Dining Rooms are So 5 Years Ago

Have you ever noticed that our residents don’t eat dinner in the dining room any more? How do we know that? Because when they move out all the food stains are right in front of the couch and the dining room carpet still looks fresh. So what are they doing in their dining rooms? Among other possibilities, it now seems to me the location of their home office. It is where they put their computers, mail pile, packages to open, bills to sort and file and pictures to organize. So why do we still call it the dining room? It should now be referred to as flexible space.

This simple change in terms will allow your Leasing Professionals to head off an objection before they are ever voices because the flexible space can serve as a solution to some specials space the customer may need in their new apartment home. It is time the marketing teams get on board with this new customer behavior and make the floor plans in the brochures and ads offer flexible space instead of a dining room.

Authentic Communcation

Last week while presenting "Successful Selling in a Slump" with Lori Snider, we discussed the fear that exists in the American consumer today. There are great deals all around us but we are worried to spend money and so we let a 70% off shoe sale pass us by (that was even hard to type). These are the very same people who are walking into our leasing centers. I am seeing some crazy concessions out there (4 months free!) and yet people are still reluctant to lease.

Why is it that even when you are "giving it away" people are still hesitant to buy? I think this comes down to being authentic. It is very important to remove the fear that a future resident may be feeling. Now more than ever we want to believe what we see and hear but fear makes us think twice. It can be paralyzing in any type of relationship (I have some personal experience here!). When people stop being authentic, we sense this and get worried. Next thing we know our ability to trust diminishes.

The benefits of Authentic Communication are many. When used by sales people, it shines forth the authenticity, which is the backbone of building relationships with customers. When used in therapy, the subtle energies expressed reveal whether or not clients are speaking their truth. And in every interaction, what is said earns respect and radiates confidence.

A few things you can do to show that you are authentic and seek to remove fear in your customers:

1. People will not believe what you say, they will believe what you do. This is a rule I have in my dating life. Men will often say the right thing and do something completely the opposite. It is at that point that fear steps in and we not longer trust. Customers will walk away from a situation like this. For me personally, I think I will too.

2. Our bullshit meters are at an all time high! Yes, you were born with one and through your adult life you have been improving the reception of your meter. Our voices and vibration change when we say something that will register in the bullshit rector scale. I am a single women in her 30's, my meter is is tip top shape. Sure I may not let on to someone that my meter just spiked, but I know in my heart and head and I act accordingly. My advice, don't say things that you cannot back up. Keep it real at all times.

3. If you say you are going to call, do it without fail.

4. Let the other person know you have their best interest at heart. This is not hard to do when you put others needs in front of your needs.

5. I believe in full disclosure. It is always best to tell people things, even if it is not always what they want to hear. Many times we change our delivery because we incorrectly expect a negative outcome. For me, I react much better when I have complete information from the source rather than hearsay from an outsider.

6. Feel that what is being said comes from your “heart” — when it comes from the
heart, it feels sincere and reflects your total being. If it comes solely from the intellect, it could be cold and without compassion.

In summary, Authentic Communication means balance with our mind, intellect, and heart. It is intuitively driven, resonates authenticity, and provides opportunity for
wisdom to shine forth. Both speaker and listener can apply these skills, and in so doing, they can create their own personal human trinity. Once accomplished, the relationship becomes its own entity and thus forms a Relational Human Trinity. As each of us experiences speaking accurately, we find that it also applies to listening. Relationships based on Authentic Communication serve to build higher components of self-mastery.

Phone numbers are worthless....

…..on a sign. When the customer is driving past your apartment community I doubt they are jotting down the phone number. Yet, I still see phone numbers on banners and temporary signs. A better use of that advertising space is to put something .com. When people see .com they know there is a Web site they can visit for more information. And, let’s face it, words are easier to remember without writing them down when compared to a 10 digit number.

Maybe you will take this one step further and put an interesting .com on your sign such as the campaign we did for Lincoln Property Company with the launch of the Web site LCTTVForMe.com. This site is no longer live but when they were doing a huge marketing promotion and giving away LCD TV’s as a move in gift the site was swarmed with interested renters. .Com can be powerful and memorable on your sign and well worth the ad space.

Valentine Thought: 12% of all marriages are a result of an online introduction.

It happened again at lunch today....another online dating success story and a pretty new diamond on the left hand to prove it. Yes, two more people have found love through online dating. I also have a friend who met a wonderful man online and they had their first date on Valentin's Day. Wow, these online dating sites kick out results! And I thought I had to move to Phoenix to date a man! Little did I know people are finding their perfect match by clicking away.

Let’s think about this trend. I feel this means that, more than ever, people are trusting the Internet to be the hub of their social expansion. This is good news and means that Internet Listing Services (which act like Match.com but for apartments) will continue to gain popularity. The renter will see that the site can be trusted to help them with their relocation to a new apartment home.

A friend of mine recently told me that as soon as she knew she was getting divorced she hopped on to a dating site and got back in the game! (Results: After 34 coffee dates, she found Mr. Wonderful. They are getting married this weekend in Costa Rica!)
So, it must be true that if an Internet Listing Service helped the customer find their current apartment, they will return to that site when it is time to search for another apartment. For this reason, it would be wise to study not only what sites generate traffic but take it a step further and invest in the listing services that generate leases.

What makes an effective Internet listing? First off, would you consider meeting someone for a coffee date if you did not have a photo to view on the matching Web site? My guess is your answer is no. Same is true for apartment shoppers, they want to see photos. You can have unlimited photos so snap away and get them posted to the Web page.

Next, it is important to get the highest search ranking you can. Figure out which site is currently bringing in the most traffic and leases and maximize your presence by upgrading to their premium package. Make that site work even harder for you have already figured out it is money well spent.

And finally, follow up on every lead within an hour….yes, an hour. In fact, that is almost too late. In the world of texting and instant messaging, people expect a response now. They may forget about you in an hour and move on to the next profile, I mean apartment community.

Hand written cards are a new trend?

Yes. Because no one is taking pen to paper anymore.

Last week I was traveling for 7 straight days. There are many things that are neglected when I am away such as getting my mail. But then again, what really arrives in your snail mail box anyway? My bills are all electronic, I shop online and my friends email me to keep in touch. In fact, I expressed last year in a speech that there was really no need for mail to be delivered 6 days a week.

I landed home in Phoneix for less than 24 hours before I had to turn around to head to Denver for a program with the AAMD called "Successful Selling Inspite of the Slump." As I was rushing out the door and jumping into the cab, it occurred to me that I should empty my snail mailbox. I stuffed a huge pile into my breifcase to read on the plane. Mostly, it was junk. However, it is such a sweet surprise to receive a handwritten card from a retailer, who sells my favorite shoe line, inviting me for a special event.

It seems now that this type of promotion is glanced over when it arrives in our email box. So today, it is unique to see a special invitation that arrives in the form of a handwritten card.

If you want to make an impact with your customers, try the new trend and send them a old fashion card. The team at KateGood.com have found a great way to help you get your cards out. You can have then handwritten for you and this service will even put a stamp on the envelope. We have even set up a system where you can drop in a Starbucks card for a coffee treat. All can be created and ordered online. So simple, so effective.

Check out this link: http://www.leasingthegoodway.com/katecards.html

Can you really close on the first visit?

8 years ago I was studying consumer buying habits in the apartment industry and I found that it was an average of 3 visits to the community for the customer to make their decision to rent. I am happy to say that number is decreasing and in the case of our Generation Y renters, we are seeing that they will even lease on the first visit.

Why the change? Now we are smarter about what we make available to our potential renters online. They no longer have to revisit a property to select and apartment and drop off an application, all can be done with the convenience of online leasing tools. In addition, I have found that Generation Y is so comfortable doing their research online they will do most of their shopping via mouse and just visit the property to make sure the photos of the community they are choosing are real and up to date! Once again, Internet marketing is making the life of a Leasing Professional so much easier!

Are we having fun yet?

At the AIM Conference in April of 2008 I attended the keynote speech delivered by Bob Parsons who leads the quirky team at GoDaddy.com. He closed his interesting, and at times alarming speech, with a quote from his younger brother (forgive me, he did not mention his brother's actual name). “We are not here for a long time, we are here for a good time.”

Many of us can find the fun in our personal lives, but what about our professional lives?

In the past year, my speaking schedule featured presentations at a number of company retreats. In fact, I checked my past calendars to discover that in the first 5 months of 2008 I spoke at more company retreats than I did in any other year since I began speaking 10 years ago! I have joined companies for beach get a ways, rock star parties, award events, mountain retreats, island fun and even a Mexican corporate vacation.

Sandwiched between the reports of job losses and foreclosures on the the morning news, there was a story about a study that was done on cows. The researchers discovered that cows that were verbally greeted each morning, stroked on their faces, and spoken to over and over again in a very positive tone, produced more milk than cows that were not spoken to or touched. Do you think this is true for humans? I do. The only problem is that in the work place, if you stroke a team member you will probably be sued! So give them the well deserved pat on the back instead and use your positive tone when speaking to your team. During this time, you should see people enjoying the fun and getting more work done.

While speaking at company retreats, I’ve seen smiles on faces and more company loyalty that seems to have been missing over the past few years. Bravo property management companies! Managing an apartment community is hard work in this economy and often a thankless job. Your team members feel a lot better about the job they are doing when rewarded with something fun to look forward to. It may seem like an easy event to cut out of your budget, but it could end up costing you too much. Let’s keep this positive fun trend going, and if you need a speaker for your retreat, call me at (480)888-5028! I promise to add to the fun with my humor and enthusiasm. And, we will get leasing rolling again in a slow economy.