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.

Yes, I Can!

I purchased eyeglasses from Target Optical last week, and when I called to see if my glasses were ready, a very pleasant gentleman answered the phone. The call went something like this:

"Target Optical" (nice and to the point)

"Hello, I was wondering if my glasses are ready for pick up."

"I can check on that for you. May I have your name?" (provided name)

15 seconds later...

"Mrs. Snider, it would appear that your sunglasses are here, however, I don't see your glasses. If you don't mind holding for just another moment, I can check another spot for you."

"Certainly."

15 seconds later...

"Hello, again. I don't see them there, either, but there is one more place they might be if they were delivered this afternoon. Do you have time to stay on the line while I check?"

"Sure."

"I don't see them there either, which means they haven't arrived. We do have your sunglasses, so if you were planning on a trip to Target anyway, they are here for you. I am going to make a call to the supplier to determine the status on your glasses. I can call you back when I get that information. May I have your phone number?"

"OK. I appreciate it." (provided phone number, pleasantries and completed call)

Within 30 minutes I had a voicemail indicating my glasses would arrive in 2 days.

Wow. An impression made in less than a minute. I asked for service, the Target team member owned it, saw it through, and delivered an answer, all while providing the greatest respect for my time. The answer I received was not optimal, of course I would have preferred the glasses were in. The fact that I received an answer, and didn't have to call repeatedly or be left hanging as to status, from an individual that engineered my satisfaction by treating me with respect and friendliness, surpassed my expectation regarding delivery.

People, for the most part, don't expect perfection. They want to feel they are important and in the loop as it pertains to a service issue they are experiencing. They want to know somebody's "got their back" and isn't going to pass the ball, or worse, drop it.

Communication is key. See it through. Make sure every resident you serve gets an answer and is kept updated on an issue's progress. No news is, to the client, not good news. Let them know what you can do...not what you can't.

Why You Should Get On Zillow Today

Zillow, one of the largest real estate websites, launched their rentals products division this week, and I must say, the opportunities for exposure, especially right now, are pretty good, mostly because there are very few listings. Given the popularity of the site and the fact that finally, companies are noticing the potential of having real estate sales and rentals play in the same sandbox, I expect that will change. The site offers the industry’s first mapped search by monthly payment, which allows shoppers to simultaneously find for-sale and for-rent homes, based on a monthly payment they can afford. With the appeal of home ownership and its appreciation benefits waning, it stands to reason that increasingly, some consumers will care more about price and location than whether the property is for sale or lease, and when comparing benefits, may elect to lease.

According to their website, the cost is just 9.95 per listing for 180 days to reach 8.3 million people every month, including a million renters and many others who are on the fence over whether to buy or to rent.

For $9.95, it’s a no-brainer. Lease one apartment and you’ve generated quite a return. If you lease nothing, you’re out 10 bucks. Get on Zillow today.

Goal Setting Reminder - A Gentle Nudge

If you’re one of those people (like myself) that creates goals for the New Year, and has really good intentions, but within weeks, forgets the goals, or even where the goal list went, this site is for you.

As seen in the Oprah Magazine, at www.futureme.org, you can jot down one goal or ten, write a letter to yourself, or even make a list of current trends, and then, at the future date of your choosing, (even 10 years from now), your goals/letter/timely trends will pop into your in-box. I set my goals for 6 months down the road…to provide a gentle reminder of the direction I had hoped to be going in.

Simple. Easy. Keeps you on track. Just in time for the New Year.

Top Gripes

A recent Consumer Reports article on what bugs America most, reveals that Hidden fees and Not getting a human on the phone are the top gripes today. The survey of 1,125 Americans, asked respondents to score gripes on a 1 to 10 scale, 1 meaning "does not annoy you at all", and 10 meaning "it annoys you tremendously".

Hidden fees scored an average of 8.9, and Not getting a human on the phone 8.6.
In other words, both really tick people off.

Yet, on any given day, we can call a community (or company, suppliers this is for you too), and get a long winded answering machine that is anything but human, then be presented with things like "non refundable lease processing fees" that really don't clearly explain what exactly they pay for.

In my consulting practice, I see professionals spinning their wheels and lamenting over lack of traffic, yet disregarding easy fixes right in front of them.

Utilize a service like Level One as backup to ensure calls do not got to voice mail - that a live human always answers the phone.

Simplify your fees. Consider what it's worth - in an economy such as ours we can't afford the perception we are gouging the client. When people are worried about every penny, they will not overlook the "fees" and will assume you are trying to take advantage of them. There is a general distrust of business today. Don't affirm it. Find another way. Either incorporate it into the rent or, if vacancy warrants, stop charging the fee - don't waive it, as it is still, to the consumer, a "shady" fee.

Get back to the basics. Are clients easily able to reach you? Are you fair in your practices? Can you logically explain all your fees and specifically why you charge them?

Then ask your residents a really tough question: "What really annoys you about doing business with us?" You might find it's an easy fix. Or, maybe not. Either way, you need to know.

Is the Focus on Closing Getting You Anywhere?

Seth Godin published in his blog this morning some thoughts that perfectly relate to my feelings on the "closing hysteria" many companies seem to suffer from in the multifamily industry. It's time we figure this out and change our approach.

As a speaker and consultant, I often have clients call and declare their dismay at the lack of "closing" exhibited on the shopping report scores. "Lori, we need a class on closing," they say. "Nobody is asking for money. Our visits to closing ratios stink". Fair enough. When they ask for this, my first thought is to shake my head, wonder if I should try to pursue the subject and the real issues, or simply pull out my "10 great closes to try" material and make 3 hours of teaching people how to manipulate others to buy.

See, the problem is, it doesn't work. If you have to teach somebody how to ask, or to ask, you simply have the wrong person in the position. Sales is a talent driven occupation for which an individual is blessed with the ability to woo others. If your people don't have that innate talent, they probably won't be real successful in sales. That simple. You can teach and require all the approaches you want, but if they feel uncomfortable asking, (usually because they feel they are being too aggressive or "pushy"), the client will sense it and quickly exit stage left.

People with "the talent" will benefit from learning different approaches to try, but in general, they will ask anyway. They know their role in sales is to help others get what they want, and when they feel they have accomplished this objective, they can't help but ask. They feel it would insult the client not to.

The first real issue, then is do you have real salespeople representing you, and if not, why not?

Then there is the issue of what we'll call "Executive Perception". Many higher level organization heads perceive sales as being a "no brainer" that pretty much anyone can succeed at if they follow the script and ask for the money. Oh, how I wish that were true. If there were magic words, assuming I knew them, I would be as rich as Bill Gates. We're operating on a double standard that is hurting our businesses - we tell the salespeople to "be themselves" and "customize the tour", and yet we measure performance on how closely they stick to the script, and slap the biggest point values on "Did they close 7 times?" If a car salesperson asked you to buy a car 7 times the first time you walked on the lot, would you buy it? Chances are good you'd run. Chances are also good you wouldn't buy on the first visit. Yet, we expect that our salespeople be so good they can generate a $12,000 sale within 30 minutes from the time the client walks through the door. It does happen - occasionally. People are desperate or they just don't care, or most likely, they have done extensive research and are well into the buying cycle by the time they get to us.

Are you measuring the process, or the result? And, is the expected result unrealistic given the amount of vacancy in your market? The consumer is smart, and in the good old days, would make a $12,000 decision in 30 minutes because they had to. Yours may have been the only vacant apartment for 5 miles. Today that's changed. They know there is plenty of availability because we scream it from all the FREE RENT banners hanging on our buildings...all the way down the street.

Last, as Seth says, how much time, money and effort are you spending building trust vs trying to close a sale? Trust is built through the quality we exhibit, the transparency of our company, the openness with which we share what we do that is good, and for the greater good. Smart salespeople know that trust is inherent to sales success and though they always ask, understand that many will say, "not yet, I am still researching', and will honor that. Most important, however, they know that follow up is critical to success and will see it through by following through.

The real focus, (and training), should be on hiring the talent, building trust and following through.

Stay tuned, and next week I will offer some tips on hiring the right talent.