Oh no, the dreaded word GUEST CARD, however; it can also be your new favorite word! Do you truly appreciate your guest card and all the value it has for you? Do you realize your guest cards are your greatest leasing/marketing tools?
What can your guest card do for you? It can tell you where your prospect is coming from, how they heard about you, what they are looking for and so much more. You would be amazed at how many people only use the guest card to record the name and phone number. It kills me to see a guest card like this because that tells me you don't care about your marketing dollars and follow ups much less actually selling the community to include your clients’ needs and wants. (This last sentence is a big deal, you should read it again.) J
Instead of thinking of a guest card as an annoying thing to fill out, think of it as your best silent sales agent. When you are filling out the guest card with your future resident, yes I did just say you fill it out with them, ask the questions in a conversational way (not military style). The guest card will allow you to start building a relationship and get important keynotes of what they are looking for that you can use in your sales presentation. Get all of the information you can for example: cell number, Facebook account, email address, date of birth, correct mailing address. These items will allow you to do some awesome follow ups.
One important detail to remember when filling out the guest card is to ask where or how they heard about your community. Don't be afraid to ask a few more questions when they give you vague answers, remember this is your way to track your marketing efforts. No one should ever be putting word of mouth on a guest card - try to get a name or if they saw your flyer somewhere. They heard of you somehow but may just need help remembering “where” or from “whom”. There is nothing more annoying than seeing a guest card with how did you hear about us left blank. This is one of the most important questions. How are you going to ask to have an upgrade on an account if you can't prove where your traffic is coming from?
There are two ways to keep track of your guest card: electronically and on paper. They both do the same thing. Either way will not make a difference in how you use it. I do recommend an electronic guest card. I believe that www.apartments.com has a my media program that will allow you to enter guest cards but double check with your apartments.com sales representative.
Your guest card will become your best leasing/marketing tool if you let it and use it effectively. Some other great tools are For Rent Internet Tracking, Apartments.com Media. Toni Blake has a section on her facebook page called Why I LOVE My Guest Card and has a free document of guest card questions at www.totallytoni.com. These are great resources to use. If you are unsure of how to use your guest card just write me a note and let me know. I would love to help you!
* Alisha Kruger Did the fabulous job of editing this for me!
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