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Sales Counselor - Relocate to Sarasota, FL - Luxury Property Entry Fee Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) | Onsite Opportunity

Have you been thinking about a move to Florida? Are you also tired of chasing monthly move-in quotas, giving up every weekend to model homes and open houses, and selling a product you can't fully stand behind? This role lets you do both: build a long-term, relationship-driven sales career with a community you're proud to represent, and enjoy Gulf Coast living with no state income tax.

If that sounds like a fit for you, this opportunity may be the opportunity you're looking for!

FYI, we are Sound Decisions Recruiting

We're Sound Decisions, a recruiting firm posting on behalf of our client. We look beyond the resume. We care about the behaviors, experience and values that make a workplace great, and we connect outstanding companies with outstanding people to build matches that last. Our approach blends proven science with real conversation, so we'll only reach out about opportunities that match your goals, strengths and working style.

About Our Client and the Opportunity

Join the sales team at one of Florida's most distinguished Life Plan Communities, a Great Place to Work–certified continuing care retirement community in Sarasota. The community offers independent living apartments and club homes, assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing on one campus, along with a new performing arts center, multiple dining venues, an art gallery and resort-style amenities. Occupancy is strong, a new neighborhood of cottage homes is nearly complete, and the team is adding a Life Planning Consultant to guide future residents through one of the biggest decisions of their lives.

Why Make the Move to Sarasota?

Sarasota sits on Florida's Gulf Coast, about an hour south of Tampa, and Florida has no state income tax, so your salary and every commission check go further than in states like New York, New Jersey, California or Illinois. Overall living costs run only about 4–8% above the national average, well below Naples, Miami and major Northeast and West Coast metros. You'll have year-round sunshine, Siesta Beach (named the No. 1 beach in the U.S. in 2026), a nationally known arts scene, boating and golf all year, and commutes of about 20 minutes. As one of the country's top retirement destinations, Sarasota also offers long-term demand for exactly what you'll do in this role.

What you get here that you may not be getting now:

• A real Monday-to-Friday schedule. Your hours are 8:30 to 5, with only occasional Friday evening or Saturday events such as a Parade of Homes or a campus concert.

• Leads are provided, and management will provide active in-consideration-phase accounts to accelerate time to first close.

• Every sale is a significant one. You'll earn commission on entrance-fee sales, so a handful of well-nurtured relationships each year adds up to meaningful income. (Commission payout schedule will be provided during the interview)

• Realistic goals. Leadership understands that this is a long, relationship-driven sale and sets expectations accordingly. You'll set daily, monthly and annual goals with your leader, and they're built around the reality of a long sales cycle.

• A product you can be proud of. You'll be selling a top-tier community with a strong reputation, high occupancy and residents who love living there.

• A team people stay with. Several members of the sales team have been there 9 to 12 years, and the community is Great Place to Work certified.

• Room to grow. You'll learn parts of the Sales Manager's role and work for a Director of Life Planning who enjoys mentoring and developing future sales leaders.

What you should know up front:

• This is an onsite role in Sarasota. It is not remote or hybrid.

• The sales cycle is long. Prospects often take months, sometimes years, to decide, so you need patience and steady follow-through, not quick wins.

• The phone is a big part of the job. You'll make outreach calls every day, and you'll hear "not yet" and "no" often.

• Your prospects are affluent, well-informed and sometimes demanding. You'll need to be confident, patient and professional with them.

• No sales are expected in your first 90 days. That time is for learning the community, the database and your leads.

• The offer is contingent on a criminal background check and a drug screen.

What We Believe a Successful Candidate Has (If you think we're wrong, come talk to us!)

Experience

• 5+ years of active, quota-carrying sales experience

• At least 3 years in a long-cycle, relationship-based sales role (this is essential)

• Demonstrated leadership skills; supervisory, team lead or management experience is a plus

• Strong computer skills, including managing leads and activity in a CRM

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Gerontology or a related field (a degree in another field is accepted with 5+ years of proven sales experience)

Preferred Experience

• Sales experience at a CCRC or Life Plan Community that charges an entrance fee is strongly preferred. We'll also consider long-cycle, high-value sales in fields such as:

  • 55+ or luxury new-home communities and luxury real estate

  • Wealth management, private banking, annuities, Medicare or long-term care insurance sales

  • Planned giving or major gifts

  • Private club membership or private school enrollment

• Entrance-fee or Life Care contract experience

• Experience with MatrixCare or another senior living CRM

• An established network in the Sarasota and Manatee senior living community

• Genuine warmth and patience with older adults, and an understanding of the decisions they and their families face

Abilities

• You're a strong closer who sets high goals and goes after them

• You handle rejection with resilience and rethink objections instead of giving up

• You build trust quickly and can explain in a minute who you are and why a prospect should trust you

• You listen, learn and act without needing repeated instructions

• You tell stories that help people picture their future

• You work well with everyone you meet, from residents and their families to coworkers and the public

• You communicate clearly and professionally, both in conversation and in writing

• You keep a detailed, accurate lead database without being reminded

Expectations

• You live within commuting distance of Sarasota (for example Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, Palmetto, Venice or Sarasota itself), or you're ready to relocate before your start date

• You can work onsite Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 5, plus occasional Friday evening or Saturday events

• You have no reluctance about making phone calls

• You keep members’ health information (PHI) and medical records confidential

• You can pass a criminal background check and drug screen

How a Great Candidate Shows Up

• Professional, outgoing and friendly without being overbearing

• Kind, positive and trustworthy, with empathy that prospects can feel

• Can give a great elevator pitch on themselves

• Leads with questions, and has developed great active listening skills

• Tenacious and persistent, with the patience to nurture a lead for as long as it takes

• Self-motivated and self-educating, always looking for a better way to connect

• Hungry to earn and quick to learn from mistakes

• A natural leader who lifts the team

This role isn't a fit for someone who:

• Hesitates to pick up the phone

• Takes rejection personally or loses momentum after a "no"

• Needs instant gratification or a quick close to stay motivated

• Repeats the same mistakes or needs the same instructions more than once

What You'll Learn

You'll learn how a high-end Life Plan Community sells: entrance-fee contracts, levels of care, and how to guide residents and their families through a major financial and emotional decision. You'll stay current on the regulations that apply to CCRCs, assisted living and skilled nursing. Over time, you'll also learn parts of the Sales Manager's role and build the skills to grow into sales leadership.

What Each Day Looks Like

You'll work your lead list by phone and email, enter detailed notes into the CRM, and conduct personalized tours of the campus and available residences. You'll nurture relationships with prospects and their families over months or years, follow up with patience and purpose, and guide them from first conversation to deposit, settlement and move-in. You'll also welcome drop-in visitors, help plan and run marketing and sales events, stay in close contact with depositors through closing until they're handed off to the operations team, and work closely with the rest of the Life Planning team.

Workplace arrangement

• Onsite at the community in Sarasota, FL

• Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 5, with additional hours as needed

• Occasional evening or weekend events, and on-call as needed

• Daily phone outreach, email follow-up and CRM updates

• Frequent in-person tours and meetings with prospects and their families

• Close collaboration with the Director of Life Planning and the sales team

• Physical demands: walking long distances daily across campus, occasional bending or squatting, frequent keyboard use and writing, lifting up to 10 lbs frequently and up to 30 lbs occasionally

• Regular contact with residents, families, coworkers, vendors, the public and regulatory agencies

Compensation and Perks

• Competitive base salary plus commission on every entrance-fee sale

• Commission paid in stages, from deposit through settlement and move-in

• Strong earning potential for high performers

• Medical, dental, vision and life insurance, short- and long-term disability, FSA, EAP, PTO, educational reimbursement and 401(k)

• A Great Place to Work–certified employer

• Mentorship and a path to grow into sales leadership

What You'll Accomplish in Your First 90 Days

First 30 Days: Learn the community

• Tour every residence type and level of care, and learn the amenities and services

• Learn the entrance-fee contract options and how pricing works

• Get set up in the CRM and learn how the team tracks leads and activity

• Meet the Director of Life Planning, the sales team and key department leaders

• Shadow tours, calls and appointments with experienced Life Planning Consultants

By day 30: You know the community and the sales process, and you can give a confident tour.

Days 31–60: Engage your leads

• Develop your understanding of where your active leads are in their decision-making process.

• Clean up and update lead records so every prospect has a clear next step

• Conduct your own tours, with feedback from the team

• Polish a short personal introduction that shows prospects who you are and why they can trust you

• Take part in community events and begin building referral relationships

By day 60: Your lead list is organized and active, and you're running your own tours.

Days 61–90: Build your pipeline

• Manage a full pipeline of prospects at different stages

• Move qualified prospects toward deposit conversations

• Keep the CRM accurate and complete without being reminded

• Share ideas on how the team could reach and convert more prospects

By day 90: You're running a healthy pipeline on your own and are positioned to close your first sales.

Interview Process

• Sound Decisions screen: an initial conversation with our recruiting team

• Sound Decisions interview: a deeper conversation about your experience and goals

• Client interviews:

  • Interview with the Director of Life Planning

  • Possible second interview with senior leadership

• Background check and drug screen

Ready to make the move to Sarasota and build a rewarding sales career at a community you're proud of? Apply today.