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We all know how the saying goes, you only have one time to make a first impression, we know and hear that saying but we decide not to abide by it. You are on stage the whole time you are speaking to the customer. They are analyzing how you are providing great customer service. They want to know that with the money they are investing, they are getting valuable help with taking care of their needs. When a customer picks up the phone and makes that call to your storage facility, they need to be well taken care of and it all starts with the greeting.

What is in a greeting? Well a greeting is a way for two people to intentionally get involved in a conversation. A greeting is also a way to show that you are aware of the other persons desire to speak to you. Have you ever thought of it that way? A greeting makes you aware of the other person. Was there a time in which you called a company and you heard just a simple hello? Is just saying hello the appropriate way to say you are aware that you have a desire to speak to that person? Probably not. As property managers, you and the people that work for you need to realize that you are on stage the moment you answer the phone or have someone walk through your door. Do not think that a proper greeting is limited to answering the phone.

There have been many great greetings in self storage and greetings that we should not mention. As property managers, we have to be consistent. Some people decide to have a greeting that is scripted and is a paragraph long it seems, where others just answer the phone with the name of the facility. There is no perfect way to answer the phone and grab the attention of the caller. As property managers, we need to ensure that customers are being greeted in a way they feel invited to either come into the facility or walk around it. The happy medium to the greeting is to ensure that the caller knows where they called, whom they are speaking to and to know they are ready to be helped. The tone, inflection of voice and sincerity can all make a difference on the delivery of the greeting. 

The greeting sets up the rest of the call. A greeting is also considered being important because it usually sets the mood of the entire call. As property managers, if we have a bad opening line, we can maybe lose the attention of the caller. If we do not establish a position of power and control early in the call, the caller might walk all over us. Understand that you have the tools necessary to have a great presentation to assist those who want storage. The hardest and easiest thing is, do we use those tools?

As property managers in self storage, we know there is a lot of competition out there. No one is above making some tweaks to their performance or doing some self evaluations. With a proper greeting, you are setting the stage for the call. Now, setting the stage is the easy part, what song and dance you do afterwards is also crucial in the renting of new tenants.

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Rental properties come in a variety of price ranges. As with any other type of real estate, rental rates are determined mostly by location, location, location. But other things such as the size of a rental unit and the included amenities also determine how much a tenant pays for their rental space.

A graduate student needs very little space in which to live. He spends most of his time at school. He is teaching classes, studying, and writing his thesis. He is trying to conserve his finances until he is able to graduate and attain his dream job. His requirements in a rental unit are simply that it be close to the university, low maintenance, and have a low rental rate.

Twenty something parents with young children need their rental apartment to be located in a kid friendly complex. They are not able to yet buy their own house so they want a rental space that feels like a home. Their unit needs to have at least two bedrooms, for the benefit of kids and parents alike. The apartment also needs to have washer and dryer hookups, or at least a convenient laundry area within the complex. And the facility needs to have kid friendly amenities such as a playground, a swimming pool, and a club house available for birthday parties. And a very important thing for an apartment facility that wants their rental units to accommodate a young family is that it be located in a good school district before most parents will even consider it.

Then there are apartment complexes that cater to DINKs. DINK is an acronym for couples that are Double Income, No Kids. These families have extra disposable income that they enjoy spending on their living arrangements and their lifestyle. The actual amount of their monthly rental rates are less of a concern to them than what all is included with their payments. 

These apartment complexes are located in popular areas and need to have great views. The view can be of a big city skyline or the mountains or a large lake. The list goes on and on. But the scenery outside of the windows needs to be spectacular for a landlord to get a large rental rate.

These apartments need to have an upscale design and appliances package. The closets are large and the ceilings are often high. The walls are well insulated to keep noise to a minimum. And there is usually a No Children policy, to help with noise levels as well.

Tenants living in high end apartments are accustomed to high end amenities. A doorman and concierge are common in large cities. Rental spaces located on a golf course have unlimited golfing for their tenants, as well as a golf shop and a golf pro on hand. Unlimited use of tennis courts, exercise room, and hot tubs, are important.

Almost all apartment buildings with a high rental rate have a swimming pool, a sundeck, and whirlpool and sauna for the residents. A clubhouse with a big screen television and a fireplace is common. A business center with wireless network, computers, and fax and copy machines are available for busy multitaskers.

There are a variety of rental properties available because there are a variety of people needing to rent. Location is the largest factor in determining the price of a rental space, but the included amenities also makes a difference.

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If find yourself in the middle of a project, wishing you had the right tools for the job, you may consider finding a local shop that offers tools for rent. Purchasing tools that you may only use once or twice in your lifetime is much more costly than borrowing tools for rent. For example, if there is a large tree in your yard that needs removed, you have a few options. You could pay a tree service a few thousand dollars to remove the tree. You could gather a few of your close buddies and remove the tree yourself. Or you could just leave the tree there and hope Mother Nature is kind, should the tree ever fall down, and cross your fingers that it does not fall on your house.

Most responsible homeowners would find a way to remove the tree before it threatens their family. Forking up a couple of thousand of dollars for tree removal may not be in everyones budget. If you feel confident in your tree cutting abilities, you may find yourself without the proper tools. That is where tools for rent come in handy. Not only can you find tools for rent, but you could also find the heavy equipment for rent to lift you up into the tree. This is just one example of why finding what you need for rent is better than purchasing.

You can find practically anything for rent. Take storage for example, you are selling your home and the realtor does not like the pictures on the wall, the extra chair in the office, the boxes you have already packed sitting in the garage, the candles over the mantle, etc. The realtor tells you to de-clutter your house.

Despite the fact that you love all the characteristics of those things that make your home cozy, your husband insists that you take the realtors advice. One solution to your storage problem is to buy a storage for rent. This makes perfect sense because you do not want to store those things in a closet or garage of your home and you may not have a friends garage nearby. Finding a space for rent will help you sell your home quickly and make both your husband and the realtor happy – not to mention your friend who would have otherwise been the victim of your realtors opinion.

Here is yet another scenario when thing for rent are a wiser choice than purchasing all you need. The father of the bride may find himself in need of 20 tables, 120 chairs, 1 chocolate fountain, 3 tents, a dance floor, sound equipment, a few doves and a horse-drawn carriage. It would cost a small fortune to purchase those things, and unless you have the local matchmaker marry off all your daughters quickly, you may not need them for a while. And surely, daughter number eight would never want the same wedding as her seven older sisters.

The best solution is to find a party store or wedding planner and ask if such items are available for rent. Now Dad can breathe a little easier and worry about more important things, like who his daughter is marrying.

Lifes milestones bring reason to celebrate and the luxuries that you can rent are more reasonable than buying them. Lifes hectic moments bring stress, and the luxury of renting a storage unit can help alleviate some of that stress. Even the big projects that present itself can be overcome with less cost by choosing to rent tools and equipment rather than purchasing.

And if you are a business person, you may consider investing in a rental business or becoming a self storage owner.

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What do lockers say about our society? Do they not say we live in a trustless world full of criminals looking to lift our stuff? Look around you; there are lockers everywhere. We have lockers at airports, gyms, schools, work, amusement parks, and even at home. Everywhere we go, we are unsecured with our stuff. Have times gotten so bad that we can’t trust our co-workers anymore. Or maybe you are trying to hide something yourself. And if you are thinking that lockers are just part of the lower class society, you’re wrong. Exclusive golf country clubs have lockers too. Even the rich don’t trust each other.

However you feel about lockers, they are a useful tool; especially when traveling. Here at the Phone Smart call center, we get a lot of inquiries about locker close to airports. Many of these customers are day business travelers who get done with work early and want to explore the city. However, they do not want to lug the laptop computer everywhere they go. A storage locker relieves the business traveler from the burden. They can stow their briefcase for just a day or for a few hours. A storage locker also is good for a change of clothes. Once finished with work for the day and they have a few hour to kill before their flight, a businessman can put on something more comfortable for treading the streets.

Fitness centers have lockers because we as a society are afraid that someone is going to steal our sweaty gym shorts. Fitness freaks usually show up to the gym in their street ware with their workout clothes in a gym bag. Then they go into the locker room to change. But our insecurities get the best of us, probably for good reason, and we lock up the clothes that we were just wearing. We are afraid of another gym member, someone who paid good money to join the gym, is going to steal our pants. Okay, maybe you keep more valuable things like wallets and jewelry in gym lockers. But if you are afraid of people stealing from you at the gym, then you should be afraid of changing your clothes in front of these folks too.

It’s sad that we have to lock up our school supplies in lockers, but this area probably makes the most sense. Let’s face it; kids can’t be trusted. Kids are always up to mischief so it is important that you lock up anything that you can from them. If kids could, they will steal your pens and pencils just for the fun of it. If you leave a pair of dirty shoes unlocked, they will belong to the school bully within 10 minutes. So school lockers are a must.

Most companies promote co-worker trust. Big corporations invest a lot of money on training programs to teach their employees on how to trust one another. So, why do they have lockers in the break room? Are they worried that Sally from accounting is going to steal a peanut butter and jelly sandwich from Ernie’s locker?

Yes, maybe I sound a bit naïve when it comes to lockers. It’s a dream of mine that we could live in a trustful world. But I’m just like everyone else. I wouldn’t leave my toothbrush unlocked at the country club. I would lock it up with the rest of my processions because you really don’t know anybody.

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Storage Convenience For Temporary Needs College students are possibly the largest segment of users of self-storage units as they often find themselves needing additional space. Many are unwilling to set some of their belongings on the curb for disposal and holding a garage sale in a dormitory or in a college apartment is not always an option. Being able to have the convenience of a storage facility also allows them time to decide what they want to keep and what they are willing to part with.

On the south side of Kansas City, Missouri storage facilities are located near several schools such as Avail University and Johnson County and Longview Community Colleges. Many facilities in zip code 64145 are also located near apartment complexes making it convenient for the students to store some of their prized possessions in a safe and secure environment.

With their proximity to apartments, self-storage units are also convenient for folks downsizing their households and moving into small accommodation. Especially those who know the move is temporary and by placing their extra items in storage, they will be available when they make larger living arrangements. With units ranging in size from 25-square feet to 350-square-feet, there are units available to hold only a few items to many rooms of furniture and other possessions. The ten by 35-foot units can hold a large living room and a couple of bedrooms worth of furniture and other belongings. The convenience also includes being able to have access to the possessions 24-hours a day, any day of the week.

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Retailers Rely On Effective Self Storage in Secaucus, NJ Secaucus, NJ is known as retail heaven by those who keep close tabs on the industry. Home to a wide variety of outlet stores, retailers rely on this location to quickly move large quantities of deeply discounted brand name goods, such as athletic wear, name brand duds, and of course the ever important linens and bathroom goods. In addition to the outlet stores, several retail giants have warehouses in this area to fulfill customer order.

The most famous are Newegg which sells computer peripherals and Barnes & Noble, an online and offline giant whose trade is media in printed and digital form. Yet smaller retailers have discovered the vibrant economy of Secaucus, NJ as well and the many eager shoppers, who are looking for deals at the outlet malls, do not mind spending their money saved at the smaller retailers who sell their wares at regular cost.

Thus, it is vital for a local retailer to always have sufficient stock on hand, yet where can these smaller stores temporarily lay up their overstock? Secaucus, NJ self storage is the solution smaller retailers rely on, and with excellent results! Climate controlled storage units will keep merchandise secure from weather induced temperature fluctuations, thus lessening any shrinkage due to heat or cold damage.

Similarly, by choosing storage options that fit the budget and the size needed, a small retailer may be able to permit its storage space to grow with its success – a small, climate controlled niche for starters, and a larger, garage sized storage area in the same climate controlled facility for the time that the business has taken off and more merchandise need to be stored up. Looking for Self Storage? Self Storage Please also visit our Partner Blogs at Self Storage Blog and Total Quality Assurance Services Rent a Self Storage Food Self Storage Yacht Self Storage Shoe Self Storage Automobile Self Storage

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Basalt, CO is a small town with a surprisingly high per capital income. Considering the fact that the town has less than 3,000 residents, the question that of course comes to mind deals with how a small town seemingly in the middle of nowhere is able to have so many well to do residents.

The answer, perhaps not surprisingly, is tourism. Basalt, CO is located at the Fryingpan River with easy access to the Ruedi Reservoir. Anyone who is interested in water sports of any kind knows that these two names are the equivalent of a good time, wild waters, Gold Medal trout, and boating access.

Similarly, since the town decided to capitalize on its natural beauty and location, it has also become a Mecca for serious mountain bike aficionados who have come to appreciate the rugged terrain. Self storage is the logical solution for both tourists and residents in Basalt, CO. Colorado residents love their self storage in Basalt, CO for the freedom to store boats, water sports equipment, and other bulky items that do not fit into the garage. Similarly, the savvy homeowners who rent out some of their properties to summer tourists find that self storage in Basalt, CO is an unbeatable method of getting some personal belongings out of the way when the tourists are ready to come.

Of course, vendors in the small town knows that their business is only seasonal, and self storage units will serve as overstock facilities to hold most of the merchandise not sold. They are cheaper than renting a bigger storefront with more storage room and at the same time highly secured with 24 hour monitoring.

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Feeling confident in a long term relationship is also important to your prospects. They want to know if you’re going to be a jerk if they have a problem, because everyone expects there to be a problem with someone they do business with at some point or another. And really, if you have a problem with a company, do you get annoyed about it if they address the problem and take care of you? No, right? You say to yourself, “Whatever. I had a problem; they took care of me. Fine.” Right?

Customers do not mind having a problem with your company as long as there is a reasonable resolution and the people they deal with in your company are professional about it and do not act like jerks.

That’s what the people want to know. They want to know that if they have a problem with your company, you’re going to be okay to deal with, and they start thinking about that from the moment they start talking to you. And this is really true. That is why prospects will often ask you a lot of questions up front, especially about policy issues and processes. They want to know if you have a customer friendly approach or not.

I’m sure you’ve heard this before. If you haven’t heard it before you need to know this. It is true: A great manager can make a lousy property great, and a lousy manager will make a great property lousy.

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Ronald Smith, PhoneSmart call center reservations expert offers the following insight.

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Sarah Little shares some thoughts on the holiday.

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