Here in Minnesota, we blame the leasing slow-down to the weather – we tell ourselves that no one wants to move when there is snow on the ground. (And who would really?)
It’s not the snow. It’s SAD. (Seasonal Affective Disorder) And it happens EVERY year, EVERY where. So let’s not get our undies in a bunch! If you can plan it right, you’ll forget about being SAD and become RAD (Rocking All Day!)
Below is RENT SODA’s 10 step program from SAD to RAD:
- ACCEPT that SAD does happen. Your prospects get SAD, and they don’t want to move. Your office is afflicted by SAD, and it’s hard to keep a positive attitude. First step is to ACCEPT that SAD happens!
- The second and MOST important of the 10 activities, is to GET OVER IT. SAD happens to good people! Let’s stop whining about how bad it is, how bad it might be, how bad it’s going to be, how bad the economy is, stop worrying, stop attracting that negativity! It’s one thing to accept it, but let’s not wallow in SAD-ness! GET OVER IT.
- Every time you accomplish one of these steps, cross it off your list! Now that you’re over IT, breathe in, breathe out, and print out this list to be used as your CHECKLIST.
- Update, refresh, renew your ILS listings: This is a great time to look at all of your ILS’s. Who are you using? What new features have they implemented that you may not have taken advantage of? Many times, our ILS vendors are responding to our feedback and requests. They are constantly changing their programs, adding features to meet our needs. TAKE ADVANTAGE of their new features. Don’t just glaze over something. Look over it, review it, assign it to someone on your team, and take advantage of all the new features your ILS has to offer!
- Evaluate if your current ILS’s are doing what you need. If not, change it up. Add new ones. There are new listing services coming on-line all the time. Many are extremely affordable. Some are free!
- Take a look at your Craig’s List adds. NO, STOP, take a REAL GOOD look at them. Some of those craig’s list ads are embarrassing. These look nothing like your brand, your image, or your other internet listings. Now is a good time to design, tweak, and change those ads to match your image and brand. Tired of posting craigslist ads? There are a TON of services that will post them for you ALL at an EXTREMELY affordable price. (Usually under $40.00/property/month!) If you need a list of providers, email me.
- Join a networking group in the industry. You local apartment association is a great place to start. Getting involved in a committee or group is an awesome opportunity to be around other people in the industry. It’s so easy to get caught up in our own thing and forget there’s a WHOLE world of ideas out there! Get out there and collaborate, share, and learn through your participation in a group other than your own employer. If there isn’t a local apartment association in your area, join a networking group that interests you. There are tons of marketing groups, young professionals groups, political groups, etc. You name it, there’s a group out there that you can join, share, learn from and grow with! Ask around for recommendations, and if all else fails, try http://www.meetup.com/
- Refocus on resident retention. During the spring/summer months, your leasing agents spend a lot of time doing call-backs to follow-up on ALL those prospects. Now that the prospect list has dwindled to a few a week, use that time to have your leasing agents call on current residents. Call them to follow-up on maintenance items, call them to say thank you, call your residents to wish them a happy new year. Whatever the reason, your residents probably don’t hear from you very often – except during an emergency or if rent is overdue. Use this opportunity to create a positive, no pressure interaction.
- Work on boosting your apartmentratings.com ratings. If you have had any positive interactions with any of your residents during this time, follow-up with a personal phone call (don’t just send them an email) and invite them to write a review on apartmentratings.com.
- Shake it up and shake SAD out. Smile, shake hands, hug someone, wave, say “Happy New Year!” dance, laugh, giggle. Shake it up and shake SAD out.
Use this SAD time wisely, and in doing so, you can turn leasing from SAD into RAD! (Rocking ALL DAY!)
Do you want to add steps to Leasing: From SAD to RAD? Post a comment or email me and add to the 10 step program.
Don’t Get it? RENT SODA. GET IT!
-Daisy Nguyen in Minneapolis, Minnesota
CEO
Business & Marketing Consulting to the Apartment Industry
Web: RentSoda.com Email: Daisy {at} RentSoda(.)com
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