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Home Insider Blogs Angela Irizarry's Blog Safety...A Dirty Word?
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May 03
2011

Safety...A Dirty Word?

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Posted by: Angela Irizarry on May 3, 2011 20:24

Just a few days ago I was stunned by someone’s perception of our community.

A little background - We are located just steps from a large University.  Students get more privacy and freedom without compromising location, security features or the college experience.  Leasing is per bedroom and you must be a student to live here.  The community features were designed with that in mind.  Anyway, here’s what happened....

Parents and students often express their concerns about the safety of off campus housing.  It would then stand to reason that describing the precautions we have taken would be a good thing…right?  In this case we were wrong!  This particular prospect graciously declined to lease because “I found another option…in a safer area.”  After staring blankly in disbelief at the e-mail, I started formulating a response.

“Dear Mr. Doe,

I’m sorry to hear that!  Your feedback is very important to us.  Is there anything in particular that gave you the impression our location is less safe than others?

Thanks,

Angela”

I figured that repeating our security features would be useless without additional information.  Not expecting a detailed (if any) response, I went about my day.  Unfortunately, this was one of those moments you just can’t shake.  It ate at me.  I wanted to know why!  Just when I thought I would never have an answer I received this –

“Angela,

I really respect the heightened security.  It's just that the electronic locks and the 2-out-of-3 inaccessible (electronically secured) rooms left me feeling both

A. that the security is necessary (and therefore the risks are present) and

B. Alienated in "my own home" by not being able to access two out of three doors.

It’s a great system, just not for me.  I hope that my feedback is helpful and not offensive, as I did not intend it to be.

Kind regards,

Mr. Doe”

Ok again I’m a little dumbfounded by this response.  I mean come on, does he really expect his roommates to be so trusting that they leave their doors wide open at all times?  Is there really an area where security features are unnecessary?!  I know that nothing I can say will change his mind, but maybe a response will eventually pay off.

“Mr. Doe,

Your feedback is not offensive at all.  I appreciate your honesty and do understand your position.  Many parents and students have raised concerns about safety in off campus housing.  All of the precautions we have taken were simply to satisfy those concerns.  If we can be of any assistance in the future, please let me know.

Thanks,

Angela”

This was the end of our conversation.  Will he recommend us to another student that may not feel the same way about locking bedrooms and security precautions?  Only time will tell…

The moral of this story is to identify with your prospect!  Discovering needs and wants, focusing on THEM and being careful not to feature dump are some of the most important things to remember when touring a prospect.  If they walk out the door without taking out a checkbook, find out why!!  Feedback truly is important.  Don’t miss out on opportunities to learn from your mistakes.

~Angela

“Mistakes are a part of being human. Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way. Unless it's a fatal mistake, which, at least, others can learn from.” ~ Al Franken

 


Comments (5)Add Comment
82
written by Gerry Hunt, May 04, 2011
Great post Angela!
Follow up and feedback are important to our success. We take the learning an improve our sales techniques! If we ask questions BEFORE we go into our sales mode we know what the prospect wants! Sometimes we are so sold on why our community is the best we forget to find out what the prospect really wants!
6072
written by Angela Irizarry, May 05, 2011
Thank you Gerry! I hate sales mode, but it seems that the busier we get, the more salesy I become. It's experiences like these that help get me back on track.
62
written by Brent Williams, May 08, 2011
Wonderful post and perfect story to illustrate! Not to say this was the situation here, but I think a lot of people feel "self conscious" about their property in some way, and they might bring up the issue because they are just sure that the prospect is thinking about it, even though he/she hasn't said a word. Kind of like how someone will poke fun at their own issues, such as weight or a big honkin' zit on the end of their nose because they are sure the other person is focusing on it, even though they might not be...
3868
written by Bunny J. Love, May 10, 2011
Great article. I'd share what I do at my community. I manage a student property and I'm often asked how safe is the area or my community. My response is that I can never guarantee someones safety, because well, I just can't! Some residents live very casually and keep all of their apartment doors and car doors unlocked, while other residents secure up everything. Safety is what a person makes it in most situations. When common sense is utilized along with being aware of your surroundings, etc, you are safer and more aware and less likely to be a victim. I then let perspective residents know to get to know who their neighbors are, always lock their car and apartment doors whether they're home or not. I remind them to keep absolutely nothing in their vehicles because break ins tend to happen when thieves think something is in that backpack inside their car, or when they leave their laptops or GPS systems in plain view. Sometimes I've even seen purses and wallets sitting on the passenger seats! YIKES! I also point out how "cut back" we keep our landscaping (and we do) so that it would be more difficult for someone to essentially hide behind a bush for example. Most parents and students appreciate my response and I always emphasize that safety is something that is never guaranteed anywhere, unfortunately. And it's not, you cannot guarantee someones safety in a community. I think being honest and upfront about it has worked best for my community. Lastly, I remind everyone that I too live on site which makes the community my home not just a job I come to for only 8 hours a day.

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6072
written by Angela Irizarry, May 16, 2011
Thanks Bunny! Great advice. No one can guarantee anyone's safety. We actually have a part of our lease dedicated to 'how to be safe'. It includes hints and tips similar to what you mention about locking doors and being aware.
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