Lease Like A Doctor

I’m always on the lookout for great sales and marketing ideas and tools. I never thought I would find it while sitting in a doctor’s office last week. The visit went like this…determine my name and why I am there, wait in the waiting room to be called into an exam room. Ok, that is not the part we need to learn from, it took 27 minutes to see the doctor! What happened next is what we need to learn. The doctor entered the exam room, shook my hand, asked me questions, asked other questions that were built on my responses, diagnosed my problem and prescribed me a remedy. Let’s review; exam, diagnosis, prescription. It seems like leasing should work this way too. Examine what your customer’s particular needs and wants are, diagnose which of your apartment options will meet their needs and then prescribe an available apartment.

The sad reality is that many leasing consultants don’t follow this method. When a customer walks in the door they ask if they want a one, two or three bedroom and based on the response shove a floor plan in their face and start to describe it. This was done without examining the customers’ needs. If a doctor prescribed a drug without an exam then they would be accused of committing malpractice! I believe shoving a floor plan into someone’s face without following the process of examine and diagnosis is committing leasing malpractice.

Leasing apartments works so much better (and easier for that matter) when we take the time to ask questions of our perspective renter and determine their needs and wants. Then we take them to a model home and use their needs and wants to demonstrate why the apartment is perfect for them. Based on their response we have diagnosed what will and won’t work for them. Now it is time to look at our available homes for their time frame and make a selection for the guest to approve. Even if you only have a few options for your customer, take time to discover needs as they turn into your closing tool.