marketing
Open the Store
Mike Brewer · · 1 Comment
Photo by Mike Petrucci on Unsplash
My stepfather often recounts the practice he held dear – opening his farm supply store 30 to 45 minutes ahead of time each day. The motive? Preparation. He loves being ready for the day, ensuring he doesn’t face surprises or last-minute scrambles.
His routine is meticulous: cleaning windows, dusting mats, sweeping the entryway and aisles, adjusting signage, setting the sales counter, confirming adequate cash in the register, sharpening pencils, and ensuring inventory are aptly stocked. He finds satisfaction in these morning rituals, and they set the tone for his day.
A recent Ellis Shopping Report struck a chord with me – a brilliantly laid-out reflection that lost its sparkle when it mentioned two apartments infested with dead bugs. Not an ideal image for a prospective resident.
This is not a critique of our team’s efforts but a reminder of the importance of preparation. Consider your apartment like a store. You should be eager to open it for business every day. Whether you prepare early in the morning or later in the evening doesn’t matter. The essential part is readiness.
One might argue that they don’t have time to check the units they are leasing multiple times daily meticulously. However, let’s reflect on the value of a customer. In our market, the first-year value is upwards of $20,000. And remember, a single dissatisfied customer can sway the opinion of several others with their negative experiences.
We’re in the battle of our lives every day. Every detail matters. It’s all marketing, all the time. Every element of your property, from the curb to the commode to the lease contract, is part of the show, and you’re the star.
Being the star requires world-class preparation. Stellar performers don’t wait for problems to surface; they prepare to prevent them. They open their ‘store’ every day, in every sense of the term, making sure everything is in order, and ensuring their customers always come first.
So, embrace the role and show the world that at your ‘store,’ Customers Mean The World to Us. With meticulous preparation and unswerving dedication, you can make every day a spectacular performance.
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Personal Apartment License
Here’s an idea for brand new lease-ups.
Sell personal apartment licenses. Make it very exclusive; sell 10.
What is a personal apartment license?
The license gives people the ability to be among the first 10 people to lease apartments in the new community.
It’s an exclusive group that will forever have the claim of ‘first’…
Your thinking about how to sell personal apartment licenses Multifamily Maniac,
M
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People buy for the experience
I think it’s fair to say that people no longer buy things for the sole purpose of functional use. They don’t rent apartments just to occupy space.
They rather rent for the experience created in the leasing office or the perceived experience after they move in.
People want to experience something cool – something they can tell their friends and family about.
They need brag-a-log material.
Give it to Them
If you get nothing else out of this blog in 2014 – get this:
People who work in the multifamily space are in the experience making business.
Get busy creating compelling ones…
Your looking for compelling experiences Multifamily Maniac,
M
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We Charge $125 to Tour an Apartment
Truth is we really do not charge $125 to tour an apartment. But what if we did it?
I wrote a piece earlier this year that ended with the question – what if you charged for touring an apartment? What would you do differently?
You’re not really thinking about charging for an apartment tour but wondering what we would do different if we did Multifamily Maniac,
M
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Surprise instead of free rent
We are all accustomed to giving away discounts or concessions at time of move in or lease renewal. As an industry we have taught our customer to expect it. It’s time to change that.
Surprise
Starting tomorrow take the money you would otherwise give away in concessions or rent discounts and create an equal number of surprise dollars. Deploy those surprise dollars through random acts of generosity:
Every 10th person that walks in the door to pay the rent gets to pay $50 less
Every 22nd resident gets tickets to a local professional sports event
Every 7th resident gets a gift card to a local restaurant. Partner with that restaurant in ordered to subsidize the surprise
Every 33rd resident gets a free fitbit
Every 25th resident gets a free gym membership. Partner with the local gym to subsidize the surprise
Every 54th resident gets to do their laundry free for an entire year
Every 100th resident gets their cable bill comped for one year
Every 4th person that turns in a service request for leaky faucet gets a gift card to a water park
Every 17th person that turns in a service request for a noisy refrigerator gets a freezer full of meat
If you run a business in Colorado every 420th person to call in a service request for a smoke alarm battery gets a fat one. Okay – maybe don’t do this one…
You get the point.
You’re looking to surprise the hell out of our residents this year Multifamily Maniac,
M