Beat the Clock

I read with interest an article in the Wall Street Journal this morning concerning people’s perceived wait times in the retail environment. It seems guru Paco Underhill timed shoppers in line with a stopwatch to determine how real wait times compared with how long shoppers felt they had waited.

Up to about two to three minutes, the perception of the wait was pretty accurate, but after three minutes, the perceived wait time multiplied with each passing minute. In other words, if a person actually waited 5 minutes, their perception was they had waited 10. Interesting.

Though we technically don’t make people wait in line, many times, they do have to wait. Based on this research, the longer they wait, the even greater time they will have perceived they waited. Heck, I have witnessed clients not even be greeted in 3 minutes.

What’s a savvy leasing professional to do?

First, understand that while lease paperwork needs to be finished, every second you spend focusing on that, rather than the customer waiting in the lobby, negatively impacts perception.

The paperwork will wait. You are paid to converse with people and lease apartments. Get to it.

Second, reality dictates no matter how good you are, sometimes people will have to wait. Provide something for them to do. Show a movie in your clubhouse, have current newspapers and periodicals available, (make sure there is something for every interest), and give your clients an indication of exactly how long the wait will be. Make it their choice by making them feel comfortable, but also offering an alternative appointment time. They will let you know which they prefer. Offer a beverage, or better yet, provide a Starbucks card and send them off for coffee, assuring you will be ready for them when they get back.

Most important, (this one is for managers and bookkeepers and individuals that do not perceive themselves as leasing professionals), never ever ever pass off a client with the, “The leasing professional is out right now, have a seat and she will be with you in a moment” line. When is the last time you were OK with being “passed off”. The people in front of you are most important and there isn’t a faster way to turn somebody off than to throw that line at them and return to your desk to do the really important work.

Three minutes. After that, the perceived wait doubles with every minute. Don’t make them wait.

Back Up the Train

I'm back. No excuses, just an explanation. Basically, I had nothing to say that I felt mattered. And my cardinal rule is...no crap. So, I didn't write for almost 2 months. Nothing at all. I found it refreshing. Then, today, I found something that needed to be said.

As is my routine, I was reading my Brains on Fire blog, (best blog ever), and came across Eric Dodd's post that essentially took all the concepts going on in my head and summarized them in less than 55 words -

It was a good reminder that there are an increasing number of amazing tools at our disposal, and an increased responsibility for us to learn to use them, but that tools will never fully replace sitting down with a customer and asking them how your company can make a positive difference in their life.

Exactly. It's time to back up the train, people. Have we become so enamored with the tools and the toys, (and the process, rather than the outcome), that we've forgotten the impact of simply talking to a resident, face-to-face?

Let me tell you, our people working on site with the residents haven't. But they feel obligated to the process, and that is impacting the outcome.

The Power of a Simple Action

While waiting for my plane on Southwest the other day, a general ruckus caused me to look up from my work, and take note of a situation unfolding right in front of me. The ruckus was coming from a woman in a wheelchair who was clearly in distress. From her tone, it was obvious she was in one of those situations where you get so mad you cry. I can empathize with that, as I have been there.

Anyway, why she was mad, (something about the wheelchair attendant not letting her stop to eat something), was not the issue. She was just mad. A supervisor had approached and was talking to her, with little success - she just yelled louder about how upset she was between sobs, and what he did next reaffirmed everything I have been teaching about the power of body language in conveying meaning - he simply knelt down on one knee, looked her in the eye and lightly touched her arm. She immediately calmed down, stopped yelling and started listening. He promised he would take care of her, and the situation, and as she was wheeled away, she reached in his direction as if to touch him, and said, “Thank you.”

Just a friendly reminder...it’s not what you say, it’s what you convey. He cared, and she knew it. Empathy goes a long way toward making a wrong a right. Actions truly do speak louder than words. You choose.

Can You Dig It?

Since three in four Americans show an interest in gardening today, it seems fitting to build a community garden for resident's personal and gastric enjoyment. Before you say, "Lori, we love this idea, but simply don't have the space to create a garden area - guess we'll have to pass.," consider these really cool and innovative products that will allow your residents to garden to their heart's content…in any kind of environment.

If you don't have the space, but the residents have patios, or you have common areas that could use a little flower power, Urban Garden offers a pocket garden system made from recycled bottles for $29.99! It makes a perfect move in gift for the gardener, and imagine how these could beautify common area spaces! If your budget is tight, there's a 2-pocket flower box for $15.99. Both are lightweight and fold for easy storage.

For that ugly old wall you just don't know what to do with, Plants On Walls living wall kit will allow you to create gardens where you never thought possible. A 32' by 51' wall kit starts at $528, and can be rearranged as the mood fits.

If character is your calling, Springwise reported this week on a spiral tube shaped device called the Whirligro. So chic, and so unique! The Whirligro can be used in gardens, on balconies, decking, flatroofs or anywhere. The plants grow in compost/soil in durable growing tubes. Love it!



So, there you go - get your gardening gloves on and get busy.
Anybody doing interesting things with you community gardening efforts? Don't hesitate to share.

How Did I Find You? First I Went Here...Then There...

As a testament to just how interesting it can be to figure out how people find you, I was reviewing my morning HARO via email this week, (it’s a service that connects reporters with sources qualified to talk about a subject), and read Peter Shankman’s blurb on a nifty new source called iwearyourshirt.com. Interesting, I thought - let’s check it out. And indeed, the site has some great marketing potential for “getting the word out’ about your brand. In my quest for information, I scrolled down to “recent videos” and saw a brand called “call-em-all” being promoted, among other things, as a tool for property management. “Hmmm,” I thought, “That’s my gig - I should check it out.”

I was directed to a YouTube video where an everyday guy wearing a call-em-all t-shirt told me all about how my residents would benefit, and my life would be made easier by automatically calling or texting every phone number on my list to notify residents of community events, (“Don’t forget, the pool party is tomorrow - bring a friend!”), announcements, (“You will have no water for the next 2 hours”), and pretty much anything you would need to let everyone know. Pretty cool. From YouTube, you know I then clicked on the call-em-all website to take a better look. Pricing is based on numbers in plan, so, for example, if you have 500 numbers, (250 apartments) the cost is $95 per month. The time and effort saved in copies, delivery and traditional strategies might be worth it, and...it’s immediate. Love that. So will the residents.

So there you have it. Email (HARO) to iwearyourshirt.com to YouTube to call-em-all.

Now, to continue the circle of life, if call-em-all is monitoring and effectively managing their online reputation, they will see my post, see that I talked about their product, be forever grateful for continuing the chain and send me a t-shirt. Which I will put on, take a picture of, and blog about.

Welcome to advertising in the here and now. That’s what everybody’s talking about.

Give an Old Sales Question a New Twist

Sometimes it’s good to shake up old norms and try something new.

“Where else have you looked?” or “Where are you planning on looking?” are questions commonly utilized as a means of determining which communities a client may be comparing ours to. They're good questions that will provide important insight...if apartments are all the client is considering. A better one might be, “What other options are you considering?”

Iconoculture reports on a post in Economist’s Outlook this week the share of adults under 35 living at home with Mom and Dad, especially among those age 25-34, is at the highest level since 1981, (a very long time ago - I know), at over 30%. The historical average is under 28%.

Since there are over 70 million young adults age 18 to 34 living in the US, that means somewhere around 21 million young people are living at home. Who knows how many more are considering the option, as it becomes more and more socially acceptable to do so, even into one’s 30‘s.

Think about it - options might include Mom and Dad’s basement, moving in with a girlfriend, or staying put. If you are competing with Mom and Dad’s basement, low rent and home cooking, you’ll want to build value in your community by highlighting the freedom and independence your client will enjoy.

For those that are already there, it seems likely that Junior may be getting tired of living in the basement, and even likelier that Mom and Dad may be getting tired of Junior. Maybe not, but the lifestyle benefits renting offers to both Junior, (and Mom and Dad), might be just the ticket.

On the flip-side, if your demographic is primarily 18 to 34, understand that this option is one your residents may be considering rather than renewing their lease. As it becomes increasingly socially acceptable to return to the nest for an extended period of time, and generally cost effective to do so, you may essentially find yourself competing with Mom and Dad’s basement for the renewal. Increased focus on freedom and the lifestyle opportunities renting offers will be critical to keeping this demographic.

Before selling (or reselling) anything, find out who you are really competing with - what other options are being considered?

Color - A Lesson Worth Learning

Smart marketers know the power of color. More difficult, is knowing how to utilize color to create the right impact.

I came across a fabulous tool today from journalism site Poynter.org that vividly and interactively demonstrates color theory and how to use it effectively through examples and exercises. (What this means is, you get to play!) I learned about the power of color, creating impact, after effects, how colors react when surrounded by others, and a plethora of other useful and interesting
information. I even got to design a number of my own pages, and see how different color pairings affect overall mood and impact.

Time to get busy and learn something. For your own color mood and meaning lesson, click here.

Say It and Believe

It's no secret that internal dialogue often influences the way people motivate and shape their behavior. Years back, I was inspired by a motivational speaker that encouraged self-affirmations on a daily basis. “I like myself” he encouraged us to say in the mirror, “I’m a GREAT salesperson!” So I did. And every time I did, I found myself chuckling. It made me feel, well, sort of foolish, dopey and, yes I will say it, good all at the same time. As a young trainer, I encouraged my pupils to do the same. I received relentless flack, from video spoofs to teasing, to an endless variety of pranks targeting the “I like myself!” affirmation. For each I laughed and took it all in stride, because, frankly, it is sort of funny to self proclaim how great you are.

The thing is, it works. Now I’m not saying that if you say “I am going to have a million dollars” every day for a year you will. You might, but the real point of self-affirmations (from my very un-clinical perspective) is how they make you feel. Nobody doubts that if I internally declare myself a bad person on a daily basis, that sooner or later I will most likely start to believe it. So why not the other way?

My former colleague Stasia Vishnevsky sent me this video yesterday, and all I have to say is, this is the kind of person I want on my team. When you yell, “Can we do it?” you can bet she is going to yell back, “Yes we can!”

Enjoy. Then get in front of the mirror and say a little something nice to yourself. If nothing else, you’ll get a good chuckle.

A Way to Make Storage All About You

I came across an interesting twist on the self storage concept today, and just had to share.

Storagebymail.com offers free round-trip shipping to a centralized warehouse where your boxes are kept until you need them back. All you have to do is download a label (they even have an app for that), schedule a USPS carrier pickup and pack your boxes. That’s it. The price is $29 per month for 5 boxes, $49 for 10.

Easy breezy. Somebody else does all the work. Convenient. And a new solution to that old objection, “not enough closet space”.

Take a peek. They’ve taken the U Store It concept and truly made it all about you.
Let me know if you have tried this service and what you think.

Goals that Get Them There

We all know that goals should not be determined for salespeople, (trans: leasing professionals), rather, with them. If you set the goal, it is your goal, not theirs. The question is, how do you set a goal that isn't a no-brainer, yet not so aggressive it is nearly impossible to meet?

When establishing goals with your leasing professional, ask this first -

“What number do you know for sure you can hit?” Then wait. The leasing professional will respond with a number. Here is the key. They will most likely respond lower than what they know they can do. It’s human nature. They want to hit the goal.

In this case, let’s say they say “9 leases”. Since you know this is probably a little less than what you know can be accomplished, and dependent on community variables, you might add 2 and then throw on 2 more for a total of 13.

Then say, “Since we know you can hit 9, how does 13 sound for a goal? If you hit 13, your bonus will be xxx over what if would be at 9. Do you think you can do it?”

If they say “yes”, it is their goal and they own it. If they say “yes with conditions”, hear the conditions, and, if they are reasonable, summarize and take it home by saying something like, “If I am hearing your correctly, you are saying that as long as we have ready product to show, and something available to lease, you feel confident you can hit 13 this month. If I make sure that happens, can we agree to 13? Excellent.”

Remember, effective sales is not just about the salesperson's performance, external forces can impact success. Deliver on your end, and hold your salespeople accountable to deliver on theirs.