Kim Andreadis' Blog

My supervisor once scheduled a one-on-one coaching session with a Leasing Consultant, (Annie) whose job was on the line. Her numbers were down. The Vice President told me before I left the Corporate Office that if she did not cooperate, I could fire her(?)  She had already been written up a couple of times; (an antiquated system, if you ask me). This event was monumental for me, because I had never fired anyone before and I was not eager to start now. As the marketing coordinator, I did not see this as part of my role. I was determined to turn around the situation any way I could. Although this happened a long time ago, maybe you can relate?

Are You In the Field, Trying to Persuade Your Associates to Lease More Apartments and Improve Their Overall Customer Service?


Their traffic is up but their leases are down, way down. And that is probably how they are feeling; way down.

Is there a way to make your Associate smile?  They could be in a temporary slump. Maybe if you invite them to share their pride in past accomplishments and talk about how they have performed at the top of their game? I guess sincerity is key. Sincerely wanting them to succeed.

What if you engage in a dialogue that clearly explains the company’s expectations? Focus on the results they need to provide and ask how you can assist them to reach those goals. Is there something you could demonstrate? Could you be a coach?

The Marketing Budget for Apartment Communities

We are in business to generate ROI. I have never been given an open-ended budget.  I have had to defend every dollar proposed, especially if there was no historical financial data to back it up.

My clients rely on the marketing budget as a guideline and view compliance as a measure of management competency.

                           AND ANOTHER THING could be the segue way to a new practice, an explanation of a customer benefit or service.....

Recently I opened a business account in a new bank; a month later the bank was purchased by another banking company..

It was all-too apparent that Bank A and Bank B had very different policies and practices. For example, Bank A offerred on-line registration for business banking on-line services. You just get on the site and sign up, create a password, you know the routine.

Bank B required that  a notorized request (on their form) be mailed to them to request the service, (in snail mail) and in order to clear you for on-line banking privelages. They  sent the password back in snail mail. The whole process took two(2) weeks.

My first reaction was; "I better find another bank, Bank B must be in the dark ages if you cannot do all of these things on line in ten or twenty minutes." There were a lot of other things that just did not sit right with me; generally there was a lot of confusion about banking procedures and I was asked to "Come Back" or  "Call Back" another day when representatives could not answer simple questions; (who has time to come back or call back --they have to be kidding)

I decided to go speak to the Regional Manager of Bank B, to express my concerns about their practices and let him know that I was thinking of closing my account.

When I did this, the whole situation turned around. I learned the benefits to their security arrangements, how I could set up low interest accounts, and a boat load of other practices and real benefits were explained to me. I also found out that 35% of the bank was owned by the employees and that everyone really cared about customer service as they had a vested interest. They assigned me a personal business advisor, helped me set up some of my own financial business practices, all at no cost!

The moral of the story (according to the Regional Manager of Bank B). "A lot of our banking associates on the front line just aren't communicating these banking benefits  to customers.
They came from Bank A and are having difficulty adjusting to Bank B."

He explained to me that they would devote more time to training the tellers and customer service reps about the new company and thanked me for taking the time to seek him out.
(I suggested a simple, well written pamphlet outlining some of the different benefits of Bank B as they were explained to me. I suggested that this could be introduced at the point of contact by the teller when a customer comes to make a deposit or withdrawal.) I also offerred to create the pamphlet for them, (but that is another story).

Use whatever method you want to help educate your customer about your service.
If you find your self being managed by a new company, there may be some new practices that the customers should know about. Often at the point of contact, when you deal with a customer face to face on any issue, this could be the best time for you to tell them "another thing" about the new practices and services that will benefit them.

This could be one way to avoid confusion and keep residents from leaving you to lease at another community.

Did I give the Regional Manager good advice?  What do you think? What else could have been done or said? Has anyone else ever had an experience like this?

I have been in a discussion that Jon Saar initiated about some of the real life problems that come up when you are trying to persuade your company's decision makers to implement a new training program. You have to convince them  that the program will make money and/or save money.

When I take my own advice and create a new program the way I am describing below, it usually works.   If I could save you or anybody from learning this the hard way and taking a belly-flop, I would be happy. I know, I have taken my share of belly flops; (ouch).

 ONE MORE THING is the name of a customer service initiative that has put COMPANY A on their customer's radar screen.

Every time a service representative performs a service, they conclude the interaction by offering one more service, one more kind word or one more bit of information that may benefit the customer.

Deciding when to take down the holiday decorations has been a struggle for me.  I thought that I might do it just after the first of the year. Then I put it off until last week and now I just do not know how to let go. I go through this every year. I am very grateful for the encouragement of my family and friends. Without them, I would put it off.  Do you PROCRASTINATE, even when you know it is a foregone conclusion?

Those of us who struggle with these little decisions to make a change in the pattern of day-to-day living can likely understand that some prospective residents struggle with the even bigger decision to move to a new place. Changing the pattern of day-to-day life just isn't that easy for everyone, even when it is inevitable.  This could really pose a challenge to a Leasing Consultant.

Happy New Year! 

Multi-family selling (leasing) and service is full of "Insider Terminology".  (My next BLOG will address more about this).

A Call for Manners in the World of Nasty Bloggers

In the wonderful world of Property Management, we are surrounded by some of the most talented and sensitive people in the world. People with qualities like kindness, thoughtfulness and creativity. They are non-judgmental, open-minded and courteous. And if they have these characteristics, they thrive.

As an author of customer service and sensitivity training materials that are used by companies all over the United states, I have found myself musing over the topic of professional courtesy and in fact trying to work with and train others who are struggling with the concept. It is a humbling topic, and let's face it, we can all recall a time when, in retrospect we were not as courteous as we could have been. I am as guilty of this as anyone else. Come to find out, I am not the only one thinking about this topic.

These remarks are quoted from the Training Registry on Professional Courtesy: "To be certain there is a lot of pressure in today's business world, particularly in the tough economy we are all dealing with. Pressure may be a cause of a lack of courtesy,  but it is certainly no excuse for it.  In fact in the tough market we're facing, professional courtesy is more important than ever."

What can you say to the value & status conscious apartment hunter about the area where your community is located? Can you back it up with data and information from a respected source?