multifamily
Multifamily Monday: Enthusiasm Energy Authenticity
Mike Brewer · · 1 Comment
As temperatures start to rise around the country and the leasing activity in all of your offices takes off – it is paramount that your teams are pumped and ready to capitalize. Unless you are in the student housing business you no doubt understand the multifamily seasonal demand curve. For most of us in the Midwest leasing dies down around late October or early November and does not pick back up until late Feb early March. Knowing that, it is key to capture as many new leases as you can during this time. Equally, if not more important it is key to keep as many in-place leases as you can. Enthusiasm, Energy and Authenticity can help you with that.
Enthusiasm
Enthusiasm is hard work. Enthusiasm doesn’t scream out once your alarm clock goes off in the morning. It doesn’t just happen the second you put your feet on the floor. It doesn’t happen with the first cup of coffee or the first splash of water from the warm shower you hop into.
Not unlike most things, you have to get yourself pumped each day. How do you do that? Some read the bible or other inspirational literature, some listen to music and some meditate. I like to read Tom Peter’s or James Allen to get my day going. Whatever the case – find what it is that gets you pumped in the morning. And, promise me this – you are not getting amp’d because you can’t wait to get to work in the morning but rather because you want to be the best possible you in light of serving others. As nothing gives charge to enthusiasm as much as helping the next guy/gal get charged up.
Energy
Energy is born out of activity. I think we get this one backwards sometimes. I see energy as being manufactured out of activities such as exercise. It comes from motion. It takes energy to get out of bed in the morning. It takes energy to walk down stairs to make the coffee. It takes energy to get the dog fed. It takes energy to get your running shoes on. And, it takes energy to pound out a couple of miles before breakfast. But you know what happens when you are disciplined enough to do this daily – you are gifted more energy. You have to spend it to make it.
Authenticity
I really think that authenticity is born out of enthusiasm and energy. When you exude enthusiasm in what you do – no matter the art – you are perceived as being passionate, full of life and authentic. Now you could debate the merits of real enthusiasm and faked or forced enthusiasm but for the purpose of this discussion, let us assume we are talking about the real stuff. And, once you have enthusiasm, energy has no choice but to tag along. You getting pumped about your art and the energy to get it done will follow. And, with these two things working in tandem – your authenticity can’t be contained.
What do you do to get yourself fired up on a Monday morning after a crazy fun off the charts weekend?
Your – going for enthusiasm, energy and authenticity – multifamily maniac,
M
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The Customer is the Hero
Mike Brewer · · 1 Comment
“Make the Customer the Hero” – Ann Handley
Finding ways to make the Customer the Hero never was and still is not difficult. It is not some over the top mysterious ‘wish we could figure that out’ chaos math problem. No – it is much easier.
It is the please, the thank you and the “I don’t know but I will get back to you” follow through. It is the pausing long enough to assist with heavy bags, taking time to clean cigarette butts off of their sidewalk and taking time to make sure the bathrooms in your clubhouse are clean throughout the day and not just at the beginning. It is keeping your word when you tell someone you will do something. It is remembering to say a kind word or send a nice gift on a birthday, anniversary or holiday. It is remember to ask about their children’s activities, struggles and successes. It is majoring in the minors for people without losing site of the bigger picture. It is taking – Time.
The trouble most of the time is understanding origin. That is, where does that ‘making the customer the hero’ mentality come from?
The Hero Lies in You
I think the late great Whitney Houston said it best in the song There’s a Hero – in the song there is a lyric that sings like this …and, the Hero Lies in You. There is a hero that lives in all of us and he/she is right at home helping everyone around them feel like a Hero too… And, guess what – 100 times out of 100 times when you make someone feel like a hero – you feel like one yourself….
Your, remembering the hero inside becomes the hero outside – multifamily maniac,
M
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Multifamily Monday: Empathetic Listening
Mike Brewer · · 1 Comment
I love Monday – one of my favorite days of he week.
Today, we are doing a down and dirty lesson on empathetic listening or a fancy way of saying – pay attention. Empathetic listen is active listening or seeking first to understand and then to be understood. The goal being two-fold – listen on an emotional level as well as a cognitive level. In other words you aim to get a sense of how they feel and what they are thinking. And, remember empathy is not sympathy. Empathy speaks from experience; sympathy is there in support of.
When communicating with any one of your apartment residents over any issue, good or bad, use the following two questions to go deeper. If they are in your office complaining about a leaky faucet for the third time this week [and, presupposing you have experienced a persistent leaking faucet in your lifetime], stop and listen. Once they are done talking ask, “how does that make you feel. Or, suggest, “I can imagine that makes feel very frustrated or angry.
It seems obvious but many times, in our haste to get the cranky people out of our office, we don’t take time to validate their feelings. Guess what, that makes a person even more frustrated or angry. All that most people are after is an outlet to vent their anger, frustration or the such and they want the problem fixed. That is where the second question comes in. It is more cognitive in nature.
At the end of understanding their emotion; repeat the reason for the anger or frustration; “I see Mr. Ineedamyfaucetfixed; this is the third time this week you have been in to report your leaky faucet. Our service person has been over two times and still you have a leaky faucet. It bugs you because you are a light sleeper and the persistent drip against the aluminum sink keeps you up. And, you don’t think you should have to put a cup or a rag under the drip to soften the sound. You just want it fixed.”
Your – seeking first to understand – multifamily maniac,
M
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Choosing Not To Do
“The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.” – Michael Porter
You may want to read and reread that last line a couple of times. [It’s okay – I’ll wait…..]
I think for many of us, me included, it’s usually more along the lines of what do we do next? What is the next thing to tweet? What is the next platform to try? What is the next marketing idea stone that needs to be turned over? How do we differentiate? How do we compete?
All good questions and likely good stimulates for conversation. But, what we leave out is equally if not more advantageous in forming an effective strategy.
What are you choosing not to do this year?
Related material: Two Lists You Should Look at Every Morning
Pic Props: TSLBO
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What Apartment Marketing is Not
Apartment marketing is not thinking about every person as a renter or a renewal –
Apartment marketing is not about viewing people in the context of residing in your apartment communities –
Apartment marketing is not about getting people to celebrate you through a; Like, G+, Tweet, RT or the such –
Apartment marketing is not about broadcasting the right message at precisely the right to the right influencers –
What you’re saying in all of this is that people mean nothing to you. And, when they don’t respond you just don’t understand why….
Your thinking people-centric multifamily manic,
M
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