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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

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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

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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!

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Your Apartment Community’s Facebook Page Needs a Vanity URL

Jan 11th, 2010
by daisynguyen.
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Your community’s facebook page should have a facebook username, also known as a vanity URL.

Why? Being able to choose the URL for your facebook page is like a vanity license plate – it not only makes it easy to remember (and hence share with others), but helps you claim a little piece of facebook space as your own. Why let someone else (facebook) randomly set your URL, when you can control how people find you, remember you AND how google ranks you?

(Photo provided by aprilzosia on flickr through creative commons license.)

What am I talking about?

Most facebook URL’s are something like http://facebook.com/profile.php?id=123456789  – that’s hard to remember!

Now take for example, RENT SODA’s facebook URL: http://facebook.com/rentsoda – WAY easier!

In terms of SEO, having a facebook vanity url will help your facebook page rank higher in google searches than pages without a vanity url.

Follow these steps to claim your facebook vanity URL for your apartment community:

1.) First, carefully think of a username you want to use. Once it’s been selected, you won’t be able to change or transfer it. Usernames need to be at least 5 characters made of only alphanumeric characters. A period (.) is also allowed.

2.) Go to http://facebook.com/username  . Follow the prompts for your profiles and each fan page administered by your profile. For fanpages, facebook requires that your page have a minimum of 25 fans.

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!

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Land of Opportunity or BUST! Do You See the Land of Opportunity?

Jan 6th, 2010
by daisynguyen.
No comments yet

Have you ever noticed the people who complain about the lack of opportunities are also the ones that are the first to say they are too busy to join, have too much work to do, can’t take on another project, and are the ones turning away perfectly good opportunities? Complain, complain, complain, blah, blah, blah. If I were ole “Opportunity,” I would knock on another door too.

(Picture provided by Dominic’s Pics on Flickr through Creative Commons license.)

How can you position yourself to invite more opportunity?

1. Stop Complaining. Not only is this a negative, unproductive opportunity, you can’t hear when opportunity DOES knock.

2. Choose one of the following statements for the day:

A. I make things happen!

B. Things happen to me.

Hopefully, you chose option A. You’re one step closer to inviting more opportunity! If you have chosen B, there’s no one who can help you. Go back to bed. Wake up tomorrow and choose A.

3. HELP yourself. If there is a lack of opportunity in your life, stop and figure out WHY. Take some responsibility on WHY you are in this situation – and take a step to move yourself OUT of the situation. If it’s because you don’t have a degree, sign up for 1 class. Small step, but BOY, you’d be 1 class closer to a degree than you were yesterday. If you’re looking for a job, and the only place you are looking is on monster.com – you’re missing out on the majority of the job market. Most jobs never hit the classifieds! (CNNMoney.com reports over 80% of jobs are never advertised.) Figure out what you’re missing and find a way to GET IT! Stop finding excuses, start finding solutions. Make it YOUR business to be IN business. ENGAGE yourself fully!

4. Forgive yourself for any mistakes, and know that YOU are WORTHY of success beyond your wildest dreams. Most people sabotage themselves – the reason most people don’t succeed isn’t for lack of trying, its lack of belief in themselves. My favorite quote, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re usually right.” (Henry Ford) Why not be right about your success?

How does this apply to our apartment industry?

With this economy, so many people are singing the blues. I GET IT. It’s a tough market. So what? We’re all in this market together. If both you & I are operating in the same market, all’s fair. Go through steps 1-4 not only for yourself, but for your apartment community, for your team, for your career, for your staff. Stop complaining about the market and making excuses. Start finding solutions. Engage in your community’s success. Participate and engage in your community. Forgive yourself, your staff for not being able to run it like it WAS, and run your apartment community the way you CAN, and not the way you CAN’T.

Winston Churchill said, ”

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

Do you see difficulties or opportunities in your future? Do you see the Land of Opportunity?

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!

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Success in the Apartment Industry: Where do you Participate, Participate, Participate?

Jan 3rd, 2010
by daisynguyen.
1 comment

So you read my PARTICIPATE in your SUCCESS article, and your new year’s resolution is to participate in your industry, your career, and your success. Where to start?

No better place than with a recommendation from your peers!

Please leave a comment on where in the industry you are participating, and any comment you feel relevent. AND, if there’s a link, GREAT!

I’ll start:

MN MHA -non-profit local apartment association: http://www.mmha.com – they have focus groups that are always looking for more volunteers. I have met some industry GREATS in these groups, and we have made a difference for our industry!

Aeon – Homes for Generations: http://aeonmn.org – this is a non-profit affordable housing provider in Minnesota. They have many volunteer oppotunities, AND, they are always looking for people who are interested in serving on the Board of Directors to apply.

I also attend several networking events put on my a local neighborhood association called the Uptown Minneapolis Association. I’ve met some AWESOME people here and now also write for the Uptown Neighborhood News through connections I made at the networking events!

What’s your New Year’s resolution to PARTICIPATE?

 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!

Picture provided by Baratunde on Flickr through Creative Commons license.

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How To Be Successful In The Apartment Industry: Participate, Participate, Participate!

Dec 30th, 2009
by daisynguyen.
8 comments

I’ve had a LOT of conversations recently, and one topic has been a recurring theme: Success. Two recurring questions: 1.) How do we make our apartment communities more successful? 2.) How do we make OURSELVES more successful?

As a consultant and a writer of a popular industry blog, I meet with A LOT of people. I meet with EVERY kind of person in the industry from site personnel to vendors at every level, from to Regional Managers to directors to VP’s to CEO’s/COO’s/CFO’s, to developers, partners, investors & owners of apartment communities.

My answer is ALWAYS the same: PARTICIPATE, PARTICIPATE, PARTICIPATE!

1.) PARTICIPATE: Participate in something bigger and greater than your own apartment community. I KNOW you have a million things to do and there isn’t another minute you can commit to someone new, but YOUR PARTICIPATION in something greater will return ten-fold to your success at your apartment community, as well as return ten-fold in your own personal successes. I’ll go out on a limb here and say – I PROMISE that any participation you give will be returned to you ten fold. If not, give me a call, and I’ll take you to lunch and eat my words.

2.) PARTICIPATE: Don’t just JOIN your local apartment association, JOIN, PARTICIPATE, ENGAGE! There is no better way to work/network with other industry professionals in your market than at your local apartment association. Chances are, they ARE looking for volunteers to participate in committees, tasks forces, surveys, focus groups, etc. Do you think that your opinion doesn’t count? In an industry that serves this many people, YOUR opinion DOES count. For every 1 person who DOES participate, there are dozens if not hundreds of people who do NOT participate. YOUR opinion COUNTS simply because you have made a commitment and gotten involved. Is your local association too small? Help them grow and expand by getting more people involved. Hey – it’s YOUR local apartment association – make it truly YOURS.

3.) PARTICIPATE: Participate in a local non-profit in your market. This could be a local non-profit housing provider OR this could be a local non-profit community group. As with your local association, they ARE looking for volunteers for their boards, focus groups, tasks forces, surveys, fund-raisers, etc! Especially in this market and economy, they need your expertise. Find something that MOVES you and PARTICIPATE with THEM. You will be in for one of the most rewarding commitments you can make. I know it is MY most rewarding commitment – who knew that working for free has its rewards?

How does this help you with the success at your apartment community? In participating, you’ll hear from other industry professionals, like yourself (and some NOT so like you!). You’ll hear different ideas, different perspectives, different personalities. You’ll learn, you’ll grow, you’ll make new friends that can last a lifetime. You’ll meet tons of new vendors that are PARTICIPATING. – I love vendors who participate – it tells me they are committed to the industry’s success  and not just their own. You will be exposed to ideas, people, information and opportunities that you did NOT have access to prior to your participation. You’ll be the first to know about networking events hosted by your local association, notified of training opportunities produced by the local association, be in the “know” new trends and products and through your expanding network, get to know the world OUTSIDE of your box. You can take these new ideas, exposures and bring them back to your apartment and apply them to make your apartment community more successful and making you more successful. Talk about a WIN-WIN! That’s a SCORE!

In case you are wondering, I participate in my local apartment association, MN Multi-Housing Association (MHA) – one of the best and nationally recognized associations in the U.S. (http://mmha.com/ ) or check them out on facebook!

Participation with your local non-profit brings challenges and HUGE rewards. I participate in a local non-profit affordable housing provider called AEON. (Or you can check them out on facebook. I also mention them in a past blog article.) The challenges are the time commitment involved and understanding that non-profits work a little differently. The rewards are much the same as in the local apartment association – I have chosen to surround myself with other successful people who are COMMITTED to the same CAUSE that I am committed to. The people in that group are as wide as our industry – and every one of them smart, driven and a FORCE to be reckoned with. The contributions I have made by participating have been returned to me ten-fold in the form of new ideas, new connections, new perspectives and new friends.

In a world and time where it is so easy to get caught up in OUR OWN little dramas, a more global PARTICIPATION can help us bring additional focus to our apartment communities and to our own careers. It’s YOUR community, it’s YOUR career! PARTICIPATE and make it truly YOURS!

With New Year’s coming – make it a New Year’s resolution to PARTICIPATE!

 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!

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“Professionally Managed by…” What does THAT mean?

Dec 28th, 2009
by daisynguyen.
2 comments

Recently, a close friend of mine asked me, “what does professionalism mean to you & how does it pertain to our apartment industry? I want our company to be more ‘professional’ and I want to better understand what that means.” THIS – from one of the smartest most professional people I know? I took the question seriously.

My first attempt: Duh! Professional is… you know, someone who conducts business in a professional manner – you know – a professional!! It’s one of those terms that gets thrown around a lot, but what does it REALLY mean?

I pondered some more and I realized it was a VERY relevant question to our apartment/property management/real estate development industry. There are numerous property management companies out there:  from the biggest of big – the HUGE REITS, to the smallest of small – the “mom & pop” duplexes managed by (you guessed it,) ”mom & pop.” How do we define “professional” and “professionalism” in an industry that is so wide? And, maybe more importantly, you are wondering – why would we want to? And who cares?

YOU SHOULD care. It matters to your customer. It matters to your clients. It matters to your existing and prospective employees. It is your reputation. It matters to the industry as a whole, as it is those few “unprofessional” landlords that make the rest of us look like ogres. If you claim to be “Professionally managed by ABC Management Company,“ what exactly does THAT mean?

The first image that popped into my mind when the word “professional” is mentioned is men and women in suits. But just wearing a suit doesn’t mean you are professional. There are plenty of unprofessional things done in suits these days! 

Then I thought about professional athletes – these guys do NOT wear suits at all! YET, they are definitely professional athletes nonetheless. So maybe, being “professional” means your talent is worth a lot. Then my thoughts wandered to McDonald’s – they serve burgers. The burgers are cheap. It doesn’t take talent to make cheap burgers. BUT, McDonald’s is definitely a professional organization – and a very successful one too! Not only do they sell cheap burgers where no talent is required to make the burgers, they don’t wear suits. Suits. NFL. McDonald’s.

 What did these have in common that could help me to define professionalism and how does it pertain to the apartment industry?

 It finally dawned on me, what all these had in common, and why it should matter to you:

 1.) Professionalism is all about expectations and standards. As an organization, one of the best things you can do for yourself, your clients, your employees, AND your reputation, is to set a standard. The NFL has standards for their athletes – and each team has its own standards. Everyone is expected to play at or above those standards. For McDonald’s, the standard is a very small narrow window of what the customer can expect from the restaurant, the food, and the service. Customers expect their experience to be the same or very similar at every McDonald’s whether it is a McDonald’s in downtown LA or in suburbia: It’s a McDonald’s burger. Having standards can contribute positively to your customer experience. If customers know what to expect, and they receive it (whatever THAT standard is that you’ve set) this results in a positive experience. McDonald’s has a standard, and their customers know what to expect from them. A person wanting a gourmet steak burger is not going to wander into McDonald’s and then become disappointed at the burger experience.

 What is the standard at your property or management company? Do you customers, vendors, and employees know what to expect? You have the ability to set those expectations – and more importantly increase the likelihood that the customer experience is positive – by setting realistic expectations that you have specifically trained your employees to attain.

 2.) So then, what’s up with the suits? I realized that it wasn’t about the SUITS as much as what the suits represent – it represents an image. In the NFL, each team has a uniform – which they all wear proudly. At McDonald’s – there is a uniform that serves a dual purpose – to project a consistent image of McDonald’s as well as to provide clothing that can be abused in a restaurant setting and still fit into the McDonald’s image. Does your image project “Professionally managed by ABC Apartments?” or does it say, “the uniform stinks, I hate this job, and I don’t care enough about my job to care how I look?” What image are you portraying, and does it fit into the standards that you set in #1 above?

 3.) Lastly, for an organization or a site to be “professional,” the standards of conduct and the “professional” image need to apply to everyone. – Whether it is consistency in behavior, or consistency in image, or consistency in the treatment of staff, or consistency of how residents are treated, – professional in an organization is as much about consistency as it is about standards and image. I’m not advocating that you require your maintenance staff to wear suits. What I AM advocating is there is consistency in the messages that you send. Everyone on your team needs to have the same consistent (hopefully high) level of customer service that your residents can come to expect out of their “professionally managed” apartment building.

 Is your apartment community “Professionally managed by … ” What does this mean to 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!

Image provided by Jesse Draper on Flickr through creative commons license.

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TWEET TWEET: Twitter for Business Users and Apartment Marketers

Dec 23rd, 2009
by daisynguyen.
11 comments

I’ve been following the whole TWITTER phenomenon very closely. At first, I was VERY confused. Who would use twitter and why? More importantly, why would I use twitter, and what would I tweet? After months of following tweeters, tweeting, searching tweets, reading tweets, re-tweeting, something dawned on me: Not all twitter users are created equal! In order to best understand and utilize twitter, I had to decide what kind of twitter user I was or wanted to be.

Most twitter users fell in the following 4 categories:

Tweeters – These guys have something to say, and they are out there sharing IT with the world, or at least, the twitterverse. In the real world, these would be your authors, writers, politicians, radio personalities, teachers, educators, speakers, advocates, socialites, personalities, class clowns, etc. Instead of a book, magazine, stage, forum, class, radio, soapbox, etc. – they use twitter to get their message out.

Followers – are exactly that. They follow the tweeters. They are the audience. In the real world, these would be readers, subscribers, students, supporters, etc. In the twitterverse, there is more opportunity to INTERACT with their tweeters than in the real world. AND, almost more importantly, that INTERACTION is shared with all fellow followers AND the twitterverse.

These are the TOP 2 types of twitter users. In the business world, and in our multi-family apartment industry, the following 2 lesser known types are KEY to marketing and sales:

Listeners – these are not just followers – these twitter users are out there listening for very specific topics or trends. In the apartment industry, we must learn to listen on twitter. Find out what our customers, clients, competitors are saying – especially what they are saying about our apartment communities, our markets, and our competitors! That’s a LOT of listening! Listening is one of the KEY components to effective communication, and as an interactive communication tool, it PAYS to listen on twitter. Listening is akin to being in a busy restaurant and overhearing someone at the next table talking about your apartment community! Except on twitter, the next table is the entire twitterverse. Listeners who are active and respond to the needs of their customers can help in strengthening an apartment community’s brand, image or message and extending the customer service arm. You listen, you respond = YOU CARE. Now THAT’s something to tweet about!

Miners – these are the most diligent and proactive business users. These guys, not only listen for specific topics or trends, they are mining the twitterverse to FIND prospects and leads! In the real world, this would be similar to standing in a busy restaurant and hoping to hear someone mention they are looking for an apartment – being the diligent manager/leasing agent you are, you quip in and let them know that you work for an apartment community down the road and give them your card and contact info. On twitter, you don’t have to be anywhere and wait for the stars to aline to catch this conversation. You can use twitter search engines to mine for prospects and leads by searching for key words such as “apartment hunting new york,” – and then sending those prospects a direct message with a link to your property’s website.

I should mention: I don’t think mining for prospects should be an apartment community’s only marketing plan – however, there probably aren’t that many prospects out there who just happen to mention your key words “apartment hunting new youk,” but if your traffic is slow or nonexistent, being proactive and mining instead of waiting for propsects to walk in the door, might not be a bad option.

I’m still learning more and more about twitter every day, and have learned to LOVE it. Love how fast it moves, LOVE all the random and not so random things I have learned following others, listening for trends, and when it DOES happen, finding those leads.

The most active twitter users participate in all 4 categories. Everyone is focused on tweeting and following. For apartment marketers & leasors (or any business’ marketing/sales personnel for that matter!) the biggest opportunities are in listening & mining.

How have you used twitter for marketing your business, apartment community or services? What type of twitter user are you?

tweet tweet? RENT SODA. GET IT!

-Daisy Nguyen in Minneapolis, Minnesota

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!

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The SKY is FALLING! How to Deal With Dramatic/Difficult People

Dec 21st, 2009
by daisynguyen.
1 comment

If you are in the multi-family industry,work at an apartment community, its a given: You WILL have to deal with difficult people.  I’m not just talking about the person who might be unhappy about the color of the sky, I’m talking about the person who is IRRATE and thinks it’s YOUR fault ”the sky is falling!” How you can deal with THAT person and NOT have it ruin the rest of your day? Whether it is an disgruntled employee, an irrate apartment resident or even your BOSS (or any other miriad of difficult/dramatic people you may have to deal with), here are my top 3 TIPS:

3.) You KNOW you’re going to have to deal with difficult people, be prepared:

  • Create a place where you can meet with difficult people – whether it is your office or a conference room.
  • The room should be clean, neat, free of clutter, and decorated in soft, muted, calm tones like light blues or greens to help create a calming effect.
  • Have a desk or conference table where both parties can sit to discuss the issue. The bigger the table or desk, the better. This keeps difficult people on the OTHER side of a large desk/table and away from you.
  • Do not keep any heavy or sharp objects on or around the desk/table.
  • Invest in a long horizontal mirror. You can create a BIG psychological advantage through this technique. Have the mirror mounted on the wall behind you, so that when you are talking to the difficult person, they can see THEMSELVES in the mirror. People forget how ugly they can physically be when they are angry. Most people don’t like to see themselves that way – and if they are faced with themselves, they will likely tone down their “ugliness.”

2.) If it all possible, discuss their issue with them on your turf. You’ve just positioned your office or conference room to create a sense or tranquility, you’ve removed all dangerous objects, and you have a mirror to show them how ugly they can be. Have them come to your office.

2.) Remember, it’s not YOU, it’s THEM. When a person is THIS difficult/dramatic – it’s either their way of life or something else has escalated their emotional state. Either this drama is normal for them OR, they are taking out their emotional frustrations on you. Don’t take it personally. - if you do, you are buying into their drama or helping to escalate their emotional frustrations even further. Instead, just listen. Don’t judge, try not to blame them for anything, and don’t defend any point of view. Someone who is going to be this difficult is not going to listen or let you reason with them – at least not yet. It could be that they are having a bad day and taking it out on you. It could be that they have gone through a recent loss (lover? job? stocks?), and they are not in the right frame of mind. Whatever the case, don’t take it personally. Instead:

  • Thank them for coming and sharing their point of view with you, 
  • Ask them to give you a couple of days to think it over. This gives them some time to cool off, and gives you some time to decide how to handle the situation in the most beneficial way. (And that may entail calling your HR department, or attorney.)
  • When they leave, shake it off, knowing that YOU are not the problem. You have a business to run and office to lead. Don’t take on their emotional baggage.

For those that TRULY believe the sky is falling, you’ll need some professional help (and they might too!). Give yourself the time to call in help – your company’s HR department, your attorney, another person in your office – whatever the proper process is at your company or apartment community.

For the most part, difficulties do pass, and diffucult people will move on. Creating that calming environment, and allowing them to communicate what their issues will allow you & your the emotionally elevated person the opportunity to discuss at a less stressful time.

How do you feel? How have you dealt with difficult people? How do you shake of their negative energy? Leave a comment and let’s discuss how to deal with it.

Don’t Get it? RENT SODA. GET IT!

-Daisy Nguyen in Minneapolis, Minnesota

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!

Picture provided by STEFFE on FLICKR through Creative Commons license.

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