Resident Retention: The Goal is to KEEP Residents/Customers, Right?

Here are some concepts to throw around at the next staff meeting:
1. To your customer, you are the company.
2. To your customer, your signage/market window/leasing office is the property.

Case in point #1 (experienced this weekend)
While browsing through a local clothing boutique, I heard a customer explain to the lone sales clerk that the clothes she tried on didn't quite work. They felt like they were cut for another body type, she said. "Yeah," replied the sales clerk. "All these clothes are cut totally weird. They look cute on some people, but I can't wear any of it."

Case in point #2 (experienced 20 minutes later)
While checking out with my 3 items at the grocery store, the cashier (who has been there for years and years) saw my deli item didn't have the proper bar code. Rolling her eyes, she sarcastically (and rather loudly) joked to the bagger, "Whatever! They don't tag it properly, they aren't getting credit. No one wants to do their job around here any more." She then commented to me, "This place is ridiculous. I'm so over it." Then, jokingly, "You're not a secret shopper, are you?"

Case in point #3 (experienced within the past month)
While driving across the state and passing through a small town in the middle of nowhere, we saw this sign.


At that point in the journey, because there was nothing else around for at least an hour in any direction, it may have been tempting. But I'm not staying at a "Shady" anything, thank you very much. Drive on, Jeeves.

Whatever the resident sees or hears from you or your property is what they believe to be true of the organization as a whole. What are you showing or telling about your company? What should you be showing and telling about your company?

Jen Piccotti is VP Consulting Services for SatisFacts Research. www.SatisFacts.com