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Toni Blake 

 Toni Blake 

President, TotallyToni.com

Primary Topic: Marketing and Leasing

Bio: Toni Blake is celebrating 30 years in multifamily housing. She has been researching, designing and presenting apartment educational programs since 1984. She was voted by the members of NAA as one of three top industry Guru’s, and has been instrumental in creating many significant improvements in property management procedures. She was known as the “Mother of Mini-Models” in the 80’s. In the 90’s she transformed “work orders” into “service requests”, and raised the professionalism of the maintenance staff to “service technicians”. She won 2 of the Multifamily Pro People’s Choice awards for Educational Excellence, Imagination & Innovation and the 2008 Multifamily Pro Industry Legends Award.

Toni's Posts

7/10/2009
Every day your residents drive by signs offering FREE RENT. In addition, there is a loud well-organized voice speaking through television, blogs, websites and print promoting free rent. We all know that this is has a negative long-term financial impact on our business. How can we respond effectively to this growing market trend?
Byline: Toni Blake | Read Full Post
6/1/2009
The lengthy and passionate comments to my blog on print advertising certainly speak to the energy behind this topic. I originally posted the blog in response to a small group of messages, resonating across cyberspace, from a small number of bloggers who are advocating pulling print. Interestingly enough, the first comments posted show the passion of these online marketing leaders who continue to believe that print is dying, if not dead. It’s important that a dialogue with this much passion behind it continues, but it’s also important to me to find out what other people are thinking on the topic.
Byline: Toni Blake | Read Full Post
5/5/2009
I was recently in the room when a person from a major management firm in the Midwest made an extraordinary statement, saying, "We are considering pulling all of our print advertising.” YIKKES!! I cannot imagine anyone making such a broad and radical statement today, let alone following through. Cutting off your print advertising would be like purposefully blocking the major artery of your heart. Leasing is the lifeblood of our business, and traffic is the oxygen. The print medium is vital to the flow of traffic to your property!
Byline: Toni Blake | Read Full Post
3/25/2009
Be Visually Organized - The New Resident Packet Every successful property in 2009 will have a New Resident Packet. This two-pocket folder organizes all the tools needed to lease an apartment, and integrates the new selling strategies into an easily usable packet. In advance, the leasing team builds the right-side pocket of the folder to include an application, pen, guest card, business card, sample floor plans, site maps and other vital leasing materials. This right-side pocket is a portable leasing station that allows a leasing consultant to be completely prepared when the customer arrives, giving them the ability to lease whenever, and wherever, the customer is ready to sign.
Byline: Toni Blake | Read Full Post
3/5/2009
The power of simple changes has been understood for centuries. Just by adding something “extra” to the ordinary, you can become extraordinary! I love the “little things”! This philosophy can be translated into exciting new selling strategies for multifamily housing that go beyond a special marketing poster, a carefully-placed fresh flower, a photograph, or a note on the refrigerator.
Byline: Toni Blake | Read Full Post