CallSource^® Aim Higher

A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

by Amy Earp, August 6 2008

Amy Earp brings more than 16 years of experience in sales and marketing to her position as Director of Client Strategy and Implementation for CallSource. She has held positions in property management as an Account Executive and a Director of Education. Amy also served as the Director of Marketing & Creativity for Sawyer Realty Holdings LLC, where she led an award-winning, in-house graphic design and marketing team.

A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

Property Management is a business that keeps us busy from the moment we walk through the doors of our office until the moment we lay our heads on the pillow at night. Often times, we become so busy that we forget to take a look at our community through the eyes of our residents and prospects.

Taking time to see things from their perspective is a proactive way of gaining the competitive edge. In my previous role as Director of Marketing I made time and encouraged my team members to make time to examine the following areas of our communities, not as employees but as residents and prospects. Please note that we completed this list armed with a digital camera so we could effectively document what we saw and the opportunities that existed throughout the communities.

• Take a picture of the main ID sign, bandit signs and any banners.
• What if the office is closed? Can you find any information about the community on the outside? If so, take a picture of what the prospect would see.
• Pretend you will be throwing a hamburger on the grill and take a picture of the condition of the grill. Would you eat what was cooked on the grill? Why or why not?
• Relax poolside for a moment and take a photo! Document the one moment you have taken since you have started working here to relax. How was it? Would you visit the pool on your time off to take a dip or to read a book poolside?
• When was the last time you played? Go ahead and jump on the swing and take a slide down the sliding board! Any improvements that should be made for smaller residents?
• Make your way into the office...do a brief photo shoot of the office in its "natural state". List opportunities for improvement.
• What is the first impression of staff morale?
• Make your way to the rent ready and be sure to document (with photos) the condition of the tour route!
• How did the hallway look, smell, hear and feel.
• Take a photo tour of the rent ready...view it as if the apartment was going to be your new home! Impressions? Opportunities?
• Tour the laundry facilities if applicable. Open up the washer and dryer and take a good look around.
• One word that describes the community's feel?
• Is your current advertising capturing that "feeling"?

These items, although they seem very simple, are often over looked. I will never forget the day I realized how important this was. I took my team out and asked them to play on the equipment on a playground. Inside of the tube shaped slide was graffiti, foul language and vulgar drawings. That is what our little residents experienced when they were on the playground and we would have never seen it had we not made a trip down the slide ourselves. I encourage you to explore your community and to see what opportunities you can uncover! Your residents will appreciate it and the leasing teams will feel more confident when touring prospects! This is a fantastic team building opportunity as well. Engaging team members in this process will have them taking ownership of their community and will have everyone enjoying the day from a different perspective!