Why be dull when you can be extraordinary?

I want my property to stand out from everyone else’s in every way from my print ad, social media presence, to my sales pitch, and curb appeal. So how do we do this, how do we make a statement to our prospective renters that we are a different management company or community? It is very easy, so easy that you are going to hit your head with the palm of your hand for not thinking to use a little trick that Lisa Trosien talked about in a recent webinar presented by App Folio. Are you ready? Here is the top secret advice: Care about your residents and their voice by sharing what they have to say about your community!

It’s very simple!  Your greatest asset is your residents’ voice. They already live at your community and know what your management company can offer them. So why do we not use this great asset? Are we afraid to be the first in the market for our area to be different or are we just comfortable being the same?

I like to think that we can overcome our fears of trying something new.  Goodness knows I have tried many new things in many areas of my life. I can tell you what I would do if I had the ability to make my community stand out from everyone else.

First, I would have a testimonial board in my leasing office. I would position this where the first thing the prospect sees is my resident’s testimonial of the community.

Second, in my leasing office I would frame pictures of my residents in their apartment, using the amenities or at a community function. This simple and inexpensive decoration will show that you like your residents; you mean what you say in your sales presentation, print ad, and social media advertising.

Third, I would have additional resident testimonials in the model or mini models. I would put some over the bed in the master bedroom, bathroom mirror, refrigerator and the front door to read as they are leaving the unit. I would even incorporate Toni Blake’s “I Love This” picture book of the residents around town or around the community. I would leave it open on the coffee table as an attention grabber.

Fourth, I would create a slide show of pictures using the testimonials of residents, their pictures and pictures of the community to send as an email follow up.

Lastly and most importantly, I would incorporate resident testimonials and pictures of community events into my print ad, internet marketing, and social media sites.

These five things will set you so far apart from your competitors that you will be remembered. Why would you want to be the same as everyone else when you can be extraordinary? I challenge everyone to do something different with your presentation of your community.

By Jolene Sopalski

Link's To Names Mention in Blog:

Lisa Trosien http://apartmentexpert.com/

Toni Blake http://www.totallytoni.com/

Professionally Edited by Barbara Savona of
http://www.watchyourbusinesssprout.com/

I Got Fired !

This has been an interesting week…in one day alone I was let go from a position that I loved and also honored with a scholarship “Aspire Multifamily Scholarship” from The Training Factor.  Wow. Talk about a high and low both in one day.

The coming weeks will teach me about who I am and where I want to go career wise.  I want to stay in the industry but am not sure if I should go back to school full time. Going back to school has been a dream of mine for a long time but I also have a family and just cannot decide not to work to go to school.  One thing I’m grateful for is that I have the opportunity to take some fantastic online training classes that otherwise I would not be able to. I believe in lifelong long learning. Thank you Training Factor!

Training and Education is something that we all need. Sometimes it just is not in the budget for us on the property management end. It seems to be a fact of life when it comes to budget cuts. However; there is a solution The Training Factor Online Courses and the scholarship they are offering.  The classes are very affordable for individual use and you will actually learn something!

More about the scholarship:

If you love to learn and stay on top of the multifamily industry and your management company just does not have enough training for you, or you are looking to get in the industry this program is for you. I know what it’s like to work for a company that does not have any training due to the size, and trust me it is frustrating but I did not sit back and say oh this is the way it is. I stood up and decided to seek out mentors and learn on my own.  There is tons of training and information out there: some free, some affordable and some expensive but it is out there just waiting for us to grab it and go with it. Every time you take a training class you are learning something that is going to benefit you and your company.

Training is not meant to be a pain but meant to be fun. It is a tool that you can always use. I am so grateful for being able to start in this industry with a company that appreciated training, without that experience I would not be where I am today.

I’m on my third day of being unemployed (I’m not a fan), I have no idea how long our savings will last and pretty sure I will not be able to take my NALP and CAM this year liked I planned but that is okay because I have a scholarship to learn from The Training Factor. They believed in me and I’m not going to let them down. The knowledge I learn from this will last me a life time and for that I am grateful to them.

Please if you have the passion and desire to learn, succeed and to be something then go to this site submit your entry in the comment section. Don’t let an opportunity to learn pass you up because you are scared. If I listen to my fear I would still be the girl who was a high school dropout with a GED.

Jolene Sopalski

Professionaly Edited by Alisha Kruger