ApartmentHacker is now a podcast, and you can get it on your favorite Podcast Player. I’ll also post the episodes here in batches of five. And, from time to time I’ll add additional commentary.
For those of you that have been around since our beginning in 2007, Thank you! And, for those of you new to ApartmentHacker – hang on, we have a ton of new ideas in store.
Suffice it to say reviews are a two-way street. The Internet and Social Media enables the critic in all of us. We give ratings and reviews to food, coffee, authors along with goods and services across all industry. Nothing is immune. That is except the customer. That is until now.
Australian based Art Series Hotel Group is reviewing guests. Yes! You read it clearly. From their website:
We’ll be posting our Reverse Reviews [on our website] and finally revealing what goes on behind closed doors.
Reverse
Can you see it? Recall that recent move out. You know the one where the carpet has a perfect circle cut out in the living room area that served as fire pit. The ceiling that accommodated knives, forks, spoons and oil dip sticks. Yes – shoved in for decoration. Or, the one with the living room walls painted with life-sized psychedelic Alice in Wonderland landscape and characters – a true work of art. Or, the one with 20 years worth of collected newspapers stacked neatly from floor to ceiling covering nearly every square inch of the apartment to include the bathtub and kitchen sink.
How about posting these masterpieces for all to see – names included?
My stepfather often tells the story of how he likes to open his farm supply store 30 to 45 minutes early every morning. His reason for doing so – preparation.
He likes to feel ready for the day.
He doesn’t want to get caught off guard by customers coming in the door with wants and needs while he is trying to get the store in order. His routine includes cleaning windows, dusting mats, sweeping the entry way, adjusting signage, sweeping isles, dusting fixtures, setting the sales counter in place, making sure he has property amounts of cash/coin in the register, sharpening pencils and making sure inventory is properly stocked.
Open the Store
I read an Ellis Shopping Report recently that dropped my jaw. It was brilliant up to the point of two apartments being toured – each included dead bugs.
I don’t write about this to discount the efforts of our team but rather to highlight how important it is to open your apartment store.
Every morning – without fail. Open the store for business.
Get in early or stay late the night before – it doesn’t matter.
Just Open the Store for business.
That means – walk the units you are going to lease. Walk them multiple times throughout the day.
“Mike – I just don’t have that kind of time. I can’t afford to walk them multiple times.”
The first year value of a customer is north of $10,000 in our market.
Multiple that times the ten friends that will hear about the dead bugs, dirty apartment, unpainted curb lines, dead landscape, etc.
Ten friends that will likely never lease an apartment at your community.
Mike Brewer
Apartment Hacker
Let’s put a little math to it and see if we can change the perspective. The first year value of a customer is north of $10,000 in our market. Multiple that times the ten friends that will hear about the dead bugs, dirty apartment, unpainted curb lines, dead landscape, etc. Ten friends that will likely never lease an apartment at your community.
We are in the fight of our life everyday. Everything matters. Everything is Marketing. All the time. OTS Matters!
Work is theater. And your theater includes curb to commode to lease contract.
Your production: Customers Mean The World to Us. #rfc
And you are the lead actor.
Being the lead actor requires world-class preparation every day.
Lead actors don’t wait for bugs to present themselves.
They avoid bugs by preparing their act.
They open their store everyday in every way.
Your encouraging you to open your store everyday Multifamily Maniac,
