word of mouth

Is Entrata the Product of a Trojan Horse?

Mike Brewer · July 3, 2012 · 25 Comments

Two words – Trojan Horse

Brilliant Word of Mouth

No doubt the word of mouth marketing campaign that Entrata (Property Solutions) is using to bring about awareness is brilliant. It is off the charts – cool.

Check this video out – it’s one of four that are uber-cool.

Trojan Horse

All the brilliance aside, I can’t help but to call a trojan horse on this one. Full disclosure, we are a client of Property Solutions. And, for the record there are very few occasions where I would call a spade a spade publicly. This one just has my gut screaming. It seems that our partner entered into a relationship with Yardi in part (or, it evolved into that) to get a good look at the back office. Not unlike Steve Jobs did when he bought his way into looking at what Xerox was up to years ago before graphical user interfaces entered the mainstream. While Steve spun that to be an okay thing –

I am just not buying it from Property Solutions. One does not have to look to far to get what I mean – take the definition of Entrata for instance:

entrata

(nautical) to board (to capture an enemy ship by going alongside and then invading her)
(slang) to improve

To capture a Property Management Software System by going alongside (inside) and then invading Yardi… Sorry, improve is likely what they were going for.

Every Property Management System is Lacking

In all fairness – I think every property management software platform is terrible. They all cater to accountants (not to discount accountants – I have some great friends from that world). But, accountants don’t run properties. Sales people, psychologists and craftsman do. There is no Apple about Yardi, MRI, RealPage or any other system out there. They are all complicated, stodgy, aesthetically limp, expensive, slow and they hold your data hostage to a mind numbing degree.

Baseball Jersey

Last week I received a package in the mail. Contents: A baseball Jersey from Property Solutions with Entrata stamped across the chest and the number 1 stamped on the back. And, a letter dripping with edifices and endorsements aimed at juicing me up to write about this new property management software offering.

#gameoff – I was jazzed until the curtain was pulled back and it became apparent that Entrata was in fact a product of Property Solutions. Likely not the post they had in mind and I am borderline apologetic for that. Excepting that the relationship has not been without pain.

Service

Would I endorse this product? Not even on it’s best day. For two reasons. It’s intellectually disingenuous. And, it speaks volumes to the reason our service experience has been less than just bad. It would suffice to say that all hands have been on deck to include some brilliant marketing efforts to get this product to market and the ask for forgiveness machine has been in full affect. That experience is to include an email I sent six days ago asking for some clarification that has gone unanswered.

I can’t help but to use the over-used and abused #fail hashtag for this one. There is a huge difference between being shrewd and just swindling.

Your hoping I am completely misplaced in my remarks so much so that I eat crow for this post but thinking I am not alone in my thoughts multifamily maniac,

Relationships Are Hard Work

Mike Brewer · May 30, 2012 · Add Comment

“More contact means more sharing of information, gossiping, exchanging, engaging – in short, more word of mouth. – Gary Vaynerchuk

Relationships Are Hard Work

Gary is right and the implications are huge. And more contact means more relationships.

But, do you want to know why so many relationships turn sour? Simply put – they are often times emotionally messy and full of hard work. Be them with family members, BFFs, marriage partners or otherwise – when the honeymoon phase wears off they become work.

And, to the extent that you pour your body, heart, mind and soul into them – the more or less successful they are. Make no mistake – relationships are not for the weak-willed or weak-minded. There are full of give and take and require constant contact in order to be fully productive.

Apartment Marketing Word of Mouth

Pre-supposing that we all agree that relationships are hard work, we can likely also share in the fact that the socialization of the apartment business is hard work. But, work that is necessary if you really want to capitalize on the powerful effects of word of mouth or WOM for short.

I won’t go to great lengths discussing the how to’s and the what for’s of word of mouth as it relates to marketing and leasing apartments but rather the need to ensure you are where you need to be. Word of mouth as it relates to marketing and leasing apartments now demands that you be everywhere on every platform that people want you to be. It’s the now old axiom “communicate with people how, when and where they want to be communicated with.

Barriers to Contact

With the advent of the internet and the proliferation of social platforms comes a whole new level of business never before experienced. The barriers of have all but fallen into oblivion making it possible for apartment marketers everywhere to be in direct contact with everyone that wants to do business. And, with that comes the necessity and responsibility to work harder at relationship than you ever have before.

Your business depends on it. #gameon

Your – working for #gameon – multifamily maniac,

pic props: giovannilivera.com