A coworker and I went out in the field for a day shopping competitors in a specific sub market as potential residents. The employees that we shopped just knew that we were looking for a 2 bedroom apartment and needed to move in within the month. The following are just a few of the experiences we had in just 8 short hours of “apartment hunting”. “DANGER: EVICTIONS IN PROGRESS” was typed on a piece of copier paper and taped to the entrance door of the building that housed one of the leasing offices we visited. Any time you greet prospects or residents with a sign that shouts DANGER…there is a very big problem. (Hint: the problem isn't people beating down the door to live there!) And it was a reminder that “Common sense really isn’t that common.”  Always think about how everything you do will be perceived by a customer BEFORE you do it!  A vacant “rent ready apartment” was shown to us that had buckets catching various leaks in the apartment. In addition to the natural waterfalls that came with this particular apartment, the refrigerator was located in the center of the living room. When asked about the condition of the apartment the Leasing Consultant shared with us that the maintenance team told him it was ready and that he “hated when they did that!” Please note that the Leasing Consultant NEVER asked our names, contact information etc. They did not even request a photo ID before the tour…I guess all of that was maintenance’s fault too!

• Here’s an idea…WALK THE APARTMENTS YOU ARE GOING TO SHOW BEFORE YOU OPEN YOUR DOORS TO CUSTOMERS! Inspect what you expect and you will NEVER be embarrassed.
• Don’t EVER roll your team under a bus to the customer!
• Accept responsibility and apologize
• And for goodness sake….do YOUR job right!!!!

Walking into the next community we were anxious to have a good experience! We were hoping that we would meet someone who could “sell us” on their community (or at least attempt to). We were greeted by a fairly friendly Leasing Consultant that was smiling and gathered our names and information prior to showing us to the model apartment they had set up right next to the leasing office. We thought for a minute this may be the best experience of the day. She lead the way into the model and then shared with us that they had a “whole bunch of pizza for lunch” and that we should” ignore the other Leasing Consultant lying on the couch” of the model. YES! It was true. There was a grown man asleep on the couch of the model while we were being toured! When we told her that we were leaving and that we still needed to shop around she did give us a brochure that stated they were a “family community”. SERIOUSLY?!

• If you knew a co-worker was asleep on the couch of the model…why are you taking prospects to see the model?!
• How about…DON’T SLEEP AT WORK period!
• Fair Housing does exist! Do NOT state “family community” in your brochure!

I envisioned decision makers of these companies and many others sitting around a large conference room table in the corporate office wondering why people were moving out, why traffic had died down and why vacancy was creeping up. I could see them deciding to spend additional money in advertising, team bonuses, concessions etc when in fact it was the customer experience that needed to change. I was scratching my head wondering what hiring practices, performance measurements and training was in place at these organizations and how these employees became so disengaged and complacent. After all…those are the questions that REALLY need to be addressed around the conference room tables and on-site.  I can assure you that I too was also thinking about my priorities as a Marketing Director and a leader. 

I left from shopping that day in tears. I was sad for the people who really were willing to spend their hard earned money at those communities to have a place to call home. I was embarrassed for the employers that entrusted their multi-million dollar real estate to the front line teams that were clearly doing them a disservice. I wept for the lost revenue of the owner. And I shed a few tears for the Leasing Consultants that had either lost their passion or who were put in the wrong position. I apologize for my lack of “fluff” and “pump me up” banter however I feel it necessary to share my real life experiences in the most honest way possible. Sugar coating tends to blur our visions.  I would love to say that all is well in our industry and devise new and innovative ways of leasing and marketing! But the fact remains…We are still ignoring the basics. The industry average phone shop score according to CallSource’s Telephone Performance Analysis is 61%. We are sporting a D- on our phone shops and prospects are experiencing what I just mentioned but we are dreaming of how technology can assist us! Come on folks! Let's spend some quality time with our people, get out on-site and ENGAGE our employees in our business.  The investments we make in both time and money need to be  in training and performance measurement tools! I would rather have informed, engaged and passionate employees who understand the impact that their performance has on our business than the latest technology, tool etc…ANY DAY OF THE WEEK!   An investment without engagement is simply a waste.  The horse HAS to be trained and willing to pull the cart!