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Thanksgiving time

Before you get busy preparing for this weekend’s activities, I wanted to take a minute to thank you.

Thank you for paying attention to our blogs and passing them on to your friends and associates. Our readership keeps increasing and that can only happen when you care enough to spread the word.

Thank you for supporting PhoneSmart’s effort to be relevant to our property management, secret shopping and self storage customers.

Thank you for being a client and helping us create a business model that helps you run a better business.

As you spend time with friends and family this week, I hope you take the time to be thankful and be joyful.

You will be on our list of people to thank.

Thank you,

Tron

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The Show Goes on…in Miami Nov. 29

As you know, South Florida had a bit of inclement weather a few weeks back. Hurricane Wilma blew through in a hurry causing a lot more inconvenience than destruction. My brother’s mother-in-law lives in the area Wilma visited. She said in her immediate neighborhood there were quite a few trees that went down, but not much building damage. She was quite annoyed that her favorite trees near her condo were uprooted. But the tree she really hates, that blocks the view out of her living room, survived with hardly a leaf lost. That is the fickle nature of storms, isn’t it?

One inconvenience Wilma cause was to disrupt the Self Storage trade show schedule. The Inside Self Storage Expo had to be postponed. However in true Florida style, it wouldn’t take but four weeks to get ready to go back to normal. So if you had planned to go to the Fall ISS show, come on. If you hadn’t originally planned to go, check your schedule and make it happen. The Expo and Conference will be Tuesday November 29 through Friday the 2nd of December.

There will be some excellent seminars, including a session I will lead, called “Winning Sales Strategies”. The seminar will be at 8:00 am for you early risers on Wednesday the 30th of November.

You can also visit with lots of vendors who help you make your business work, including me! I will be giving a special Vendor Presentation on PhoneSmart services on Friday the 1st of December at 10:00am. Even if you are one of our many happy clients, you should attend this session and find out about some of our other valuable services…all designed to help you make more profit.

The roundtable discussions are always a favorite of the ISS Expos. Stop by my table to talk about using Call Centers effectively and make sure to sit in for some of the other great topics.

One session topic you shouldn’t miss will be “Disaster Recovery”, lead by the Nunez brothers of Southern Florida. They have had some practice in this subject over the years and can give you some great tips.

Miami is very nice this time of year, even after hurricane clean-up.. The host hotel, the Hyatt Regency, has a great rate of only $139.00 a night. That is not bad at all.

I don’t know how air fares are where you fly from, but my flight from St. Louis will only be under $250.00. That’s not much more than a few tanks of gas these days.

I’m not sure you can afford to miss this show. The cost will be pretty low and the learning and networking will be very valuable.

Go to www.insideselfstorage.com/expo/miami and register.

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Welcome to the property management blog, our diary of our property management experience.

Suggestions for Apartment Renter Concerns:

(Pet Deposits)

You tell about the pet deposit and the prospect says,

“A $600 deposit… even with a $250 refund on move out. That’s really high!”

Try something like…

“Well, with the country setting that we are located in, your pet would have a nice large area to feel comfortable in. And we also have the lake area. I know most places don’t typically have very much room for their pets to roam around, and $250 of the deposit is refundable when you move-out. I will be available to show you our community tommorow, could you come in the morning, or would the afternoon be better for you?”

or

“I realize it is an extra cost to move in, but it helps us attract responsible pet owners who keep their apartments and our common areas from getting “doggy” . And the refundable portion rewards them for helping make our community a really nice place for people and pets. I will be available to show you our community tommorow, could you come in the morning, or would the afternoon be better for you?”

bye for now, Tron

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Welcome to the property management blog, our window into the world of property management.

Sometimes initiatives are well meant, well thought out and seem to promise some practical and valuable payback. However sometimes initiatives fail because they are too complicated to execute or because they scare off the participants with confusing details. Initiatives also fail many times, because we think we can publish a set of instructions or tell someone what to do and then…presto, everything is understood.

You need to show and not just tell. You need to guide people through practice and not just let them read the instructions. I remember learning to drive. I had watched my parents and siblings drive since I was a baby. I could mimic everything they did. But it still took me time and practice to learn how to do it myself.

Be careful your sales and service initiatives do not fail for these reasons.

Read the instructions below. Do you think anyone will learn to use this function without hands on assistance? Do you think you could read the instructions twice and be ready to go?

Instructions on how to use Microsoft Outlook Tasks

How to find your Tasks:
1. On the left side of Outlook, you probably have an “Outlook Shortcuts” tool bar running nearly the length of your e-mail inbox. There is an icon there named “Tasks” showing a clipboard with a red checkmark. Click that icon.
2. You might have another tall box to the left of your inbox called “Folder List”. Because that list is usually in alphabetical order, “Tasks” with the icon of a clipboard with the red checkmark will be the last thing on that list. Double click that icon.
3. You may only have a dark grey bar below your toolbars (the things with icons along the top) that says “Inbox” in white. To the right of the word “Inbox” is a very tiny upside down triangle. Click that triangle & you will get a dropdown list box. In that list box is the word “Task” with the clipboard & red checkmark. Click that icon.

How to create Tasks:
1. Click on the “New” button in the upper left corner below “File” just as you would for sending an e-mail message.
2. You’ll get a screen that says “Subject”, “Due Date”, “Start Date”, etc. & a big white box.
3. Type in the subject of your Task. Set a due date if there is one. If you have already started on this task, type in the percentage amount that you have completed already or use the pull down box to select how much you’ve done.
4. Type in any notes or instructions about this task that you may need to know for yourself.
5. Click on “Save and Close”.
6. You should see that Task now listed in your screen. You are now the proud owner of a Task.
****DISCLAIMER: So you don’t ask, I don’t know what the “Contacts” or “Categories” buttons do or what anything is used for on the “Details” tab. You can play with it & find out, though. Then tell the rest of us.

How to assign Tasks to others:
1. A very important step so that you can be kept updated on this, create the Task & “Save & Close” it first. Otherwise, you won’t receive updates on the status of the Task.
2. Once you’ve created a Task, open it.
3. On the top row of buttons (not lists) you will see one that says “Assign Task” probably somewhere just left of the middle of that row. Click that button.
4. You will get a box that says “To:”. Type in the e-mail address or contact name you have for the person you are assigning this Task to. You can only assign Tasks to one person.
5. Add any notes or instructions they might need. You can attach files just like an e-mail, too.
6. Click “Send.”

What to do when you receive a Task:
1. You will get an e-mail that says “Task Request: <>”.
2. Open the e-mail to see what the task is. Read any attachments.
3. Up under “File” should be 3 important buttons: “Accept”, “Decline”, or “Assign Task”. If you are willing to do the task, click “Accept”. If you aren’t click “Decline”. If you know that someone else needs to do it or are going to pass it on to someone else to do, click “Assign Task” and e-mail it to them. The person who created the task will get an e-mail letting them know what you’ve chosen to do.
4. As you complete a task, increase the percentage amounts on the Task.
5. As often as you feel is necessary, go to “Actions” (probably next to “Help” on the top bar). Click on “Send Status Report”. Either choose to send the standard note or write your own. Click “Send”. Everyone who needs to receive status reports (i.e. the person who assigned it, anyone who passed it to you & anyone you forwarded it to.)
6. When you have increased the completion percentage to 100%, an automatic e-mail goes out to everyone who should receive status reports letting them know the task is done. The task will now be marked through and greyed out as a done task.
How to Create & Assign Forms for Tasks for Client Development:
1. On the top row (where “File”, “Edit”, etc. are), click on “Tools”.
2. Hold the mouse over “Forms” and you’ll get a drop down list.
3. Click on “Choose Form”.
4. Find the form you need (either “Contract Request” or “New Store Checksheet”). The one you need should be in the big white box. Double click the pertinent form.
5. Put a Name for it in the “Subject Box” (i.e. “ABC Mini Contract Request” or “SecurCare Norcross Checklist”).
6. Type any notes you or someone else may need to complete this task.
7. Click on the tab marked “Pg. 2”. Fill in the information that applies. If you’re not sure what goes in the boxes, please ask so someone can clarify it for you.
8. Go to “File” → “Save As” & name the file appropriately. Save contract requests in V:\Admin → Client Stuff folder → Contract Request Forms folder. Save new store checklists in V:\Admin → Client Stuff folder → New Store Checklists folder.
9. Exit out of the form & say no to “save changes?” (don’t “Save and Close”).
10. Create a task with the same subject name as you put on your Form following the steps listed in “How to create a Task”.
11. Following the steps in “How to Assign a Task”, Assign the task to someone else but attach the form you just created and saved (this process is exactly like attaching things to e-mail).
12. Wait to see if your task has been accepted, declined or assigned to someone else.

How to use a Form for a Task that’s been sent to you:
1. Open the task, then the attachment. Read any notes then look at “Pg. 2” to see what the form is all about. Click “Accept” & either send the standard message or your own (if you have questions, for instance).
2. Forward (not “assign”) the task to everyone involved in Client Development who hasn’t seen the request but should (Tron, Wendy, Liz L, Bob, & Liz P.) This should allow everyone to receive status and completion reports.
3. If you are going to be able to do some amount of the task right away, do so. Update the “% Complete”.
4. Go to “File” → “Save As” & save over the old file there (especially do this on “Checksheets” so it will reflect your initials and date). This is a very important step to complete every time you make changes to the form.
5. Exit out and “no” to “do you want to save changes?”.
6. You should now be back in the Task that shows you the notes & attachment. Go to “Actions → “Send Status Report”. You’ll get an e-mail screen. E-mail the report to everyone to whom you forwarded the original Task plus the person who sent it to you. ( I would recommend making an e-mail group for this purpose.) Add any questions or comments in this note. Click on “Send”.
7. “Save and Close” the Task.
8. Once you have increased the “% Complete” to 100%, a notice will be sent to everyone.

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Welcome to the property management blog, where we watch the world of property management.

What is next for green building technologies? As the cost of energy promises to go up before it comes down, we will see the cost effectiveness of many alternatives start to make sense. We will see more companies betting that they can create alternative solutions that will be attractive and will create ROI. Energy efficiency experts will see themselves getting contracts to help shave a few dollars here and a few dollars there. You may find a tremendous upside potential in your properties in energy savings and in creating energy from wind or solar. Are you starting to think in this direction yourself? Who has been calling on you with solutions?

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Thanks for coming to the property management blog, our diary of the world of property management.

We often take our data systems for granted. Our computers and management software are wonderful things when they work right. What would we ever do without them? We would crash and burn. But we are often so busy with everything else that we may neglect to protect our data. If you had all your systems crash today, how much data could you recover? How long would it take? Would anyone outside your IT staff notice? If you have not run a drill lately, run one.

We are always very concerned about losing our systems at PhoneSmart. We are totally dependent on our systems. And our clients are totally dependent on us for the added revenue we create for them. You are totally dependent on your systems for reporting and tracking tenants, revenue, maintenance and ROI.

Every now and again we have some minor systems crash as you all do. There are so many viruses floating around the cyber world that one is bound to upset your system from time to time. Usually these are not a big deal, even if they are a nuisance and time wasters. But are you prepared for the big crash? We had one not too long ago. They are not fun. But it is tremendously relieving to hear your IT chief tell you that the back-ups are good and that things will be back to normal before long. I am not even sure anyone outside of our office would have noticed we were doing the recovery dance. Our temporary patches held while our recovery of back-ups completed.

Do your vendors have protocols in place to protect and recover their systems if they are subject to a big crash? Make sure they do. And make sure your IT people have reviewed their recovery strategy recently and that no one forgot to do the most recent back-up. You will be glad you took these precautions.

Bye for now,
Tron

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Welcome to the property management blog, our diary of the property management world.

You may already be doing submetering for utilities, re-selling cable and DSL, installing energy saving lighting and implementing other good ideas. But have you examined the internal upside in your sales strategies? If you could turn one or two additional percent of your rental inquiries into solid leads and rent to one or two percent more of your solid leads, where would that leave your bottom line? A few points improvement would be significant, wouldn’t it?

Wouldn’t an increase in sales also put you in the position to move rents further north if you wanted? This also means more dollars to the bottom line. So why do many organizations accept weaker sales performance than is possible? There are a lot of reasons. Sometimes in a desire to keep employee overhead low, we hire people who are not the best suited or motivated to sell well. Sometimes we accept a “good enough” situation because our competition is no better. Sometimes we rely on marketing and curb appeal to make the rental happen and not even figure the leasing staff into the equation.

You can monitor the look of a property and you can monitor the design and implementation of your marketing and advertising. But training, coaching, tracking and improving on the people side is a little trickier. It involves those “soft ” skills no one really wants to work on. It requires adjusting the game plan to suit individual learning and working styles. But so what. There is a lot of money being left on the table.

bye for now, Tron

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Welcome to the property management blog, our window on the world of property management.

I had a chcane to take a quick tour of a part of the Camp Pendelton Marine Base and the chance to tour a couple of Naval vessels in the San Diego Naval base last week. I found two things of interest that I wanted to write about. There were many interesting things I saw and discovered, but these deal directly with managing proeprty. Managing a military base has got to be a huge job. Lots of different facilities with many different purposes.

I found the discrepency log posted on a barrack room door. Each week the soldiers turn in their discrepency forms to their unit chiefs to pass up the ladder. I found it interesting that these are not maintenance requests. There is a list of what should be in the barracks and what should be working. Anything that confilcts with the list is a discrepency to be dealt with. Maybe your tenatns would be happier if they notified you of dicrepencies and waited for your staff to prioritize them and deal with them. Consider this word for your business. Do you think it has potential?

The other thing that I took immediate note of was a grouping of pictures posted at the top of the gang plank on each vessel I visited. These were lists of restricted individuals…people who are not allowed on board. I don’t know what they did to earn their place on the restricted list, but one can only imagine.

Wouldn’t that be great to have the names and pictures of the people you do not want on your property: the old tenants who still owe you money; the boyfriend of the lady in 515 who is a loud nuisance; the neighbor down the street who always puts his trash in your dumpster. This is something to think about.

bye for now,
Tron

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Welcome to the property management blog, where we keep an eye on the property management business.

July seems to be a good time to get things done. Many tenants are on vacation. The days are still long and the work crews are looking to maximize the daylight hours to get outside work done. There tends to be fewer rain and weather delays in many parts of the country.

Our building continues its face lift today. It is interesting to watch the different ways each trade tries to short-cut their work. I spent a little time watching framers and dry-wallers and painters. Some of the things they do make sense and you realize that someone at some point had a good idea.

Other things you see them do just seem lazy or sloppy. Part of the equation becomes what the finishers can cover up. In a lot of cases the finishers can mask a lot of quick work. When the finishers have to take extra time or re-do things, yuo start thinking about the old sayings that say ” Measure twice, cut once” or “Haste makes waste” or “A job well begun is half done”.

These sayings and others like them were the learning tools of the day before magazines, television and instruction booklets. I wonder what sort of sayings would cover the leasing office activities?

bye for now,
Tron

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Welcome to the property management blog, where we keep our eyes on the property management business.

I was browsing through the book store yesterday. I am actually afraid of book stores. I find they are very easy to get lsot in. And by the time you realize that you have been browsing and flipping through books longer than you should have, half the day is gone. There is some sort of time warp that envelops book stores. It is also next to impossible to leave a book store without buying several books.

Those of you who have book stores in your properties must love them for tenants. Those of you who have book stores enar your projects must love the traffic they bring to your area and the pleasure they bring to your tenants.

I saw a book called “Property Management for Dummies” on the shelf. It thought about that for a minute and was wondering if that meant we are all dummies for messing around with property management, or if was so simple that even a dummy with instructions could do it well.

Maybe it isn’t bad thinking of it both ways. What are some of the aspects of our field that we’d like to see done differently…that we feel like dummies about when they happen to us? WOuldn’t it be nice to eliminate some of the hassles.

What areas of our work are able to be simplified so a dummy with directions can handle them? Wouldn’t it me great if many aspects of our businesses pretty much ran themselves?

bye for now,
Tron

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