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. Are you ready to add dynamic new tools to your leasing team? Find your favorite pen, and get ready to add to your "things to do”. These EXTRAordinary Leasing Tools will give your team the extra edge they need to win in 2009.
Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory!
Visual stimulation in selling is used effectively in many areas. Retailers work very hard to increase revenue with colorful product displays, signage, photographs and merchandizing, especially along the main path of the customer. Retailers identify the highest revenue path in each store. This is called the "Golden Path". The world's largest manufacturers spend millions of dollars on research designed to discover the right color, style, words and image to influence the customer's decision process. It is time for multifamily to find their Golden Path and implement better practices for high visual impact. Once this high profit / high impact path through your property is established, it should be separated out for special maintenance, landscaping, and marketing enhancements. For example, weekly touch-up paint on the front curbs keeps a new and clean image in the front area. A planter with a dead flower and a welcome mat that is missing letters is a very expensive mistake in visual marketing. I might not be able to afford to remodel my whole property, but I will be neat, clean and freshly painted with manicured landscape along my Golden Path. At every step, your leasing team should be supported by visual displays, added merchandizing, and success tools that will help them weave their magic into gold. Create new leasing tools & procedures designed to influence the customer's decision utilizing the telephone, office display area, guest card, the apartment demonstration, and the follow up / closing cards.
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
Have you seen those new digital photo frames? Well, what if you personalized your presentation with digital photos of each customer at lease time and asked him or her to write a testimonial with reasons why they decided to rent? Instead of just photos - your frame would display a photo card with testimonial messages to the future residents! You can use an inexpensive digital camera, or cell phone camera, to create a virtual tour of your property. Future residents could be asked if there are any special amenities or features they would like photographs of. The staff could then create a custom email with the personalized tour photos as a part of their follow-up! Today, people can also receive photos on their cell phone. If a person is on the way to the property to visit, and speaking to you on their cell, you can email them a jpeg color map to your community! When they leave – you can send them a photo of your entire team holding a sign that says, “Miss you already - turn around and come back NOW!” It would also include the URL with a 24/7 invitation to rent their apartment when they get home. We actually had a customer turn around and rent when they received this unique and confident photo! It’s time to use every tool, every technique to standout in the crowd of possibilities!