Mary Herrold
Vice President of Marketing and Business Development (and former stage actress)
JVM Realty Corporation
Oak Brook, Ill.

1 Every day a new day. Actors have to give a fresh, vibrant performance every day. Similarly, apartment professionals must put their best face and a fresh set of eyes on each day to perform the tasks that lead to peak performance.

2 Casting is crucial. People have to fit their roles.
Just as putting the right actors in place is a must for the stage, hiring the right team members is an absolute necessity.

3 Perform as an ensemble. A play works best when the cast works as a group. In live theater and multifamily, anything can happen (even the best actor can flub a line). Trust, listening and improvising are requirements in both fields. Players must be able to think on their feet and keep going.

4 Draw a crowd. Isn’t it funny that when a show is sold out, it seems like even more people want to come? Well, few things create more urgency for prospects than a fully occupied community. And just like theaters charge more for prime seats, we maximize the value of prime locations and features.

5 Staging matters. Attractive sets greatly enhance an audience’s enjoyment of a play. Likewise, attractively designed communities, curb appeal, models and promotional materials are crucial to marketing and leasing efforts.

6 Invite criticism. Criticism of your acting performance is an opportunity for growth. Negative feedback from residents and prospects can lead a community to improve its operations.

7 Everyone has an important role. Even small roles in a play are an important part of the whole. It’s the same at an apartment community: Everyone is crucial to the success of the company.

8 Everyone is different. As is the case in theater, working in the apartment industry means dealing with people who vary greatly in temperament and strengths, and you have to build constructive relationships with them all.

9 Never “phone-in” a performance. Just as in the theater, you can never “phone-in” your effort in the apartment industry. One rote performance can throw off everything.

10 Learn and have fun, too. Actors must be on a constant quest to grow and stretch beyond their comfort zones; likewise, apartment professionals must always be working to get better. Both the theater and apartment industries are full of interesting, entertaining people. Take time to appreciate them and have fun in your job. If you are having fun, the audience is having fun.