Come Together and Can

NPR recently reported that Jarden Home Brands, which owns the popular Ball line of canning products, says it has already seen a 30 percent increase in sales of jars and lids this year, and the bulk of the harvest season is still months away. Canning is making a comeback, as Gen X, Y and the Boomers look for ways to save money, eat healthy and make use of all the bulk food available from locally grown community gardens and farmer’s markets. Trouble is, unlike their parents and grandparents, who relied on the technique to get them through the great depression and two world wars, many don’t know how to can. Canning incorrectly can lead to big trouble in the form of botulism. This is a perfect opportunity to rethink the seldom-used “Gourmet Kitchen” in your clubhouse and turn it into, (a least for a day) a “Food Preservation Center”.

Try offering a canning class in conjunction with the current harvest available at your local farmer’s market. Let’s say, in this case, it is strawberries. You can purchase enough strawberries for everyone in the class to receive one or two jars of jam while they learn the process. To find an individual skilled at canning that is willing to teach the technique, look to seniors in your community, area senior center or local college extension.

What an outstanding way for a variety of generations to come together, learn a useful new skill, show your appreciation for planet earth and provide variety in your resident activity offerings.

Nobody Likes a Fake.

Recently, as I strolled down a residential street on my way to a lunch appointment, I stopped cold in my tracks and just had to take a photo of one apartment community’s attempt at curb appeal. The silk flowers had obviously been there awhile – (I think that at one time the leaves had been green), and words can’t accurately describe the overall impact the ensemble had at declaring the community dead, cheap and lifeless.

Lessons of the day:
The consumer can spot a fake.
In addition to silk flowers (which in my book are always a “no-no”), what is fake at your community? Do your model apartments misrepresent your vacants? Then they are fake. Are your apartmentratings.com reviews manipulated in any way? Then they are fake. Do you hang banners that say, “We Love Our Residents!”? Love is a strong word. Do you love all of them…really? If, when conducting follow up, you just “go through motions” and do it because you have to, you are showing false sincerity in following through. That is why clients become short or abrupt with you and your follow up call.

Get rid of the dead and get real.
Carefully analyze your tour path and common areas. Get rid of anything that has expired or seen better days. This includes: dead plant life, patio displays that were really cute last season but have faded and grown dingy due to exposure, dusty candles or soap displays, clutter of any kind, and any item that has always struck you as just not working in the spot. When selling a house, the realtor will recommend eliminating most of the clutter that accumulates over time. They know that living in it, the resident just doesn’t see it, but a prospective buyer will and it will affect the sale. Identify and remove clutter in your office and models and watch the positive response that ensues.

Borrow some eyes. Get somebody else to carefully look at your property. Tell them you will pay them $50 to find ten items or issues that are negatively affecting your curb appeal. If you can’t afford $50, ask you supervisor or colleague to take on the challenge. Then reciprocate.

Fake is dead. Transparent is in. Get rid of the fake and get real.

It's Your Choice

I had the pleasure of having lunch with a friend yesterday and being served by an individual that really knew her business. Through conversational banter, she determined what we had in common, (she grew up in Colorado and I live there), and intuitively knew that the lunch was not a hurried one, providing us “chat time”, while still checking back periodically. In short, her service was excellent and customized to our expectations. My friend and I commented our regard for her impressive service to her, and her response was, “Thank you. Unlike a lot of people that wait tables, this is something I choose to do. I really enjoy it.”

Is the job you have something you choose to do? If not, why not? Life is short. Do something you enjoy and are enthusiastic about. Success is driven through passion and commitment.

You choose.

You Need An App For That!

For those of you that are curious about how many people have downloaded the apartment industry’s first iphone app, (you have probably seen the app in Apple’s latest iphone commercials or as part of their nationwide print campaign), Apartment Guide released figures today. Brace yourselves, the numbers are staggering.

Since October, over 230,000 consumers have downloaded the free app, and it has even been listed as a top 20, free utility app. Consumers viewed the commercials or print material, saw the content available as relevant or useful, went to the app store and took action.


Lessons to be learned:
Print and television media are the primary driver of all other media. Integrated campaigns produce results. Even Apple knows this.

By extending your reach through tools such as mobile, you can drive exposure for your service and brand.

Content remains king, and the consumer will download useful and relevant material – anytime, anywhere.

Go Green By Going Local

Just because your buildings aren’t built green doesn’t mean you can’t go green.

I stumbled across a resource recently that could be utilized by almost any community across the country to promote green initiatives. www.localharvest.org provides a zip code search to find nearby farmers’ markets, family farms and others sources of sustainably grown food where your residents can buy produce, grass-fed meats, honey products and many other goodies, including gift baskets. There’s even a free downloadable flyer at the site inviting the public (your residents) to visit, in addition to banner ad downloads.

Provide a link or banner ad on your website, or as a resource for your “going green” program. Take it a step further and contact providers in your zip code and build a business partnership. Offer to provide an area for local providers to sell their products on Saturday morning, an advertisement in your newsletter or a link on the resident page of your website, in return for a discounted rate on a “green” move-in or renewal basket.

Everyone wins - your green program is enhanced and local community businesses are supported.

What are you waiting for?

How long are you prepared to wait for business to pick up? What is your competition doing? While you’re waiting, you’re invisible. Generate your own buzz. Rev up your image. Make yourself visible. Take control.

Try a new idea. Launch a campaign. Look alive.

Stop waiting. Get going!

We heart clients (but love has boundaries)

A new video circulating on YouTube has creative firms snickering with appreciation. We've all been party to these types of exchanges, and while satirical and hysterically familiar, there's a serious side to "scope creep" that should be managed and avoided.



If you're a vendor or agency:

1. 1 hour = 1 hour. Never go into a relationship with a new client after having been haggled until you were black and blue; that's an irreversible precedent.

2. Make your terms regarding changes known in writing before beginning any work.

3. Earn your clients' trust to establishing a "no surprises" rule. Clients hate surprises, especially when they are labeled INVOICE.

4. Recognize the value of the long term relationship. You aren't going to win them all, and on a project-by-project basis you'll find that healthy, long-term working relationships will even out over time. As I say to our fondest clients, "we're of no use to you bankrupt."


If you're a client:

1. Be realistic (and honest) about your budget in the beginning. A $5,000 budget cannot buy a $50,000 web site, but often a $10,000 budget can buy you all of the features and functionality of a $15,000 web site.

2. Recognize scope creep and avoid it. If your request truly falls outside the terms of the agreement, own it and ask for a proposal. Your vendor will be fair, and it's always less expensive to make changes during a project than after.

3. Accept the "pick two" principle. It's like gravity. Deadlines and budgets are always negotiable. Our clients know we can put footprints on the moon with the right resources and client commitment.

4. See #5 above.

Our firm has been fortunate enough to have worked with amazing clients over the last decade who appreciate paying for value, some for more than 10 years. That's lasting love.

I Love That Color!

Ever wish you could paint your model walls the same shade you saw in that trendy boutique you were in last week? Or perhaps you saw a specific color you like and want to coordinate paint offerings with it? According to Trendcentral - there’s now an App for that!
Take a photo of anything that provides inspiration and this app will instantly match the hues in the photo to the corresponding shades in the Benjamin Moore color system. Match your uniform colors to the paint on the wall! Go to the hippest places and copy paint colors! Take a picture of a model accessory and find a paint to match! Match marketing materials to the paint on the wall! The possibilities are endless, and only an app away.