The way we did business before in the property management industry is over. Residents don't care anymore about the fancy printed material, the typical sales pitches, or the boring apartment tours. To be successful in our current market you have to be constantly thinking like a "resident" and less like a "leasing agent." Sound weird?
Residents want to feel like they are living at a community that truly cares about them as people - individuals, not as a "residents" which groups their individuality into a box. A successful Leasing Agent is getting to know their clients when they first walk in the door - then molding their presentation to their clients individual needs and wants. The days of shaking a persons hand (if that even happens) and sitting them down and then diving right in and asking, "are you looking for a 1 bedroom or 2 bedroom" days are over! And honestly...I'm glad!!!
It's time for a repositioning of how we look at our residents and begin seeing them as individuals with individual needs and wants. It's time to start viewing our "traffic" as people that just want to be a part of something. They want to be a part of a community that cares about them and wants to make them as happy as possible while they are living in a place they can be proud to call home. They want to walk in the leasing office and be called by their first name because that is how much you really got to know them and showed you cared.
If you want to increase your resident retention, it's as simple as getting to know your residents when they very first walked in the door the day they were looking for their new apartment home. Show them you care, and they will care about you. Treat them like a regular piece of traffic, and you will get mixed in with the other 10 apartment complexes they saw that day. Stand out - Stand up - Be proud of your community and show your clients why your apartment community is the absolute best, and ONLY place they would want to call home.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Outreach Marketing Opportunities
I remember the day when I had to outreach market and honestly - I hated it - and nearly everyone I talked to in the industry felt the same way. I dreaded going out and trying to make connections with local businesses to get them to send us referrals by either putting our materials out on their countertops or just by sending us referrals if they heard their customers needed an apartment. What I hated most about it was the fact that I really didn't have anything to offer them in return other than we would do the same at our community for them - knowing there was no way I was putting a bunch of odds and ends collateral out in our office.
Now you have your "in" with local businesses that not only will knock the door open for you, but literally kick it wide open. You are a W3 Lifestyle community, and with that comes your quality monthly newsletter as well as special monthly events. A newsletter that can sponsor roughly 29 different businesses! You now have the "ice breaker" in terms of being able to offer local businesses the opportunity to market their product/service to your residents professionaly and EXTREMELY inexpensively! In return you now make them "want" to help you by sending referrals your way and even putting your information out much more eagerly. If only I had this "foot in the door" opportunity when I was in property management! Tell them and brag about the opportunity they now have to advertise in your custom newsletter. Brag on how it is roughly 16 pages in size and a very substantion newsletter with 40% of it being content. Brag about how the 40% in content equates to a long shelf life which benefits the advertisers even more. Brag about how no other communities have such a great opportunity for local businesses and this is part of your initiative as a W3 Lifestyle is to promote local businesses to the residents in return for quality leads when they hear of people looking for an apartment. Brag, Brag, Brag!!! Make them "get" how great your community is versus the other communities based on your new Lifestyle amenity package and get them to "want" to be a part of it.
Not only does offering the opportunity to advertise in your newsletter as an outreach marketing opportunity dramatically help your efforts, we also have the W3 CARES division. 10% of all ad sales which are directly driven by your team members goes to W3 CARES and is then donated to worthy charities. Just be sure to have the business contact let us know when they call our offices to tell us they were referred by you and we will take it from there and make sure the funds are allocated in your community name. We then also market how much your community has contributed to W3 CARES and your residents will love the fact of how much you care about the community!
You are a W3 Lifestyle community now - enjoy the perks! Have fun outreach marketing now! Give them what they have wanted while serving your need at the same time - it's a win/win for you both!
Now you have your "in" with local businesses that not only will knock the door open for you, but literally kick it wide open. You are a W3 Lifestyle community, and with that comes your quality monthly newsletter as well as special monthly events. A newsletter that can sponsor roughly 29 different businesses! You now have the "ice breaker" in terms of being able to offer local businesses the opportunity to market their product/service to your residents professionaly and EXTREMELY inexpensively! In return you now make them "want" to help you by sending referrals your way and even putting your information out much more eagerly. If only I had this "foot in the door" opportunity when I was in property management! Tell them and brag about the opportunity they now have to advertise in your custom newsletter. Brag on how it is roughly 16 pages in size and a very substantion newsletter with 40% of it being content. Brag about how the 40% in content equates to a long shelf life which benefits the advertisers even more. Brag about how no other communities have such a great opportunity for local businesses and this is part of your initiative as a W3 Lifestyle is to promote local businesses to the residents in return for quality leads when they hear of people looking for an apartment. Brag, Brag, Brag!!! Make them "get" how great your community is versus the other communities based on your new Lifestyle amenity package and get them to "want" to be a part of it.
Not only does offering the opportunity to advertise in your newsletter as an outreach marketing opportunity dramatically help your efforts, we also have the W3 CARES division. 10% of all ad sales which are directly driven by your team members goes to W3 CARES and is then donated to worthy charities. Just be sure to have the business contact let us know when they call our offices to tell us they were referred by you and we will take it from there and make sure the funds are allocated in your community name. We then also market how much your community has contributed to W3 CARES and your residents will love the fact of how much you care about the community!
You are a W3 Lifestyle community now - enjoy the perks! Have fun outreach marketing now! Give them what they have wanted while serving your need at the same time - it's a win/win for you both!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Why will someone lease from you?
1. You handled the phone call well. When potential residents call and then end up actually coming in, you did a good job! 70% of potential residents will immediately disqualify you if you handle the initial phone call poorly. Properties pay a LOT of money to make the phone ring, it is critical the phone is handled with absolute care every time it is answered!
2. Ok, how is your curb appeal? If a community doesn't look inviting at the front entrance, then give it up. You've already lost the battle and might as well just close your doors. If an entrance meets a potential residents expectations or even better - beats it - then you can bet they are pulling in and ready to meet you!
3. Now the potential resident is walking in to your leasing office - does it smell good? Does the furniture look fresh and inviting? Is the lighting perfect? Is inviting and energizing music playing? You can sure bet that if they feel fresh and energized as they walk into your leasing office, then are already starting to get excited about seeing their new apartment home.
4. Now here is a pet peeve of mine - the potential resident has walked in...now...get your butt out of the chair! 76% of people say they feel more friendly towardsa person after they shake hands with them. Get up, walk over and greet the person with a firm and friendly handshake. Get the person comfortable and talking casually before you pop out the Welcome Card. The great thing to do is, if you get into a good casual conversation with someone you should be able to get all of the information you need to complete a Welcome Card without making them feel you are interogating them to complete it. Oh yeah - I hope somewhere in between here you have offered them refreshments!!!
5. You look good! Be sure your clothes are neatly pressed and clean. You are sounding great and the leasing center looks wonderful - now hopefully you are dressed the part.
6. Don't be a robot. Ask questions that help pinpoint their wants and needs for their new apartment home. Do not waste their time showing them apartments that do not appeal to their hot buttons. You show them clean apartment homes that smell as good as the leasing center and are just as inviting. NEVER show an apartment that you have not previously previewed and know that it is in show condition. You also showed them your community amenities that are also equally inviting and making the potential resident really want to be a part of the community.
7. You mirrored their language and described the apartment in a way that helped them mentally start moving into it. You present options for making the apartment home theirs and in the time frame they need - and then - a novel concept here.... you ask them to take the apartment.
8. When they told you they needed some time to think about it, instead of coming across pushy, you asked if there was anything you might have missed answering during the tour and asked for their feedback on the community and the apartment home. You showed a true concern for the well being and needs in a new home. Now is a good time to ask their permission to follow up with them - and to really make it top notch - you ask their preference for communication, best phone number or email.
9. Before they leave you provided them a floor plan and community information brochure. You even made notes on the floor plan of the positive feedback they were giving on things they really liked about the floor plan and community. You then walk them to the door of the office and thank them for stopping in and told them how much you look forward to getting to know them better.
10. You followed up with them! And when you did...you referenced things that happened that day during their tour and things they said...showing them you really paid attention.
Sounds easy doesn't it? It really is! But here is the stumper question - why doesn't everyone do it? Why do all communities not hit every one of these simple standards on a daily basis? If you, or your community is not hitting each point listed above ask yourself why and figure out how you can start doing them, TODAY!
2. Ok, how is your curb appeal? If a community doesn't look inviting at the front entrance, then give it up. You've already lost the battle and might as well just close your doors. If an entrance meets a potential residents expectations or even better - beats it - then you can bet they are pulling in and ready to meet you!
3. Now the potential resident is walking in to your leasing office - does it smell good? Does the furniture look fresh and inviting? Is the lighting perfect? Is inviting and energizing music playing? You can sure bet that if they feel fresh and energized as they walk into your leasing office, then are already starting to get excited about seeing their new apartment home.
4. Now here is a pet peeve of mine - the potential resident has walked in...now...get your butt out of the chair! 76% of people say they feel more friendly towardsa person after they shake hands with them. Get up, walk over and greet the person with a firm and friendly handshake. Get the person comfortable and talking casually before you pop out the Welcome Card. The great thing to do is, if you get into a good casual conversation with someone you should be able to get all of the information you need to complete a Welcome Card without making them feel you are interogating them to complete it. Oh yeah - I hope somewhere in between here you have offered them refreshments!!!
5. You look good! Be sure your clothes are neatly pressed and clean. You are sounding great and the leasing center looks wonderful - now hopefully you are dressed the part.
6. Don't be a robot. Ask questions that help pinpoint their wants and needs for their new apartment home. Do not waste their time showing them apartments that do not appeal to their hot buttons. You show them clean apartment homes that smell as good as the leasing center and are just as inviting. NEVER show an apartment that you have not previously previewed and know that it is in show condition. You also showed them your community amenities that are also equally inviting and making the potential resident really want to be a part of the community.
7. You mirrored their language and described the apartment in a way that helped them mentally start moving into it. You present options for making the apartment home theirs and in the time frame they need - and then - a novel concept here.... you ask them to take the apartment.
8. When they told you they needed some time to think about it, instead of coming across pushy, you asked if there was anything you might have missed answering during the tour and asked for their feedback on the community and the apartment home. You showed a true concern for the well being and needs in a new home. Now is a good time to ask their permission to follow up with them - and to really make it top notch - you ask their preference for communication, best phone number or email.
9. Before they leave you provided them a floor plan and community information brochure. You even made notes on the floor plan of the positive feedback they were giving on things they really liked about the floor plan and community. You then walk them to the door of the office and thank them for stopping in and told them how much you look forward to getting to know them better.
10. You followed up with them! And when you did...you referenced things that happened that day during their tour and things they said...showing them you really paid attention.
Sounds easy doesn't it? It really is! But here is the stumper question - why doesn't everyone do it? Why do all communities not hit every one of these simple standards on a daily basis? If you, or your community is not hitting each point listed above ask yourself why and figure out how you can start doing them, TODAY!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Who is your customer?
Is our customer limited to our residents and prospects? No, it isn't... Our customers are anyone we come in contact with. Our team members, our corporate office personnel, our vendors, or anyone else we come into contact with on a daily basis. I have seen many people make the mistake of thinking superior customer service is limited to the service we give our residents - forgetting that superior customer service should actually reach ALL of our customers and not just limited to our rent paying customers.
Some people will ask, "how in the world is a vendor OUR customer, when in fact WE are THEIR customer!" How much does a vacant apartment cost us if a resident moves? It's thousands of dollars - some estimates are roughly $4k in expenses if a resident decides to not renew their lease and decides to move. Between vacancy loss, turnkey costs, marketing costs, etc. So think about it - our vendors are out there with friends and family that know what industry they work in - who are they referring people to when they get asked what communities they recommend? You got it - they are referring people to the communities that treat them like a part of the team. Same goes with your team members - and yes, you would "think" that your team members would ALWAYS refer clients to your community. You'd be surprised though... Treat your property accountant nasty - and rest assured they are sending their referrals to the communities that don't.
So always have your superior customer service hat on...because the person in front of you IS your customer.
Some people will ask, "how in the world is a vendor OUR customer, when in fact WE are THEIR customer!" How much does a vacant apartment cost us if a resident moves? It's thousands of dollars - some estimates are roughly $4k in expenses if a resident decides to not renew their lease and decides to move. Between vacancy loss, turnkey costs, marketing costs, etc. So think about it - our vendors are out there with friends and family that know what industry they work in - who are they referring people to when they get asked what communities they recommend? You got it - they are referring people to the communities that treat them like a part of the team. Same goes with your team members - and yes, you would "think" that your team members would ALWAYS refer clients to your community. You'd be surprised though... Treat your property accountant nasty - and rest assured they are sending their referrals to the communities that don't.
So always have your superior customer service hat on...because the person in front of you IS your customer.
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