I'm happy to share the next of my videos for CORT in their Sofa Secrets series, a video-based educational program for apartment industry professionals. This Sofa Secret is about using one word to help you close reluctant prospects...
Showing posts with label communication. Show all posts
Showing posts with label communication. Show all posts
Friday, May 9, 2014
Monday, August 19, 2013
What Ashton Kutcher and I Have in Common
This is a pretty bold title for a blog! Let's start by saying I love this guy. In my life I have had a few celeb crushes starting with Rob Lowe starring in St. Elmo's Fire and About Last Night. The day after I saw Legends of the Fall I had to leave work at 10:30 am because I could not concentrate on writing a marketing plan and had Brad Pitt on the brain. Then came my encounter with John Stamos.....well that is another blog on my personal page. And finally Ashton. I saw him in Just Married and loved his expressions. I was hooked.
Of all my celeb crushes, I have never felt like I was on their level until I heard Ashton accept his Teen Choice Award. He proudly took this opportunity to reach out to the young audience with a message about life. I was personally touched when he shared the same thoughts that I frequently talk about in my programs. Not only did he connect with screaming 16 year old's, he connected with me too.
The first point of his speech is that his name is really Chris and he lived an important life before he took his middle name to become and actor. Surprisingly, he learned about opportunity before he got his role on That 70's Show. Ashton feels that opportunity looks a lot like work. He had jobs where he mopped floors and washed dishes and he never felt that he had a job he was better than. Ashton respected the opportunity and saw it as a stepping stone. I found his next point to be very important for today's 20 something generation; never quit a job until you have your next one. When you quit without your next job lined up, you just proved to the world that you thought you were better than the job you wanted to leave and did not respect the opportunity to work. As an employer, I steer clear of people who make this choice and do not have a really really, and I mean really good reason. Click here:
I have a dream board, goal sheets and big plans for my life but none of them will happen if I am not taking my current opportunities and knocking them out of the park. My first job in the apartment industry was to lease apartments. In my first two weeks with my company, Trammell Crow, I went to a week long training class where I witnessed what corporate trainers do and I knew then, I wanted to be one. But, to get there, I had to first show people that I could do the work that I would be training other people to do. It was in that very class that I decided that I would not stop until I was the number one Leasing Consultant in the company. I hit that goal within a year. I was the Director of Training 4 years later.
I wondered where Ashton was going when the second point of his speech was about being sexy. This is a guy who could rest on his looks for his sexy but he knows there is more to being attractive. Ashton explains that being sexy is accomplished by being smart, thoughtful and generous. In our world we are caught up in what he labels crap; the stuff that people try to sell to you to make you feel less. I have always been attracted to the smart, thoughtful and generous guy.
Ashton's last message is about building a life not just living one. Again, I connected. I have not taken the path well traveled, I have carved out the life I want. I continue to build my life based on the belief that most people are no smarter than I am. If they can do it, why can't I?
Now, go be amazing at work today and get your sexy on!
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Don't Tell Them What You Know Unitl You Find Out What They Need
Sometimes words come out of my mouth and I think “that is the perfect way to say that.” At other times I know that I need to put a little more explanation behind what I am saying. This title of this blog is not self explanatory, at least not when it comes to leasing more apartments. So many times I hear a Leasing Professional jumping right in at the start of a leasing presentation and “data dumping” on a future resident instead of taking the time to find out what the customer needs in a new apartment home. We are so eager to tell the customer about the apartment but at this point the consultant might as well be saying “blah, blah, blah.”
The customer is really not going to remember much of what the comsultant is saying because it does not mean anything to them. To make the things Leasing Professionals say more meaningful they should start by asking what the customer is looking for. Questions such as “what is important to you in your new home?” and “are there any special features you are looking for in your new home?” will draw out information about your customer that you will make it so much easier to make what you are saying about the apartment much more memorable. Now, when you discuss the apartment and it’s attributes you can say something like “Our living rooms have a 14 foot wall which should be big enough for your oversized couch and end tables.” Wait to tell them what you know until you can link it to what they need.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
I'm Adding to the Success Formula
To be successful at work, here's how you must spend your time:
1% Inspiration
9% Perspiration
90% Justification
If you are reading my blog you are probably looking for some ideas or information to solve a challenge you are having. You can find exactly that all over the Internet and I am glad you stopped by my blog. I would like to give you a little advice as to what to do with the information you are gathering today, work it HARD!
In my consulting practice I constantly hear the excuse "the owner will never go for that". It seems the idea just dies there. This is very sad because you are closest to the problem and you just found a solution. I am certain the owner wants to hear this but it is important that you justify what you think and why. This means you need a lot of supporting data and possibly a mock up of what it will look like. Owners live for ROI data. That simply means, "if I make this investment, how will business improve?".
In late 2012 I jumped into the seat of an apartment developer and owner. ROI has become an all too important topic in my office. You see it is not about saving all the money we can, it is about smart spending and knowing that everything we do has a reasonable payback or it is not worth the money. Think and communicate like an owner and you will find your ideas supported.
1% Inspiration
9% Perspiration
90% Justification
If you are reading my blog you are probably looking for some ideas or information to solve a challenge you are having. You can find exactly that all over the Internet and I am glad you stopped by my blog. I would like to give you a little advice as to what to do with the information you are gathering today, work it HARD!
In my consulting practice I constantly hear the excuse "the owner will never go for that". It seems the idea just dies there. This is very sad because you are closest to the problem and you just found a solution. I am certain the owner wants to hear this but it is important that you justify what you think and why. This means you need a lot of supporting data and possibly a mock up of what it will look like. Owners live for ROI data. That simply means, "if I make this investment, how will business improve?".
In late 2012 I jumped into the seat of an apartment developer and owner. ROI has become an all too important topic in my office. You see it is not about saving all the money we can, it is about smart spending and knowing that everything we do has a reasonable payback or it is not worth the money. Think and communicate like an owner and you will find your ideas supported.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
It's Time to Stop
I once spent a lot of time with someone who was wildly successful in his career. As a result, many things came to him in the form of opportunities, quality people and cool toys. Sadly, with all the gifts in his life, he was constantly in search of happiness. I watched him read countless books on the subject, talk to his peers, dig into movies about the subject and always think his life was missing something. Happiness was within his grasp yet he was doing everything wrong.
I often wondered how a smart man could be so clueless. And then I realized that he and many people, including myself, make the common mistake of taking action to accomplish something but this action is not getting them to their goal.
When you stop doing the wrong things, you make more room for the things that make you happy.
So, starting today, join me in making a personal commitment to quit and then eliminate counter productive behavior and open our time up for the right behavior. Personally, I have been practicing this concept over the last 24 months and I have never been so happy or fulfilled in my life. You CAN live the life you want and it can start today if you set yourself up for success. Here are some things to quit:
1. Quit procrastinating on your goals.
Some people dream of success while others wake up and work hard at it. Action and change are often resisted when they’re needed most. Get a hold of yourself and have discipline. Putting something off instantly makes it harder and scarier. What we don’t start today won’t be finished by tomorrow. And there’s nothing more stressful than the perpetual lingering of an unfinished task.
The secret to getting ahead is simply getting started. My secret to avoiding procrastination is to engage in the habit of clustering. When I have a project with a due date approaching I start to cluster my ideas, thoughts and resources on individual sheets of paper as they pop into my head. I drop them into the project folder. Now when it is time to work on the project I have a file full of first steps to roll with. Suddenly I am motivated because the mountain does not seem so high. This can also be done by typing emails to yourself on your smart phone. Put the name of the project in the subject line. Now when you are able to start the project you can simply do a search for those key words and all your thoughts will be sorted in your inbox.
2. Quit blaming others and making excuses.
Stop blaming others for what you have or don’t have, or for what you feel or don’t feel. When you blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility and perpetuate the problem. Stop giving your power away and start taking responsibility for your life. Blaming is just another sorry excuse, and making excuses is the first step towards failure; you and only you are responsible for your life choices and decisions.
Picture two circles, one inside the other. The inside circle is all the things you have control of in your response and action. The outside circle you can influence but not change. Spend time on the inside circle where you can make a difference. Too many people live in the outside circle making excuses and not taking action by controlling their behavior.
3. Quit trying to avoid change.
If nothing ever changed we would still be using flip phones, or worse, the fax machine! Most of us are comfortable where we are even though the whole universe is constantly changing around us. Learning to accept this is vital to our happiness and general success. Because only when we change, do we grow, and begin to see a world we never knew was possible.
And don’t forget, however good or bad a situation is now, it will change. That’s the one thing you can count on. So embrace it, and realize that change happens for a reason. It won’t always be easy or obvious at first, but in the end it will be worth it. This is knowledge that was given to me in my high school years and it made all the difference in my attitude. My best friends' Mom said to me that this world I am struggling in will not last forever. She encouraged me to see beyond today and look forward to the changes in life. I later learned how I could control my destiny and this has been the source of my power.
4. Quit trying to control the uncontrollable.
If you try to control everything, and then worry about the things you can’t control, you are setting yourself up for a lifetime of frustration and misery.
Some forces are out of your control, but you can control how you react to things. Everyone’s life has positive and negative aspects – whether you’re happy or not depends greatly on which aspects you focus on. The best thing you can do is to let go of what you can’t control, and invest your energy in the things you can – like your attitude. If you are still fighting this concept, refer to item #2 and discover what circle you are living in.
5. Quit talking down to yourself.
Nothing will bring you down quicker than berating yourself. The mind is a superb instrument if used right, but when used incorrectly, it becomes very destructive. Be aware of your mental self-talk. We all talk silently to ourselves in our heads, but we aren’t always conscious of what we’re saying or how it’s affecting us.
As Henry Ford once stated, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” One of the major causes of why we fail is due to self-doubt and negative self-talk. The way to overcome negative thoughts and destructive emotions is to develop opposing, positive emotions that are stronger and more powerful. Listen to your self-talk and replace negative thoughts with positive ones, over time you will change the trajectory of your life.
Many people do not realize how incredibly nervous I feel prior to walking on a stage. The nerves would be debilitating if I did not overcome it with positive self talk. I remind myself that I am good at this and today this audience deserves my best. Sometimes I get a standing ovation when I am completed and that is an amazing feeling. However, 100% of the time, I finish my speech knowing I gave it my very best.
6. Quit criticizing others.
The negativity you bleed out toward others will gradually cripple your own happiness. When you truly feel comfortable with your own imperfections, you won’t feel threatened or offended by the imperfections you see in other people.
So stop worrying about the flaws you see in everyone else, and focus on yourself. Let the constant growth and improvement in your own life keep you so busy that you have no time left to criticize others.
Personally, I am having trouble with this one. I currently have someone I work with in my consulting practice who has some serious problems remaining professional and courteous at all times. I know he can be so much better than what he is. To be successful, I have to stop trying to criticize him by pointing out his failures and shortcomings as he will not change. My dear friend Mark recently quoted Tommy Lee Jones to me when he said "you never ask a horse or an actor do something they cannot do." Wow, this is so true, thanks for the sharing the advice, Mark.
7. Quit running from your problems and fears.
Trust me, if everyone threw their problems in a pile for you to see, you would grab yours back. Tackle your problems and fears swiftly, don’t run away from them. The best solution is to face them head on no matter how powerful they may seem.
Fears, in particularly, stop you from taking chances and making decisions. They keep you confined to just the small space where you feel completely comfortable. But your life’s story is simply the culmination of many small, unique experiences, many of which require you to stretch your comfort zone. Be proud of your life story and remember your failures have everything to do with getting you to your successful self. They are the best learning opportunities you have. I have screwed up and failed many times. I have even been fired. As I look back over my adult years I would not remove that experience from my life story if I could. Letting your fears and worries control you is not ‘living,’ it’s merely existing.
Bottom line: Either you own your problems and fears, or they will ultimately own you and you are simply operating with excuses.
8. Quit living in another time and place.
Some people spend their entire lives trying to live in another time and place. They lament about what has been, what they could have done, or what might become. However, the past is gone, and the future doesn’t exist. No matter how much time we spend thinking and lamenting about either, it doesn’t change anything.
Our brightest future hinges on our ability to pay attention to what we’re doing right now, today.
We need to live more in the moment and be aware of reality. Living in the moment requires active, open, intentional awareness on the present. Don’t fantasize about being on vacation while at work, and don’t worry about the work piling up on your desk when you’re on vacation. Live for now. Notice the beauty unfolding around you. I lost my Father at a young age. I had the opportunity to visit him the week before he died but was worried about a pile of things that impacted my future. I made a decision I now regret because I did not live in the moment and reality that my Father was ill. I allowed my dream of the future to overshadow something incredibly important to me . Trust me, the future will always work itself out. Do what you need to do today.
9. Quit trying to be someone you’re not.
One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you like everyone else. Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be you. Don’t change so people will like you. Be yourself and the right people will love you, and you’ll love yourself more too. I am a bit unconventional and don't always deliver what people expect. This used to trouble me until I discovered what I deliver is better!
10. Quit being ungrateful.
Not all the puzzle pieces of life will seem to fit together at first, but in time you’ll realize they do, perfectly. So thank the things that didn’t work out, because they just made room for the things that will. And thank the ones who walked away from you, because they just made room for someone better.
No matter how good or bad you have it, wake up each day thankful for your life. Someone somewhere else is desperately fighting for theirs. Instead of thinking about what you’re missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing.
I am rooting for you and feel honored when you share your celebrations of success with me. My relationships with you will be part of my legacy. Go get 'em tiger and know that I am on your team! If you need support and encouragement, email me anytime at kate@kategood.com and remember you rock!
I often wondered how a smart man could be so clueless. And then I realized that he and many people, including myself, make the common mistake of taking action to accomplish something but this action is not getting them to their goal.
When you stop doing the wrong things, you make more room for the things that make you happy.
So, starting today, join me in making a personal commitment to quit and then eliminate counter productive behavior and open our time up for the right behavior. Personally, I have been practicing this concept over the last 24 months and I have never been so happy or fulfilled in my life. You CAN live the life you want and it can start today if you set yourself up for success. Here are some things to quit:
1. Quit procrastinating on your goals.
Some people dream of success while others wake up and work hard at it. Action and change are often resisted when they’re needed most. Get a hold of yourself and have discipline. Putting something off instantly makes it harder and scarier. What we don’t start today won’t be finished by tomorrow. And there’s nothing more stressful than the perpetual lingering of an unfinished task.
The secret to getting ahead is simply getting started. My secret to avoiding procrastination is to engage in the habit of clustering. When I have a project with a due date approaching I start to cluster my ideas, thoughts and resources on individual sheets of paper as they pop into my head. I drop them into the project folder. Now when it is time to work on the project I have a file full of first steps to roll with. Suddenly I am motivated because the mountain does not seem so high. This can also be done by typing emails to yourself on your smart phone. Put the name of the project in the subject line. Now when you are able to start the project you can simply do a search for those key words and all your thoughts will be sorted in your inbox.
2. Quit blaming others and making excuses.
Stop blaming others for what you have or don’t have, or for what you feel or don’t feel. When you blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility and perpetuate the problem. Stop giving your power away and start taking responsibility for your life. Blaming is just another sorry excuse, and making excuses is the first step towards failure; you and only you are responsible for your life choices and decisions.
Picture two circles, one inside the other. The inside circle is all the things you have control of in your response and action. The outside circle you can influence but not change. Spend time on the inside circle where you can make a difference. Too many people live in the outside circle making excuses and not taking action by controlling their behavior.
3. Quit trying to avoid change.
If nothing ever changed we would still be using flip phones, or worse, the fax machine! Most of us are comfortable where we are even though the whole universe is constantly changing around us. Learning to accept this is vital to our happiness and general success. Because only when we change, do we grow, and begin to see a world we never knew was possible.
And don’t forget, however good or bad a situation is now, it will change. That’s the one thing you can count on. So embrace it, and realize that change happens for a reason. It won’t always be easy or obvious at first, but in the end it will be worth it. This is knowledge that was given to me in my high school years and it made all the difference in my attitude. My best friends' Mom said to me that this world I am struggling in will not last forever. She encouraged me to see beyond today and look forward to the changes in life. I later learned how I could control my destiny and this has been the source of my power.
4. Quit trying to control the uncontrollable.
If you try to control everything, and then worry about the things you can’t control, you are setting yourself up for a lifetime of frustration and misery.
Some forces are out of your control, but you can control how you react to things. Everyone’s life has positive and negative aspects – whether you’re happy or not depends greatly on which aspects you focus on. The best thing you can do is to let go of what you can’t control, and invest your energy in the things you can – like your attitude. If you are still fighting this concept, refer to item #2 and discover what circle you are living in.
5. Quit talking down to yourself.
Nothing will bring you down quicker than berating yourself. The mind is a superb instrument if used right, but when used incorrectly, it becomes very destructive. Be aware of your mental self-talk. We all talk silently to ourselves in our heads, but we aren’t always conscious of what we’re saying or how it’s affecting us.
As Henry Ford once stated, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” One of the major causes of why we fail is due to self-doubt and negative self-talk. The way to overcome negative thoughts and destructive emotions is to develop opposing, positive emotions that are stronger and more powerful. Listen to your self-talk and replace negative thoughts with positive ones, over time you will change the trajectory of your life.
Many people do not realize how incredibly nervous I feel prior to walking on a stage. The nerves would be debilitating if I did not overcome it with positive self talk. I remind myself that I am good at this and today this audience deserves my best. Sometimes I get a standing ovation when I am completed and that is an amazing feeling. However, 100% of the time, I finish my speech knowing I gave it my very best.
6. Quit criticizing others.
The negativity you bleed out toward others will gradually cripple your own happiness. When you truly feel comfortable with your own imperfections, you won’t feel threatened or offended by the imperfections you see in other people.
So stop worrying about the flaws you see in everyone else, and focus on yourself. Let the constant growth and improvement in your own life keep you so busy that you have no time left to criticize others.
Personally, I am having trouble with this one. I currently have someone I work with in my consulting practice who has some serious problems remaining professional and courteous at all times. I know he can be so much better than what he is. To be successful, I have to stop trying to criticize him by pointing out his failures and shortcomings as he will not change. My dear friend Mark recently quoted Tommy Lee Jones to me when he said "you never ask a horse or an actor do something they cannot do." Wow, this is so true, thanks for the sharing the advice, Mark.
7. Quit running from your problems and fears.
Trust me, if everyone threw their problems in a pile for you to see, you would grab yours back. Tackle your problems and fears swiftly, don’t run away from them. The best solution is to face them head on no matter how powerful they may seem.
Fears, in particularly, stop you from taking chances and making decisions. They keep you confined to just the small space where you feel completely comfortable. But your life’s story is simply the culmination of many small, unique experiences, many of which require you to stretch your comfort zone. Be proud of your life story and remember your failures have everything to do with getting you to your successful self. They are the best learning opportunities you have. I have screwed up and failed many times. I have even been fired. As I look back over my adult years I would not remove that experience from my life story if I could. Letting your fears and worries control you is not ‘living,’ it’s merely existing.
Bottom line: Either you own your problems and fears, or they will ultimately own you and you are simply operating with excuses.
8. Quit living in another time and place.
Some people spend their entire lives trying to live in another time and place. They lament about what has been, what they could have done, or what might become. However, the past is gone, and the future doesn’t exist. No matter how much time we spend thinking and lamenting about either, it doesn’t change anything.
Our brightest future hinges on our ability to pay attention to what we’re doing right now, today.
We need to live more in the moment and be aware of reality. Living in the moment requires active, open, intentional awareness on the present. Don’t fantasize about being on vacation while at work, and don’t worry about the work piling up on your desk when you’re on vacation. Live for now. Notice the beauty unfolding around you. I lost my Father at a young age. I had the opportunity to visit him the week before he died but was worried about a pile of things that impacted my future. I made a decision I now regret because I did not live in the moment and reality that my Father was ill. I allowed my dream of the future to overshadow something incredibly important to me . Trust me, the future will always work itself out. Do what you need to do today.
9. Quit trying to be someone you’re not.
One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you like everyone else. Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be you. Don’t change so people will like you. Be yourself and the right people will love you, and you’ll love yourself more too. I am a bit unconventional and don't always deliver what people expect. This used to trouble me until I discovered what I deliver is better!
10. Quit being ungrateful.
Not all the puzzle pieces of life will seem to fit together at first, but in time you’ll realize they do, perfectly. So thank the things that didn’t work out, because they just made room for the things that will. And thank the ones who walked away from you, because they just made room for someone better.
No matter how good or bad you have it, wake up each day thankful for your life. Someone somewhere else is desperately fighting for theirs. Instead of thinking about what you’re missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing.
I am rooting for you and feel honored when you share your celebrations of success with me. My relationships with you will be part of my legacy. Go get 'em tiger and know that I am on your team! If you need support and encouragement, email me anytime at kate@kategood.com and remember you rock!
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
It's Not Just A Parking Sign, It's A Statement
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Do you want your Future Residents to read your follow up emails? Try these tips!
I found myself reading my email today and the whole point was to delete things that did not need my attention. I think many of us do this no matter what what day of the week it is, but for this Monday, I was rapidly tapping the delete button. I started thinking about what it takes to get people to read email and found myself doing a search for some expert help. Here are some tips from Jill Konrath who wants to make sure all of your emails elicit a response.
1. Eliminate Delete-Inducing Words
Get rid of all verbiage that activates the delete response. Here are some serious offenders: exciting, state-of-the-art, solution, partner, leading edge, passion, unique and one-stop shopping.
2. Keep Your Message Simple
Your email needs to be less than 90 words. Use 2-sentence paragraphs so it can be scanned. Stick with common black fonts (no colors) and never include more than one link or attachment.
3. Align With Their Objectives
Research your prospect's specific needs, likes and other hot buttons which will help you connect. Relevance is essential.
4. Focus on Immediate Priorities
Identify key events that may be impacting your prospect's priorities and tie your message into that. An example might be if they are relocating from out of state, there are a lot of things that will need attention vs a move across town.
5. Be an Invaluable Resource
In your e-mails, focus on the ideas, insights and information you can share that will be of value to your prospect in reaching their goals.
6. Craft Enticing Subject Lines
Your subject line determines if your message gets read. Avoid sales hype and focus on business issues such as: "Quick question re: are you ready to move" or "Welcome home to Green Oaks Villas."
7. Launch a Campaign
Do eight to 12 touches (via e-mail and phone) over a four-to-six week time period, with each contact building off the previous one. Provide links to resources. Spotlight the value of visiting today and making a decision.
1. Eliminate Delete-Inducing Words
Get rid of all verbiage that activates the delete response. Here are some serious offenders: exciting, state-of-the-art, solution, partner, leading edge, passion, unique and one-stop shopping.
2. Keep Your Message Simple
Your email needs to be less than 90 words. Use 2-sentence paragraphs so it can be scanned. Stick with common black fonts (no colors) and never include more than one link or attachment.
3. Align With Their Objectives
Research your prospect's specific needs, likes and other hot buttons which will help you connect. Relevance is essential.
4. Focus on Immediate Priorities
Identify key events that may be impacting your prospect's priorities and tie your message into that. An example might be if they are relocating from out of state, there are a lot of things that will need attention vs a move across town.
5. Be an Invaluable Resource
In your e-mails, focus on the ideas, insights and information you can share that will be of value to your prospect in reaching their goals.
6. Craft Enticing Subject Lines
Your subject line determines if your message gets read. Avoid sales hype and focus on business issues such as: "Quick question re: are you ready to move" or "Welcome home to Green Oaks Villas."
7. Launch a Campaign
Do eight to 12 touches (via e-mail and phone) over a four-to-six week time period, with each contact building off the previous one. Provide links to resources. Spotlight the value of visiting today and making a decision.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Would You Dip Into The Company Ink?
Before you think this article does not pertain to you, allow me to clarify that I am not writing about internal office dating. We will reserve that article for later! Today I am asking the question, how far would you go for your company? Would you consider allowing yourself to be permanently branded with your company's logo or icon in the form of a tattoo? I know, I know, you company does not allow for visible tattoo's right? Okay, let's stick to the concept and think about your loyalty to the company. How loyal are you?
Employees of Anytime Fitness, a workout chain based in Hastings, Minn., can get the company's purple running man logo permanently inked on their bodies by a tattoo artist who shows up at monthly training sessions. More than 350 employees have gotten permanent tattoos including CEO Chuck Runyon.
Runyon says the tattoo represents a significant commitment to the brand. Employees receive standard benefits like retirement plans and health insurance, but they also have flexible hours and an office culture that includes contests and giveaways among staff, a combination of perks that Runyon believes encourages employee loyalty.
Studies show that employer loyalty is not what it used to be. I remember a time when another company came to me with an offer I could not refuse. My salary would increase by $20,000 annually, and my bonus opportunity would double. They would grant me an extra weeks vacation and give me a hefty car allowance which would enable me to get the convertible ride I had been eyeing on the car lot. The only thing that was missing in the offer was the fact that it was not Trammell Crow. You see, I was loyal to my employer who had basically raised me to be a shining star within the Trammell Crow group and I was very appreciative for that opportunity. I did not take the offer to my Regional Manager and ask them to meet the offer. That would have been an insult to the investment they made in me and the risk they took in hiring a fresh 18 year old with no experience.
While I never went as far as to sport the company ink, I did feel that I had a loyalty that I struggle to find in the world today. I can now look back and see that I made the right decision. My history with Trammell Crow has paid out ten fold for me. And, I bought a cool convertible car anyway!
Monday, April 11, 2011
Let's Play Facebook Bingo!
It's not enough to have a Facebook page, you have to learn to ROCK your Facebook wall. This does not happen by entering a bi-weekly post that mentions your specials and asking people to rent. Facebook walls ROCK when you engage your friends and fans to stop by and participate. So give them a reason to visit your page.
Facebook Bingo is a fun game that everyone wants to play. Invite your residents and prospective future residents to stop by your leasing office and pick up a Bingo card. Next, each day, you will put a Bingo selction on your Facebook wall. Residents will now need to stop by your Facebook wall to find out if their card has the Bingo selection. Chances are good they will also check out what is new on your Facebook page while they are there. The first person to come in with a winning Bingo card will receive a special prize.
Do you love this idea? So do I! We want to thank The Reserve at Athens for sharing this fun idea with the team at KateGood.com. If you have a great idea, send it our way. Simply email Kate at Kate@KateGood.com.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
"Don't Call Me. I Won't Call You." Great Article from NYTimes.com
Don’t Call Me, I Won’t Call YouBy PAMELA PAUL
Published: March 18, 2011
NOBODY calls me anymore — and that’s just fine. With the exception of immediate family members, who mostly phone to discuss medical symptoms and arrange child care, and the Roundabout Theater fund-raising team, which takes a diabolical delight in phoning me every few weeks at precisely the moment I am tucking in my children, people just don’t call.
It’s at the point where when the phone does ring — and it’s not my mom, dad, husband or baby sitter — my first thought is: “What’s happened? What’s wrong?” My second thought is: “Isn’t it weird to just call like that? Out of the blue? With no e-mailed warning?”
I don’t think it’s just me. Sure, teenagers gave up the phone call eons ago. But I’m a long way away from my teenage years, back when the key rite of passage was getting a phone in your bedroom or (cue Molly Ringwald gasp) a line of your own.
In the last five years, full-fledged adults have seemingly given up the telephone — land line, mobile, voice mail and all. According to Nielsen Media, even on cellphones, voice spending has been trending downward, with text spending expected to surpass it within three years.
“I literally never use the phone,” Jonathan Adler, the interior designer, told me. (Alas, by phone, but it had to be.) “Sometimes I call my mother on the way to work because she’ll be happy to chitty chat. But I just can’t think of anyone else who’d want to talk to me.” Then again, he doesn’t want to be called, either. “I’ve learned not to press ‘ignore’ on my cellphone because then people know that you’re there.”
“I remember when I was growing up, the rule was, ‘Don’t call anyone after 10 p.m.,’ ” Mr. Adler said. “Now the rule is, ‘Don’t call anyone. Ever.’ ”
Phone calls are rude. Intrusive. Awkward. “Thank you for noticing something that millions of people have failed to notice since the invention of the telephone until just now,” Judith Martin, a k a Miss Manners, said by way of opening our phone conversation. “I’ve been hammering away at this for decades. The telephone has a very rude propensity to interrupt people.”
Though the beast has been somewhat tamed by voice mail and caller ID, the phone caller still insists, Ms. Martin explained, “that we should drop whatever we’re doing and listen to me.”
Even at work, where people once managed to look busy by wearing a headset or constantly parrying calls back and forth via a harried assistant, the offices are silent. The reasons are multifold. Nobody has assistants anymore to handle telecommunications. And in today’s nearly door-free workplaces, unless everyone is on the phone, calls are disruptive and, in a tight warren of cubicles, distressingly public. Does anyone want to hear me detail to the dentist the havoc six-year molars have wreaked on my daughter?
“When I walk around the office, nobody is on the phone,” said Jonathan Burnham, senior vice president and publisher at HarperCollins. The nature of the rare business call has also changed. “Phone calls used to be everything: serious, light, heavy, funny,” Mr. Burnham said. “But now they tend to be things that are very focused. And almost everyone e-mails first and asks, ‘Is it O.K. if I call?’ ”
Even in fields where workers of various stripes (publicists, agents, salespeople) traditionally conducted much of their business by phone, hoping to catch a coveted decision-maker off-guard or in a down moment, the phone stays on the hook. When Matthew Ballast, an executive director for publicity at Grand Central Publishing, began working in book publicity 12 years ago, he would go down his list of people to cold call, then follow up two or three times, also by phone. “I remember five years ago, I had a pad with a list of calls I had to return,” he said. Now, he talks by phone two or three times a day.
“You pretty much call people on the phone when you don’t understand their e-mail,” he said.
Phone call appointments have become common in the workplace. Without them, there’s no guarantee your call will be returned. “Only people I’ve ruthlessly hounded call me back,” said Mary Roach, author of “Packing for Mars.” Writers and others who work alone can find the silence isolating. “But if I called my editor and agent every time I wanted to chat, I think they’d say, ‘Oh no, Mary Roach is calling again.’ So I’ve pulled back, just like everyone else.”
Whereas people once received and made calls with friends on a regular basis, we now coordinate such events via e-mail or text. When college roommates used to call (at least two reunions ago), I would welcome their vaguely familiar voices. Now, were one of them to call on a Tuesday evening, my first reaction would be alarm. Phone calls from anyone other than immediate family tend to signal bad news.
Receiving calls on the cellphone can be a particular annoyance. First, there’s the assumption that you’re carrying the thing at all times. For those in homes with stairs, the cellphone siren can send a person scrambling up and down flights of steps in desperate pursuit. Having the cellphone in hand doesn’t necessarily lessen the burden. After all, someone might actually be using the phone: someone who is in the middle of scrolling through a Facebook photo album. Someone who is playing Cut the Rope. Someone who is in the process of painstakingly touch-tapping an important e-mail.
For the most part, assiduous commenting on a friend’s Facebook updates and periodically e-mailing promises to “catch up by phone soon” substitute for actual conversation. With friends who merit face time, arrangements are carried out via electronic transmission. “We do everything by text and e-mail,” said Laurie David, a Hollywood producer and author. “It would be strange at this point to try figuring all that out by phone.”
Of course, immediate family members still phone occasionally. “It’s useful for catching up on parenting issues with your ex-husband,” said Ms. David, who used to be married to Larry David, the star of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” “Sometimes when you don’t want to type it all, it’s just easier to talk.”
But even sons, husbands and daughters don’t always want to chat. In our text-heavy world, mothers report yearning for the sound of their teenage and adult children’s voices. “I’m sort of missing the phone,” said Lisa Birnbach, author of “True Prep” and mother of three teenagers. “It’s warmer and more honest.”
That said, her landline “has become a kind of vestigial part of my house like the intercom buttons once used in my prewar building to contact the ‘servants quarters.’ ” When the phone rings, 9 times out of 10, it’s her mother.
There are holdouts. Radhika Jones, an assistant managing editor at Time magazine, still has a core group of friends she talks to by phone. “I’ve always been a big phone hound,” she said. “My parents can tell you about the days before call waiting.” Yet even she has slipped into new habits: Voice mails from her husband may not get listened to until end of day. Phone messages are returned by e-mail. “At least you’re responding!”
But heaven forbid you actually have to listen — especially to voice mail. The standard “let the audience know this person is a loser” scene in movies where the forlorn heroine returns from a night of cat-sitting to an answering machine that bleats “you have no messages” would cause confusion with contemporary viewers. Who doesn’t heave a huge sigh of relief to find there’s no voice mail? Is it worth punching in a protracted series of codes and passwords to listen to some three-hour-old voice say, “call me” when you could glance at caller ID and return the call — or better yet, e-mail back instead?
Many people don’t even know how their voice mail works. “I’ve lost that skill,” Ms. Birnbach said.
“I have no idea how to check it,” Ms. David admitted. “I can stay in a hotel for three days with that little red light blinking and never listen. I figure, if someone needs to reach me, they’ll e-mail.”
“I don’t check these messages often,” intoned a discouraging recorded voice, urging callers to try e-mail. And this is the voice-mail recording of Claude S. Fischer, author of a book on the history of the telephone and more recently, “Still Connected: Family and Friends in America Since 1970.”
“When the telephone first appeared, there were all kinds of etiquette issues over whom to call and who should answer and how,” Dr. Fischer, a sociology professor at the University of California, Berkeley, told me when finally reached by phone. Among the upper classes, for example, it was thought that the butler should answer calls. For a long time, inviting a person to dinner by telephone was beyond the pale; later, the rules softened and it was O.K. to call to ask someone to lunch.
Telephones were first sold exclusively for business purposes and only later as a kind of practical device for the home. Husbands could phone wives when traveling on business, and wives could order their groceries delivered. Almost immediately, however, people began using the telephone for social interactions. “The phone companies tried to stop that for about 30 years because it was considered improper usage,” Dr. Fischer said.
We may be returning to the phone’s original intentions — and impact. “I can tell you exactly the last time someone picked up the phone when I called,” Mary Roach said. “It was two months ago and I said: ‘Whoa! You answered your phone!’ It was a P.R. person. She said, ‘Yeah, I like to answer the phone.’ ” Both were startled to be voice-to-voice with another unknown, unseen human being.
Published: March 18, 2011
NOBODY calls me anymore — and that’s just fine. With the exception of immediate family members, who mostly phone to discuss medical symptoms and arrange child care, and the Roundabout Theater fund-raising team, which takes a diabolical delight in phoning me every few weeks at precisely the moment I am tucking in my children, people just don’t call.
It’s at the point where when the phone does ring — and it’s not my mom, dad, husband or baby sitter — my first thought is: “What’s happened? What’s wrong?” My second thought is: “Isn’t it weird to just call like that? Out of the blue? With no e-mailed warning?”
I don’t think it’s just me. Sure, teenagers gave up the phone call eons ago. But I’m a long way away from my teenage years, back when the key rite of passage was getting a phone in your bedroom or (cue Molly Ringwald gasp) a line of your own.
In the last five years, full-fledged adults have seemingly given up the telephone — land line, mobile, voice mail and all. According to Nielsen Media, even on cellphones, voice spending has been trending downward, with text spending expected to surpass it within three years.
“I literally never use the phone,” Jonathan Adler, the interior designer, told me. (Alas, by phone, but it had to be.) “Sometimes I call my mother on the way to work because she’ll be happy to chitty chat. But I just can’t think of anyone else who’d want to talk to me.” Then again, he doesn’t want to be called, either. “I’ve learned not to press ‘ignore’ on my cellphone because then people know that you’re there.”
“I remember when I was growing up, the rule was, ‘Don’t call anyone after 10 p.m.,’ ” Mr. Adler said. “Now the rule is, ‘Don’t call anyone. Ever.’ ”
Phone calls are rude. Intrusive. Awkward. “Thank you for noticing something that millions of people have failed to notice since the invention of the telephone until just now,” Judith Martin, a k a Miss Manners, said by way of opening our phone conversation. “I’ve been hammering away at this for decades. The telephone has a very rude propensity to interrupt people.”
Though the beast has been somewhat tamed by voice mail and caller ID, the phone caller still insists, Ms. Martin explained, “that we should drop whatever we’re doing and listen to me.”
Even at work, where people once managed to look busy by wearing a headset or constantly parrying calls back and forth via a harried assistant, the offices are silent. The reasons are multifold. Nobody has assistants anymore to handle telecommunications. And in today’s nearly door-free workplaces, unless everyone is on the phone, calls are disruptive and, in a tight warren of cubicles, distressingly public. Does anyone want to hear me detail to the dentist the havoc six-year molars have wreaked on my daughter?
“When I walk around the office, nobody is on the phone,” said Jonathan Burnham, senior vice president and publisher at HarperCollins. The nature of the rare business call has also changed. “Phone calls used to be everything: serious, light, heavy, funny,” Mr. Burnham said. “But now they tend to be things that are very focused. And almost everyone e-mails first and asks, ‘Is it O.K. if I call?’ ”
Even in fields where workers of various stripes (publicists, agents, salespeople) traditionally conducted much of their business by phone, hoping to catch a coveted decision-maker off-guard or in a down moment, the phone stays on the hook. When Matthew Ballast, an executive director for publicity at Grand Central Publishing, began working in book publicity 12 years ago, he would go down his list of people to cold call, then follow up two or three times, also by phone. “I remember five years ago, I had a pad with a list of calls I had to return,” he said. Now, he talks by phone two or three times a day.
“You pretty much call people on the phone when you don’t understand their e-mail,” he said.
Phone call appointments have become common in the workplace. Without them, there’s no guarantee your call will be returned. “Only people I’ve ruthlessly hounded call me back,” said Mary Roach, author of “Packing for Mars.” Writers and others who work alone can find the silence isolating. “But if I called my editor and agent every time I wanted to chat, I think they’d say, ‘Oh no, Mary Roach is calling again.’ So I’ve pulled back, just like everyone else.”
Whereas people once received and made calls with friends on a regular basis, we now coordinate such events via e-mail or text. When college roommates used to call (at least two reunions ago), I would welcome their vaguely familiar voices. Now, were one of them to call on a Tuesday evening, my first reaction would be alarm. Phone calls from anyone other than immediate family tend to signal bad news.
Receiving calls on the cellphone can be a particular annoyance. First, there’s the assumption that you’re carrying the thing at all times. For those in homes with stairs, the cellphone siren can send a person scrambling up and down flights of steps in desperate pursuit. Having the cellphone in hand doesn’t necessarily lessen the burden. After all, someone might actually be using the phone: someone who is in the middle of scrolling through a Facebook photo album. Someone who is playing Cut the Rope. Someone who is in the process of painstakingly touch-tapping an important e-mail.
For the most part, assiduous commenting on a friend’s Facebook updates and periodically e-mailing promises to “catch up by phone soon” substitute for actual conversation. With friends who merit face time, arrangements are carried out via electronic transmission. “We do everything by text and e-mail,” said Laurie David, a Hollywood producer and author. “It would be strange at this point to try figuring all that out by phone.”
Of course, immediate family members still phone occasionally. “It’s useful for catching up on parenting issues with your ex-husband,” said Ms. David, who used to be married to Larry David, the star of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” “Sometimes when you don’t want to type it all, it’s just easier to talk.”
But even sons, husbands and daughters don’t always want to chat. In our text-heavy world, mothers report yearning for the sound of their teenage and adult children’s voices. “I’m sort of missing the phone,” said Lisa Birnbach, author of “True Prep” and mother of three teenagers. “It’s warmer and more honest.”
That said, her landline “has become a kind of vestigial part of my house like the intercom buttons once used in my prewar building to contact the ‘servants quarters.’ ” When the phone rings, 9 times out of 10, it’s her mother.
There are holdouts. Radhika Jones, an assistant managing editor at Time magazine, still has a core group of friends she talks to by phone. “I’ve always been a big phone hound,” she said. “My parents can tell you about the days before call waiting.” Yet even she has slipped into new habits: Voice mails from her husband may not get listened to until end of day. Phone messages are returned by e-mail. “At least you’re responding!”
But heaven forbid you actually have to listen — especially to voice mail. The standard “let the audience know this person is a loser” scene in movies where the forlorn heroine returns from a night of cat-sitting to an answering machine that bleats “you have no messages” would cause confusion with contemporary viewers. Who doesn’t heave a huge sigh of relief to find there’s no voice mail? Is it worth punching in a protracted series of codes and passwords to listen to some three-hour-old voice say, “call me” when you could glance at caller ID and return the call — or better yet, e-mail back instead?
Many people don’t even know how their voice mail works. “I’ve lost that skill,” Ms. Birnbach said.
“I have no idea how to check it,” Ms. David admitted. “I can stay in a hotel for three days with that little red light blinking and never listen. I figure, if someone needs to reach me, they’ll e-mail.”
“I don’t check these messages often,” intoned a discouraging recorded voice, urging callers to try e-mail. And this is the voice-mail recording of Claude S. Fischer, author of a book on the history of the telephone and more recently, “Still Connected: Family and Friends in America Since 1970.”
“When the telephone first appeared, there were all kinds of etiquette issues over whom to call and who should answer and how,” Dr. Fischer, a sociology professor at the University of California, Berkeley, told me when finally reached by phone. Among the upper classes, for example, it was thought that the butler should answer calls. For a long time, inviting a person to dinner by telephone was beyond the pale; later, the rules softened and it was O.K. to call to ask someone to lunch.
Telephones were first sold exclusively for business purposes and only later as a kind of practical device for the home. Husbands could phone wives when traveling on business, and wives could order their groceries delivered. Almost immediately, however, people began using the telephone for social interactions. “The phone companies tried to stop that for about 30 years because it was considered improper usage,” Dr. Fischer said.
We may be returning to the phone’s original intentions — and impact. “I can tell you exactly the last time someone picked up the phone when I called,” Mary Roach said. “It was two months ago and I said: ‘Whoa! You answered your phone!’ It was a P.R. person. She said, ‘Yeah, I like to answer the phone.’ ” Both were startled to be voice-to-voice with another unknown, unseen human being.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Motivating Your Team In the New Year
Our front line team members are typically looking for a little fun and excitment at work. A great sales person loves to look forward to the unexpected and break out of a normal routine. My experience is that the front line loves to compete and work towards an goal for accomplishment. Start by asking them to compete with themselves. The best way to do this is to have a goal writing workshop. Ask each member of the team to write goals for near and distant terms. The goals should be both personal and professional because it is our pro life that gives us the fuel and resources for our personal life. Remember a goal must be written, shared, and specific with a deadline. Next write a plan to accomplish the goal. Create a visual board to remind people of their goals and their progress. Allow the team to decide what their prize for accomplishment will be.
Communication can be a source of motivation. Share with your team, each week, the goals of the property, specific areas of focus and success. Bring everyone into the “business” that you are managing. Don’t just make them feel like they are there to only do their jobs but that they are part of something bigger.
Start the new year on a positive, fun and meaningful note.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Kool New Words from the New Mobile World Order
I had the pleasure of presenting at the Multifamily Brainstorming Sessions with my friend and sister in all things marketing, Casey VanZandt. As Vice President of Marketing for Campus Advantage, Casey is in touch with the new lingo so that she can understand the trends of her target market. During our session, we shared the following definitions:
Vaguebooking
An intentionally vague Facebook status update that prompts friends to ask what's going on, or is possibly a cry for help.
No Stalk
Phrase used before one inadvertently says something that sounds stalkerish on Facebook.
That’s Crazy
It's the perfect response when you haven't been listening at all.
Text hole
Someone who texts on their cell phone in really inappropriate places, like movie theaters, concerts, plays, etc.
YouTube loop
When you go to watch a quick 30 second video on YouTube and regain consciousness hours later having jumped from interesting video to interesting video.
Textalizer
A breathalyzer attached to your computer and/or cell phone whose sole purpose is to prevent you from sending messages.
Phantom Vibration Syndrome
You answer your vibrating phone only to find out it was never vibrating.
Please note, many of these words will not clear your spell check!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
No Matter Who Signs Your Paycheck, You Are Self Employed
While traveling this week I overheard a conversation where two people were discussing their disappointment that someone got promoted over one of the ladies in the conversation. They were clearly unhappy and found a number of reasons why their company had failed them. I overheard excuses such as the promoted person had an easier property to manage, the president wanted a man in the position and she had not received enough training. And so I started thinking.....
While we are employees and someone signs our paycheck, we are really in charge of our own career. If you want something, ask for it. If you are told you are not ready for the next step in your career, find out why and change it. There are few victims when it comes to business. However, there are a whole lot of lazy people.
On the day that I was promoted into the coveted position as Director of Training, I was told that I was probably too young for the job (ahhhh, to be 24 years old again) but that I had the skills and the talent. The president also expressed to me that the most important quality I had going for me was that I took charge of my career and planned out the steps I needed to get the job I wanted. He called that ambition. I agree. I was the youngest person out of a sea of 27 more tenured people than me that applied for that internal promotion. Ambition pays off!
What can you do today to prepare you for the next step in your career? Email me at kate@KateGood.com if I can ever help you with your career goals.
Friday, April 30, 2010
The Art of Negotiation: Emotions
The very best professionals are always looking for opportunities to learn. You must be one of them because you are reading my blog probably looking for some new ideas. Well, to you I say "dig in." There are a lot of amazing sources for information and my goal is to make sure http://www.KateGood.com serves your need to learn.
There is one topic that I have been studying this year to make myself better at what I do and that is the art of negotiation. I learned the power of emotions on the negotiation process. This means that we make decisions based on our emotions. Yes, there is still the logical side of our brain that is weighing in on this decision, but it is the emotional rush you feel that drives you to say yes.
When are the emotions of your customer most effective to the sales process? In the model or rent ready apartment. It is at this moment that the customer has been taking in all the features and benefits of your amenities on the way to the model. They are really excited and now you show them a beautiful model apartment that is the best home in the community. Whamo! They are really feeling their emotions at this moment. Now is the time to ask for the lease and close it!
Set yourself up for success by placing a stack of applications and pens in the model. Have your availability with you at all times. If you wait to do this when you get back to the leasing office you are missing the power of the emotional high.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Template Ads Can Still Be Fun
I love the part of my job when I am asked to consult with apartment communities on their ads and position in the market. I approach all my work with this question: Will it generate traffic and close leases? When you create marketing peices and then ask this question, you begin to see that saying things like everyone else will not create more traffic becuase you do not stand out in the market.
Let's take on this challenge in 2010 and think of better ways to say things. Don't just list things you offer, tell the customer why they should by it. Stop using the same tired words to describe your features that everyone else is using such. Step up to creative writing and step ahead of your competition.
I've included a graphic in this blog post because I want to commend Atlantic Palms in North Charleston for putting something fresh and fun in your Apartment Guide ad. Bravo my friends!!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
No Matter Who Signs Your Paycheck, You Are Self Employed
While traveling this week I overheard a conversation where two people were discussing their disappointment that someone got promoted over one of the ladies in the conversation. They were clearly unhappy and found a number of reasons why their company had failed them. I overheard excuses such as the promoted person had an easier property to manage, the president wanted a man in the position and she had not received enough training. And so I started thinking.....
While we are employees and someone signs our paycheck, we are really in charge of our own career. If you want something, ask for it. If you are told you are not ready for the next step in your career, find out why and change it. There are few victims when it comes to business. However, there are a whole lot of lazy people.
On the day that I was promoted into the coveted position as Director of Training, I was told that I was probably too young for the job (ahhhh, to be 24 years old again) but that I had the skills and the talent. The president also expressed to me that the most important quality I had going for me was that I took charge of my career and planned out the steps I needed to get the job I wanted. He called that ambition. I agree. I was the youngest person out of a sea of 27 more tenured people than me that applied for that internal promotion. Ambition pays off!
What can you do today to prepare you for the next step in your career? Email me at kate@KateGood.com if I can ever help you with your career goals.
Friday, October 30, 2009
2010 Marketing Trend: Simplicity Makes the Buying Decision Easier
A article in USA Today leading the money section on October 28 introduced us to the powerful marketing mantra for 2010, simple is better. The graphic which leads the article asks via multiple choice, how many ingredients are in a scoop of Haagen-Daz's Simple 5 coffee ice cream. The answer is five.
If 2009 effective marketing message was about buying stuff cheap then this new trend will most likely build on that foundation. For example, my co-speaker on the Apartment All Star Tour is Lisa Trosien. All year she has been reminding us to follow the trends of major brands such as Subway with the $5 footlong. Leave it to Lisa to even sing the jingle on stage. This is a perfect example of trying to sell twelve inches of sandwich pretty cheap and keeping things simple by not making the pricing complicated.
When you keep things simple, you create a tangible reason to buy a product or service. For starters, it is easier to understand. Next, it helps build confidence that nothing is hidden or unexpected. This is what you get, just 5 ingredients that you can pronounce. A strong message in a food industry that has mass production.
I was working with a client today trying to work on removing reasons why someone would not rent from us. One thing is that it is a complicated formula to figure out what you have to do and what you owe if you break your lease agreement. Sure, the formula seemed like a good idea at the time, after all, we don't want them breaking their leases. Yet now, in a economy where job growth is non existent, people want to know what the obligation will be if they get laid off. We decided to roll back to yesteryear where we asked for 60 days notice, one months rent cancel fee and payback their concession. Still some meaningful money, but much easier to understand.
What else should we simplify?
If 2009 effective marketing message was about buying stuff cheap then this new trend will most likely build on that foundation. For example, my co-speaker on the Apartment All Star Tour is Lisa Trosien. All year she has been reminding us to follow the trends of major brands such as Subway with the $5 footlong. Leave it to Lisa to even sing the jingle on stage. This is a perfect example of trying to sell twelve inches of sandwich pretty cheap and keeping things simple by not making the pricing complicated.
When you keep things simple, you create a tangible reason to buy a product or service. For starters, it is easier to understand. Next, it helps build confidence that nothing is hidden or unexpected. This is what you get, just 5 ingredients that you can pronounce. A strong message in a food industry that has mass production.
I was working with a client today trying to work on removing reasons why someone would not rent from us. One thing is that it is a complicated formula to figure out what you have to do and what you owe if you break your lease agreement. Sure, the formula seemed like a good idea at the time, after all, we don't want them breaking their leases. Yet now, in a economy where job growth is non existent, people want to know what the obligation will be if they get laid off. We decided to roll back to yesteryear where we asked for 60 days notice, one months rent cancel fee and payback their concession. Still some meaningful money, but much easier to understand.
What else should we simplify?
Friday, October 16, 2009
Seminar Wrap Up by Chrissy Wills at CAA
Kate Good Presented "Beating the Benchmark" at the CAA
Written by Chrissy Wills
Wednesday, 23 September 2009 15:30
Written by Chrissy Wills
Wednesday, 23 September 2009 15:30
The Columbus Apartment Association (CAA) hosted Kate Good, national speaker, who presented "Beating the Benchmark" on September 23rd at the Fawcett Center. Forty CAA members were in attendance to hear Kate explain how to market during this economy.
Kate recently presented at the National Apartment Association annual convention in June at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. She is a nationally recognized apartment marketing expert known for her amazing creativity, energy and motivational ability. Kate has been working in apartments her entire life, and has brought invaluable insight to developers, marketing directors and associations across the country.
Kate recently presented at the National Apartment Association annual convention in June at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. She is a nationally recognized apartment marketing expert known for her amazing creativity, energy and motivational ability. Kate has been working in apartments her entire life, and has brought invaluable insight to developers, marketing directors and associations across the country.
To start the Beating the Benchmark session, Kate gave some interesting facts about today's apartment industry. Approximately 70% of communities nationwide are offering concessions, everything from one month to four months free. According to her research, current consumer buying habits include: an average of two visits to make a decision, apartment residents are looking for extra spaces, in traditional relationships the female is the primary decision maker in choosing a home, the first visit to a community is virtual and apartment residents will take 60 - 90 days to make a decision.
The CAA members enjoyed Kate's humor and case studies about McDonald's trying to become Starbucks and Starbucks trying to be like McDonalds. She shared these ideas to get attendees to think about what their unique selling features are and to showcase those in ads and leasing presentations. Also, she recommended stepping up ads with language for today; she likes terms such as comfortable, generous for the money, durable, built to last, and great buy.
To close Kate shared easy marketing ideas and effective closing techniques. Some of Kate's favorite marketing ideas included handwritten notes, placing the bootleg signs inside the community to remind current residents about the community's benefits and creating a special of the day. CAA members really liked the seminar and could easily take away fresh ideas from it.
To close Kate shared easy marketing ideas and effective closing techniques. Some of Kate's favorite marketing ideas included handwritten notes, placing the bootleg signs inside the community to remind current residents about the community's benefits and creating a special of the day. CAA members really liked the seminar and could easily take away fresh ideas from it.
Kristi Fickert with Village Green Management traveled from Cincinnati to hear Kate speak and really gained a lot from the presentation, "I think everyone in the room took at least ten new ideas home with them."
The CAA would like to thank our members for attending Beating the Benchmark and look forward to seeing them at the next seminar.
Friday, July 31, 2009
The Digital Comment Card Takes a Stand
Join me as I take a stroll to “back in the day.” I am 21 years old standing in front of my closet looking at my navy blue uniform suit, trying to find something to add to the outfit to disrupt the image of a flight attendant. I try on a few blouses and different shoes and settle for a starched white blouse, a string of pearls and put my hair up so that I would look a little older. This is a funny image to me because now that I am “older” I wear my hair down to look younger! Why did I care so much about how I looked this particular day? Well, it is the day of our quarterly recognition rally called “The IMD Meeting.” This stands for “I made a difference.” The Vice Presidents would hand out awards for excellent shopping report scores, properties beating budget and certain individuals who stood out by doing something above and beyond the call of the job description. Everyone wanted to look their best for this meeting including me as I was hoping for a promotion to a position in the training department.
This meeting is a special one for me, I’ve been mystery shopped twice during the quarter and receive an excellent score on both reports earning me a certificate, some applause and $200 in my pocket. The big surprise came when I won the IMD award because the home office had received an overwhelming number of comment cards talking about various acts of service I’ve offered my important residents. Once again I stand up in my freshly pressed suit and proudly accepted my award. This was an amazing recognition and I tear up when I call my parents to share the exciting news.
I worked for a company that not only cared about the feedback our residents had to share with us, but also created a number of measurable opportunities to solicit this feedback. I’ve been thinking a lot about this while consulting with clients this summer. The hot topic in the marketing world is social media and everyone is trying to figure out what it is all about and if it is worth the effort. Much to my surprise, each client I have worked with this summer has been worried about the negative feedback that a resident may write on our Facebook wall, tweet about on Twitter or direct a scathing video for distribution on You Tube. While I understand the concern, I simply explain that these social media channels are the comment cards of 2009 and beyond. It is the new way for our residents to provide positive and constructive feedback so that we can reward our team members and improve the customers experience. This conversation derived from social media will be mentioned in award and recognition rally’s all over our industry.
This week, apartment pro’s and residents has been observing an interesting lawsuit filed by Horizon Realty versus a resident who posted a tweet to her mere 22 followers concerning mold in her apartment. Horizon felt the statement was unfair and grounds for libel. News of this lawsuit has been filling my twitter screen, discussed in other blogs, mentioned on the walls of Facebook and the topic of conversation in every corner of our country. What I think is interesting is that instead of using the tweet as a form of feedback from the modern day comment card, Horizon would like to argue that a resident cannot tell their friends and followers that they are upset with management. In a world where word of mouse is more powerful than word of mouth, Horizon’s lawsuit has sent the suspicion to thousands of people that they would rather sue a resident than to solve their problems. Now, in all fairness, the inside story may be quite different and Horizon has a good point to make, but the reality is that many will never hear that point as the thought that suing a resident who only has 22 followers and made a comment about mold makes them a landlord who does not care. Let’s remember, perception is everything and in this case Horizon has spread this perception to thousands of people through their law suit.
I am certain my consulting clients will want to use this scenario as a reason to avoid social media. Yet, I still stand firm, use this digital comment card to receive the feedback and show your residents you care. If a customer posts something on the wall, use this as an opportunity to publicly respond that you are glad this has been brought to your attention and want to make the residents home as comfortable as possible. I can promise you that if you abstain from social media, your residents will not. So, be a part of this conversation and see this as a channel to stay in communication with your residents. I admire Mark Juleen from JC Hart who reminded me at the Real Page Users Conference that we can use social media to show we care and when did it no longer become our job to show our residents we care? Good point Mark! See you at the IMD meeting.
This meeting is a special one for me, I’ve been mystery shopped twice during the quarter and receive an excellent score on both reports earning me a certificate, some applause and $200 in my pocket. The big surprise came when I won the IMD award because the home office had received an overwhelming number of comment cards talking about various acts of service I’ve offered my important residents. Once again I stand up in my freshly pressed suit and proudly accepted my award. This was an amazing recognition and I tear up when I call my parents to share the exciting news.
I worked for a company that not only cared about the feedback our residents had to share with us, but also created a number of measurable opportunities to solicit this feedback. I’ve been thinking a lot about this while consulting with clients this summer. The hot topic in the marketing world is social media and everyone is trying to figure out what it is all about and if it is worth the effort. Much to my surprise, each client I have worked with this summer has been worried about the negative feedback that a resident may write on our Facebook wall, tweet about on Twitter or direct a scathing video for distribution on You Tube. While I understand the concern, I simply explain that these social media channels are the comment cards of 2009 and beyond. It is the new way for our residents to provide positive and constructive feedback so that we can reward our team members and improve the customers experience. This conversation derived from social media will be mentioned in award and recognition rally’s all over our industry.
This week, apartment pro’s and residents has been observing an interesting lawsuit filed by Horizon Realty versus a resident who posted a tweet to her mere 22 followers concerning mold in her apartment. Horizon felt the statement was unfair and grounds for libel. News of this lawsuit has been filling my twitter screen, discussed in other blogs, mentioned on the walls of Facebook and the topic of conversation in every corner of our country. What I think is interesting is that instead of using the tweet as a form of feedback from the modern day comment card, Horizon would like to argue that a resident cannot tell their friends and followers that they are upset with management. In a world where word of mouse is more powerful than word of mouth, Horizon’s lawsuit has sent the suspicion to thousands of people that they would rather sue a resident than to solve their problems. Now, in all fairness, the inside story may be quite different and Horizon has a good point to make, but the reality is that many will never hear that point as the thought that suing a resident who only has 22 followers and made a comment about mold makes them a landlord who does not care. Let’s remember, perception is everything and in this case Horizon has spread this perception to thousands of people through their law suit.
I am certain my consulting clients will want to use this scenario as a reason to avoid social media. Yet, I still stand firm, use this digital comment card to receive the feedback and show your residents you care. If a customer posts something on the wall, use this as an opportunity to publicly respond that you are glad this has been brought to your attention and want to make the residents home as comfortable as possible. I can promise you that if you abstain from social media, your residents will not. So, be a part of this conversation and see this as a channel to stay in communication with your residents. I admire Mark Juleen from JC Hart who reminded me at the Real Page Users Conference that we can use social media to show we care and when did it no longer become our job to show our residents we care? Good point Mark! See you at the IMD meeting.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Social Networking: How to Get Business
Social Networking: How to Get Business
Join us for a Webinar on June 17
It's hard to ignore social networking and the marketing opportunities they present. Your competition is jumping into this new world of marketing, what are you doing? This Webinar is for those who are taking their first steps into Blogging, Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook and Plaxo and for those who have already engaged but are hoping to find more ways to capitalize on the effort. Learn how to turn social networking into gold by developing databases, staying on contact and creating effortless channels of communication with current and prospective customers.
Title: Social Networking: How to Get Business
Date: Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EDT
CEU: One (1) CEU credit for CCHPs
Cost: Members $50, Non-Members $75
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.
System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista
Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4 (Tiger®) or newer
Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://ssl17.pair.com/chpa/cgi-bin/chpa_webinar_reg.pl?goto=webreg
Join us for a Webinar on June 17
It's hard to ignore social networking and the marketing opportunities they present. Your competition is jumping into this new world of marketing, what are you doing? This Webinar is for those who are taking their first steps into Blogging, Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook and Plaxo and for those who have already engaged but are hoping to find more ways to capitalize on the effort. Learn how to turn social networking into gold by developing databases, staying on contact and creating effortless channels of communication with current and prospective customers.
Title: Social Networking: How to Get Business
Date: Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EDT
CEU: One (1) CEU credit for CCHPs
Cost: Members $50, Non-Members $75
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.
System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista
Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4 (Tiger®) or newer
Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://ssl17.pair.com/chpa/cgi-bin/chpa_webinar_reg.pl?goto=webreg
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