Easy Adaptions to Aging-in-Place

I just finished reading an article in USA Today on aging-in-place remodels for boomers that are getting to be “the age” where a few modifications can be a big assistance to staying put in the golden years, and have to say, when I saw the list of most popular aging-in-pace updates, compiled by our friends at NAHB, I thought, “Some of these are an absolute no-brainer, they’re so easy to implement.”

A percentage of projects remodelers have done in the last year to be able to age-in-place: (For a complete aging-in-place checklist, click here.)

Grab bars 78%
Higher toilets 71%
Wider doorways 57%
Added lighting/task lighting 45%
Non-slip flooring 20%
Easy to read thermostats 13%

They’ve got the numbers, stability and spending power...make a few easy adaptions to meet their needs and you’ll uncovered a unique marketing niche, or you may discover you keep a resident you otherwise might have lost.

A Gift of Optimism

I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin full of hardy German citizens. The winters, particularly “back in the day” were long and unyielding, generally starting in mid-November and ending in April. (To provide some perspective to warm weather inhabitants, it was nothing for my Dad to warm up the car for 20 minutes before we ventured out.) That’s a lot of cooped-up in-house time for a kid...and a mother. The minute the thermometer hit 20, Mom mummified my sisters and I in wool scarves and snowsuits and sent us outside to play, deaf to our pleas to be let in because “we were so cooooldddd!”. We built snow forts, made snow angels, threw snowballs and...we survived to enjoy a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup for lunch. The people in my hometown would declare, after hearing this story, “That’s good for you. Toughens you up.” I would agree, and add that it also develops a sense of optimism.

A Wisconsin winter can include weeks of nothing but gray weather and dirty snow. Very depressing stuff, yet most of the people I know from the area possess an incredible sense of humor and a wonderfully optimistic attitude. They know how to persevere. I would imagine, though I have never lived it, the people in a state that survives hurricane after hurricane are much the same way. Perseverance breeds optimism.

Being optimistic, in the typical sense of the word, ultimately means one expects the best possible outcome from any given situation. Optimists generally emerge from difficult circumstances with less distress than do pessimists. They seem intent on solving challenges head on, taking active and constructive steps to solve their problems - as if they know, “this too shall pass.”

A client of mine, Jim Schloemer, CEO of Continental Properties, shares my hometown. During a recent session, he approached me and told me how his mother, every single morning, even on the grayest and coldest of Wisconsin days, would walk into his room throw open the drapes and say, “Good morning, Jim, it’s a beautiful morning and time for you to rise and shine and show the world all that you can be!“ While not as poetic, my mother would prance in, flip the shades and sing, “Rise and Shine!” in the most cheery of voices. My conclusion; a positive outlook was bred in us to the point we became inherently optimistic through repetition and practice. We laughed as we confessed to using the same tactics on our own children. And, much as I hated the sound of that shade rolling up then, I now remember it fondly.

A more simplistic time, perhaps, without the daily barrage of bad tidings so abundant and easily accessed today. Will things ever get better? Of course they will. Change is inevitable. The important thing is to stay cheerful and know that tomorrow is another day, and even if it’s gray, it’s a beautiful opportunity to show the world what you can do. Imagine, if just for a day, every person you knew, actually lived that. We’d be unstoppable.

Happy Christmas to all!

How Much Is Too Much?

Last summer, I ordered Omaha Steaks for my dad, (Sales Guy Extraordinaire), for Father’s day. He loved it, and if I do say so myself, it was an excellent gift, the kind that keeps giving for a while. When I ordered, I must have inadvertently missed the uncheck button to receive “future offers and updates” - you all know what I am talking about here.

Within days, they started coming...and have never stopped. Since November, I have tried to save almost every offer received. (There are so many, I have a problem keeping it all organized). Omaha Steaks has worked very hard to stay in front of me. A little too hard. I ordered their product once, in June, and have not established myself as a regular. At this point, presumably due to the holiday season, I am receiving, on average, at least one email per day, up from the average of one every three days in September, October and November. (There is a noticeable gap in October - I may have deleted them, and I did go through an unsubscribe phase about that time...but don’t want to proclaim, if I’m not sure I did.)

Anyway, I get an awful lot of “buy meat” mail. Trouble is, the more they “get in my face”, the more distasteful steak has become to me. It’s just too much. I’m tired of seeing my daily “Act now before it’s too late!” promotion. I have no sense of urgency to buy, because I am pretty sure I’ll have an equally impressive offer in my box tomorrow. Have they no other customers? Why won’t they give it a rest? To stay top of mind with me doesn’t mean you have to send me a new email every single day.

Where’s the mail that asks, “Have you been seeing too much of us? Should we back off a bit?” That’s the one I would reply to. I have no objection to receiving a monthly promotion from Omaha Steaks. I like their product. It is not, however my priority or my life.

The same holds true for follow up. There is a fine line between obnoxious and committed care on the part of the leasing professional. When we lose sight of the client and concern ourselves more with “getting the sale”, is true intention revealed to the customer and serving as a turn-off to the product?

The answer, of course is letting the customer, as much as possible, decide and control their experience. That’s hard to deliver when you’re being evaluated based on parameters and specific follow up metrics; contact within 24 hours, within 48 hours phone call, etc.

How much is too much? And how do we define that? How do we provide parameters while still understanding there is no one path to the sale? I don’t think it is enough to say, “I keep calling or emailing until they tell me to stop.” I am going to tell Omaha Steaks to stop, but the damage has already been done. Once viewed as a special treat, premium product, I now simply see another blue light special. Lots of caps, lots of exclamation points, lots of “only 10 minutes left” behavior. It all seems a bit desperate.

What do you think?

Awkward (yet unfamiliarly comfortable)

If you know me or work with me you know that email and texting are my preferred communication tethers. 90% chance if we do talk on the phone it will be by cell phone as I'm never, ever at the small round table (a.k.a. desk) in my. Voice mail? Hah. My inability to regularly check, let alone reply to voice mail messages is legendarily rude. Twitter? Facebook? Don't be stupid. Text or email me.

And them Samuel J. Lopez came into my life. I bought a new suit from Sam at Nordstrom some months ago. It was fine, great service, great communication as expected blah blah blah. But the awkward part came later when Sam sent me a handwritten thank you note and his business card. Again please ... h-a-n-d-w-r-i-t-t-e-n thank you note (printed on embossed paper, metallic ink and real ball point pen on the inside). The business card was also impressive. No digitally quick-printed crappy temporary card but a foil stamped legit calling card with rounded corners.

I scanned the thank you note, then went to add the card to my binder-clipped stack of to-be-entered-into-my-address-book (maybe) cards when to my horror, I saw there was no email address. Only a phone number. A single phone number with Sam's extension. I paused, "what the hell am I going to do with this?" Bottleneck in my day.

I knew Sam had entered my email address into Nordstrom's CRM system, evidenced by the weekly ads in my inbox. But Sam himself has only communicated old school. Once by phone (to follow up two months later to see how the suit was fitting and if I needed any additional complimentary alterations) and twice by snail mail (aforementioned thank you card and a hand written invitation to a private rack sale).

I kept the business card. I don't plan on calling Sam but after the initial shock of the card's lack of email address, Twitter logo, Facebook logo, LinkedIn logo et al, it eventually gave me sense of calm and put me in control of this seemingly unimportant customer service relationship. Sam hasn't added a subconscious straw to my neurotic camel's back with the feeling he will ever email me something I don't want. The genuine nature of the card's contents doesn't carry any urgency and will never make me feel like I have to DO something.

As marketers, we strive to create these exact feelings and we desperately try to create similar interactions with every touchpoint. And how many people do you know that are secure enough not to tip the design balance of their business cards by junking it up with every keeping-up-with-Jones form of contact available in today's pay attention to me business environment?

Sam knows he doesn't have to do this. How refreshingly awkward.

Involving Residents In Your Worth Cause

Many companies contribute to charitable causes and the greater good, and some (wisely) share their philanthropic endeavors with their clients. But why stop there?

In The Buying Brain, Secrets for Selling to the Subconscious Mind, (yes I did like this book as this is my second post referencing it ), Dr. A.K. Pradeep notes that coupons that include an act of charity can produce a significant rise in Purchase Intent and self worth. In one study, consumers were asked to choose one of four deserving causes to receive a percentage of what they spent. This simple gesture resulted in a huge increase in emotional engagement and higher Deep Subconscious response scores for words relating to the “pleasure” or “satisfaction” associated with the shopping experience.

Contributing to charitable causes in a way that includes residents is an easily adaptable concept at the on-site level. For example, perhaps a community selects three charities, (since the business is multifamily, possibilities might include Habitat for Humanity, a local homeless or transitional shelter and other causes that relate to housing or “get back on your feet” support - make sure to run your selections by HR), and determines a percentage of the first month of resident’s rent that will be donated to the selected charity. When the resident renews their lease, (or signs the initial lease), they are asked to select which organization they would like the money to go to - they get to control it. If they say, “None - can you just reduce my rent?” (which they most likely won’t if presented effectively), you can politely decline and re-emphasize that the rent is the rent, however XYZ Apartments is committed to donating a percentage of that rent to a charitable organization that helps those less fortunate and we let our residents choose which of the three charities they would like it contributed to.

A program like this is broad enough to encompass point of initial sale and resale (renewal) strategies. Community charitable donations might be tracked on the website, Facebook page, clubhouse visuals, etc. Even better, expand the program and provide opportunities for residents to volunteer at these causes. The possibilities are endless...and all good.

What does your company or community do for the greater good? Do you let your residents know? Do you involve them in the process?

Are You a Bust With Boomers?

Is Your Marketing a Bust With Boomers?

In “The Buying Brain - Secrets for Selling to the Subconscious Mind” Dr. A.K. Pradeep cites a study conducted by Dr. Adam Gazzaley that determined the ability for one’s mind to suppress distractions declines with age. People over 60 aren’t necessarily more forgetful; rather, they are more overwhelmed by distraction. Hmmm…

Based on this finding, the book suggests easy strategies for marketing products to older adults. First and foremost, keep the message obvious and direct and copy and images clean and uncluttered. Let the message “breathe" with some white space around it, and avoid the impulse to load up messages with sounds, running screens, and quick-time animations. Not only are distractions detracting from your message to seniors, most of that content is not even making it past the brain “filters’ of Boomer consumers. In other words, what teens will enjoy, Grandma won’t.

In addition, Boomers like positive messaging - wit and wisdom speak their language, and their broader attention spans make them more comfortable with knowing more than the headline and will recall and puut into context messaging that honors their cognitive abilities and hard-won experience.

Boomers control 77% of all financial assets in the United States, and they’re getting older every day.

Is your message getting through to them?

What Exactly Do You Do?

A colleague that I have known forever called me for lunch today, with the intent of helping me by “finding out exactly what I do, and the services I offer.” Then I read a post in ITTYbiz this morning that challenged me with the question, “How many of your readers don’t really understand your business?” Good question. I thought about it for a while and came to the conclusion that there may be quite a few. Maybe I oughta do a better job of letting people know.

So here it is - I provide consulting to companies that are in need of marketing help. Maybe they are in trouble, maybe they are repositioning, or maybe they are brand new. Doesn’t matter. I am creative, forward thinking and experienced and I help them fill apartments, keep residents and make money. My clients like me because I utilize a common-sense, practical approach customized to achieve portfolio objectives. Personally, I love marketing apartments and I’m wicked good at it.

Since all the marketing in the world won’t matter if the people are ill-equipped or don’t care, I proved training in sales, service, marketing and management issues. I adore teaching salespeople how to sell.

And since people seem to like my down-to-earth practical style, I am often asked to keynote events. Sometimes I orchestrate the entire event. I help bridge the gap between executive and front-line because I speak both their languages, and can effectively share insight on their perspectives. I help them think differently.

I also write copy. Lots of it. It’s another thing I seem to be good at.
So, that is what I do. My sense of purpose is clear.

Now it’s time for you to complete the exercise.
What exactly do you do? Why? Don't assume everybody knows.

I Can't Afford It! It's Too Expensive!

When the client seems to care about nothing but the price, try this technique.

Let’s say the client has told you that his budget is $850 per month, and the apartment he likes is $900.

Calculate the difference in price vs budget. ($50)
Then, divide the difference by a 30 day month. (50 divided by 30 = 1.67)
The client would only need pay $1.67 per day to get what they really wanted. That’s the equivalent of a pack of gum, or a cup of coffee.

$1.67 multiplied by a 7 day week = $11.69. At this point, explore ways in which the client will save money by living at your community. For example, perhaps they will no longer need a gym membership, saving at least $30 per month. Or, they might utilize your selection of first run movies and your theater, saving them a $10 movie ticket. Maybe their commute will be minimized saving $$$ in gas. Find a way for them to save $11 per week and you just found a way for them to afford it.

So, it would go something like this:
“Mr. Jones, I know this apartment is $50 above your budget. Broken down, that’s less than $1.70 per day to get what you really want. I know we can save you some money with the included fitness center, and you will be working substantially closer, which will save you money on gas, not to mention time. Plus, the apartment faces south, ensuring indirect sun, which will help your utility bills in the winter. This apartment comes out to about $11 per week more than what you wanted to pay, but all things considered, in the long run it may well cost you less. What do you think? Would you like to reserve it?”

Break it down, build the value, get the lease.

Run, Run Retention!

Need an easy resident retention idea? Create a Saturday morning runner’s club for the kids. The school in our neighborhood hosts a before school runner’s club three days a week in preparation for a local Fitness Festival, which the kids may or may not participate in. Mostly, the idea is to encourage fitness by running a quarter mile track and receiving medallions for every lap they cover. They proudly wear the medallions and compare who’s got more, etc. The runner’s club is hugely popular and has been featured on local news channels. I would venture to say that over 125 people participated this morning alone. What a great opportunity to develop and encourage community.

Here’s how to do it at your community;

First, tell the kids it’s coming. Build it up. Create a special newsletter insert about healthy choices just for them. Do a countdown sign at the school bus stop. Make sure they see it and can get excited about it.

Get a goal. Let the kids know they are training for something bigger, perhaps a 5K or local fitness event. Or, you might elect to throw a party at the end for those who participate.

Display progress. Cheap trinkets that the kids can wear (in our case rubber feet charms on a 24 inch chain - go to Oriental Trading Company for ideas ) will create a sense of belonging and competitiveness. If you have enough money, give each participant plastic or aluminum water bottles featuring your community logo.

Research mileage trackers like Map My Run and mark off 1/4 mile markers at your community. This can be in an open area, or you can measure by distance around and through your property. Just make sure you define a full lap so the kids know how far they have gone. Make sure somebody is at the mile marker to physically track progress.

Get some parents involved. You will need the help. A good avenue would be to approach parents that regularly utilize your fitness facility, since they understand the importance of lifelong fitness.

Tell the kids to invite their friends to join them (and get some outreach marketing done in the process).

Create a large visual for your office or clubhouse to show the community’s progress.

Make sure to do “Don’t forget - Runner’s Club starts this Saturday” door hangers or reminders and let the parents know they don’t have to just stand on the sidelines - they can participate too. After the first, keep sending out reminders about the Saturday Runner’s Club. Let the kids know they are welcome at any time. Let the parents know they can run (or walk) too.

If your program generates a large crowd, let the press know and encourage them to do a story.

If the program is very successful, consider adding a mid-week late afternoon option.

Run the training program for approximately 2 months. If you are electing to do a 5K at the end, don’t forget the marketing! T shirts displaying your logo and a catchy tag line will get noticed (and help you keep track of everyone).

There are a myriad of different avenues a program like this can head. The most important thing is to get up, get going and get busy!

Are You The Real Deal?

While vacationing recently in Wisconsin's Northwoods, we headed out on our annual trek to dine in one of the area's infamous "supper clubs". For those unfamiliar to just what exactly a "supper club" is, let me clarify. A supper club serves supper. And cocktails. And usually sports a sign at the entrance reminiscent of an early 60's motif, that many times features a martini. On Fridays, a fish fry is served. I couldn't wait.

We decided on a place called "The Red Man". Not much to look at, but the parking lot was full. Always a good sign on a Friday night. The inside wasn't real chic either, but it was full of people. Tables were free of cloth, and of the kind you drag out when you have extended family arrive for Thanksgiving. Each place setting featured a paper place mat and a large plastic bowl. The hostess took our names, and said, "OK. It's going to be about 30 minutes. I want you to get a drink and go out on the back patio and I will come get you when your table is ready." So. we did what she said.

After 25 minutes, the hostess stuck her head out the door and said, "Come on, your table is ready!" and we were seated. The bread came with the customary breadsticks and horseradish cheese. Delicious. Then came the salad. We could barely lift it. Bounty at its best.



A definite Red Man signature. The whole meal was fabulous. Our waitress Terri, was attentive, in charge, and kept the food coming.

My husband looked at me and said, "The place isn't much to look at, but it sure is the real deal." And it was.

So other than fond vacation memories, what's the point?
Here's the thing - The Red Man didn't have an outstanding entrance, lovely interior appointments or even cloth linens. Yet, the place was packed and our impression was positive. The Red Man visually under-promised and then over-delivered. It's like that one community in your neighborhood that you can't quite figure out. Not real glamourous, no over the top amenities, but everything is clean, friendly, and they're always full and raising rents. Simplistic, honest and committed to delivering the way the residents like it. The real deal.

If your community is an under-performer in the looks department, find a way to wow (What's your signature salad?) and focus on delivering consistently and excellently.

That's More Like It!

I received another survey this morning, from Trendwatching, that is far more my style than the one I blogged about last week. (see below)

This survey was simple, easy and allowed me to provide some honest feedback, all with a simple email response.

Dear Lori,

We hope you enjoyed our latest briefing on MASS MINGLING. As we’re gearing up to bring you even more content and services this September, this is an excellent time to let us know what else you’d want from us.

To keep things simple, just reply to this email, answering the following:

1. What do you like about our monthly Trend Briefings? And what could we do better? [your answer]


2. What (if anything) would make you want to try our Premium Service? 
[your answer]


3. What other content / services would you be interested in? Trend Seminars? Company presentations? Consulting? Networking? Anything goes!
[your answer]

Thank you so much, we’ll do our utmost best to incorporate your suggestions,

Warmest,

Tim Pitts
Subscriber & Client Services
 trendwatching.com

You want my feedback? Just ask for it. What’s at the top of my mind regarding your service or product is most likely what is important for you to hear.

Quit Trying to Exceed and Just Make It Easy.

I read an illuminating piece in the Harvard Business Review today that promotes a new perspective in approaching customer service. The article, Stop Trying to Delight Your Customers, written by Matthew Dixon, Nicholas Freeman and Karen Toman, examines the impact on organizations and their customers when the emphasis is placed on over-the-top service. What they found is surprising.

The research, (conducted on more than 75,000 people), found that telling employees to provide over-the-top service generally produces little more than a state of confusion, and it doesn’t build customer loyalty. In addition, there is little correlation between satisfaction and loyalty. We tend to buy from a company because it delivers quality products, great value or a compelling brand. We leave, more often than not, because it fails to deliver on customer service. So, while customer service can do little to increase loyalty, it can do a great deal to undermine it. Customers are four times more likely to leave a service interaction disloyal than loyal.

When it comes to service, companies create loyal customers primarily by helping them solve their problems quickly and easily.
For example,

Don’t just resolve the issue, head off the next. For example, simply providing an in-person apartment “tutorial” (i.e. how to shut off the water, reset the garbage disposal, etc) can head off future calls.
Arm your people to address the emotional side of customer interactions. Are your front line people trained in interpersonal communication skills? (This includes maintenance - they get more “face time” than anybody else.) Are they aware of words that can trigger negative reactions, (can’t, won’t, policy), and how to turn negative statements into positive? For example, instead of, “I can’t fix your garbage disposal - I need to order a part.”, say, “This challenge is repairable, and we will be able to get the part needed by Thursday and repair it that same day.” Remember, it’s not so much what is said, as how it is said.
Use feedback from unhappy residents to reduce customer effort. In addition to working with the resident to solve the challenge, collect feedback that informs service improvements. Use the feedback to streamline and create ease of use.
In a self-serve world, is your website cutting it? Spend as much time making your website intuitive and functional as you do pretty. How easy is it to use your website and get what you need from a resident’s perspective? If they get stuck, is it easy to get help?
Empower your team to deliver a low-effort experience. Innovative companies have stopped measuring outdated metrics based on productivity and evaluate on the basis of short, direct customer interviews with customers, essentially asking them if the service they received met their needs. Others are evaluating, not based on call time, but on how many repeat calls are received.

Finally, the research revealed although most companies believe that customers overwhelmingly prefer live phone service to self-service, that customers are, in fact, indifferent. (This could be a result of frustration with past interactions, in my opinion). This is an important paradigm shift and innovative companies will build their organizations around self-service, with reducing customer effort at its core.

My opinion? While I love over-the-top service interactions, this concept is a far more concrete, tangible, consistent and teachable approach to delivering service excellence and provides a very easy barometer by which to gauge policy and effectiveness. It’s the little things that matter. How easy are you to do business with? How easy is it for a resident to get a request or complaint handled ? Teach your people to make it easy, base policy on ease of use, and loyalty will result.

Keep It Short

I received a request to complete a survey today regarding my experience for a one night hotel visit earlier this month. It was the second request I received, and I figured since they asked twice, I would go ahead and complete it. When I clicked the link, I was informed the survey would take me from 7 to 10 minutes to complete. I clicked back off.

If you want feedback, keep it short, and in context with the experience. I don’t have time to spend a quarter of an hour, or a coffee break, or the time it takes me to write this blog, to complete a survey regarding a one night visit. Now, if the survey took 3, or even 5 minutes or less to complete, or I was offered something in return for my time, I would have happily complied.

Keep it simple. Ask relevant questions that provide insight, and most of all, respect your customer's time by keeping it short.

Drive Your Plants Up The Wall

Trendcentral reported this week on new products to bring the outdoors in and I about flipped my lid over a new modular planter system called Woolly Pocket Wally. With this device you can create an indoor plant wall - just think about how cool this would look on that wall you don’t know what to do with in your office, or how easily you could spice up a model by hanging one of these in the kitchen and planting basil in it. (Get it, spice up?)
Prices start at $49, which is far cheaper than most art.

While you’re at the site, check out the garden systems designed for schools. Pretty fabulous.

Who Cleans Up The Mess?

A few weeks back it rained dirt in Denver. Really. Seems some dust storm in Arizona was the culprit, and the muddy rain left a pinkish brown coating of dirt on anything exposed to the elements. Yuck. Parked at the airport, the red toaster was covered, and all I could think was, “Ick, now I get to clean all this up when I get home. What a mess.”

The dirt rain seemed metaphorical somehow - after all, how many times do we leave messes for others to clean up? The sky dumps dirt, the clouds move on and we are left with no choice but to clean up after it. It happens with my kids and my dogs, and it happens often in workplaces all across the country. Every office seems to have at least one “dirt dumper” that refuses to be accountable and leaves mess after mess for others to clean up, oblivious and dismissive of the impact he or she has on co-workers.

Whether you are the kind of person that leaves your dirty dishes in the sink in the office, fails to follow through on customer problems, routinely misses deadlines (leaving your supervisor to cover for you...again), or has buyer’s remorse and dumps the candle that looked good 30 minutes ago in the cough and cold aisle at Target (OK, I admit it, I have done this), understand that somebody is going to clean up your mess. If they know you, they will resent you for it. If they love you, your behavior may cause bad feelings and strained relationships. All because you refuse to be accountable and responsible for yourself.

So the question is, who cleans up after you? Should they have to?

Service Excellence - No Bobble-heads Allowed

Companies often ask me where to start in defining a true service culture, and the answer I give is simple, but not always well-received; train and trust.

If a company wants to be more than all talk and no action, its leaders (and anyone in a supervisory role) must be dedicated to training service delivery and then trusting that training will result in solid, “make it right” decisions that won’t break the bank. Sounds easy, but in fact, my experience dictates it is the hardest thing to do.

Before sessions, I routinely ask company leaders about their parameters; that is, how much money could a front-line employee spend utilizing their own judgement to make it right. Sometimes I get the $50 or $100 answer. Sometimes I am informed of programs that sound fabulous, but fall apart in actual delivery. Most often, I get a hedged answer that essentially means, “We don’t trust like that. Our frontline people could really mess that up, and I can’t put it out there that everyone has $75 to make a wrong a right because of the likelihood of abuse. Better to leave that scenario to managers of each individual community”. Hmmmm. Sounds like somebody doesn’t trust their people to make good decisions.

So, let’s say I am a leasing professional, and I have been told to make the customer happy. Be a problem solver. Deliver excellent customer service. Got it.

A resident comes in really angry. Someone has parked him in for the third time in three months and he will not be to work on time. I say, “I am so sorry. I will call maintenance and see if we can’t identify the owner, and if not, we will have the car towed.” The resident does not gleefully skip out of the office at this point, so I offer to pay for a cab to get him to work. (I do this with my own money, because the manager locks up the petty cash for the weekend and is the only one with a key. I have no idea if I will get the money back.) The resident grudgingly agrees, and I order the cab. I call my husband to bring over some money, as I don’t have $35 on me. Then I sit down and write a note to the resident, apologizing for his troubles and declare our intent to send out an all-resident bulletin on the consequences of parking someone else in. At this point, I think I am doing well. Will my manager?

That depends. That is the challenge with not setting parameters.

If the manager arrives Monday, hears the story and says, “Excellent work. I will get the $35 from petty cash right now and I am submitting your name for “Service Deed of the Month”, all is well.

If the manager says, “We don’t routinely give away money when people experience parking issues. Now everyone that ever gets double-parked will expect this kind of treatment and I have a tight budget. Are you willing to take the money out of your salary in the future?” all is not real well.
If the manager says, “You are not authorized to spend money without my approval. I am responsible for the budget and unless you would like to be, I suggest you contact me before making a decision like that again. I will think about whether you should be reimbursed. Resident X has done nothing but complain since he moved in, and I am sure there were other solutions we could have provided. I need to look into this,” all is terrible.

Whether or not we should fire the manager in scenario 3 is irrelevant, (and food for another blog post), the real truth lies in whether the leasing professional will ever demonstrate this kind of initiative again. The answer is, if it were me, probably not. Too much risk. Better to play it safe, keep my money in the bank and defer all challenges to the manager to decide. I essentially turn into a customer service bobble-head, smiling, nodding and saying, “I’m sorry”, but delivering little more than a pulse. I have no parameters and no training, and have been reprimanded for demonstrating initiative, therefore am rendered ineffective.

If a company is really committed to delivering excellence in service, the following is critical -

Throw away the rule book and commit to training.
Companies that routinely deliver excellence, routinely deliver far more training hours than average. They teach problem-solving techniques that inspire flexibility, promote initiative and encourage good judgement. How much service training do the front-line employees in your firm receive? Is initiative rewarded? Where are the priorities?

Determine reasonable parameters and then provide resources.
If an employee knows they have $75 to “make a wrong a right”, no questions asked, and most importantly, they have access to that gift card or cash, they know their parameters. If they have been trained well in situational scenarios, they understand what circumstance merits extra action and can deliver a recovery that will “wow” a resident.

Hold employees accountable to “seeing it through”.
If expectations clearly define that employees “own the problem” and hold them accountable to seeing it through, and that expectation is reinforced and rewarded, the focus becomes about problem solving and delivering to a higher standard, rather than about spending money.

Include all.
Anyone that has an impact on service excellence needs service expectation training. That includes corporate office personnel, managers, regionals, maintenance and of course, leasing professionals. All must believe to truly deliver and understand they have “permission” to do the right thing.

Hire well.
Great companies take hiring seriously as it pertains to the people working with it’s customers. How vigorously do you screen potential hires for their relating and problem-solving talents?

Nothing happens without training and trust.

Witness the Start of a Leasing Revolution - what a tool!

Live from the AIM Conference, the visionaries at Realty DataTrust have done it again - they’ve developed a product that any smart salesperson will lust after, and any smart company will quickly implement to gain a competitive advantage over their competition. Gather round...gather round...this concept is so fresh, it isn’t even available, but you’ll definitely want to be in line to snap it up as soon as it is.

By now, you have all heard about or seen the new IPad. Pretty cool concept. Tablet size. Multifunctional. Read the paper without squinting, you get my drift. Mike Mueller, apartment visionary that he is, saw the IPad, and its potential as a leasing tool, and created a Leasing Tablet specifically for the device. My head about exploded when I saw it. Where do I begin? Let’s say you’re in an apartment and the client says, “Is the school nearby?” You pull out your leasing tablet, hit Maps and take a look at the school (and the distance from),in whatever format (street, satellite, whatever) you would like. Then, you hit Floor plans to share the slight variance in the apartment layout your client will be getting. And that is just the beginning. Take your typical Saturday afternoon. You’re really busy and people are waiting. Instead of sending them away, or making them stare at the walls for 30 minutes, you hand them an IPad and say, “Please enjoy - surf the web, read the Wall Street Journal or hit Leasing Tablet and take a look at floor plan and pricing options.” You may find that by the time you get back, they’ve gone ahead and leased an apartment. It’s that cool.

Now, for the staunch curmudgeons out there thinking, ‘’Good idea, except they will all walk out the door”, they’re working on that - which is one of the reasons it’s not available yet. This application is going to seriously change the way we lease apartments. You’ve been hearing me pontificate for the last few years that we need to make it about the client, not about us, and so many times, people come in further along in the buying cycle than we feel comfortable with, yet we make them go back to square one, because that’s just the way we do it. (Plus, if we don’t hit all the bases we might get a bad shopping report, and then we could lose our jobs.) This changes all of that. I find it profound. I want one and I want to lease apartments with it. It’s a leasing notebook, 3.0 style. Fabulous. I can’t wait to see it in action. Get your lawn chair and get in line now.

Get Results By Keeping It Simple

The Marketing Profs newsletter reported this week on a recent Neuromarketing blog regarding typeface and likelihood of customers to provide the information you seek. In the blog, Roger Dooley writes, “you will be more successful if you describe the task in a simple, easy to read typeface.” he reasons that when something can be completed in a shorter amount of time, people are more likely to comply with the request - and less complex fonts create the impression that it will go more quickly.

Dooley cites research by Hyunjin Song and Norbert Schwarz, who asked two groups to estimate the amount of time required for identical exercise regimens. The first group read instructions in Arial—a simple, streamlined font:



The second group viewed a more complex, brush font:



Guess which group estimated the regimen would take longer? Winner, winner chicken dinner to those who guessed the second - 15.1 minutes vs. 8.2 minutes for the first regimen.

The moral of the story, of course, is to keep it simple. Not just in what you say, but in the way you say it. Complicated fonts mean complicated process to the consumer. The less time they perceive they need to spend, the more likely you will be to get them to sign up.

Sales Guy Extraordinaire Strikes Again

For the masses that regularly read my posts, you’ll remember that I have dubbed my dad Sales Guy Extraordinaire, and once again, he has lived up to the expectation.

During a recent visit, Dad took a phone call from a woman he later explained was a former customer who had purchased carpet some years back, when he worked for a company that was no longer in business. Seems the woman had a problem with her carpet, didn’t know who to talk to about it, so tracked Dad down and called him. He told her he would stop by and take a look.

Wha-wha-what? Really? Dad didn’t own the former company, and he most likely couldn’t provide much more than a little guidance and direction. Likely, the carpet would not need to be replaced. so his visit wouldn’t generate a sale. He could easily have referred her to another specialist, or explained that he couldn’t really help her. But that’s not what a sales guy extraordinaire would do, and that’s not what Dad did. When I asked him why, he looked a little sheepish and tried to play it down, saying, “She’s an older woman, and it will only take a few minutes to take a look. If I can help her out, that will be enough.”

When is the last time you simply helped somebody out, no strings attached? If you have a client and have nothing to lease, do you simply wave them off with a, “You might want to try down the street”, or do you make the call yourself, and get involved in the solution, rather than dismissing the problem? You know what Sales Guy Extraordinaire would do. He would get busy and actively find an answer.

The best salespeople are in it, not just for the money, but for the people they can help. By assisting in finding the solution, they build trust and referrals, and go home every day confident they have made a difference. Zig Ziglar used to say, “Help enough people get what they want, and you’ll get everything you want.”

That’s being extraordinary.

Ready, AIM, Strategize!

I know income streams aren’t exactly what they used to be, but the AIM Conference (Apartment Internet Marketing) is just around the corner, and if you market apartments at any level, it’s time you made your plans to attend.

There’s not a whole lot of fluff and fanfare at this conference, just quality, high level information that is about as forward-thinking as it gets. If you are involved with, or want to know about what is coming next in the world of Internet apartment marketing, this is the conference for you. Great minds attend this conference for insight - minds I know and respect, and often turn to for advice. You won’t be sorry. Plus it’s in Huntington Beach, for Pete’s sake. I can’t think of a better place to hold a conference.

Need a deal sweetener? I have finagled a discount for you. Book by April 20th, use the code aim2010snider, and get $50 off your registration.

Get going and get registered. I’ll see you there.

A Wolf in Consultant's Clothing -- 7 Myths of Apartment Blogs

The "every apartment community has to have a blog" hysteria rages on. As more apartment blogs launch, twice their number lay barren, the echoes of their month's old posts ringing on deaf eyes. Unfortunately our industry is being overrun by "social media consultants" who insist you must have a blog to gain a leg up in the market, and claim you must blog to open communication with residents and prospective renters.

Before you buy in, consider the contrarian perspective.

Myth #1 Residents want to read my blog.
No they don't. Residents want you to make it easy to pay rent and give them good and quick customer service when their thermostat stops working. Sure you may get a single digit percent of your resident pool who agree to subscribe after you bludgeon them with requests, but TMZ.com and dooce.com are way more fun.

Myth #2 I have to have a blog to rank high in search engines.
Any SEO or web marketing professional worth three clicks can increase your rankings on search engines with a smart web site and a strategically crafted pay-per-click campaign. With few exceptions, this is a crock. We have sites on the first page of Google in many markets, and it's because we put the right text in the right place on the site, not because blog postings with the winner of this month's cutest pet contest.

Myth #3 I can just have my leasing team update my blog.
Quality blogging is an art and science; the art in the selecting topics and crafting engaging posts, the science in the ability to actually write and the time management skills to keep up with a blog. Unless you're willing to provide support via training, and willing to shift other responsibilities to make room for blogging, this is a recipe for disaster that will surly result in an amateur finished product.

Myth #4 If I build it, they will come.
There are many tens of thousands of personal blogs and company blogs and industry blogs and mommy blogs out there, each with a proud and committed writer who have posted every single day for months on end. And only a small percentage of blogs get the kind of traffic needed to create a marketing platform. Increasing your readership takes a long time and many hours of effort. And most of all, it requires fresh and relevant content. (see Myth #6)

Myth #5 A blog will pay itself off with new leads and eventually new leases.
Other than very rare examples where a blog can be seamlessly integrated into a community web site, this is a complete fallacy. When a blog-proponent claims this to be the case, raise your right eyebrow and say, "prove it."

Myth #6 There are plenty of sources of fee content to add to my blog.
To be authentic, your blog content must be original, and come from sources connected to your community or your property management company. Just borrowing generic content about the importance of recycling and recycled news is just aggregated data, a trend that died in the late 1990s.

Myth #7 There is plenty of data that shows an ROI on multifamily blogging.
Other than business to business (vendors interacting with PM companies and each other), there is no empirical data about any sort of scalable ROI on apartment blogs. There are certainly some successes out there in specific demographics, but trends are measured by trend patterns over large areas, not by one offs.


And for those communities out there with talented, dedicated, on site bloggers who are afforded the time it takes to launch a truly successful online presence, and have the organizational support to make it work, good luck. You're doing it the right, and only way.

Now go fire your social media consultant.

The Last Impression is Lasting...Part 2

In a recent blog post, The Last Impression is Lasting, I wrote about paying closer attention to the last impressions we make with our residents and clients. The post generated some great discussion, and numerous individuals asked me to provide some suggestions to enhance the all-important last impression.

The key is to think of everything we do to create a first impression, give it a spin, and make it the last.

For example, to create a great last and lasting impression for the resident that moves out:

In the business world, when long term employees leave, the team sometimes throws a party and gets the employee a small remembrance gift. Think along these lines for your departing residents. Try doing something special during their last week of residency. Have a pizza or cupcakes delivered to their apartment with a “We’re going to miss you!” message.

Offer 30 minutes of maintenance time for move out week, rather than move in.

Make sure the last impression they have of your community is not a bill. If the resident is sent a bill, make sure to follow up with a personal note after it is sent. It should never be a surprise when people owe money, so do everything in your power to be proactive in this regard.

Three months after the resident moves on, drop them a line to let them know you miss them and would love to have them back. This is about the time people have decided they are going to move, or they are OK with their new community. If they decide to move...well...they loved you once, why not again? You’ll never know unless you ask.

Try sending a sincere letter from the CEO, thanking them for the time they spent at XYZ community, and mentioning the company portfolio and the commitment to excellence the company employs. Just remember, a letter from the CEO cannot be a form letter, or appear to be trying to sell something. To be successful, make it about them, not about you.

Creating a positive last and lasting impression generates referrals and the kind of goodwill that is not easy to come by. Who knows - you might just get a few of those residents back!

Feel free to share your favorite last impression techniques here.

You Choose.

A few years back, I was walking through the busy streets of downtown San Francisco, on my way to a client meeting. I stepped into a busy intersection, and, (to this day I swear I didn’t trip), fell down, face first into the street. There I lay, my brand new Coach briefcase vulnerable to being run over, (never mind myself - get the bag!) as everyday citizens stepped over and around me. I lifted my head, and in the corner of my eye, noticed a yellow vehicle approaching, and thought, “I am going to be run over”.

Then, there she was. A tiny sprite of a woman with a Herculean heart. “You need help!” she said, and somehow, that teensy woman, picked me up and dragged my sorry carcass off the street, while I muttered, “Get the bag...get the bag...” She got that, too.

At the corner, she steadied me, and said, “Are you alright?” I nodded, and pulled a twig from my hair, suddenly aware that my ankle was swelling to twice its normal size. “You be careful!” she advised, and was gone to the crowd before I could thank her.
The story doesn’t end there, but that is not the point of this post. Reflecting later, I wondered how many people had chosen to simply step around or over me that day, too consumed with their own issues to help the crazy lady laying in the road. In the end, that didn’t matter, because one chose to make a difference - to consciously stop and assist someone who needed her help. She chose to make a difference, and for that I will always be grateful, though I will never know her.

Everyday, we make choices as individuals to either get involved and make a difference, or not. Will you be the one who steps forward, unprompted, the next time someone needs you? Step up and help, or leave me in the street and steal my Coach bag.
You choose.

Strolling Musicians, Daring Cliff Divers and Exciting Gunfights

If you're a Denver native (rare, but possible), then you've been to Casa Bonita. Or at the very least, you've heard of it and heard the tales. If you're not from Denver, Google it. Better yet, Google Images it. Infamous even on South Park. (fast forward to the -3:00 mark)

Every city has a "Casa Bonita" kind of place. And every city has older apartment communities known to anyone over the age of 35. Kind of like a local six degrees of separation. "Oh, you're from Tulsa? I bet you knew someone who lived at _________." {wide eyes and lingering tone}

A branding spectacle, and from what I've heard, a cash cow during peak seasons. Let us all marvel at their shameless, self-satire and unapologetic acceptance of their brand.

Before I die, I have to find a Marketing Director or Developer who will let me design an apartment brochure version of the Casa Bonita menu, it's brilliant.

images via Artifacting

The Agony of Defeat

This weekend, I volunteered to be the high school Lacrosse team parent representative for their coupon card fundraiser. It’s a good deal really - $20 and you get a whole lot of “buy one get one” free dinners and golfing opportunities. I figured, with my sales expertise, we would at least sell our quota. What I didn’t count on was a little girl in pink pigtails named Lexie.

Due to a scheduling oversight, we were double booked for front-of-store space with none other than the Girls Scouts. It was their last weekend for cookie sales and they were out in full force. Five little girls, all uniformed and ponytailed up, ribbons matching their outfits, ready to do their part or earn their badge or whatever their motivation was. They were supposed to stay across the entrance from us, and their parents did. But the little girls...

Sales were brisk at first. (I believe the Girl Scouts were still setting up at this point). Members of the Lacrosse team would politely ask exiting shoppers to support the team and purchase a coupon card. People would wander up, they would talk a little bit, I would offer a testimonial about the card’s usefulness and that it would pay for itself, and 70% of the time the deal would be closed. Then we were hit with the giant cannonball and before we could recoup, Lexie and her team had taken over.

Two little girls carrying posters, one that said, “Help the Children”, and the other, “Last Weekend this Year”, planted themselves in the middle of the store exit and started yelling, “Help the children!” and “Last chance to get your Girl Scout cookies!” at the top of their lungs. Only it was even worse than that. Not only were they adorable looking, Lexie, their ringleader, had the most irresistible lisp, so it sounded more like this - “Help the childwen! Last chance to get your Girl Scout cookies foweverrrrrrrr”. Lexie got in front of every single person that walked out that door and with her cute smile, would say, “Would you like to buy some Giwl Scout cookies?” People veered left toward the table in droves, leaving my teenagers in the dust. Her accomplice had very large brown eyes, and when people would ask, “Are you selling lots of cookies, girls?”, she would shake her head, look distressed, and say, “Well, we’re not selling very many...” and off to the table their carts would turn. Near the end of her shift, Lexie incorporated a sense of urgency into her pitch. “5 mow minutes to get your Girl Scout cookies this yeawwww”. One of the boys muttered under his breath, “liars”. I thought, “5 more minutes and Lexie goes away. She most definitely has a promising future in sales.”

Then came the second assault. The second shift didn’t have Lexie, but they obviously had a parent with a marketing mind. They picked the two most adorable, and planted them in the middle of the exit with a tray of free samples. “Free cookies!”, they yelled in their sweet little girl voices. You don’t even have to guess what happened. My boys were suffering a complete and total defeat.

What’s a savvy marketing mom to do when faced with such odds?

I quickly reviewed my 4 P’s - people, product, price, promotion.
People - Gangly teenagers, that tend to avoid eye contact, and would rather be sleeping in than standing at the grocery store were no match for adorable and innocent little girls in pigtails and pink bows willing to talk to anyone, and spend an hour shouting a consistent message over and over. On this front, they had us, hands down. Plus, they had Lexie.

Product - Immediate and tasty gratification with an outstanding brand reputation and awareness factor versus a piece of cardboard that may or may not benefit the buyer - whether or not is up to them. They had us here, as well.

Price - $3.50 versus $20. Since we were essentially a point of purchase display, point goes to the Girl Scouts.

Promotion - We had a sign, (that the boys made, so you can imagine its marketing impact), and the boys wore their team attire. They had banners, (that one of the mothers obviously created), free samples, a sense of urgency message, and uniforms & accessories designed to maximize “little girl appeal”. A total and complete annihilation of the Lacrosse team. “Little girl appeal” trumps teenage boys every time. My son even admitted they had gotten to him earlier in the week - he couldn’t say no and bought 2 boxes.

I had to admit, it was a complete and total defeat. We simply could not compete for the same customer. But where to find a different customer? We tried approaching people as they walked in before the girls could get to them, but that didn’t work real well. And then it hit me. Every one of those Girl Scouts had a parent there. And every one of those parents was witnessing the slaughter. The next time one of the mothers wandered by, I stopped her, complimented her on her daughter, and asked if she had seen the coupon card. Next thing I know, I had sold the card. I instructed one of the boys to visit the Girl Scout table, buy a box of cookies and then ask if they would like to buy a coupon card. Guess who came back with a few sales? I told the next guy in line for my shift to hit up the next group of Girl Scout parents. We didn’t need to sell volumes, we just needed to hit the right target.

When your competition is walloping you hands down, (and let’s face facts, sometimes this does happen), stop competing for the same audience and find a different one. Look around you - who is the competition not serving? It is my bet that Girl Scout parents have no desire to eat even one more Girl Scout cookie this year, and that they are really ready to be done standing in front of grocery stores hawking cookies. It’s time they went out for dinner, and I have a fabulous card that offers 2 for 1’s at some really nice restaurants...

Do the Customer Math

Jeanne Bliss, author of I Love You More Than My Dog, (one of my new favorites), blogged this week about getting the CEO’s attention by working with your CFO and the customer database keeper to create a simple way to look at the flow of customers in and out of your company. She calls it the customer math:

Net Customers = Incoming Customers - Outgoing Customers

Jeanne recommends having every big meeting start with doing the math and discussing the reasons for why your customer asset is growing or shrinking as a way to start managing the asset that is the business of the business.

In other words, if you’re like me - a touchy feely, highly creative type, start presenting what you know to company leaders in their language to help demonstrate the significance of service to success, as well as create an easy formula to inspire relevant conversation and maintain focus among team members.

I like it because anybody can remember it. I would love to hear other formulas if you have them. Share here.

Intent vs Reality - What are You Saying?

I always learn something when shopping properties.
Sometimes I discover a new technique or have the opportunity to see an expert in action.
This week, I learned there is a big disparity between intent and reality.

Visit 1 - Leasing professional shows me a lovely property, but keeps telling me to “Go visit the website” for the daily prices. This is said repeatedly, even though I have indicated that I am looking for my mother, she has just put her home on the market, and isn’t even convinced she wants an apartment. There is no attempt to have Mom come in, experience the place, etc.. (although when I suggest it, they say, “Sure! We’d love to show her around”. No “I will take care of you, and make sure your mother is happy” moment. Just, “Go visit the website for further information. Your quote will be good for 72 hours”. Why would I rent an apartment online at this point? My mom hasn’t even seen it.

Intent: “I am being helpful and giving you resources.”
Reality: “In this market, all anybody cares about is the price, and I know that. So make sure you see the prices and are OK with them before you waste my time again. Come on back when you really ready to buy.”

Visit 2 - While in the golf cart, the bubbly leasing professional says, “I need to tell you about four things, because “they” will be emailing you to make sure I covered them”. She then goes on to tell me about her guarantees and that part of Mom’s rent will be put aside for a home down payment. (Mom is selling her house, remember. She doesn’t want to own anymore.) When I ask, “What do you get for telling me about all this?” she replies, “I get to keep my job.”
It gets better. As we leave the apartment, she says, “I know you’re not ready yet, but I have to ask, would you like to leave a deposit?” I just look at her.

Intent: I might get shopped and will get in big trouble if I don’t hit all the bases, so I am going to say things that you and I know are completely irrelevant to your buying experience and I will cushion the blow by removing myself from the equation. This way everybody is happy.”
Reality: I just threw my company under the bus because they have made ridiculous mandates that you and I both know are irrelevant to your needs. Frankly, I resent it. I will do it, but I will let the client know it’s really not me that is talking, it’s the corporate heads. After all, I need to keep my job, but I also need to lease apartments.”

Visit 3 - I dub her the “speed talker” because I only understand every 3rd word. (Remember, Mom has just put her house on the market, and isn’t with me), yet I am told about how I can’t use the double doors in the fitness center because they didn’t work, that I am to come in and out a specific door, and pretty much hear every rule and regulation as part of the sales presentation. And this is relevant to me, how?

Intent: I am funny and witty and keep the tour going nicely.
Reality: I have been here a long time and have my shtick is just right and it ensures somebody is talking. It also ensures I do not have to think.

You know I can’t finish there...

If you are a corporate executive, or anyone that creates policy and guideline, understand the more you force people to “follow the script”, the greater the chance an irrelevant presentation will be delivered. Seth Godin wrote in his blog last week about compliance and innovation. The more we demand people comply, “i.e., You will tell each client about each of our corporate programs”, the less innovative they will become. There is nothing wrong with mentioning company and the quality professed. Nor is there anything wrong with talking about company programs - as long as the client listening cares. Start placing more focus on the result rather than the process. Rather than mandating, focus on hiring the right talent, and teach technique in building trust, listening skills and following through.

Leasing professionals - you know how much I think of and value your talents and profession. You are my peeps. That said, it is time you wake up and step up to a higher level game. First, never throw your company under the bus. It makes you look bad. Start listening to what your clients are telling you and be responsible to help them get what they want. Be accountable to always, always, seeing it through. Think about what you are saying - does it matter? Is it relevant? If you find yourself saying the same exact thing at the same exact crack in the sidewalk during every presentation, change it up! Take a different path, try a new technique, have more fun. Understand the pitfalls and consciously work to avoid them. If you have a challenge with the criteria for shopping reports, then take the initiative! Create one that you think is fair, and be able to validate your reasoning. Then get it in front of somebody that can influence the decision. Stop sitting on your hands and work to control your destiny, if you value innovation in your presentations.

Design vs. Creativity

Multifamily marketers often use the terms "design" and "creativity" interchangeably, when in fact, they are very different. Complementary certainly, but different.

Good design is taught, studied and consistently implemented. Creativity is inherently maverick.

Design is about flow, alignment, spacing and relevance. Print design considers readability and font choice, web design is measured by usability and flatness, and interior design is grounded in the science of environment and space. It's a competency.

Creativity on the other hand is ultimately subjective. When you see an ad or a T.V. commercial and think, "I wish I would have thought of that," your envy is rooted in creativity. Creativity is how well you solve a specific problem for a specific person using specific parameters.

So should your marketing be creative or well designed? Differentiate your community by flexing your creativity muscle when given the opportunity, but don't expect all of your outreach will be creative. Stock photography is not creative. Neither are metaphor concepts or balloons on monument signs. Creativity is an effective resident retention program, and unique move-in promotion and flexing your policies to allow for customized rent payments.

Good design is mandatory, and should be evident in everything you produce, both online and offline. Design should speak to your target resident, and should carry the tone of your community or company. For example, 3D floor plans may seem creative, but they borderline on poor design because they're often difficult to understand. (apartment renters look at floor plans once a year vs. those of us in the industry who see them everyday) Most locator magazines and web sites are void of creativity, but their design allows for efficient consumption of large amounts of data that whether you like it or not, needs to be compared.

Most importantly, design allow people interact with it; and is neither creative nor effective if it doesn't sell.



Illustration Via Illustrator and Graphic Designer Frank Chimero

A Groundskeeper Named Lincoln

I toured a community with a a client recently, and as we pulled up, commented on how impeccably clean the grounds were. (Not a small task, given the age and size of the community.) My client said, “That’s because Lincoln works here. He is amazing. There he is now”. As we approached, Lincoln waved his shovel in the air in greeting. He came up to the car with a big smile and an enthusiastic “Hello! How’s it going?” My client commented on how good things looked, and he said, “Oh, thanks. They could look better - I’m working on that nasty pile of snow in the corner now.”

A thankless job, grounds. Many think it an easy position that anyone with a modicum of responsibility can do, and others think it a terrible job that anyone (including groundskeepers) would hate to do. Both assumptions are wrong.

Groundskeepers clean up after people, pets and the elements all day long knowing the next day they will return and start all over again. It makes me weary thinking about it. Funny, the really good groundskeepers I have had the opportunity to work with never seemed to get weary. They see in their position the opportunity to be creative, accountable and do tangible work every day, and understand the impact their efforts have on value creation and resident retention efforts. Making the community just right brings them strength and satisfaction. Lincoln has the kind of attitude that makes you smile, and think, “Why can’t everyone be like him? I want some of that sunny disposition!” He may not aspire to be president of the company, or even the manager. Yet, Lincoln is the kind of employee in the kind of job that should be revered and respected in our organizations.

If you have a great groundskeeper, stand up right now, find them and tell them how much you appreciate them, and how much their efforts mean to the community’s, (and your), success.

Are You Invisible?

The time and effort individuals are spending on sites like Apartmentratings.com detailing their experience, (most of which involves trashing the community and management staff in explicit detail) is appalling, and threatens the integrity of the site.

Yet, on almost every on every page I review, the only people talking are the disgruntled residents, (or family members of disgruntled residents), and occasionally a prospective resident whose observation of the horrific commentary has spurred them to speak on the lack of useable information provided, and proclaim the residents a bunch of whiny babies. The result is a whole lot of screaming and trash-talking and very little relevant information. The resident spends an hour creating an in-depth dissertation on why they hate the community they live at, then proclaims it to the world, and the management company says nothing. They are completely invisible and therefore not part of any conversation. Why not? Why are we ignoring these sites? They’re not going away, and they certainly aren’t doing the consumer any good given their current scope. In fact, they are turning the consumer off all together by making our industry appear pretty pathetic.

What’s a savvy property manager to do?

Reality Bites.
Perception is 99% reality, and the disgruntled resident has an outlet to proclaim their reality. Instead of being defensive, try to look at it from the resident’s perspective. Why are they so mad? Why are they willing to spend extensive time and energy proclaiming how incompetent you are?
It’s simple - some don’t feel heard, and some don’t like what they heard. If they don’t feel heard, why not? Is communication breakdown at your community commonplace? Do residents ever feel like they have been left “hanging” ? If they received an answer they did not want to hear, how was it delivered? Are residents expecting a level of service that is impossible to deliver, given variables at the community? Why do so many refer to the office staff as “rude and uncaring?” Take a hard look at your operation and the way you deliver. Where is the missing link causing the negative perception? Even if most of it is slander, try to find the real issue that is sometimes lurking below the surface. Stay away from being defensive, and acknowledge that they have a right to their feelings, exaggerated as you might believe them to be.

Say It To My Face
Gossip, rumors, did you ever notice the most outlandish claims against someone usually develop when they are not there to defend themselves? It’s easy to talk about somebody behind their back. But say it to their face...now that is another story. If residents that vent on these sites know you are there and present are they as likely to be as vicious? Probably not, and they may think twice before making broad, exaggerated statements. You are not there to call them out, but you are there, and they know it because you regularly respond, acknowledge their feelings and work to find solutions.

Who’s the Bigger Person?
When an individual trashes you and your integrity, your first reaction might be to get the boxing gloves on, yell “Oh no you did not!” and run at them swinging. Not a good idea as you have just stooped to their level. It will make you feel better for a moment until they punch back and suddenly all you have accomplished is your own version of a VH1 reality show. Lots of clawing, screaming and finger pointing and in the end, you lose. A better move would be to acknowledge the commentary, i.e.
“I am sorry you have had parking issues and can understand your frustration at not being able to find a parking space. As you have posted anonymously, I don’t know where your apartment is, and in order to best help you, may I contact you off line at your convenience? Or, if you prefer, we are open every day from 9 until 6 pm and our phone number is .......... . We will do whatever we can to help you.”
Stay calm, cool and collected and be the bigger person.

No Sniping When There is Nowhere to Hide
One of the attractions to individuals hell-bent on destroying you is that the review sites offer the cover of anonymity. They can say whatever they want, because nobody knows who they are. Until the FTC develops rules on testimonials and disclosure to force individuals to clarify who’s behind the recommendation or conversation sans ambiguity, your goal will be to draw the Sniper out of cover.
“I understand your frustration over the water leak that forced us to strip your floor bare of carpet and leave you like that for 8 days, and have reviewed all of my service requests in an attempt to determine who you are and why we would have erred this enormously, but I have not found any record of such action. We definitely want to speak to you about this and get it solved. Please contact us at your earliest convenience at.............”
Your writing should contain a neutral tone and an innocent look. Your goal is simply to understand and help.

At this point, you may receive additional sniper fire. Again, simply seek to understand, and suggest a civil future.
“Again, I understand your frustration and promise to hear you out one-on-one. Please contact us at your earliest convenience.”

What this says to others viewing the site, is “Maybe this person is a lunatic. The management company seems to be trying to work with them. Hmmm.”

Educate and Communicate
Many of the “complainers” at these sites seem to have an unrealistic expectation regarding apartment life. Complaints regarding noise, crime and the behavior of others can stem from a misunderstanding regarding expectations. If you have, for example, a parking issue at your community, teach the leasing team to define the expectation without damaging the benefit. Try something like this -
“How is the parking?”
“For this building, parking during the day will most likely not ever be a challenge. One of the wonderful things about this apartment is that it has a fabulous golf course view. That means there is only parking on one side of the building, limiting close-in access. You may find in the evening hours you may need to park in the lot one building over. I know a view is important to you - are you willing to make the accommodation for the peace, quiet and environment or should we consider other options where more parking is available?”

Teach your people to share the benefit in not having parking close-by. There are many scenarios that might be played out on this topic alone, dependent on community, amenities, etc.. Find what is good and build on that, rather than skirting the issue or making broad statements that don’t answer the question like this:
“There is one space designated for every apartment and you probably won’t have any issues, but it is first-come, first-serve. There is additional parking in front of the clubhouse if you should ever need it.”

Sharing in this regard requires a high degree of emotional intelligence and extensive training, but the time investment will be worth the reward.

Make sure your leasing professionals clearly understand and can explain the lease and the expectation regarding it. There is nothing wrong with stating, “Since this is a legal document between you and XYZ Apartments, we both have obligations to fulfilling it. Let’s review them. “

Explain the consequences for lease break, etc. I used to give my clients a brief quiz at the end, by saying, “OK, time for a lease quiz. If you decide to give notice at the end of your lease, what do you need to do? Why is it important to have renter’s insurance?” etc. Every good teacher knows to reinforce learning. Don’t assume they understand. Make sure they do.

Don’t spend all your time at these sites, but stop being invisible. Focus most of your attention on defining the expectation and treating your residents really, really well. Remember that the complainers, justified or not, are the minority. Let the happy people know they can go there and comment when they have a positive experience. Get a stamp that says, “Pleased with the service, pleased with us? Let the world know at apartmentratings.com.” Focus on service, consistency in delivery and communication training. Understand that while you want everything to be perfect, sometimes it just isn’t. We will not be able to live up to every expectation. Don’t beat yourself up, but be accountable for service delivery. Watch your scores rise.

What Size is Your Service?

My first job was at the Dairy Queen. I worked in a little building that had an outdoor walk-up counter and we would slide the window open to take an order. Needless to say, I can still impress my kids at any soft serve machine in town by, through the flick of my wrist, creating the perfect curl on the top of a cone. This craft was perfected through practice and cone size training. On the wall at the Dairy Queen, a small, medium and large cone were drawn to detail and we were expected to deliver the correct size cone to every customer. A small cone was to be 3.5 ounces and needed to have a specific shape, not too skinny, and not to short and stout. If we made a cone, held it up to the diagram, and it was too big, or too short, we needed to make note of that and try harder. If it weighed under or over the 3.5 ounces, by half an ounce or more, we were to scrape it off and make another. My naive teenage mind assumed this was to maximize profits and eliminate waste. What it really was all about was delivering consistently.

On a recent trip to our local Dairy Queen, the gentleman in front of me ordered a small cone. He got what appeared to be a very substantial small cone. As a matter of fact, it was quite large. I ordered the same thing for my son, yet, what we got was not at all the same. Though the curl was perfect, the size was about half of the other guy’s. My son took the cone and said, “Crud. We got jipped”. I knew someone was not following good cone protocol.

Did we get cheated or did the other guy get too much? Chances are good we got the perfect cone, but how would we know?

Make sure you can deliver consistently and predictably each and every time before you try to delivery extraordinarily. Consistently delivering what you promised, i.e. a clean apartment, timely service, functional amenities, etc. will result in long term residents and the trust in service that generates referrals.

The Last Impression is Lasting

We are a society that loves firsts: first place, first kisses, first apartment, being first in line, first to adapt, the list goes on. What about last? It’s not quite as exciting to be in last place, last in line, or last to the party. It seems natural then, that marketing efforts focus on first. The power of a first impression cannot be refuted. It is incredibly important to setting the stage and justifying value.

Equally important is the last impression we make. People remember most your last point of contact. What is the last thing a resident experiences from your company/community? A bill? You waving from the office? The dead shrub at the back entrance? Think of it like a book - the cover page, the pages in between and the back cover. The cover visually attracts and serves to create the vision and lifestyle expectation. The pages contain the story, or the living experience. The last lines and the back cover summarize and reinforce the book’s quality and content, and leave a firm impression on the reader.

Have you given as much thought to the last impression as you have the first? Don’t let another day go by without determining your strategy to deliver. What is the last thing you want your residents to remember about you after they say "goodbye"?

Get a Foot In The Box

I came across this product this week and just had to share. TheShoebee.com offers protective liners for your shoes with a twist - just put your foot in the portable shoe box, and the plastic wraps around your feet! Love it! I can think of a dozen uses for this - (client tours of ready apartments the first that comes to mind), and at $29.95 per box it's a no-brainer. Plus, the liners are free...forever. You might even decide to slap your logo on the box! I wonder if I could train my dog to step in the box when he comes in from outside... www.theshoebee.com.

If Your Community Were an Album, How Would You Sell It?

I read with interest a recent USA Today article on the new Susan Boyle CD, Dream. Despite being released in November, it has shattered numerous sales records and is the top selling release for 2009. I personally purchased one for my mother-in-law, and she for her friend. Marketed aggressively in a campaign that didn’t play by the rules, rather, was promoted almost exclusively through word of mouth, TV and the Internet, it became the must-have gift of the season.

A CD. Aren’t CD’s supposed to be dead? Isn’t the new word “download”? Here’s the thing: in an age in which digital is all the word, there are still people (and based on Dream sales, plenty of them) that don’t own an MP3 or IPod and don’t have the first idea how to download Itunes. They own CD players, and would value the gift of a CD by an artist they enjoy hearing. Antiquated they may be, but they have money to spend, and loved ones who will spend on them. While everyone else was going digital, Dream was marketed almost exclusively through word of mouth, TV and the Internet. Labels are recognizing each album is unique and tailoring campaigns accordingly.

As a lesson for our business, take a look at your desired consumer. Analyze how they buy, and what they desire, and develop a campaign that speaks to them. Should a new One Republic album be marketed the same as Susan Boyle? No. Different strokes for different folks. Don’t get so caught up in the rules that you miss a market that is right there, ready to buy.

Are You Talking About You...Or Talking To Them?

I have blogged numerous times about the power of powerful copy, but until now, have not been able to provide resources, (other than hiring a copywriter), that will assist you in preparing more powerful and compelling messages geared toward the consumer, rather than about you or your property. In other words, making it about them, and not about you. (If you have ever had a friend or colleague that can't stop talking about themselves, you know what I am saying here. They rarely understand what a true turn-off they are.)

Future Now offers a WeWe calculator that will help you discover what your word choices say about where your focus really is, and provides a sense of the impression you are making on clients. The tool won't make you a powerful copywriter, but it will allow you to see whether your messages are about the client...or about you. I tested 10 random apartment sites, and not one scored above a 46% in utilizing customer-focused words in their messaging. In other words, every community talked more about themselves using words like "I", "we", "our", and company name (just like a "we"), than they used words like "you" and "your". According to the tool's inventor, there seems to be a clear difference in the clients that score above 60%. That said, other influences can have an effect on your copy,and it's not always what you say, but how you say it, so use the tool simply as a fun exercise in seeing your words through the client eyes.

Have fun. Test each part of your site. Then, take a close look at your text, and make whatever changes you need to make to ensure your visitors feel your only focus is their satisfaction. If you want the consumer to perceive that you are focused on them, talk about them, their needs, their wants, and how they can get those needs and wants satisfied. Make it more about them...and less about you.