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.