And the Champions are...

Congratulations to Bradley who won the leasing contest!  Also, a big congratulations to the tier winners: Fieldstone Farm, Harbor Village and Park Station.

All receive the grand prize of one of the following (a $100 value):
One day "paid time off"
Spa treatment
Round of golf
Sporting event tickets
Amusement park tickets
Restuarant of your choice
VISA gift card
iTunes giftcard
Amazon gift card

Weekly prizes of 2 hours "paid time off" go to: Bradley, UCONN, Indiana and USC!

3 Tips on How to Get a Prospect to say YES!

During the spring, staff members from apartment communities strive to put their best foot forward.  We anticipate that many prospective residents will come through our doors and tour the community. Recently our staff discussed how to deal with prospects who can make the tour challenging. These tours can be difficult because every apartment community has its negatives.  Here are some tips on overcoming the obstacles that prospective residents have, so that they can say Yes!

Don’t Give up, Keep trying…even after the First Impression

People always say that first impressions are everything, but I believe you can make more than one impression during a tour. Staff members should break up their tours into three sections.

·         The initial greeting and presentation of the community.

·         The showing of the apartment home and amenities.

·         Finally the closing when you ask the prospect to put in an application.

When a prospective resident walks into your office they expect that you will give them your full attention; however, during a busy day this can be challenging. Their first impression of you may not be great if they have to wait, but you still have time to win them over. Use your time during the second half of the tour to find out what they need in their new home. Showing that you care can change the tone of an irritated prospect.

 Positive Thinking- People Move with Positive Thinkers

People like to move with positive thinkers! Regardless of how unpleasant a prospect can be during a tour you must maintain your positive thinking. Do not get upset or defensive when a prospect brings up something they do not like about the apartment community. Although they may have some unkind things to say, they will look to see how you respond. Your answer to their questions is vital because it could determine if they will rent or not. Try to turn their negatives into positives. Never become defensive or disregard their concerns. Always address it, but give a positive spin on the issue at hand. This shows the prospect that you are sincere and they may start to change their way of thinking as well.  

Believe in Yourself and Your Team—Be Confident!

Remember, when a prospect walks into your office they are looking to you for answers. You are the expert!  Believe in yourself and your staff. You must feel confident that you are the best at what you do and that your team is fully capable of serving the needs of your current and future residents! Don’t let your product speak for itself. You should speak for your product. If you have a state of the art fitness center or your office has just received an award, brag about it! Prove to everyone during a tour why living here would be the best choice for them. Confidence in yourself will translate to your future resident. Even, if they had initial doubts they will see they made the right decision to tour and rent at your property.

-Jeff's Team

Week 8 Playoff Results

The winners this week were Bradley, Duke, Stanford, ULV and Indiana and they will receive movie tickets!

Stanford will be facing off against Bradley for the Grand Prize next week. It was a close race this week. Duke and Bradley tied with 13 leases so we had to award the championship slot to Bradley as they have more overall leases.

Week 7 results are in! (Playoffs)

The winners this week were Bradley, UCONN, Stanford and Duke!  They receive a $15 starbucks or Dunkin Donuts gift card.

The winners bracket in next week's playoffs, eligible for the grade prize will be:
Bradley vs. DUKE
Stanford vs. UCONN

And the following teams will playoff next week and are still eligible for the weekly prize:
USC vs. UNLV
Indiana vs. Butler

Motivational Communication From The Top Down And All Around

            We’ve all had “that” day - a Friday before a long weekend, you’re caught up on work with not a worry in the world.  Why push everyone to make follow up calls or emails?  Why push your team when everyone is tired from a long and busy week?  The easy answer to making someone do something is to say, “Because I said so.”  However, that is the wrong answer.  That answer will not motivate the team to strive for greatness.  That answer indicates that your team is not important enough for an explanation.  And that answer will create a level of animosity that will eventually hurt job performance.  Instead, coworkers, especially managers, should make all work related decisions inclusive among their peers.  This does not mean that the final decision has been relegated to someone other than the manager, but rather that the manager has effectively communicated the basis and reasoning for such a decision.  Strong communication reduces confusion in the office, it keeps everyone well informed and better apt to make knowledgeable decisions.  Strong communication provides a sense of worth, happiness and value as being part of a team.  This team feeling will reduce employee turnover, as well as resident turnover.

     

       In order to effectively communicate, managers must avoid creating a parent-child relationship with their team, and instead create a peer-peer dynamic.  With a peer-peer dynamic, everyone respects each other as an equal.  This effectively allows those in “lower” positions to feel comfortable presenting effective ideas for improvement.  When you entrust your team with a sense of ownership in the decision making process, it will naturally motivate them to want to perform at a higher level.  Recognize and praise their great performance -and really mean it! 

        

    Equally important is the inter-office communication between office and maintenance staff.  Constantly cross-training each other in their respective positions will help both departments understand the restraints and issues the other may be facing at any given time.  As part of a team, each department must know where the other is heading in order to function effectively.

        

    Finally, establishing staff events can help open up the channels of communication.  In a comfortable and laid-back environment, such as mini-golf, bowling or simply eating out for lunch, everyone can relax and freely communicate.  Sometimes the best ideas come to fruition when the pressure is off, and everyone is engaged in a completely unrelated activity. 

         

   The bottom line is, there is no “I” in Team, but there certainly is an “I” in Winning, Productivity, Improvement and Competitiveness.  Cliché, yes, but also true.  Effective communication will yield these results, so listen up!

-Team Bradley

UTILIZING FACEBOOK TO PROMOTE YOUR BRAND, EDUCATE CURRENT RESIDENTS, AND PROMOTE YOUR PROPERTY TO PROSPECTS

FACEBOOK

Facebook allows us to create an effective online marketing tool that reaches out to current customers, potential customers and the community. There are simple, yet effective methods of social media optimization to start increasing visibility for your business.  

PROMOTE YOUR BRAND

Brand is “a singular idea or concept that you own inside the mind of the prospect.” In other words, it’s the gut feeling a prospect has about your product, service, or company. A brand is a promise: a promise of specific benefits and value; a promise that is meaningful and relevant to your users, and a promise that is different from your competition. Your brand resides within the minds--and hearts--of customers, clients, and prospects. It is the sum total of their experiences and perceptions.~ Michael  DiFrisco

It is our job as Leasing Agents and Property Managers to create this “idea” in our prospects’ and residents’ minds that we are exactly what they are looking for.  Our brand shall consist of the ideal apartment, community space and an excellent overall living situation for those wanting to make our community their new home.  Most importantly, though, we are the face of our brand.  We are the forefront of the product and we need to sell ourselves in order to make the prospects want to come around and our residents want to stay around.

The easiest way to promote your brand is to get excited about it.  If you enjoy what you do it will rub off on the prospects and residents and they, too, will feel your excitement.  Make your community a great place to be!  Promoting with pictures via Facebook is easy and effective.  For the average person, life is busy...taking the time to read details of an upcoming renovation or event that is going to take place is more of a nuisance for most.  If they can take 2 seconds to look at a photo and know exactly what is going on, they will feel informed and included.  Photos are more attractive to the human eye than words on a page and are more likely to be looked at.  They are also tangible proof of events taking place!

EDUCATE CURRENT RESIDENTS

Marketing your community to your current residents is probably different than the marketing that you have done before. Social media participants expect you to engage them in conversation instead of just promoting a product or service directly to them. Keep in mind, the more engaged you make your residents feel, the more likely they will be to renew for another year since they will feel connected to your community! Here are a few ideas for gathering fans:

·         Link your community’s Facebook Fan Page in emails.

·         Become a fan of your own page and suggest it to your “friends” list.

·         Use Facebook to write about the latest events and happenings at your property and in the community.

·         Utilize your local Chamber of Commerce to promote area events.

·         Respond to inbox messages and wall comments as soon as possible. This will not only satisfy the senders of messages and comments but will encourage others to comment on your wall too.

·         “Like” local businesses and post specials and coupons that they are offering. Ask the business  to “like” you back.  Taking some time to interact with other local businesses in your community via Facebook and engaging in friendly conversation will help you reach a wider range of people.  Think of places like the local pet groomer or popular eatery that are also on Facebook.

·         Promote resident events, referral fees that your community offers and Open Houses that you will be hosting.

·         Create contests to get your audience involved. Pet photo contests, trivia games and surveys are always a hit.

·         On the resident copy of each service request, leave a “Like us on Facebook” sticker on it.

PROMOTE YOUR PROPERTY TO PROSPECTS

Facebook is information at your fingertips!  Having a well-managed Facebook page will allow prospects to see what’s happening at your community and your positive interactions with your residents without missing a beat in their daily lives.  Remember, you are promoting a lifestyle to your prospects.  Show them how much they will enjoy making their home at your community.

•                    Post your community website’s QR code on your Facebook page.

•                    Display a flyer in the Leasing Office promoting your Facebook page and encourage prospects to scan the code with their phone while they are sitting in front of you and encourage them to join in the discussion immediately.

•                    Post pictures of your community, staff members, resident events and community happenings that a prospect will enjoy once they move in.

Remember, Facebook is a free but vital and potent tool that we can use to bring new business to us and strengthen the relationships with cllients that we already have.  Use it to your advantage!

-Team USC

Week 6 Results are in!

The winners of 2 hours of paid time off this week and 2 more points are: Indiana, Duke, Bradley and Stanford!

Playoffs begin next week!

Week 5 results are in!

Indiana, USC, Bradley, and Stanford are the winners of a $20 gas card this week and receive 2 points!

Overcoming Objections

Embrace the objection and above all, listen.

Objections are an opportunity to solve your customer’s problem. The more your customer reveals about what they do and do not want, the more information you have on how to solve their problem. Objections can stem from lack of information or misunderstanding about a product or service. If you suspect a misunderstanding has occurred, ask open-ended, probing questions to get to the prospect’s need or concern. Listening without interrupting is a great next step to a quick resolution. It ensures that you don’t appear defensive, and it, instead, communicates your sincerity in wanting to solve the problem.

Anticipate the objection.

Get to know the highs and lows of your community. Every community has great selling points and, of course, a few blemishes - just like everything else in life. Knowing all of the features, benefits and ob­stacles of your community and having the confidence to address them, is often all the renter needs to feel assured. Having that confidence often comes from being prepared in advance for questions or ob­jections. Walk the community daily. Have someone not familiar with your community walk it with you to help point out things you may have overlooked. Spend a couple hours in a vacant unit and know it inside out. Write down 10 objections that stand out to you and overcome them. For instance, if you are located at a very busy intersection, you’ll want to anticipate the objection. You might reply, “It is a lively area, which is why we’ve put some more attention on noise reduction inside each unit with new pad­ded carpeting and heavier curtains like the larger hotels utilize. Was your last apartment in a quieter setting?” Once you have the answer to that question, you can try to find a unit that’s further from the noise or point out quieter areas in the community, perhaps in the courtyard/pool area. While overcom­ing this objection, you can point out other things about the unit and community that far outweigh the noise, highlighting once again the features and benefits. Of course, anticipating the objection doesn’t mean that you need to unnecessarily draw attention to it, as it may not prove to be an issue for every potential renter.

Identify and isolate the core issue.

Objections can stem from a misunderstanding about what your Management Company and community have to offer. Isolate the objection to ensure you are uncovering what is really holding back your potential renter from signing the lease. For example, the prospective renter might say: “I hate coin laundry machines! All the other communities I’ve seen today have a washer/dryer in the unit.”  Explain that although other communities may have a washer/dryer in the unit, their pricing may be higher because of that feature.

Remember:  Objections are easy to overcome if you are prepared!

-Team Indiana

Week 4 Results!

Congratulations to Indiana, USC, UCONN, and Stanford. They are the winners of a $25 Visa Card and recieve 2 points!

Knowing your competition

It is important to know your competition.  Everyone on the staff should be shopping the comps on a quarterly basis.  This should include your maintenance staff as well.  Market surveys should also be done a consistent basis so we always are aware of what is going on in our market.

Having a good rapport with the comps can mean several things for your community.

1.  It is a great way  to share information regarding traffic sources.
2.  Where is your traffic coming from?
3.  What community events are you doing to engage your current residents?
4.  It is also a great way to get referrals.

Sharing information can mean that you have friendly competition as opposed to your comps bashing you and not being honest about their current occupancy/specials.

Knowing where the competition's traffic is coming from can better assist you in knowing where to concentrate your outside marketing efforts.

Community events help create excitement and can lead to higher resident retention.

Referrals from the comps mean that we have successfully built a relationship and they feel comfortable sending people out way.

Team Butler

Week 3 Results are in!

Congratulations to Stanford, Bradley, Duke and UNLV!  They each receive 2 points and their prize this week is a $15 Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts gift card.

Top 10 Best Apartment Community Amenities

When it comes to amenities, convenient access to goods and services is highly important. Places like grocery stores, post offices, pharmacies, and gas stations are all important in everyday life. If these businesses are located near your community, you are all set. If not, you’ll at least want to be certain that your prospective resident can get to them easily via car or public transportation.

• Fitness options.
• Outdoor recreation
• Movie theaters.
• Library.

 You’ll want to ensure that your apartment community is located near restaurants.   Look for the dining options in the local paper or on search sites such as the “Not For Tourists” Guide. You’ll find nearby hot spots and where they are located. And don’t forget to check out both fancier fine dining options and lower-cost casual dining ones, as well.

Decisions, decisions! An apartment hunter encounters too many options when it comes to finding the right building to call home. They may be overwhelmed by the sheer number of apartment communities in their city, as a leasing professional you should consider this countdown of the Top 10 Best Apartment Community Amenities* and what your community has to offer. The below prioritizes today’s most sought-after multifamily housing community amenities and may help steer your prospects’ apartment search in the right direction.

Amenity No. 10: Recreational and Social Facilities

Amenity No. 9: Outdoor Green Space

Amenity No. 8: Complimentary Internet and/or Television Connections

Amenity No. 7: On-Site Laundry Facilities

Amenity No. 6: Easy Access to Public Transportation

Amenity No. 5: Convenient Parking

Amenity No. 4: Pets Welcome

Amenity No. 3: On-Site Management

Amenity No. 2: 24-Hour Emergency Maintenance

Amenity No. 1: Safe, Secure Building Entry

Keep this list handy as you tour prospective residents. You may not offer all of these amenities, so we created a list of other amenities you can discuss that are important to most prospective residents:

Goods and services

Entertainment options

You might find that you can negotiate special discounts and perks offered by local entertainment venues or other businesses for your residents.

Dining

Finding the dining, recreation and goods and services conveniently located near your apartment community may help your prospective resident decide between otherwise equal apartment choices. Being close to the businesses and hangout spots will often can make your residents apartment life easier and more enjoyable.

What do you think is the most important Amenity in your market or at your property?

Go Team Duke!

*This information was compiled from Yahoo Voices.com - Associated Content and MultifamilyExecutive.com

Leasing Contest - Week 2 Results!

Congratulations to Bradley, USC, Duke and Butler!
They receive 2 points and the prize this week is 2 hours of paid time off!

Customer Retention Tactics and Ideas

Strong brands have been built on customer loyalty, and resident retention has never been more relevant than today.  It is no secret that the costs associated with resident turnover can be exorbitant. A 2011 SatisFacts study estimates move-out costs average around $3,900 per unit, which includes, among other items, $1,200 in lost rental income, nearly $800 in concessions and more than $700 in maintenance, readying and repairs.

Surveys have found that residents choose not to renew leases based on controllable reasons. Poor customer service, lack of responsiveness and dissatisfaction with maintenance requests were cited as the main reasons for resident turnover. Contrary to popular belief, no matter the property amenities, they will not make up for deficiencies in service. It is critical that all team members address resident concerns as they are brought to your attention.

Resident retention starts the first time you have contact with them, not when you are sending out their renewal letter.  Your leasing team puts their best foot forward when meeting a new prospective resident, that same attitude should continue with every contact made during their residency. Each month, do something for your residents to show them how much you care (a check-up phone call or visit to their door, a half hour of free maintenance, etc.)  Continue this all the way to their renewal date, and keep track of your contacts/gifts in a Resident Retention Book to ensure no one is left out.

Knowing your residents' names, family member’s names and pet names is always a great retention tool.  This makes a resident feel at home when visiting or calling the office which allows for greater retention opportunities.

Remember, your maintenance team is also an integral part of your retention efforts.  Make sure to include them in your team meetings and resident functions and ask them what they are hearing from residents.  Their insight might surprise you and assist in furthering your retention efforts.  Make sure they are given customer service training and prepare them to handle hot situations.

A property's appearance and overall condition has an obvious effect on retention. Residents want to feel proud of where they live.  Their ego and sense of status is often perceived by the environment they live in. Maintaining the cleanliness and upkeep of your community goes a long way toward preserving a property's curb appeal which makes it more desirable and marketable.

Resident complaints offset the morale of the property. Be proactive by providing more frequent interior and exterior maintenance and repairs, which will help reduce complaints. Quality of service is crucial to maintaining residents and should be taken seriously. If you ignore complaints or concerns, you could not only lose your current residents, but also your competitive edge.

Listen to your residents. Build a relationship and get to know them. Above all, let them know you appreciate them living at your community.  Not only is it less expensive to retain a resident than to acquire a new one, but loyal residents spend more and are more likely to refer new ones to your community. The longer a resident is loyal, the more profit you will see.

Team UCONN

Leasing Contest - Week 1 Results

Congratulations to UCONN, Bradley, Indiana and Butler!
The winning teams receive a $15 Amazon gift card!

What’s The Appeal of Curb Appeal?

Great curb appeal, from the road all the way to the leasing office/clubhouse, is our chance to make a great first impression on residents or prospects.  It is a continual effort for both the office and maintenance staff.

Much of the appeal is just being aware of the impression and "sprucing" up the little things.

If your property employs the use of colorful signs or “Now Leasing” banners, you should always ensure that these signs are clean and in good condition.

Balloons and flowers are great eye catchers and can be changed seasonally to give a fresh look.  Pay close attention to your welcome mats, both inside and out. While they are inviting and decorative, they’re also great dirt and debris catchers! Make sure these are washed regularly or replaced when necessary.

Keep trash bags in  maintenance and leasing golf carts so you can easily pick up trash when out on the property.

Encourage your residents to take pride in where they live.  

Remembers to “look up” when walking the property.  This will allow you to see what is present in residents' windows.  Broken blinds can be replaced inexpensively and increase the outward appeal.

Make sure that the inside route to the model apartment is clean and in order, as well. Keep the area clean with daily vacuuming and hall touch up painting whenever necessary. 

How do you all keep your curb appeal up? 

TEAM STANFORD

Welcome to the 2013 Leasing Contest!

Welcome to another exciting DOLBEN leasing contest - we hope you're looking forward to some Leasing Madness! As you work with your team to exchange ideas and best practices over the course of the next nine weeks, please be thinking about topics to post here on our blog. 

While each team will have an "official" week to post a topic for others to discuss (refer to your official leasing contest package for details), we hope that you all will use our leasing blog to share ideas on a regular basis. This forum is not meant to reveal any "trade secrets," but rather to help all Dolben-managed properties easily share some best practices—and remember, in the end, we all work for one company. We've provided a few suggestions to get you started, but please feel free to brainstorm and develop other ideas.

    

• Your Necessary Marketing Tools 
• Customer Retention Tactics & Ideas 
• Utilizing Facebook to Promote your Brand, Educate Current Residents, and Promote your Property to Prospects 
• Overcoming Obstacles – How to get a Prospect to Say YES! 
• Ratings & Reviews: How to Respond 
• Best Property Amenities – Current and Future 
• Community/Corporate Outreach Best Practices 
• There Is No “I” in Team: Motivating Your Team to Success

 
When it is your team's turn to post on the blog, Amy or Sara will be in touch with your Team Leader to provide log-in details.  If you want to comment on another team's post at any point throughout the contest, feel free to do so by clicking in the "Post a comment" box underneath that post, and simply entering your own name in the "comment as" field.

We are looking forward to a great exchange of ideas over the coming weeks. If you have questions on the leasing contest and/or blog, please speak with your Team Leader, or contact Amy or Sara. 

Happy leasing, everyone!