Lori Snider's Blog

I read with interest an article in the Wall Street Journal this morning concerning people’s perceived wait times in the retail environment. It seems guru Paco Underhill timed shoppers in line with a stopwatch to determine how real wait times compared with how long shoppers felt they had waited.

Up to about two to three minutes, the perception of the wait was pretty accurate, but after three minutes, the perceived wait time multiplied with each passing minute. In other words, if a person actually waited 5 minutes, their perception was they had waited 10. Interesting.  

Though we technically don’t make people wait in line, many times, they do have to wait. Based on this research, the longer they wait, the even greater time they will have perceived they waited. Heck, I have witnessed clients not even be greeted in 3 minutes. What’s a savvy leasing professional to do?

While waiting for my plane on Southwest the other day, a general ruckus caused me to look up from my work, and take note of a situation unfolding right in front of me. The ruckus was coming from a woman in a wheelchair who was clearly in distress. From her tone, it was obvious she was in one of those situations where you get so mad you cry. I can empathize with that, as I have been there.
Anyway, why she was mad, (something about the wheelchair attendant not letting her stop to eat something), was not the issue. She was just mad. A supervisor had approached and was talking to her, with little success - she just yelled louder about how upset she was between sobs, and what he did next reaffirmed everything I have been teaching about the power of body language in conveying meaning - he simply knelt down on one knee, looked her in the eye and lightly touched her arm. She immediately calmed down, stopped yelling and started listening. He promised he would take care of her, and the situation, and as she was wheeled away, she reached in his direction as if to touch him, and said, “Thank you.”
Just a friendly reminder...it’s not what you say, it’s what you convey. He cared, and she knew it. Empathy goes a long way toward making a wrong a right. Actions truly do speak louder than words. You choose.

Since three in four Americans show an interest in gardening today, it seems fitting to build a community garden for resident's personal and gastric enjoyment. Before you say, "Lori, we love this idea, but simply don't have the space to create a garden area - guess we'll have to pass.," consider these really cool and innovative products that will allow your residents to garden to their heart's content…in any kind of environment.

If you don't have the space, but the residents have patios, or you have common areas that could use a little flower power, Urban Garden offers a pocket garden system made from recycled bottles for $29.99! It makes a perfect move in gift for the gardener, and imagine how these could beautify common area spaces! If your budget is tight, there's a 2-pocket flower box for $15.99. Both are lightweight and fold for easy storage.

For that ugly old wall you just don't know what to do with, Plants On Walls living wall kit will allow you to create gardens where you never thought possible. A 32' by 51' wall kit starts at $528, and can be rearranged as the mood fits.

If character is your calling, Springwise reported this week on a spiral tube shaped device called the Whirligro. So chic, and so unique! The Whirligro can be used in gardens, on balconies, decking, flatroofs or anywhere. The plants grow in compost/soil in durable growing tubes. Love it!

So, there you go - get your gardening gloves on and get busy.
Anybody doing interesting things with you community gardening efforts? Don't hesitate to share.

It is no secret that internal dialogue often influences the way people motivate and shape their behavior.  Years back, I was inspired by a motivational speaker that encouraged self affirmations on a daily basis.  “I like myself” he encouraged us to say in the mirror, “I’m a GREAT salesperson!”  So I did.  And every time I did, I found myself chuckling.  It made me feel, well, sort of foolish, dopey and, yes I will say it, good all at the same time.  As a young trainer, I encouraged my pupils to do the same.  I received relentless flack, from video spoofs to teasing, and an endless variety of pranks that targeted the “I like myself!” affirmation.  For each I laughed and took it all in stride, because, frankly, it is sort of funny to self proclaim how great you are.

The thing is, it works.  Now I’m not saying that if you say “I am going to have a million dollars” every day for a year you will.  You might, but the real point of self-affirmations (from my very un-clinical perspective) is how they make you feel.  Nobody doubts that if I internally declare myself a bad person on a daily basis, that sooner or later I will most likely start to believe it.  So why not the other way?  

My former colleague Stasia Vishnevsky sent me this video yesterday, and all I have to say is, this is the kind of person I want on my team.  When you yell, “Can we do it?” you can bet she is going to yell back, “Yes we can!” 

Enjoy.  Then get in front of the mirror and say a little something nice to yourself.  If nothing else, you’ll get a good chuckle.

I came across an interesting twist on the self storage concept today, and just had to share.

Storagebymail.com offers free round-trip shipping to a centralized warehouse where your boxes are kept until you need them back. All you have to do is download a label (they even have an app for that), schedule a USPS carrier pickup and pack your boxes. That’s it. The price is $29 per month for 5 boxes, $49 for 10.

Easy breezy. Somebody else does all the work. Convenient. And a new solution to that old objection, “not enough closet space”.

Take a peek. They’ve taken the U Store It concept and truly made it all about you.
Let me know if you have tried this service and what you think.

I just got done reading an article in USA Today on aging in place remodels for boomers that are getting to be “the age” where a few modifications can be a big assistance to staying put in the golden years, and have to say, when I saw the list of most popular aging in place updates, compiled by our friends at NAHB, I thought, “Some of these are an absolute no-brainer, they’re so easy to implement.”

A percentage of projects remodelers have done in the last year to be able to age in place: (For a complete checklist, click here.)

Grab bars 78%
Higher toilets 71%
Wider doorways 57%
Added lighting/task lighting 45%
Non-slip flooring 20%
Easy to read thermostats 13%

They’ve got the numbers, stability and  spending power...make a few easy adaptions to meet their needs and you’ll uncovered a unique marketing niche, or you may discover you keep a resident you otherwise might have lost.

I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin full of hardy German citizens. The winters, particularly “back the day” were long and unyielding, generally starting in mid-November and ending in April. (To provide some perspective to warm weather inhabitants, it was nothing for my Dad to warm up the car for 20 minutes before we ventured out.) That’s a lot of cooped-up in-house time for a kid...and a mother. The minute the thermometer hit 20, mom mummified my sisters and I in wool scarves and snowsuits and sent us outside to play, deaf to our pleas to be let in because “we were so cooooldddd!”. We built snow forts, made snow angels, threw snowballs and...we survived to enjoy a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup for lunch. The people in my hometown would declare, after hearing this story, “That’s good for you. Toughens you up.” I would agree, and add that it also develops a sense of optimism.

A Wisconsin winter can include weeks of nothing but gray weather and dirty snow. Very depressing stuff, yet most of the people I know from the area possess an incredible sense of humor and a wonderfully optimistic attitude. They know how to persevere. I would imagine, though I have never lived it, the people in a state that survives hurricane after hurricane are much the same way. Perseverance breeds optimism.

Being optimistic, in the typical sense of the word, ultimately means one expects the best possible outcome from any given situation. Optimists generally emerge from difficult circumstances with less distress than do pessimists. They seem intent on solving challenges head on, taking active and constructive steps to solve their problems - as if they know, “this too shall pass.”

A client of mine, Jim Schloemer, CEO of Continental Properties, shares my hometown. During a recent session, he approached me and told me how his mother, every single morning, even on the grayest and coldest of Wisconsin days, would walk into his room throw open the drapes and say, “Good morning, Jim, it’s a beautiful morning and time for you to rise and shine and show the world all that you can be!“ While not as poetic, my mother would prance in, flip the shades and sing, “Rise and Shine!” in the most cheery of voices. My conclusion; a positive outlook was bred in us to the point we became inherently optimistic through repetition and practice. We laughed as we confessed to using the same tactics on our own children. And, much as I hated the sound of that shade rolling up then, I now remember it fondly.

A more simplistic time, perhaps, without the daily barrage of bad tidings so abundant and easily accessed today. Will things ever get better? Of course they will. Change is inevitable. The important thing is to stay cheerful and know that tomorrow is another day, and even if it’s gray, it’s a beautiful opportunity to show the world what you can do. Imagine, if just for a day, every person you knew, actually lived that. We’d be unstoppable.

Happy Christmas to all!

Many companies contribute to charitable causes and the greater good, and some (wisely) share their philanthropic endeavors with their clients. But why stop there? In The Buying Brain, Secrets for Selling to the Subconscious Mind, (yes I did like this book as this is my second post referencing it ), Dr. A.K. Pradeep notes that coupons that include an act of charity can produce a significant rise in Purchase Intent and self worth. In one study, consumers were asked to choose one of four deserving causes to receive a percentage of what they spent. This simple gesture resulted in a huge increase in emotional engagement and higher Deep Subconscious response scores for words relating to the “pleasure” or “satisfaction” associated with the shopping experience.

Contributing to charitable causes in a way that includes residents is an easily adaptable concept at the on-site level. For example, perhaps a community selects three charities, (since the business is multifamily, possibilities might include Habitat for Humanity, a local homeless or transitional shelter and other causes that relate to housing or “get back on your feet” support - make sure to run your selections by HR), and determines a percentage of the first month of resident’s rent that will be donated to the selected charity. When the resident renews their lease, (or signs the initial lease), they are asked to select which organization they would like the money to go to - they get to control it. If they say, “None - can you just reduce my rent?” (which they most likely won’t if presented effectively), you can politely decline and re-emphasize that the rent is the rent, however XYZ Apartments is committed to donating a percentage of that rent to a charitable organization that helps those less fortunate and we let our residents choose which of the three charities they would like it contributed to.

A program like this is broad enough to encompass point of initial sale and resale (renewal) strategies. Community charitable donations might be tracked on the website, Facebook page, clubhouse visuals, etc. Even better, expand the program and provide opportunities for residents to volunteer at these causes. The possibilities are endless...and all good.

What does your company or community do for the greater good? Do you let your residents know? Do you involve them in the process?

Is Your Marketing a Bust With Boomers?

In “The Buying Brain - Secrets for Selling to the Subconscious Mind” Dr. A.K. Pradeep cites a study conducted by Dr. Adam Gazzaley that determined the ability for one’s mind to suppress distractions declines with age. People over 60 aren’t necessarily more forgetful; rather, they are more overwhelmed by distraction. Hmmm…

Based on this finding, the book suggests easy strategies for marketing products to older adults. First and foremost, keep the message obvious and direct and copy and images clean and uncluttered. Let the message “breathe" with some white space around it, and avoid the impulse to load up messages with sounds, running screens, and quick-time animations. Not only are distractions detracting from your message to seniors, most of that content is not even making it past the brain “filters’ of Boomer consumers. In other words, what teens will enjoy, Grandma won’t.

In addition, Boomers like positive messaging - wit and wisdom speak their language, and their broader attention spans make them more comfortable with knowing more than the headline and will recall and puut into context messaging that honors their cognitive abilities and hard-won experience.

Boomers control 77% of all financial assets in the United States, and they’re getting older every day.

Is your message getting through to them?

For the masses that regularly read my posts, you’ll remember that I have dubbed my dad Sales Guy Extraordinaire, and once again, he has lived up to the expectation.

During a recent visit, Dad took a phone call from a woman he later explained was a former customer who had purchased carpet some years back, when he worked for a company that was no longer in business. Seems the woman had a problem with her carpet, didn’t know who to talk to about it, so tracked Dad down and called him. He told her he would stop by and take a look.

Wha-wha-what? Really? Dad didn’t own the former company, and he most likely couldn’t provide much more than a little guidance and direction. Likely, the carpet would not need to be replaced. so his visit wouldn’t generate a sale. He could easily have referred her to another specialist, or explained that he couldn’t really help her. But that’s not what a sales guy extraordinaire would do, and that’s not what Dad did. When I asked him why, he looked a little sheepish and tried to play it down, saying, “She’s an older woman, and it will only take a few minutes to take a look. If I can help her out, that will be enough.”

When is the last time you simply helped somebody out, no strings attached? If you have a client and have nothing to lease, do you simply wave them off with a, “You might want to try down the street”, or do you make the call yourself, and get involved in the solution, rather than dismissing the problem? You know what Sales Guy Extraordinaire would do. He would get busy and actively find an answer.

The best salespeople are in it, not just for the money, but for the people they can help. By assisting in finding the solution, they build trust and referrals, and go home every day confident they have made a difference. Zig Ziglar used to say, “Help enough people get what they want, and you’ll get everything you want.”

That’s being extraordinary.

Lori Snider is a national educator, marketing consultant and author who regularly provides guest commentary to Multifamily Insiders and other industry publications.  Visit her blog, www.rentplicity.com, or website, www.lorisnider.com to learn more.