifestyle?)
- What is our story? (Why us, not the home down the road?)
I’ve seen homes spend thousands on ads while their website was outdated and enquiry handling weak. The leads came in – but they slipped straight through the cracks.
Takeaway: Strategy comes before spend. Every time.
Reflection: Are you spending to amplify a message – or to cover up the fact you don’t have one?
4. Myth “We’re full, so we don’t need marketing.” Truth: Today’s waitlist is tomorrow’s occupancy.
I hear this a lot from strong homes: “We’re full. We don’t need to market.” It’s tempting to believe – but dangerous.
Occupancy can change quickly. A strong reputation today doesn’t guarantee resilience tomorrow. And marketing isn’t only about filling rooms. It’s about recruitment, reputation, and relationships.
One home told me proudly they hadn’t marketed for two years because they’d been full. When occupancy dipped suddenly, it took them twice as long to recover – because the community had stopped seeing them.
Practical tip: Even if your beds are full, keep showing up. Use marketing to attract brilliant staff, share resident stories, and strengthen ties with local organisations.
Takeaway: Consistency now is protection later.
Reflection: If you stopped telling your story today, how quickly would people forget it?
5. Myth: “A poor CQC rating means we should hide.” Truth: Honest, human connection rebuilds trust faster than silence
This is one of the toughest myths to crack. When performance dips, the instinct is to keep quiet. “Let’s not draw attention to ourselves.” But silence breeds suspicion. Families notice when you go quiet.
Transparency is the fastest way to rebuild trust. You don’t have to plaster your shortcomings everywhere, but you can share what you’re doing to improve, while continuing to highlight the good.
I worked with a home that went through a tough inspection. Instead of going silent, they shared updates about new training, celebrated staff efforts, and invited relatives into improvement meetings. It didn’t erase the rating overnight, but it showed accountability – and that rebuilt confidence faster than silence ever could.
And remember, you don’t have to sit on your hands while you wait for the next CQC inspection (which can take a while). There are plenty of ways to demonstrate progress and build credibility and occupancy in the meantime – for example – bring in an independent quality audit, strengthen community networking, improve the customer experience, obtain a high OpenScore rating on Autumna, share positive stories through local PR and press. All of this shows families you’re committed to change.
Practical tip: Be proactive. Share progress updates. Celebrate your team’s hard work. Involve your community in the journey. A simple post like, “We’ve introduced new dementia training for our team this month as part of our action plan,” builds trust.
Takeaway: Visibility builds trust, silence erodes it.
Reflection: If you’re not telling your improvement story, who is?
Final word: Sales and marketing as acts of service
Sales and marketing in care aren’t corporate add-ons. They’re the human connections that build trust with families, pride among staff, and resilience in your business.
If we stop seeing them as “dirty words” or “quick fixes” and start seeing them as daily acts of service, we don’t just keep our homes full. We create stronger communities around them.
Over to you: Which of these myths do you hear most often in your organisation? Or – be honest – which one do you secretly still believe?
