Lori Snider 

While staying in a brand new Courtyard by Marriott last week in Omaha, Nebraska, my husband and I enjoyed a little coffee-klatch in a comfortable little pod that came complete with its own television. We could people watch and enjoy intimate conversation in the privacy of our own little nook. An added bonus - we could choose which morning news show to watch.

Recently, as I strolled down a residential street on my way to a lunch appointment, I stopped cold in my tracks and just had to take a photo of one apartment community’s attempt at curb appeal. The silk flowers had obviously been there awhile – (I think that at one time the leaves had been green), and words can’t accurately describe the overall impact the ensemble had at declaring the community dead, cheap and lifeless. Lesson of the day: The consumer can spot a fake.

For those of you that are curious about how many people have downloaded the apartment industry’s first iPhone app, (you have probably seen the app in Apple’s latest iPhone commercials or as part of their nationwide print campaign), Apartment Guide released figures today. Brace yourselves, the numbers are staggering.

Just because your buildings aren’t built green doesn’t mean you can’t go green. I stumbled across a resource recently that could be utilized by almost any community across the country to promote green initiatives - www.localharvest.org provides a zip code search to find nearby farmers’ markets, family farms and others sources of sustainably grown food where your residents can buy produce, grass-fed meats, honey products and many other goodies, including gift baskets.

Great design is powerful. It gives the consumer an attractive first impression that will help facilitate an interaction, at which point they begin developing a perception and emotional connection with your brand. If they have good experiences, they will stay, and ultimately return when future need arises. Great design conveys quality, freshness and durability.

The question was posed to a group of Gen Y’ers – 20 somethings that had agreed to sit live and unplugged for an audience late last year. In addition to community mixers, the group showed enthusiastic support for charitable events. When pressed further with, “If the community signed up for an area run/walk or other charitable activity you would participate?” they not only said they would, but also indicated they would help plan it.

Science Daily recently published an informative article regarding the power touch has in influencing a consumer to buy an item, as well as its impact on enhanced perceived value. Turns out, the study, conducted by researchers from Ohio State University and Illinois State University revealed the longer an item is held, the more likely it will be purchased. Even more interesting, the longer held, the greater the perceived value. Essentially, the longer the test subject held an item, the more emotionally attached they became to it. We marketers often reference the power of smell, sight and sound in enhancing the buyer experience. What we don’t reference as often, is the importance of touch in influencing consumer behavior.

During a recent sales program, I asked the group to identify a time when they were surprised and delighted with someone’s follow through. I assumed they would share customer service stories where they were made to feel special, or where a wrong had been made right. As usual with my audiences, they surprised me. The majority of people who shared, told stories in which their supervisors followed through with them, by either thanking them for service rendered, or publicly recognizing them throughout their region or company. The power of a thank you is profound, valued and remembered, particularly when given by a senior team member. Commit this year to doubling your thank you efforts. The impact to your team will be significant.

In a recent panel discussion with four members of Generation Y, otherwise referred to as “twenty-somethings”, I asked the following question – “Older generations perceive yours as lacking a strong work ethic. What do you say to this?” Boy, did I get some feedback. The panelists argued that they had a very strong work ethic, but that they would not lie about enjoying a job when it wasn’t what they really wanted to do. They would do it to the best of their ability, but would not pretend that they were happy about it. When asked to expand, they indicated that they found it offensive and silly to state anything other than the truth. For example, one panelist said, “When you come in and try to make happy talk like 'How was your weekend?’, I know you really don’t care. It’s fake. So why do you do it?” It was like a brick hitting me in the head. It’s no wonder Boomers don’t understand this generation.