As a leasing consultant, you are persuasive. Every day you’re convincing prospects and renters why your community is the best of the best. Yet, it can be hard to be persuasive day in and day out when you’re burnt out from the endless to-do’s. 

You can use that persuasive skill to sway your supervisor into seeing the need for technology solutions, but it requires a balance of education on your part and enabling on your supervisors part. There are certainly other factors to why a supervisor might not to the benefits right now—budget, too many or too little resources, or lack of staff. (If you are a supervisor or manager, try asking your team what tools they need to be successful if you haven't already).

Over the years, you most likely have been introduced to new technology that streamlines tedious tasks. At times, new technology can be overwhelming, but it’s hard to ignore technology that helps you create memorable experiences with renters. However, it’s easy to ignore solutions if you’re using too many. Let’s use video as an example.

Too Many Video Solutions

Think about all the different video solutions you use: your phone to take a video, maybe iMovie to edit a video, or Zoom to connect with renters. That’s a lot of technology to learn; no wonder it’s easy to ignore!

Do you relate? If so, there are significant opportunities to streamline your processes and technology. That’s right, I’m saying less technology can be more! It starts with you realizing your secret responsibility: using persuasion to advocate for technology solutions that you feel will help your day-to-day operations. And, that could mean cutting down or evaluating existing or new tools.

You’re Not Alone

First things first, you’re not alone if you’re leveraging multiple technology solutions. Going back to the video example, you’re also not alone if you’re utilizing multiple video platforms as I've seen/heard how on-site teams use a lot of different technology. But if you're deciding if you could streamline your technology stack or if you're wanting to advocate for a specific tool later this year, here's what you can do.

How Leasing Consultants Can Advocate for Technology Tools

1. Consider the ROI in the technology. Your supervisors will most likely want to know the ROI of the tech you’re proposing. When advocating for tools, pinpointing how the technology would be used and why it would help make your day-to-day better and/or your renters' lives easier will make your case stronger. For example, if you’re struggling to meet with your prospects in-person for a tour, maybe you need another option like virtual tours. Then, it’s presenting the ROI such as how video technology increases conversion rates. It’s showing how this technology will support marketing and leasing strategies, driving leads through the funnel faster. 
2. Showcase how competitors are doing it. Your supervisors most likely want to know what competitors are doing to market and lease their apartments. A competitor analysis can be two-fold. It shows you’re dedicated to your role, and it can be a piece to building a case for why you need a specific tool(s). You can typically find this information on the solution of choice’s website under "case studies". This will give you an understanding of how competitors might be using the tool(s).
3. Build a case with a story. To advocate for technology you must build the story around why that tool is important now more than ever. First, as we mentioned above, show the pain points it will solve for prospects and you! For example, if you’re advocating for a video solution, you can share that prospects WANT virtual touring options and that it’s convenient for people out of state (or country). 

TLDR (Too long, didn’t read)

Overall, you can use your persuasive skillset to advocate for your favorite technology tools: tell a story and discuss the stats and ROI in the tool(s), explain how competitors are utilizing the tool, and share how it’ll benefit your everyday needs.