Facebook Go-Live: Good and Bad for Multifamily

I can see Facebook Go-Live used as a way to advocate and annihilate your property management brand.

Facebook Go-Live is the next belle of the ball in multifamily. In essence, the functionality gives you the ability to live stream your experiences in the moment. While the idea of live streaming on mobile is not new , it is new for the masses on Facebook. And I can see so many uses and misuses as it relates to multifamily. Some awesome and some no so awesome.

Leasing/Sales – I can see live streaming community tours answering questions, personalizing and customizing along the way.

Residents – I can see John and Stacy broadcasting their watch party or pool party attendance.

Vendor Management – I can see live streaming various issues, problems or successes. Catch the landscaper going the extra mile; edify him or her by broadcasting your praise for a select audience that cares.

Advocates – I can see residents that love their apartment living experience – live streaming something nice and positive about their community.

And, Resident Critic – this is the one that peaks my interest the most. I can see resident live streaming that leaky faucet, leaky ceiling or flooded basement or a bad customer service interaction live and in person. It gives a whole new meaning to the lead in; “Coming to you live from…”

Item of note: The function is only live on my personal page. It’s not yet live on my Apartment Hacker page and I can’t find anything that tells me when it might be.

Nevertheless, it adds a whole new level to reputation monitoring/management.

Your looking forward to watching some Facebook go-live entertainment multifamily maniac,

Elite Soccer Teams

Right Now leaves companies ten years behind their field at any given time.

“The elite soccer teams in the world emphasize pace over perfection. They recognize keeping the ball moving quickly is better than waiting and trying to make the ideal pass.” – Fast Company (December Issue, Page 16)

It is striking to me; one’s unwillingness or massive hesitation to ‘pass’ product, service or a story to the masses. People get in their way thinking quality, brilliance, superiority, excellence, perfection or even good enough has to exist before you can set caution to the wind and move the ball quickly. They prefer the safety of waiting in perpetuity for the perfect moment.

I see too many people set under the rule of reaction, fire chasing, got-a-minutes and the latest leadership impulse. I see too many people lead by whimsical, zero vision, mindless mission, vitriolic values and too small to see or nonexistent strategies. I see the proverbial 50/50 loss, intercepted pass, or consistent offside call because we think the ‘right now’ work matters most.

The problem with that type of thinking is that something always pulls our attention away from the things that move the ball quickly.

Right Now

Right Now moves paper from the left side of your desk to the right side. Right Now turns email into a conversational platform instead of moving a business forward platform. Right Now leaves mission to those socially well-attuned companies that are making a difference in the world. Right Now leaves vision to those who want to grow the human capital that will Scale a business Up. Right Now leaves defining values to those who give a damn about the people who CARE. Right Now leaves strategy to the élite masters of building cultures of thriving people. Right Now leaves companies ten years behind their field at any given time. Right Now leaves everyone sick and tired of being sick and tired (a dangerous spot). Lastly, Right Now leaves you to wonder why the team never gets the ball across centerfield.

Starbucks: Beginning of the End

Is it the beggining of the end for Starbucks?

It’s been awhile since I’ve written a post. I could tell you all the reasons why but none are really relevant to today’s thought.

Starbucks

I am sitting at Starbucks this early evening busting out email and reading material I can never seem to get to at the office. As many of you know Starbucks is my absolute favorite brand/place in the world. And believe it or not, it’s not just about the coffee to me. It’s equally if not more about the place/space it offers me to be, think and produce. But today – I’m disappointed.

When I walked in I noticed months and months of debris built up along the curb lines in the parking lot. I also noticed the landscape is in need of pruning. I noticed the dust on the windows and doors is thick and peppered with bird poop. I noticed the address is sun-baked and wasting away and the number of decals and signage is overwhelming. The VP in me wanted to grab the Regional and Property Manager for an immediate property walk. I felt myself literally getting angry in the how-could-you-let-it-get-this-bad sort of way. It screams – I don’t care in a harsh way. Worse yet, it screams – you’re-going-to-buy-coffee-here-even-if-we-don’t-focus-on-the-small-stuff.

It doesn’t stop at the door. When I look up I see dropped decorative ceiling tiles and light fixtures that are full of dust. The window coverings are frayed on the sides and bottoms and the ledges are dusty. And to top it off, there is a bug hanging out on the window seal.

This is not the Starbucks I have come to love over the years. In fact, I feel sad. Sad to think that I give time, money and loyalty to this organization in exchange for a remarkable experience.

Is this the beginning of the end for Starbucks? I hope not.

Striking Realization

It strikes me that I am the exact customer that Starbucks needs, wants and desires. I’m a semi-over-the-top advocate for the brand. I once gave major grief to one of my Area Managers for bringing a Dunkin Donuts cup of coffee to our weekly 1:1 meeting. I have posted hundreds of personal pics that include a siren mug in the foreground on platforms like Instagram, Facebook and the like. I take Starbucks on vacation when I know I’ll be a good distance from a store. I only buy Starbucks coffee to brew at home. And the list goes on.

It also strikes me that I am exact customer that Starbucks doesn’t want to set adrift. This post is evidence of that.

All that in mind – Starbucks take this a my fair plea. Please get back to the level of quality every customer would demand and expect from the best place in the world. Please.

Your Details Matter Apartment Hacker,

Employee Survey

Don’t reduce employee survey results to one more item on your “to-do” list.

View image | gettyimages.com

Survey results are not worth the paper unless used to make meaningful change.

Don’t reduce results to one more item on your “to-do” list.

Do pick two or three meaningful things to act on.

Don’t pick the low-hanging fruit.

Do act quickly.

Your digging through employee survey results presently multifamily maniac,

Open the Store

I just read an Ellis Shopping Report that dropped my jaw.

View image | gettyimages.com

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,

Multifamily Innovation

Create a free maintenance training school using your community as the learning lab.

Read about a Paraguayan newspaper launching a free journalism school.

Made me think about some multifamily angles:

1. free maintenance training school using your community as the learning lab

2. free property management training school using your community as the learning lab

3. free leadership training school using your property management company as the learning lab

Maybe the pupil comes to work for you; maybe they don’t.

In the process – you have taken a step to enrich the world.

Your thinking about enriching the world Multifamily Maniac,

You are the Work

Figure out quickly that you are the work that needs to happen in the world. Face each day understanding that each experience presents itself in an effort to build your character.

Realize one thing quickly…

You are the work.

What you do for a living is the catalyst/stimulus for the person you become.

The real work is YOU.

When you get this truth straight in your head – job descriptions and titles and the need for validation, inspiration and motivation (external) goes away.

You become your own best self every time you step into the day.

You become alive in knowing you are not tied to the whims of other people.

You own your destiny.

You own choice.

You own will.

Your encouraging you to do the work of YOU Multifamily Maniac,