Lisa Trosien's Blog

I've had clients asking me  this very question for years. Are shops really valuable to a company? Is there a better way? Let me give you some reasons why  mystery shops just might not be the answer you're looking for at your company. For the sake of this discussion, we're limiting this to phone and in-person shops.

1. Shoppers have bad days. Just like Leasing Professionals, shoppers have 'off' days, too. And this is reflected in the shopping report  that describes the Leasing Professionals' behavior. I once worked for a company who so strongly believed in this that they made sure their employees were shopped TWICE on the same day. That way, if one shop was horrible and one was good, they could throw the bad shop out (chalking it up to a bad day for the shopper). 

2. Shoppers have to remember how you behaved on the tour. Having been shopped numerous times in my career, I can tell you that sometimes shoppers get their facts confused. I have had shopping reports that accused me of failing to show all of the amenities on the property to the shopper - and they listed the ones I left out. The  problem? The property didn't HAVE the amenities I supposedly overlooked. 

I talk to site staff all the time. It's a big part of my job. And I love spending time speaking with site personnel. They are the heart and soul of our industry and the 'face' of their management company or owners. 

And I find one thing that many site staffers do that I want to change. But I need your help to do it. Next time you (if you work on a property) are describing your job to me or anyone else, please don't say, "I'm JUST the property manager" OR "I'm JUST a leasing professional" OR "I'm JUST a maintenance person." You are SO MUCH MORE than 'just' anything!

You wear dozens of hats, you create the success at a multi-million dollar asset, you touch thousands of lives over your career...you are not 'just' anything. 

Today, I purchased my lunch at Noodles , one of my favorite fast-but-good food restaurants. And I love how the one by my house is so 'green'. I get  preferred parking, right by the front door, because I drive a hybrid vehicle. And when I pay, they always ask me if I need a receipt. If I don't want one, they don't print one. I know it's small, but I like that they ask me.

Today, as my order was 'to go', my server asked if I needed plastic silverware and a napkin. I didn't and I made a very specific point to tell them how much I appreciated them asking me. I abhor waste of any kind, and oftentimes,  take out orders get a lot of 'extras' that really aren't needed. 

Shortly afterwards, my name was called, I gathered my bag and left. Upon my arrival at home, I was dismayed to find  - you guessed it - silverware and a napkin in my bag. I checked the instructions written on the bag label and it was clearly marked "Silverware - Yes".  

Please. Don't ever be afraid to ask for the sale.

So many Leasing Professionals and salespeople don't ask for the sale because they are afraid of rejection. And I truly understand that; I do. And to show you how much I understand it, I am going to share a very personal story with all of you that taught me a wonderful lesson.

Years ago, before I realized I had a bit of a 'gift' for sales (ask anyone; I'm a really good salesperson), I was dating a man whom I adored. We had been going out for about three months and ladies, I decided I was going to spring 'the L word' on him.

I don't want to call this 'the wish list'. I want to call it the "vitally important list" for properties. Yes, I know this will vary by location, but let's put together  a list of what we hear as the 'must haves' from the majority of our prospective renter clients, shall we? 

I'll start with a few things I wouldn't go without:

Please, don't get me wrong - I think shopping services are great and necessary. I would never run a property without them. They do a wonderful service and give you a 'scorecard' that tells you how your team is doing at your property. But there's one thing YOU need to do every week that sadly, only typically takes about 30 seconds per property in most cases. And you don't need a shopping service to do it. It will immediately tell you how good your leasing team is on the telephone.

Ask a friend, business associate, sister, brother, aunt, mother - ANYONE can do this (I'm sure your shopping service would do this for you as well if you ask them) to phone shop your sites. Give them a list of property phone numbers. Tell them  here is all they have to do:

1. Get a timer that can be started and stopped to show seconds elapsed. (Your computer's analog clock option is fine.)

 Have you ever heard Bruce Springsteen sing “Santa Claus is Coming to Town“? It’s one of my all time favorite holiday tunes. And you can’t help but have fun when you listen to it. So, what does this have to do with you?