The other day, I overheard an apartment manager say, “Have you read your lease?” in answer to what, apparently, was a ridiculous request, and I thought, “This is not going to end well for the resident. Manager wins.”
Then I thought of some of the other impulsive,
condescending and “shut-em down” statements routinely used to keep residents in
line and get them to go away.
“Your lease clearly states…”
“It’s not
our policy.”
And my favorite…
“If I did it
for you, I would have to do it for everyone, or I would be violating Fair
Housing.” (Admit it, you joined me in reciting that one as you
read it, didn’t you?)
What? Violating
Fair Housing? Really?
I cannot think of one way any of these statements could
leave a positive impact or increase resident value perception. Please, if anyone does, do not hesitate to
share.
But wait, there’s more.
“I’m sorry
but,” (you know something bad is coming the minute
they say, “but”).
“If it were
up to me, I would do it, but I could lose my job.”
And a maintenance favorite…
“Yeah,
they’re all like that, and I told them we needed to replace them but it wasn’t
in the budget.”
When your words and tone can be translated to, “You should know better,” or “I’m really not sorry, I’m just saying that
to soften what I am about to tell you” or “This place sucks and it isn’t run well because the company is too
cheap to fix things”, or “I am afraid
to make a decision, so I am going to hide behind the Fair Housing poster now”,
understand it will likely not end positively.
Why do we do say these things? I have a couple of theories.
1. It’s easy,
and humans are inherently lazy. It takes
effort to really listen and try to understand another’s perspective. Easier to
prove them wrong and send them away.
2. We don’t
know any better. You heard your manager
say it, so you say it too.
3. We don’t
know what else to say, because we believe the only way to end the discussion is
to have won.
4. Solving
problems is hard and we are afraid we might indeed violate Fair Housing if we
make an allowance.
5. Jaded
Pessimism. Give ‘em an inch and they’ll
take a mile.
6. Black or
white is the only way. There is no gray,
or meeting halfway.
At this point you may be thinking, “Lori, I get the answers aren’t the best, so give me a better line.”
Here’s the problem.
There is no “pat” answer, no wonderful line that will shut people down
and leave them with a smile on their face.
But there are things you can do.
Let’s say you have a resident who thinks pet fees are
unfair and he shouldn’t have to pay them.
1. See
their perspective and agree, at least partially.
"I
can see why this doesn't seem right to you. You are a responsible dog
owner."
2.
Offer an alternative perspective. (This is where the homework comes in).
Ask
yourself, why? Why do you have pet fees in the first place? Well,
we know that pets leave waste, some damage apartments, they leave dander which
could affect other potential residents and they cause additional challenges to
residents in the form of barking, etc . We also know some people simply
don't like pets and don't want anything to do with them.
Remember,
we do not place this answer to the resident in this context, nor do we give the
standard spiel that doesn't really answer the objection.
3. Re-context. Keep it truthful and sincere. This is a
dialogue and you are not in-it-to-win-it. This is about having a conversation with the individual.
So, it
might go something like this:
"I can see why
this doesn't seem right to you. You are a responsible dog owner."
"Please understand,
we choose to be pet friendly community even though many owners are not as
responsible. Pets do cause wear and tear in the form of waste, dander,
damage and, sometimes, as a nuisance to other neighbors who don't have pets.
For this reason, we charge pet owners a pet fee, as it simply wouldn't be
right or fair to pass on those costs to residents who choose not to have them."
Then
they will likely say, "My pet never
bothers anyone."
To
which you might say, "Likely not,
but have you thought about something as simple as your dog barking in the
morning to wake you? I'm not saying yours does, but lots of dogs do.
If the dog wakes you by barking, it might very well wake the guy above
you every single day. That's something they tolerate, and they may choose
not to stay at the end of their lease term if it's bad enough. Of course, that
is a hypothetical situation, but pets do impact the overall community, and
while we are proud to say we are pet friendly, we have to ensure those that
don't like pets never have to step in waste, or have allergies act up from an
apartment that had pets in it. All of that comes at a cost.
That's why we charge a pet fee."
To
which he may say, "Well I still
don't think it’s fair. My pet never does anything wrong."
"Understandable.
And you do have choices. I will tell you that our pet fees are on the low
end of the spectrum in comparison to our competitors, and we work hard to
ensure we stay competitive in the market. It's hard, because we love our
pets, but they sure can be a bit costly. I hope I have provided you a
better understanding as to why we charge the fee. If you would like, you
are more than welcome to pay your pet fees for the year all at once, then you
don't have to hassle with it for the rest of the year. Is this something
you would like to consider?"
Last,
if you believe your pet fees are completely outrageous…find another way.
Perhaps you can raise rent or bundle it. Maybe after a certain
length of residency with no issues, the pet fee is reduced. Do a competitive
analysis. Don't just assume because it’s
been the policy, it has to forever be the policy. Find a way to change it
up and make it more consumer-friendly.
Look
to find solutions and know there is no standard answer - it’s all about
preparation, knowing your market, understanding why, and then delivering that
message sincerely and truthfully. Get
with your team this week and practice this exercise with a request or objection
you find yourself giving a “half baked” answer to. Think about the words you say, and what they
convey. Look to find a better way.
Every word counts.
Lori
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