We are often complimented our how clean and well-maintained our properties are. Many people are amazed to hear that a majority of our locations are 20+ years old. They often don't believe us.
Growing up I heard this saying a lot (I grew up in a rural farming community in South Central #Kansas), "It doesn't matter how much money you have, you can always afford to be clean! I believe this to be true both in the private and business sectors. When a customer comes to a place of business, any business, they are either consciously or subconsciously evaluating your business. In the #selfstorage business, I believe this to be more true than many other businesses.
When customers come to us, a majority come because of one of four (very stressful) reasons:
Death (family member or loved one);
Divorce;
Job loss;
Moving
These are all very traumatic events. These customers are essentially being forced to move their belongings to a strange place. These belongings could be theirs, their parents or grandparents, their kids, etc. They need to have a sense of ease when storing with us.
Your Internet Presence
From the time they look you up on the web, they are evaluating your property. If you do not have clean and crisp (beautiful) photos of your property, they may not feel they should store with you because of the perception those photos present. Not only should your web photos be great, you need to control the photos that are on your Google My Business page. Many times we forget about this and may have some very unflattering photos. Stay on top of this.
Your Phone Presentation
If you don't have a standard greeting, you really should. This sets a professional tone from the start. The manager answering the phone should be clear, but most importantly, a great listener. They need to deploy the 5 Steps of Selling over the phone (contact me if you need more info) and display empathy. This is their first chance to build rapport. If the person answering the phone is terrible, you may never get a property visit by this potential customer.
Your Office
Your office, the walk to the office, and everything at "your front door" needs to be crisp and clean. Signs need to be straight, clean, and not faded. Striping needs to be fresh. Landscaping needs to be mulched or rocked and weed free. These things are critical. The customer may not even realize they see this, but they do, at least subconsciously.
The interior of your office needs to be clean, have a neutral smell, and most of all, be clutter free. Customers are coming to you to de-clutter. If they see your office a mess, they may mentally assume that this is not the place for them. Clutter causes anxiety. The manager should be professionally dressed and have a name tag. All of these things help!
Your Property
You need to know what you are showing. If you vacant spaces list shows A-01 vacant and rent ready, it better be. You do not want to open a unit that has bugs, dust, items, etc. in it. It does not start the relationship off right. They need to believe that you are on top of what goes on at your facility.
There are some many more items we could address, but this is just a start! Happy leasing! ~ Brian Byrd