Monique Wilson's Blog

Forgive me community! I forgot to ask in my latest blog post, how are you preparing for your emergencies and or disasters? It's good for me to have that kind of information when I'm out and about.

All you heard about on the news yesterday, the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, was about the lessons learned during that disaster. I take it we are still learning from it. What if we were better prepared? Is it typically an afterthought, even for the day to day mundane stuff that we take for granted?

I'm excited to hear your thoughts - hopefully it will help with my approach.

Best,
Monique L Wilson
Business Continutity Specialist

It's interesting this work of preparing. Every weekend I prepare for my week of "cultivating critical connections" though the property managers and organizations I'm trying to connect with doesn't view it as cultivation. Well that's another blog post for another time. Today I'm talking about preparing.

In my world of emergency preparedness i understand and realize that every company is susceptible to disasters (or just plain ole' daily flooding, fire, mold, etc.). I say Be Prepared, Plan Ahead -- And don't let an emergency shut you down!

THE PLAN

Planning for the continuing survival of your business can be a complex and stressful task if you do not consult with an experienced professional. A professional facility manager or property owner does not question the possibility of a disaster, but asks "what could happen, and when?" Disasters (or a softer gentler term -- emergencies) such as sever storms, floods, earthquakes, fire/smoke, pipe burst, chemical or oil spills, vandalism or even, sorry to be so gorry, blood removal.

Whether it is a natural disaster or a specific occurence, a well-prepared manager/owner is ready to handle the impact of the disater on the following:

• Health and Saftety of employees and tenants
• Buildings owned or operated by company
• Equipment owned or operated by company
• Interruption to business operations
• Loss or damage to vital company data and proprietary information

We know there is a NEED to be prepared and I've shared a bit about the PLAN, next time I will tell you about SOLUTIONS.

Ok, those are my thoughts for you today. I'm preparing to spread this word this week about being PREPARED and I hope my fellow property managers are ready to take my call -- I'll let you know how that goes :-)

Have a great, productive work week community!

Monique L. Wilson
Business Continutity Specialist
www.disasterservices.com

Who said that social media is a waste of time? Well, I strongly believe if used in a way that helps all who are connected to the community or vehicle being used to EXPAND, then hey get with the program :-). At anyrate, I wanted to focus this post on my awesome introduction to your community (multifamily insiders). I gather that my participation will continue to be an enlightened one with great comments and I hope some that will challenge me to GROW and get better as a marketer to this industry from the 24 Hour Emergency Services (which is so broad and can be disected in so many ways, but that's another post all to itself).

Thanks to Chrissy S. who spoke directly about her experience as the person on the other end of my phone calls -- You're on point! and I will take that bit of information with me from here on out!

Bill & Brent -- thanks for the open response -- hope to hear more great pointers from you two.

What an Introduction. KUDOS to Multifamily Insiders!


Monique Wilson
www.disasterservices.com

I started in this business (Disaster Preparedness/Services) in April 2010. You would think that's enough time to start breaking down some barriers to entry in this market --however; that hasn't been my luck. Honestly, from the business development side of things it's hard work and to add to the pot -- I'm female, in an industry that is predominantly male and caucasian, and here's another kicker I'm African American -- go figure.

No stranger to building solid relationships -- I can say that's my strength. But reality is that breaking new ground in a new industry which thrives on long term relationships, has proven to be a challenge. Now I mentioned my ethnicity because I'm mature enough and have the professional experience to note that there are issues from time to time. We live in a society where it's life. Whether just or in-just doesn't It should matter. I'm just looking for an education -- but I'm not far away from asking for the sale! I think vendor to organization (business to business / business to consumer) we've got to start being a little more open to just hearing each other out! Yes we all have to sell because we all have to stay in business. Our economy speaks volumes to that respect.

I'm just opening up dialogue with the hopes that we just stop hanging up the phone on folks who are calling on you whether for information or business. There is a "nice" way to say no people. We all have our daily crazy routines, but I've been in sales and customer service long enough to know that being OPEN can bring benefical rewards from time to time. How would you know if you don't remain OPEN.

I'm on my soapbox folks, but I hope you really hear me out. Comment here or just sound off on my email -- would be interesting to here your comments.

Until my next post...



Letters from an Outsider
M.L Wilson
www.disasterservices.com
mwilson@disasterservices.com