RENT SODA: Business & Marketing Consulting to the Apartment Industry Rotating Header Image

Good Customer Service is Dead! Where is the LOVE?

Mar 8th, 2010
by daisynguyen.
No comments yet

You read it right -GOOD Customer Service is DEAD. Where is the LOVE?

(Video: Black Eyed Peas -- Where is the Love?)

This is actually good news -- If you are one of the few apartment communities that consistently provides good customer service, you are WAY ahead of the game. Even if you THINK you’re doing a great job, this article will be an EYE OPENER. Read on! (This blog-post was inspired by a recent blog post and discussion initiated my Brent Williams -- read his original article here.

In today’s market, the BEST way to control vacancy is to close that back door -- meaning KEEP your current residents! Don’t let them leave! We all know it costs us a WHOLE lot less to keep a current resident than it is to turn an apartment and find a new resident! The few prospects that ARE in the market for a new apartments -- they KNOW they are a WANTED commodity, SO they are shopping for the best deal. Our current residents? They want a good deal too -- however, more than wanting a good deal -- they want to feel good about choosing to spend their money with YOU.

GOOD Customer Service is Dead…Where is the LOVE?

SO why do I say GOOD customer service is dead? A recent fair housing audit was conducted in one of the markets where I am active. Apartments from every management company, Affordable, Market, Luxury, Urban, Suburban -- you name it, they were included in the study. The objective was to determine if Fair Housing guidelines were being followed. The good news? Everyone was complying with Fair Housing rules. HOWEVER an unintended observation was made by the fair housing “shoppers:” -- Customer service was D-E-A-D.  Every management company was operating fairly -- Equal opportunity was being practiced by all -- just equal opportunity neglect, equal opportunity rudeness, equal opportunity crab-assiness.

GOOD Customer Service is Dead! Where is the LOVE?

So why is this good news? Good customer service can be IMPROVED. It’s not like a location or an expensive amenity.

YOU have the power the improve this! 

Not only do you have CONTROL over this, the results from the fair housing audit would indicate that it wouldn’t take much these days to stand out from everyone else.

I LOVE shoe shopping. My favorite place to shop for shoes? Nordstrom’s shoe department. They tend to have pretty good customer service overall - but NOT all customer service is created equal. I have found that when my regular salesman, (let’s call him Adam) helps me, I will leave the store with at least 3 pairs of shoes. And when it’s someone else -- most times I leave empty handed. Why? Everyone is extremely helpful and cheerful -- its Nordstrom’s after all! But when Adam helps me, he makes me feel like the ONLY person who SHOULD be wearing THOSE shoes, should be ME. (“Darling! Those shoes were MADE for you!” or my favorite, “I won’t be able to look at those shoes on someone else’s feet the same way EVER again. And I have 6 pairs left back there!” It’s partly how he treats me when I am trying on shoes, but in the course of getting to know me, he has gotten to KNOW ME. He knows what my style is (knows the labels that typically appeal to me), he’s gotten to know what my preferences are (LOVE PINK, RED, GOLD), he knows my foot size. AND he tells me when something is NOT right. (“Friends don’t let friends wear THOSE out.”) I’ve learned from my shoe experience and have singled out a GREAT sales person in each department or store that I frequent. I don’t put up with bad customer service, and believe me. BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE happens to GOOD PEOPLE -- ALOT more frequently than we care to admit -- especially when it comes to our own communities!

Learn from Nordstrom’s -- in a time when EVERY other store is having a sale EVERY WEEK, they seldom have sales. I pay full price every time I shop there -- but I feel GOOD doing it.

THAT’s what your current residents want from you -- make them feel GOOD about spending their money with YOU. SHOW THEM THE LOVE.

As I mentioned previously, BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE happens to GOOD PEOPLE. I have noticed that in this economic time, it is EXTREMELY hard to find good customer service. Many times, when I am out and about, shopping, dining, etc. Mediocre or bad service is so common -- in fact it IS the norm. Customer service people are talking to each other, ignoring customers, acting as if somehow, the presence of a customer waiting for service actually is a nuisance! At some restaurants, especially during non-peak hours, the service is downright poor. Why is this?

A recent discussion at my local apartment association, MHA (Minnesota Multi-Housing Association) zoned in on the fact -- it’s NOT that we (as customer service providers) don’t KNOW what GOOD customer service is. Bad news & bad attitudes are everywhere. It’s a depressed market. WE feel it, we are stressed, we are strapped on time, our budgets have been cut, our payroll hours have been limited, pay freezes. YOU name it, we’ve all experienced more bad news than most of us have ever experienced or care to remember. We’re not the ONLY ones this is happening to! Our residents, prospects, clients are experiencing this TOO. 

Back to resident retention and good customer service at your community. The one place where your resident spends the majority of their time is at HOME -- at YOUR apartment community. The biggest check they write EVERY month is a rent check to YOUR community. The ONE place where we don’t want to feel the everyday pressures of a bad economy, depressed market, bad news is at HOME. Your community is HOME for every one of your residents. It’s not enough to say “good morning,” or “how are you?” when your resident comes home in the evening. Get to KNOW them! Have a genuine interest in your residents. You should know who are the frequent fitness buffs, which ones are early starters, which ones have pets, etc! Talk to your residents, engage in positive interactions with your residents, get their input. Get to KNOW them! Even if YOUR community has 500 or more residents, it is nowhere near the kind of traffic Nordstrom’s gets on a weekend. Learn from the best and forget the rest!

SHOW YOUR RESIDENTS THE LOVE.

If the only conversations you are having with your residents is when they sign their lease, when they are late on rent, and when they renew, SOMETHING IS WRONG. Where is the LOVE there? If you’re only dealing with “customer service issues” (i.e. complaints) instead of receiving letters or thanks and praise from your residents, the customer service at your community is lacking. There are hundreds of ways to have positive interactions through-out the course of a resident’s lease term. Create THOSE opportunities, and make it a part of EVERYONE’s responsibility on site.

SHOW YOUR RESIDENTS THE LOVE.

Don’t GET IT? RENT SODA! GET IT!

-Daisy Nguyen in Minneapolis, Minnesota MN

CEO

RENTSODA-small

Business, Operations & Marketing Consulting to the Apartment Industry

Web: RentSoda.com   Email: Daisy {at} RentSoda(.)com

Become a fan of RENTSODA on facebook.  Connect with RENTSODA on LinkedIn!

Follow RENTSODA on Twitter!

GD Star Rating
a WordPress rating system
GD Star Rating
a WordPress rating system

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

  • Share/Bookmark

Posted in: Business, Career Advice, Leasing, Resident Retention.
Tagged: · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Apartment Communities: 10 Elements of an Effective Pet Policy

Mar 2nd, 2010
by daisynguyen.
1 comment

With vacancies at 10 year high’s, apartment communities are finding ways to become more appealing to the apartment dweller. An area that you can use to broaden your renter population: Pet Owners!

(The happy spirit pictured is my dog, Jazz, one of the happiest, most loving dogs EVER. I would never live someplace that does not allow me to bring this sweetie with me!)

If your community has historically been a no-pet community, or one where there are stringent pet restrictions, this maybe a good time to take a look at your pet policy, and see if there is room to broaden it. Here are some facts about pet owners:

The Humane Society’s statistics:

  1. 39% of US Households have 1 or more dogs.
  2. 33% of US Households have 1 or more cats.

The CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL states pets can:

Decrease Blood pressure
Decrease Cholesterol levels
Decrease Triglyceride levels
Decrease Feelings of loneliness

Increase opportunities for exercise and outdoor activities
Increase Opportunities for socialization

Sounds like a recipe for happy, healthy residents to me!

In a 2006 survey, roughly half of the pet households consider their pets to be family members. 

Family members! – that’s a pretty strong connection!

We have all heard or seen the worst of the worst when it comes to pets - right? Pets that have chewed through furniture, pet droppings, pet smells, pet dander, pet barking, un-ruly pets, etc! Don’t let this sway you. I was once an unruly child too…

Seriously, there are ways to set-up pet rules & guidelines to make pet ownership in an apartment community work for everyone.

10 ELEMENTS of a Good Pet Policy:

  1. Clearly define what kinds of pets you are going to accept. For instance, some communities will accept small dogs upto a certain weight. Other communities will accept dogs regardless of the size – but they may have breed restrictions. Do your research, and set criteria that best fit the needs and expectations of your community. (For instance, in communities where the size of the apartments are small, or where outdoor space for walking dogs is limited, it might make sense to restrict the size of dogs. In other communities where the size of the apartments are larger, and the community was built as a pet-friendly community, it may be a better option to accept all sizes, but decide on breed restrictions.)
  2. Decide how many pets are allowed per apartment.
  3. Establish a pet deposit or/or pet fees. This should be used to establish your community’s expectations of pet owners – let them know they are responsible for any damages inflicted by their pet.
  4. Establish whether or not you community will charge “pet rent.” I see this used in communities that have been built to be pet-friendly – meaning they have a dog park or dog walk area that may need some routine maintenance like weekly sanitation or other cleaning services. The “pet rent” usually helps to offset the cost of keeping those facilities clean and well-maintained.
  5. Establish penalties for resident who do not notify the management office of their pet. If you ARE allowing residents to own pets in your community, have everyone, even non-pet owners, sign the pet addendum. This establishes the fact that your community DOES accept pets, as well as outlines the penalties for not notifying management of a pet household member.
  6. Establish – when outside the resident’s apartment, a pet should be under the complete control of a responsible human companion at all times. Pets are not to be left alone, unattended or tied anywhere outside.
  7. If your community has common areas, establish which common areas pet owners can bring their pets. (I’ve seen pet friendly communities establish “no-pet” zones – like the fitness center, but keep everything else available to pets & their owners.)
  8. Establish clearly defined penalties if an owner does not clean up after their pet.
  9. Take a picture of the pet, get copies of their vaccinations & rabies shots, and keep this information in your resident’s file.
  10. For cats, decide if your community will accept cats that have claws, or declawed cats only.

What other pet rules/guidelines should be included? Please leave your comments & suggestions!

-Daisy Nguyen in Minneapolis, Minnesota MN

CEO

RENTSODA-small

Business, Operations & Marketing Consulting to the Apartment Industry

Web: RentSoda.com   Email: Daisy {at} RentSoda(.)com

Become a fan of RENTSODA on facebook.  Connect with RENTSODA on LinkedIn!

Follow RENTSODA on Twitter!

GD Star Rating
a WordPress rating system
GD Star Rating
a WordPress rating system

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

  • Share/Bookmark

Posted in: Policies.
Tagged: · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Lack of Motivation? Leasing Stalled? How to Change Your Tune

Feb 24th, 2010
by daisynguyen.
11 comments

All this talk about a depression, soft market and price drops. OH MY! Not to mention pay freezes, working twice as hard for half as much traffic, it’s not a wonder that there is a lack of motivation out there. How do we change this and re-invigorate our teams, win leases, and enjoy our jobs once again? The apartment industry is an awesome industry – how do we stop singing the blues and bring that skip back into our step?

If you talk to my friends, business partners and co-workers, they will tell you I am a HAPPY person, always with a smile, a laugh, sunshine in my eyes, and a skip in my step. How do I keep the skip in my step, even in the midst of all this bad news?

It’s as simple as changing your tune – literally.

Have you ever noticed when you walk into a fitness facility, there’s upbeat booty-shaking music piped through the gym? Or visit a spa, and they have relaxing music with wind chimes or the sound of water? Different retailers like Gap, Express, The Limited all have specific soundtracks they play in their retail stores. At Nordstrom’s, depending on the department you are standing in, there is different music – all eliciting a different mood.

(Picture provided by William Hamon on Flickr through Creative Commons license.)

Music is one of those things that can instantly put YOU in a different mood. If you’re in a bad mood – why not change your tune and get into a GOOD mood? Feeling a little slow? Put on some finger-snapping upbeat music and see how long you stay groggy. Feeling like nothing is going your way? Listen to something that lifts you UP. Change your tune, change your mindset, and see where it takes you!

Here are a couple of my favorite mood enhancing tracks:

If I just need to get moving in the morning, Gigi D’Agostino’s La Passion gets me going! (actually, anything Techno can do that to you!)

Disney’s Hakuna Matata always makes me laugh.

Hawaiian Iz’s Somewhere Over the Rainbow is uplifting…

If I need to add some attitude to my day, I listen to Michael Jackson’s Beat It.

If I have a LONG project, OR if I’m coming into a tough meeting and need some motivation, I listen to Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger.

When dealing with tough situations or dramatic people, I listen to Craig David’s I’m Walking Away. (I DO come back to address the problem, but it’s nice to know you can walk away – at least for a little bit!)

I listen to these songs while I’m getting ready for my day, in the car, where ever I can, or whenever I need a quick change in tune.

We normally associate mood-alteration with drugs – why not music?

I recently wrote an article about setting intentions. In conjunction with setting your intentions for a successful day, a successful week, and a successful career. Music is one of those small adjustments you can make to GET you in the right positive frame of mind to GET THERE. You can read my article on setting intentions here.

What do you listen to that changes you mood and sets the tone for a productive day?

Don’t get it? RENT SODA. GET IT!

-Daisy Nguyen in Minneapolis, Minnesota MN

CEO

RENTSODA-small

Business, Operations & Marketing Consulting to the Apartment Industry

Web: RentSoda.com   Email: Daisy {at} RentSoda(.)com

Become a fan of RENTSODA on facebook.  Connect with RENTSODA on LinkedIn!

Follow RENTSODA on Twitter!

GD Star Rating
a WordPress rating system
GD Star Rating
a WordPress rating system

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

  • Share/Bookmark

Posted in: Do GOOD, Just for FUN!, Leasing, Success.
Tagged: · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Being Shy About Business Won’t Win Leases – How to Take Your Competition OUT!

Feb 22nd, 2010
by daisynguyen.
2 comments

Everyone knows – being shy about business – especially leasing, won’t win you any leases. Have fears or doubts? Your prospects can smell it a mile away -and so can your competion. So what WILL win you leases? 

This is a picture of me in 2nd grade. I had just transferred to a new school. I was a toothless, innocent, unsure and extremely SHY child with ONE WISH: More than anything in the world, I wanted to make friends. Being shy didn’t win me any friends. And to make matters worse, I was the smallest child in the class. Who gets bullied around the most? Well, the weakest link of course – MOI. How do you win friends in this environment? 

Fast forward to today’s apartment leasing world: That toothless, SHY, unsure child pictured is YOUR property. The bullies out in the world are your competition. They’re bigger, better, faster, have deeper pockets, YOU name it, they’re IT. You’re feeling overwhelmed, underappreciated, and more than ANYTHING, you not only WANT new leases, you NEED new leases. How do you win leases in this environment? 

As a child, I had one thing in abundance – IMAGINATION. In my mind’s eye, I imagined that I came into school one day, and I had all my teeth! I then imagined that I approached all the students in my class and introduced myself. I imagined skipping out to recess holding hands with my new friends. I imagined being picked FIRST for the dodge ball team. For some reason, DOUBT, FEAR, UNCERTAINTY, would find me even in my imagination! Even in my wildest dreams (Being picked first for dodge ball? Little ole me? THAT is a WILD dream at best!), my bully was THERE. And he had the ball, had it aimed RIGHT at me. 

If you know the rules of dodge ball, you know there are only 2 ways to take someone OUT: 1.) You hit them with a LIVE ball. 2.) You catch a LIVE ball that is aimed at you. And you better believe, my big bully had mastered the art of whipping that ball quick and hard – at ME! He liked to get that ball first, and take me out – as a warning to everyone else that he was coming for them NEXT.

Day after day, even in my imagination, my bully was there, whipping the ball at me. He’d always hit me, and I’d always limp off in pain. Then one day, I IMAGINED that I caught that ball. What an epiphany! AND BOY did that feel good! I imagined it again and again. I replayed it in my mind. In slow motion, in fast motion. I dissected that moment of impact. And I planned like an obsessed mad scientist, exactly how, when and where I would catch that ball. Until finally one day, that doubt, fear, and uncertainty was gone. In its place, was my INTENTION: I was going to take that bully OUT. 

I’m NOT going to tell you it was easy, OR tell you that the next day, I went to recess and immediately caught that dodge ball – because that’s not how it happened. BUT, what I DID: I started trying harder. I stopped being shy and afraid. I reached out and made new friends. I smiled; I was charming, I was no longer afraid. As a coping mechanism, I actually avoided my bully as much as I could. I was hit many times by that bully’s dodge ball – but I was no longer afraid of him. It wasn’t until the 4th grade in gym class that I finally turned around, looked him in the eye, and caught that ball and took him OUT. Not only did I take him OUT, I took him out in the first minute of the game. THAT was the highlight of my entire 4th grade year.

What does this have to do with apartment leasing? That bully is all your competition. Those dodge balls are all your objections. And believe me they are YOUR objections to YOUR own success. It could be that you don’t have amenities to speak of, it could be that your building is dated, it could be that you are forced to compete in a world filled of concessions and yours aren’t worthy of the competition, or it could be YOUR own self-doubt about your selling abilities. Whatever IT is – you’ve bought into those objections hook, line and sinker. 

Now, as an adult, this might be harder to do, but IMAGINE your prospect walking in. Imagine how that leasing process SHOULD occur. Do the objections come up? That’s OK. In your mind’s eye, take care of those objections. Dissect it, play it in slow motion, play it forward, whatever it takes. Don’t just glaze over or erase those objections – take them ON head-on. Address them! Imagine your leasing process until it becomes one that feels GOOD to you – and you see yourself WINNING that lease. Once you have THAT process in your mind down, imagine THAT winning process over and over again. Imagine that you WILL WIN. Take that competition OUT!

 And as an adult, I no longer call it a WILD imagination. I call it setting my INTENTION. I’ve gotten much better at it over the years. It doesn’t take me 2 years to figure out how to be successful. Whatever the challenge is, I let my imagination run wild, set my intentions, and WIN.

Believe me when I say, that 2nd playground was a lot harder to overcome than most of the hurdles in my life, but it taught me how to win. I keep that struggle and triumph close to my heart, and pull from that experience many times in life. How about you?

Don’t get it? RENT SODA. GET IT!

-Daisy Nguyen in Minneapolis, Minnesota MN

CEO

RENTSODA-small

Business & Marketing Consulting to the Apartment Industry

Web: RentSoda.com   Email: Daisy {at} RentSoda(.)com

Become a fan of RENTSODA on facebook.  Connect with RENTSODA on LinkedIn!

Follow RENTSODA on Twitter!

GD Star Rating
a WordPress rating system
GD Star Rating
a WordPress rating system

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

  • Share/Bookmark

Posted in: Business, Leasing, Success.
Tagged: · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Apartment Jobs: From Resume to Job Offer: How to get the CALL!

Feb 10th, 2010
by daisynguyen.
No comments yet

I LOVE American Idol. At the audition stage in the game, when the judges are trying to find the best talent in each city, in 10 seonds or less, they can tell whether someone MIGHT have what it takes to “Be The NEXT American Idol.”

In some ways, American Idol is very similar to the resume-interview-callback-job offer process. The end result is the same: Every company is looking for their NEXT rockstar. Are you IT?

(Picture provided by nickel.media on Flickr through creative commons license.)

Not feeling so much like a rockstar? For every apartment jobs listing I post, I receive somewhere between 100- 250 resumes. How do you stand out in the sea of paper, shine at your interview, get called back for a 2nd interview and land that job?

YOUR Resume = The Audition

Receiving over 100 resumes is not fun. I’ve got it down, much like the American Idol judges, in 10 seconds or less, I determine if the candidate is ”qualified” enough to get to the next stage. How do you stand out in 10 seconds or less?

Less is more. Don’t send in a 3 page resume. I’ll never read the entire thing in 10 seconds. With over 100 resumes, my job is to screen candidates OUT. Don’t risk getting screened out too soon by providing me all that information – and much of it being irrelevant to the job I have to offer. Shorten it up. Focus on the relevant points, and shorten up the rest. Oh, and follow directions folks! If the job posting asks for references, give me references. If it asks for your salary range, provide that. If it asks you to enter your entire resume into an online system – do THAT and do it well. If you can’t follow instructions, I might assume you can’t follow instructions…

The Phone Screen = The 1st Round

Out of 100+ resumes, I’ll narrow it down it about 20-30 candidates.  The phone screen is used to help me get some basic information about you, and narrow the scope down to 5-10 good candidates. AGAIN, to screen you out! AND, at least for me, and most of the hiring managers I know, its SOLE purpose is to determine if you’re at least SANE enough, positive/upbeat, courteous. VERY basic stuff, but you’d be surprised as to how many people blow off the phone screen, as if it weren’t important. Just because a secretary, assisstant or HR intern is conducting the phone interview doesn’t mean their opinion doesn’t count. Maybe its going to be your new boss! Whatever the case, be on your best behavior. My first and last question of my phone screeners usually is: How did the candidate treat you? If you are mean, rude, late, eat while you’re on the phone, ask inappropriate questions or say inappropriate things, this information IS passed along to the hiring manager. And if the decision maker is me, treating my assistant like poop is a sure way of letting me know you will probably treat the community’s residents like poop. Just as American Idol has CRAZY people who audition, you’d be surprised how many “qualified” people (on paper) are actually as crazy as some of these auditions! Be sane, positive, courteous, and you’ll cruise to the next phase.

THE Interview = Round 2

CONGRATULATIONS! You made it to the interviewing stage! Now what? This is the time to sing your heart out. Show them what you are made of. Prior to the interview, research the company, and if available, your hiring manager. So much information is available on the internet these days. LinkedIn is AWESOME! Use the information, and use some of the same words from their website, their mission statement, maybe the LINKEDIN profile, as you are talking about yourself & your work. KNOW your strengths & weaknesses, and be honest about them! Employers like honesty, and they like to see a candidate that knows what they bring to the table, as well as where they can use training and support. If your interviewer is talkative, let them talk! If they ask short questions, ask them to elaborate. The longer your interview is, the bigger impression you are making, and the more opportunity you are giving yourself to make a bigger impression! Ask relevant, thought-provoking questions that pertain to the job and the company. Your questions will tell your interviewer what kind of thinker you are. If you don’t ask any good questions, they’ll assume you don’t think much…

The Call-Back = Round 3

So, you WOWED them. Not only were you qualified, you proved to be sane, courteous, on-time, AND TALENTED. There’s a connection, and this is when the BIG guns are called in. Some companies will call you back for a “2nd interview. Sometimes it is with a the boss’s boss (department head) or sometimes it is with a key subordinate. Whatever the case, you need to impress these people. These people are the advisors to the decision maker. If the hiring manage is on the fence about you, the advisor can swing their decision. Again, be kind, courteous, positive. Find a way to connect with these guys. They don’t have their guard up as much as the hiring manager or the phone screener. However, this is not the time to ask inappropriate questions. Any and ALL information WILL be passed back to the hiring manager! Use some of what you learned in the first interview to ask relevant questions and get to know the team more.

The Job Offer = THIS is THE NEXT American IDOL!

CONGRATULATIONS! You’ve made it to the job offer table. THIS is where you can ask more pertinent questions (and not before!) with regards to salary, benefits, scheduling, etc. They’ve made the decision that they want YOU. If you have committments (i.e. I play softball in the summer and need to leave work early on Wednesdays during June – August), this is a good time to mention it, but leave room to move-on. If what they are offering isn’t what you need, request to come in with a list of questions. (Face to face meetings are recommended over email or phone.) Gauge their response when negotiating in person, and be ready to present your counter offer, or negotiate other terms. (In this market, unless you are applying for a top level position, negotiations are not recommended.) Smile, be thankful, let them know how exited you are – even while negotiating!

Whatever stage of the process you are in, wo matter what, always thank them for the call/interview/2nd interview/job offer, and reiterate how exiting it was for you to go through the process with them. If you decline an offer, always do it graciously, and thank them for the opportunity. You never know where your NEXT opportunity will be or who your next interviewer will be! Apartment Jobs – the good ones, the ones that fit your needs, are good to find. Keep those doors open!

Other tips? Leave me a comment!

Don’t get it? RENT SODA. GET IT!

-Daisy Nguyen in Minneapolis, Minnesota MN

CEO

RENTSODA-small

Business & Marketing Consulting to the Apartment Industry

Web: RentSoda.com   Email: Daisy {at} RentSoda(.)com

Become a fan of RENTSODA on facebook.  Connect with RENTSODA on LinkedIn!

Follow RENTSODA on Twitter!

GD Star Rating
a WordPress rating system
GD Star Rating
a WordPress rating system

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

  • Share/Bookmark

Posted in: Career Advice.
Tagged: · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

What Kind of Job are YOU Looking For? Anything Less Than the Best is a Felony!

Feb 8th, 2010
by daisynguyen.
2 comments

Apartment Jobs: Phone screens & job interviews have 1 purpose: to screen candidates OUT. Yes, you read it right. It’s to screen YOU out. Of course your interviewer is trying to find the perfect candidate for their job opening, but with hundreds of resumes per job listing, the #1 priority of a recruiter/interviewer is to screen candidates OUT so that what’s left is 2-3 great candidates. 

If their goal is to screen candidates out, what is your goal when interviewing? How do you GET IN? 

I have spent the last several weeks helping a couple of clients find the PERFECT candidate for their job listings. In the past 10 years, I have conducted hundreds of interviews – hired LOTS of great folks (and a handful of not so great…but that’s another article) I have refined my interviewing techniques, and know EXACTLY what to look for in a candidate, what are the red flags (the CRAZY-loo’s), what to ask, how to drill down to the truth (and how to use those questions/answers as a future training tool), etc. Believe me when I say this: YOUR interviewer has perfected these skills too. So again, the question is, how do YOU land the perfect job for YOU? 

In this job market, when looking for apartment jobs, you might be unemployed, you might be in between jobs, you might be looking for a change. Whatever the case, the MOST IMPORTANT part of this equation is YOU: 

What are YOU looking for in a job? 

 STOP, COLLABORATE, and LISTEN! Do you GET IT yet? The most important part of this equation IS you. What are you looking for in a job? (Oh, and yes, this is a Vanilla Ice reference.)  

Instead of trying to fit into someone else’s job description, why not KNOW what YOU want, what you NEED, and find THAT job? Turn the job hunt upside down and start with the person who matters the most – YOU. My most meaningful and lasting placements are those where both parties are getting exactly what they want. 

To help YOU better determine what kind of company & apartment job YOU are looking for, ask yourself: 

  1. Is career advancement important to me? If it is, you will want to look for a company that offers & believes in career advancement. These will typically be your medium to large companies – as they have those positions available. A smaller company may not have as many opportunities. – But don’t rule small companies out for advancement. Sometimes, in order for the small companies to find get great candidates for their top positions, they invest the most in the current employees. Questions to ask if career advancement is important to you: What is the typical career path for a <insert job title here – i.e. Leasing Agent, Community Manager, etc.> at your company? What kind of training and support do you offer to someone who would like to advance? Pay close attention to these answers, as you will be able to determine if a company truly DOES want to advance their employees, or just goes through the motions.
  2. Does having a life outside of work, a priority for you? (I know some of you are laughing, but this IS a question you should honestly answer.) Many times career advancement (Look at question #1 above) will not work with having a life. Many companies I know that have career advancement opportunities also have the best people working for them. Competition is STIFF for career advancement, and in order to get ahead, you’ll have to put in extra time and effort to stand apart from the crowd. Factor this into your decision. Questions to ask if time is important to you: What is the typical work schedule? What are my expected hours? How many after-hours meetings should can I expect?
  3. Is meaningful work important to you? For instance, do you need to work for a “greater good?” Are you feeling the need to “give back?” If you do, its time you looked into working for non-profit organizations in the area. I see this happen many times after someone has put int 10-15 years of service in the industry – and they want something more meaningful. There are TONS of great non-profits in the industry that could use your expertise. Just because a company is non-profit doesn’t mean that you have to work for free! In addition, some for-profit companies understand this need, and offer ways for their employees to participate in non-profits. If you are interviewing with a for-profit company, but you want opportunities to give back, Questions to ask if ”giving back” is important to you:  Do you currently partner with any non-profit organizations? Are their opportunities to volunteer, and if so, what are they? Questions to ask if you are interviewing with a non-profit organization: What is your mission? What communities/groups do you serve? How do you best serve those communities/groups? What makes your non-profit stand out from others? If you are looking for more meaning in your life, make sure that the non-profit you decide to work for has a mission/value system that you can believe in and support. There’s no meaning, if it doesn’t MEAN anything to YOU.
  4. Do you need training/support because the position you are applying for is a little bit of a reach for you? Be honest with yourself, and ask the questions of your potential new employer, to see if they have the right support system for you to succeed. Be honest with your new employer. Let them know what you bring to the table that is valuable, but then ask these questions if proper training/support is important in order for you to succeed: What will the first 90 days look like? What is the training program for new employees? How often will I meet with my trainer/mentor/supervisor? If you are reaching for a job that you feel you CAN potentially do with the right training and support – be honest and let them know this, and FIND OUT if they DO have the training/support you need to be successful!
  5. Is “having discretion” to make decisions and work independently important to you? Ask yourself this question, and look deep to find the answers. Most people want a boss that will “leave them alone and let them do their job,” but when they do encounter THAT boss, they don’t know how to perform their duties without more direction. OR, they are unwilling to take on the responsibilities or consequences of being the decision maker. Sometimes I hear people tell me they want they want training & support (#4 above) but in the next breathe, they “don’t want to be micro-managed.” To an interviewer like me, this is a schizophrenic employee, and one that will be EXTREMELY hard to manage/train/support. On the one hand they want training/support, but on the other hand, they don’t want someone to tell them how to do their job. Questions to ask if being able to work independently is important to you: What kinds of decisions am I expected to make on a daily/weekly basis? What kinds of responsibilities and consequences do those decision-making powers come with?
  6. What are you good at? What do you enjoy? What do you dislike? We all want to be able to do a good job. YOU should know what are your strengths & weaknesses. And be honest. Find a position that capitalizes on your strengths, and has support for your weaknesses. For instance, if you are great with people, but not so great with numbers, you need to find out how much of your time will be spent managing relationships, and how much of your time is expected with financial responsibilities. If the splits is 80% people-oriented, with 20% financial analysis with the help of a bookkeeper, than GREAT. BUT, if those numbers were reversed, be honest.

The best place to start in a new job hunt is to start with the ONE thing you KNOW best: YOURSELF. Be honest with yourself on what kind of job you are looking for. Target THOSE jobs, and watch how the offers roll in! 

In the words of Vanilla Ice: “Anything less than the best is a felony.” 

Do you agree? Disagree? Are there questions you want to add? Leave a comment! 

Don’t get it? RENT SODA. GET IT!

-Daisy Nguyen in Minneapolis, Minnesota MN

CEO

RENTSODA-small

Business & Marketing Consulting to the Apartment Industry

Web: RentSoda.com   Email: Daisy {at} RentSoda(.)com

Become a fan of RENTSODA on facebook.  Connect with RENTSODA on LinkedIn!

Follow RENTSODA on Twitter!

GD Star Rating
a WordPress rating system
GD Star Rating
a WordPress rating system

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

  • Share/Bookmark

Posted in: Career Advice, Success.
Tagged: · · · · · · · · · · ·

Apartment Marketing: Get READY, Get SHARP – Call your ILS Account Rep!

Feb 2nd, 2010
by daisynguyen.
4 comments

1/12 of the year is over, and the clock is ticking. Have you made progress towards your occupancy goals, or have you started the year off already behind? Your PRIME leasing season is coming – are you ready? Whatever the case, the best way to maximize your upcoming leasing opener is to call your Internet Listing Service (ILS) account rep TODAY.

Why?

#1: ILS’s for the apartment industry are your BIGGEST source of traffic.

#2. Because you are UNDERUTILIZING all that they offer.

It’s time to Get READY, Get SHARP, CALL! Work smarter and pull ahead of your competition. Your ILS partner can help.

(Picture provided by ShellyS on Flickr through creative commons license.)

ILS technologies change all the time. In the apartment industry, we complain all the time, and the few people who actually listen to us and DO something about it is our ILS’s. The technology changes constantly, there are new marketing/advertising packages out there, new reporting capabilities. Want to know what is working and what isn’t working? The one person who would know, AND willing to share with you their vast sea of knowledge is your ILS representative. The advice, training, and information your Internet Listing Service representative can bring you could amount to HOURS of research, hundreds of calls, and a TON of reading. Your rep can shave HOURS out of that process and share with you the information YOU need. And the price can’t be beat – it’s usually part of doing business.

Here is a list of things to discuss with your ILS representative so that you can better utilize their technology:

  1. Where are you ranked in search engines in my target market/demographic? Your ILS should (at the very least) be on the first page of google.
  2. What target demographics/target markets work best with your service? Not every ILS is the best in every market or every demographic. Your rep should know what their sweet spot is, and most times, they are honest enough to tell you. Some ILS’s that work awesome in Minneapolis, may not work so well in Houston. KNOW which ones know YOUR market & demographics.
  3. How much traffic should I expect from a listing? Ask for averages in your market, or for your type of demographic. This should be a baseline you can use to analyze if your internet listing is working or needs tweaking.
  4. What search terms come up for my type of property/market? What search terms are over-used? Your representative should be able to tell you what search terms are working, not working.
  5. On average, what techniques will boost the traffic? What techniques will lend to keeping a prospect on my add longer? Your representative can normally tell you what drives traffic, what keeps prospects engaged. On some ILS’s, it could be the number of pictures. On other ILS’s, it could be the presence of a video. Whatever the case, make sure you are asking about it in terms of YOUR market/YOUR demographics.
  6. Do you have someone available to take pictures or video? What is that cost? So many times, apartment communities decide to try a new ILS, and the pictures they use are AWFUL. If you’re going to pay for a listing, spend some time to get the pics/video/details right! Some ILS’s may offer to take the pics for you, or can recommend someone in your area at a decent price. ASK you representative. They may have some creative ideas.
  7. What analytics/reporting do you have available? AND, how do I read/interpret the results? If you are NOT utilizing the analytics of your ILS, you aren’t using your ILS properly. There is A LOT to be learned from analytics. Depending on the ILS, and the detail of reporting provided, you can at least learn how people find you, when they find you, and how many are finding you. If there are advanced report/analytics available (not all ILS’s provide this, but many do), it can tell you the key words people are using, where they are coming from, how long they were on your listing, etc. With this information, you should tweak your ILS listing to boost traffic and keep people engaged on YOUR listing.
  8. Do you have any packages/bundles/specials available? Just like most services, they more you buy, many times, there is a discount. Sometimes the discount if for volume  – i.e. number of properties listed. Sometimes there is a bundle available, whereby you can get the regular ILS service, and for an additional $XX.00 you can also get some of their other premium services as well.
  9. Now that you have your ad written up, and your apartment community’s pictures posted, ask your rep to take a look at it and critique it. They see hundreds of listings all the time – and they can spot a winner from a loser a mile away. THEY are like your Simon Cowell. Listen closely, and you can glean MUCH from their expertise!
  10. Is there anything else I can do to boost my traffic/leads/closing?

With your ILS representative, ask, and you shall receive, you will become more successful, and you’ll maximize your advertising/marketing dollars. And people: Be nice. These are some of the smartest, most generous sales people in the industry. They want YOU to be successful – as in turn, THEY are successful! Work with them, and it will work out well for your apartment community’s marketing plan.

In this market even a small competitive edge over your competition could mean the difference between making your budget and NOT making it. Sharpen your tools now, BE ready, and make 2010 a GREAT year.

ILS: Are there other questions people should ask you? What is YOUR “sweet spot?” What is your advice on how to be SHARP amidst a sea of ads online? Leave a comment and share your experience. Feel Free to leave a link to your ILS service.

Get READY, Get SHARP. Call!

Don’t get it? RENT SODA. GET IT!

-Daisy Nguyen in Minneapolis, Minnesota MN

CEO

RENTSODA-small

Business & Marketing Consulting to the Apartment Industry

Web: RentSoda.com   Email: Daisy {at} RentSoda(.)com

Become a fan of RENTSODA on facebook.  Connect with RENTSODA on LinkedIn!

Follow RENTSODA on Twitter!

GD Star Rating
a WordPress rating system
GD Star Rating
a WordPress rating system

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

  • Share/Bookmark

Posted in: Internet Listing Service (ILS), Marketing.
Tagged: · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Personnel/Personal Development: Do You Have a Plan?

Jan 27th, 2010
by daisynguyen.
1 comment

When it come to personnel development – do you have a plan?

How about PERSONAL development – do you have a plan?

Success comes from within. For an organization to be successful, in order for your apartment project to be successful, the success must come from within. At the very heart of each project, at the heart of every organization, there are people. In today’s market, the only way to THRIVE, not just SURVIVE, is to have a vested interest in the one thing that sets YOUR organization apart from the next. YOU and YOUR people. Processes, technologies, even buildings can be duplicated. The one thing that can NOT be duplicated is YOU and YOUR people. If this is the one thing that sets your organization apart from the next, do you have a VESTED interest in yourself?A VESTED interest in your people? So the question is:

When it come to personnel development – do you have a plan?

How about PERSONAL development – do you have a plan?

“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.”

- Lewis Carroll

(Picture provided by Himalayan Trails on Flickr through creative commons license.)

What’s your PERSONNEL/PERSONAL development plan?

Don’t get it? RENT SODA. GET IT!

-Daisy Nguyen in Minneapolis, Minnesota MN

CEO

RENTSODA-small

Business & Marketing Consulting to the Apartment Industry

Web: RentSoda.com   Email: Daisy {at} RentSoda(.)com

Become a fan of RENTSODA on facebook.  Connect with RENTSODA on LinkedIn!

Follow RENTSODA on Twitter!

GD Star Rating
a WordPress rating system
GD Star Rating
a WordPress rating system

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

  • Share/Bookmark

Posted in: Business, Career Advice, Do GOOD, People Skills, Success.
Tagged: · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

2010 Trend: IN-Clearly Defined Job Descriptions; OUT-Jack-of-All-Trades

Jan 25th, 2010
by daisynguyen.
No comments yet

Lately, much of my work has been very operations oriented. In this time of economic turmoil, companies are returning to the basics. Companies that are still alive today are going back to the drawing board and spending some time to clearly define job descriptions & responsibilities.

(picture provided by KateL366 on Flickr through Creative Commons license.)

Why spend time on something so basic? In the apartment industry, more so than many industries, we have many people classified as a “Jack-of-All-Trades.” I hear this term used so much in our apartment industry. But consider for a moment, the translations of “Jack of All Trades” into other languages:

  1. Cantonese: Surrounded by knives, none are sharp.
  2. Spanish: Knows about everything but understands nothing
  3. German: Wise guy in all alleys
  4. Turkish: One who knows everything cannot do anything

(Translations found on Wikipedia.) I don’t know about you, but a “dull knife” sounds like another way of saying, “not the brightest bulb in the pack.” Why classify a position as a “jack of all trades,” or worse, hire a “jack of all trades” or even worse, classify yourself as such? When I hear someone tell me they need to hire a “Jack of all Trades,” I think, this guy has NO IDEA what he needs. When I hear someone say, “I am a Jack of All Trades,” I think, this gal has no idea what interests her/what she is good at.

Each month of 2010 I will outline a trend that I see based on the conversations I have, questions that are asked of me, and trends that I see happening in our apartment industry. If possible, I will also try to elaborate on the trend.

For January 2010:

IN: Clearly Defined Job Descriptions

OUT: “Jack-of-All-Trades”

What makes a a good, clearly defined job description? Every job description needs to have 4 sections: Basic information, Job Summary, Detailed Responsibilities, and Qualifications.

Basic Information: Job Title, Who the position reports to, Job Status (FT/PT, salary or hourly), Expected Schedule.

Job Summary: A short 1 paragraph summary of the job.

Detailed Responsibilities: This can be a list of responsibilities expected of the job. Be as detailed as possible, without getting into the minutia. Be clear, but leave some room for interpretation depending on circumstances.

Qualifications: This would be a short list of the minimum requirements that YOU/YOUR company requires for the job.

Here is a sample of what my job description as a blogger might look like.

Basic Information:

Job Title: Blogger

Reports To: RENT SODA Readers

Job Status: PT, non-exempt

Schedule: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 8:00AM – 10:00AM

Job Summary:

Bloggers are one of the most important roles of a dynamic social community. Bloggers must write good content for their readers, continually mine for new topics/ideas and respond to readers’ comments. Bloggers should foster a community of collaboration through their own participation and readership of other blogs. It is the goal of a good blogger to provide good content, express a point of view, present an examination of facts, or tell a good story. The end goal of a successful blogger is to increase readership, collaboration and community.

Detailed Responsibilities:

  1. Research trends and topics in the industry. Mine for topics of interest to readers.
  2. Write/Post a minimum of 2 blog articles a week to be released on Mondays & Wednesdays.
  3. Communicate to the community the publication of the new blog post through various avenues including but not limited to facebook, linkedin, networked blogs, multifamilyinsiders.com, forums/discussions, twitter, etc.
  4. Meet/network with interesting people at least twice weekly. Mention the blog/other interesting blogs if conversations relate to blog articles.
  5. Read at least 10 other related blogs in the industry. Link to those other blogs as often as possible to create a sense of community within the industry.
  6. Comment on at least 5 other blog articles/week. Provide good comments, with good detail – continue the “conversation” through leaving comments on other blogs.
  7. Keep a running list of “ideas” for new blog articles. When not writing a blog article or networking, gather facts for each “idea” file.
  8. Review & analyze blog statistics to better understand blog traffic, topics of great interest, etc.
  9. Meet with other bloggers quarterly to share ideas, discuss trends, review new technologies, etc.

Qualifications:

Minimum 4 year degree.

5+ years of industry experience.

Above average people skills. (for networking)

Well-developed writing skills. (for writing)

Computer Skills-Excellent computer skills required. Proficient in MS Word, and different blogging platforms.

I hope this description and exercise help those of you working on expanding/clarifying job descriptions.

Don’t get it? RENT SODA. GET IT!

-Daisy Nguyen in Minneapolis, Minnesota MN

CEO

RENTSODA-small

Business & Marketing Consulting to the Apartment Industry

Web: RentSoda.com   Email: Daisy {at} RentSoda(.)com

Become a fan of RENTSODA on facebook.  Connect with RENTSODA on LinkedIn!

Follow RENTSODA on Twitter!

GD Star Rating
a WordPress rating system
GD Star Rating
a WordPress rating system

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

  • Share/Bookmark

Posted in: Uncategorized.
Tagged: · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Supervisors & Employees: Take Advantage of Your “Open Door” Policy

Jan 20th, 2010
by daisynguyen.
No comments yet

Are you a supervisor with an “open door” policy? Are you an employee that works for someone that has an “open door” policy? Are you maximizing the “open door” policy to be a better supervisor or better employee?

“Open door” policies are not just for dispute resolution. A true open door policy is a communication process where employees and supervisor feel welcomed to discuss business or employment topics together openly.

Why am I discussing this in a blog for the apartment industry? In our industry, more so than any other industry, there is A LOT of opportunity to advance. It is not unheard of for a caretaker or leasing agent to advance through the ranks and become a Community Manager, Regional or even CEO! But very rarely is there time to learn (and seldom do our own supervisors advise us) on how to be a good supervisor or a good employee. A key to being a good supervisor or a good employee is expanding and taking advantage of the ”open door” policy.

Doors are BOTH entrances and exits. There is opportunity on BOTH sides to take advantage of having an “open door.” Let’s take a step back, and ask ourselves, as people (whether you are a supervisor OR an employee being supervised), what does YOUR door look like?

(Left picture provided by h-k-d and right picture provided by roboppy on flickr through creative commons license.)

As supervisors, here are 5 things that we can do to encourage better communication:

  1. Set aside time for each individual employee, and meet with them consistently. This could be a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly meeting. Whatever works best for you & your employee. Don’t let too much time pass between meetings. I recommend one-on-one meetings at least monthly, if not more often. Always let you employees know when the next meeting is, so that they are not surprised or scared when you request a meeting.
  2. Discuss all kinds of topics during your one-on-one meetings. If you are just starting out with a scheduled one-on-one meetings, keep the topics light and positive so that you can establish an environment to encourage communication. Topics can range from goal oriented topics, like the previous week’s leasing activity compared to the goals, to discussing upcoming educational opportunities, to working on a spreadsheet together or encouraging them to attend upcoming networking events.
  3. Listen at least as much as you are talking. Conversations are 2-way streets! Make sure to ask your employees for their input, their ideas, give them opportunities to express them, let them make decisionsm and support those decisions.
  4. Let you employees know that if they have something to discuss in between meetings, they are always welcome to stop by (or if you don’t office in the same building) to call at anytime.
  5. Every once in a while, monthly or quarterly, take your employees offsite or out of the building. Do a breakfast or lunch meeting. These “once in a while” meetings can include other members of the team – but keep it small, so that there is still opportunity to talk and listen. We all love taking a break from our normal environment!

Remember: These are ways to encourage and establish that your door IS truly always open to your employees. Spend quality time with them, learn about them, mentor them, and watch how much your employees will give and succeed in return!

If you are an employee and would like to have the kind of relationship described above with your supervisor, don’t fret. You can take advantage of the “open door” policy too! Especially if you are a new employee, it is extremely  important if your supervisor hasn’t spent much time with you, for you to find ways to spend time with your boss. It is extremely important to your success to know what the expectations are, how you are doing, and what you can do to succeed or improve. Here are 5 things we can do to be better employees and encourage good communications with our bosses:

  1. Communicate with your supervisor that you would like to meet with them to discuss your progress. This could be progress on a recent assignment or a weekly assignment like your weekly leasing goals, this could be progress towards the goals outlined during your last performance review. If there aren’t any recent assignments or reviews to discuss, let your boss know that you are in the process of setting goals for yourself, and would like their input. Whatever the case, make your case to meet with your boss.
  2. During your meeting, keep topics light and positive. Find ways to give your boss the opportunity to know you. Discuss your goals, bring up educational opportunities that might be coming up, etc.
  3. Listen as much as you are speaking. Don’t just hit them up with a long list of demands YOU want for YOURSELF. Ask for your supervisor’s input. – Whether you are setting goals for yourself, or wanting to attend an upcoming class, ask your supervisor what they think, bounce your ideas off your supervisor, find ways to engage your boss in your progress, and in your success. If you ARE making a request for something, find ways to tie your requests back to a company goal, talk about what the benefits are for you supervisor and the company.
  4. Especially if you are new, or working on a new project, get permission from your supervisor to come back after the meeting if something comes up that you would like to discuss with them. 99% of the time, your supervisors will say YES! – However, always get their permission to set the stage for you to come back and discuss anything.
  5. Know that communication, like doors are 2 ways. YOU have the ability to improve the communication and relationship YOU have with YOUR boss.

Whether we are supervisors or employees, ask yourself, is your open door really open door?

Don’t get it? RENT SODA. GET IT!

-Daisy Nguyen in Minneapolis, Minnesota MN

CEO

RENTSODA-small

Business & Marketing Consulting to the Apartment Industry

Web: RentSoda.com   Email: Daisy {at} RentSoda(.)com

Become a fan of RENTSODA on facebook.  Connect with RENTSODA on LinkedIn!

Follow RENTSODA on Twitter!

GD Star Rating
a WordPress rating system
GD Star Rating
a WordPress rating system

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

  • Share/Bookmark

Posted in: Career Advice, People Skills, Success.
Tagged: · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

← Earlier Posts
Get Adobe Flash playerPlugin by wpburn.com wordpress themes
Copy Protected by Chetan's WP-CopyProtect.