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It is almost difficult to imagine that there is more than half of the United States population that has never rented a storage unit. That is correct, over half of our fellow country men and women have never rented a self storage unit. That is a huge market that is still to set foot into a self storage facility. So what is going on? Is it that only people who are in the process of moving from one home to another that need storage?  Not even close. Do you have the programs in place to monitor your employees? You should look into having a secret shopping program. Secret shopping programs can help your self storage business succeed in obtaining more rentals.
 
People are renting self storage units for their businesses. Your self storage employees need to know how to handle every type of rental situation. Secret shopping is perfect for helping your employees have better training. How about the hobbyist who collects books, posters, or even cars and does not have the room or space in their home to continue their hobby? By renting a self storage unit, the hobbyist does not have to stop doing what they love because of lack of space. 

Moreover, people can pretty much store just about anything. A prospective renter does not have to be in the process of moving. Once again, there is over half of our nations population who has never, ever rented a self storage unit. So how can the self storage industry market its business in a creative way that will appeal to those who have never thought about renting a self storage unit before is the question? The answer comes down to Creativity. Anyone who purchases anything can find a use for self storage. The key is to get that purchaser to find a reason or a motive as to why they should look into self storage. What does a prospect self storage renter gain by renting a self storage unit?  How do you market self storage in a world where we are technology driven? By examining your secret shopping results, you will be able to figure out what is best for your self storage company. Secret shopping results usually come in the form of an evaluation. These secret shopping evaluations can be tailored to fit your business needs.    

While it is extremely worthwhile to focus on internet marketing, there still needs to be a continuous incoming flow of fresh, new and creative ways to market self storage. Spending some of your marketing money on a reliable secret shopping program can also boost business. This can seem and sound extremely difficult to do, especially when it seems like all avenues go about  marketing a good or service to an untapped market have been exhausted. But it should make the secret shopping industry very hopeful and enthusiastic knowing that there is still that untapped market out there. There will always be the returning self storage renter. How to go about tapping that secret shopping market is something that is much needed to be worked on. With the use of the internet as a large marketing tool, cell phones are becoming a daily tool for just about every other American, if not more so than the internet. Perhaps text messaging will be the next avenue to look into. Marketing, advertising and secret shopping programs must be present in avenues where people have visual or audio access on a constant and daily basis in continuous and repetitive fashion until it is drilled into minds of people.

Property Management Trend

Alaska Car Storage

Lawrenceville Storage

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If you are interested in getting into the lucrative field of real estate management, you should take real estate management courses at your local community college. Real estate management courses will prepare you for working in this field that is ever burgeoning. 

When you sign up for real estate management courses, one of the classes you will probably take is real estate law.  This will give you an overview of real estate laws in your state.  As real estate laws differ from state to state, it is important that you sign up for real estate management courses in the state in which you plan to practice. You should also be aware of special county or city laws that may apply to the local area of real estate management.

Other real estate management courses will talk about commercial real estate.  There is a lot to know if you plan to embark in a career in commercial real estate.  Real estate management courses with regard to commercial real estate will probably discuss tenant and landlord lease laws.  It is important to be familiar with all of the laws that affect a tenant and landlord in your state.  Real estate management courses will focus on the commercial and residential aspect of tenant and property owner leases. 

Other aspects of real estate management courses will discuss accounting principals.  In real estate management, you will most likely be doing accounting for your clients.  This entails making sure that all assessments or rents are paid on time and that all bills are paid to vendors or workers in a timely manner.  It also entails balancing books and providing a financial statement for the landlord or association. Tasks may also include gathering financial statements for taxes.  This can be taught in real estate management courses that focus on accounting principals. 

To sign up for real estate management courses, you should check out your local community college or online college.  In many cases, you can earn a degree in real estate management online.  Taking real estate management courses online makes sense because you can do so from the privacy of your own home, in your own time.  If you are working at a dead end job, you should consider taking some real estate management courses so that you can advance your career as well as your paycheck. 

Real estate management courses online cost about the same as those at your local community college.  There are some instances where you can get grants when it comes to taking real estate management courses online.  To discover how, you should check out the online colleges.

Most real estate management courses will require that you purchase books.  These books can serve you throughout your career as you refer to them for reference and will be a helpful guide when you are fresh out of school.  If you are taking real estate management courses, you should keep any materials and books for references at a later date. 

Anyone who is interested in developing a career in a field that is growing should consider taking some real estate management courses either online or at their local college.  There is no reason to be stuck in a dead end career.  After taking real estate management courses, you will find an entire new world open to you in a very lucrative field. 

Iowa Storage Units

StorageMart Columbia St & Dunlap Milledgeville, GA 31061

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When a mystery shopper is using the telephone to critique a sales rep there are certain things that they are looking for in the evaluation. This is true whether the client is selling self storage or any other item or service.

A very important part of any sales call a mystery shopper is paying attention to is the Close.  Because the sales rep is unable to see the look on a customers face or observe the customers body language, then they must rely on what a customer says.   Helping the customer along is a sign of a good call, and will receive positive marks from any mystery shopper.

During the telephone call, the mystery shopper knows a good sales rep will control the call in a positive manner.  Even if the customer gets off track a bit, the sales person is able to reel them in and take back control.  During the Close the sales rep wants to be sure to offer the customer two choices.  Did they want the self storage unit that is upstairs or on the ground level?  Did they need the climate controlled space, or will a regular unit be okay?  Did they want to come into the office on Saturday morning or afternoon?  Giving the customer choices will let them feel involved in the decision making, while at the same time getting a commitment.

The mystery shopper will make certain the sales rep always asks the customer for a name and phone number.  This helps to build a better rapport, and the information is useful for future follow up.

The mystery shopper is taking note that the sales rep creates a sense of urgency.  There are only a few 10×10 units available or, this is the last 5×10 storage unit that is open.  Creating a sense of urgency will let the customer know they need to make a decision now, as opposed to next week.  Otherwise, they may not get the size unit they need.

The mystery shopper is listening to make sure the sales rep uses this sense of urgency to encourage the customer to reserve a storage space with a credit card.  The mystery shopper knows the customer is far more likely to actually go to the location and rent a storage unit if there is a sense of obligation, thus the reservation.

If the caller is unable to reserve a unit, then the mystery shopper is noticing if the sales rep invites the customer for a site visit.  Pinning down the customer to a day and time will again make it more likely that the customer will go to the facility and rent a unit.

An important thing the mystery shopper is listening for is that the sales rep attempts to overcome any objections the customer may have.  A customer claiming they need to speak to their spouse before committing to anything is probably just making an excuse, and trying to take the easy way out.  Suggesting to the customer that their spouse will probably be pleased that they no longer have to be concerned with finding a storage unit will usually earn bonus points from a mystery shopper.  It is a good rule of thumb to only attempt to overcome a customers objection three times.  Any more, and the sales rep will appear too pushy.

A mystery shopper pays a good deal of attention as to how a sales rep handles the Close of any call.  This is because the mystery shopper knows that a good Close can often be the difference between an actual sale, and just another phone call.

Hermitage location, 3986 Central Pike, Hermitage, TN 37067

Secret Shopping

Property

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Whether your business is a service businesses, a product production business or any other kind of business you can think of, you have customers. These customers may be any place on the supply chain. Someone has interaction with your employees and your services or products. How do you know if the experience of your users is worth the price, the effort and the hassle? You do a mystery shop.  However, depending on how you handle it, a mystery shop may or may not give you the information you need to make improvements. Here are a couple of ideas to help make your mystery shop more valuable.

First of all, decide up front what you are hoping to discover. One mystery shop cannot tell you everything about everything. If you try to collect too much information, you will not be able to process it, make sense of it, or take action on it. If you have not used the mystery shop before, then focus on one very narrow portion of the interaction. If you run a self storage property and have never done a mystery shop of your property, you might have someone visit your property just to see if the curb appeal and cleanliness is up to par and if the staff people are friendly and inviting. This seems like a simplistic mission for a mystery shop, but it is enough information to start. This would enable your staffers to work on two simple things, curb appeal and cleanliness and being friendly and inviting.

You also need to make sure that you have a straightforward method of judging the mystery shop. For instance you might rate the curb appeal on the freshness of the paint, absence of litter, cleanliness of the front windows and door handle, cleanliness of the carpet, counter and show room area.  You might rate friendliness by how long it took to get eye contact and a smile. If you are not specific about what is being judged on a mystery shop and what levels of attainment are unacceptable, acceptable, very good or excellent, then your staff people will not know how to pass a mystery shop and will never be able to satisfy you.

If you set up your mystery shop so it is ambiguous or so that no one knows what has to be done to get an excellent rating, then the mystery shop becomes a de-motivator and a disincentive. Many companies create lots of initiatives that backfire. If your first attempts at using the mystery shop backfire on you, it will be very hard to reestablish a mystery shop program.

The last tip is to be sure you give the feedback on the mystery shop quickly. The longer you wait the less effective the feedback will be and the less action a feedback will create. If you tell your staffer that last month on the second, there was litter piled up in the corner in front of the building, you will get little action and little behavior change. Your staffer will probably shrug the shoulders and carry on with whatever he or she was doing. If, on the other hand, you tell your staffer that there was trash piled up in the corner in front of the building yesterday and you are not happy about it, your staffer will probably get outside and get on litter patrol right away and keep up with litter control for a week.

And if you need help in getting your mystery shop program going, whether it is a telephone mystery shop or an in-person mystery shop, you are in the right blog.

Franklin location, 1138 New Highway 96 W, Franklin, TN 37064

Secret Shopping

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Mystery shopping jobs often seem like a myth or legend to the workforce. We hear stories of people who get to go shopping, keep the merchandise and be paid to do it. There are even rumors of positions that offer mystery shopping jobs to those who travel from top resort to top resort and are pampered with massages, fine dining, luxury suites and more.

These stories are not just urban legends because such mystery shopping jobs do exist. However, finding these mystery shopping jobs is somewhat of the mystery. Where does one go to sign up for free dining? Where is that career field listed in job fairs and college majors? There is no clear cut way to preparing oneself for mystery shopping jobs, except to have a good understanding of customer service and to have the ability to critique and express the difference between desirable customer service and poor customer service.

Employers for mystery shopping jobs want to hire someone with some experience in their industry. The level of experience may differ depending on the service or product being evaluated with mystery shopping jobs.  For example, the majority of the population has experience with the fast food industry. Therefore, a secret shopper with little training could easily conduct fast food mystery shopping jobs. Let us take a look at the massage industry. An inexperienced person applying for these mystery shopping jobs would likely be more excited about the free massage and unable to critique the techniques of the massage therapist because the mystery shopper has had no formal training in that field. This is why some mystery shopping jobs may require specialized training.

When we think of mystery shopping jobs, legend and our own imagination flashes images of a woman bedazzled with bags of free new clothing, free five star dining and a glamorous life. These images are, more often than not, inaccurate ideas of what mystery shopping jobs are. Most mystery shopping jobs offer some compensation to the mystery shopper for visiting a business and then reporting several observations concerning how clean the property was, how friendly and knowledgeable the staff was, and how satisfactory the product or service was. In some mystery shopping jobs, a good or service may be given to the mystery shopper for free. However, there are also mystery shopping jobs that only offer a free service or good with no compensation for the time spent conducting the mystery shop.

When looking for mystery shopping jobs, the Internet is a very good source for information and employment opportunity. It is important to select the mystery shopping jobs that are contracted through reputable businesses that hold memberships with national mystery shopping associations or mystery shopping associations within their industry. It is also important to do some homework on an employer before beginning mystery shopping jobs for them. One can access public information regarding a business through several business bureaus and other online sources.

Finding the right mystery shopping jobs may also mean narrowing down the keyword search. For example, searching the keyword phrase mystery shopping jobs may result in too broad a result. One could narrow down the search by using a keyword phrase that reflected what kind of mystery shopping jobs he or she were looking for by using a keyword phrase like self storage mystery shopping jobs.

Storage-Mart on South Federal Hwy. in Pompano Beach

Shopping

Property Management

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When you shop for storage, what qualities do you look for? Price is probably your first response. However, this should be the last quality you look for. You probably said price because of the misconception that all storage facilities are the same. This is far from the truth. A lot goes into storage so a lot should go into looking for storage. After all, you are using storage to put away something important to you. Wouldn’t it be nice to know that your car, your boat, or your furniture is in good hands? Of course you would. The example below is the proper way to find car storage. This strategy works whether it is a classic car, an antique car, or a luxury car.

There are many resources for finding a self storage unit for car storage. The traditional way is the phone book, but the best way is the internet. Through the internet you can view each company’s web page and get a better understanding of what that company offers than you can with the phone book. A web page offers more information than an address and phone number. You can learn about your options like storage unit size and climate control. If you are not sure where a storage company is located, map it and get directions. Reading up on storage will help you in the reservation process.

Here are some options in storage that you need to consider when shopping around for car storage. First you want to make sure that the location is convenient for you. Traveling far away to a storage facility to save money will end up costing more in the long run. Next, make sure that the facility allows car storage in a storage unit. Not all properties permit this. The property manager will ask what you plan to store, but if not, tell the property manager that you want to store your car. He will be able to find the right unit size for your vehicle. Also, there is a chance that you may want to use the storage unit for more reasons than car storage. Again, a property manager can accommodate appropriately. 

If you are storing a classic car or luxury car, you might want to consider a climate control self storage unit. Most likely you are storing your vehicle to protect your car from extreme weather elements. A normal storage unit puts a roof over your car’s hood, but it is still vulnerable to freezing temperatures. However, a climate control storage unit will keep your car comfortable at room temperature.

Lastly, you want to make sure wherever you use car storage that it is a safe and secure facility. The optimal self storage business should have video surveillance, fenced in property, access control gate, and bright lighting. Some facilities have an onsite management team posing as an extra security guard.

Once you find out about all of the amenities each self storage facility offers, such as location and security, then you can talk about money. Everyone wants the best deal, but remember a lot goes into that deal.

Written by Kurt Schellenberger

Storage Concierge is your premier Storage, Storage Unit, Car Storage, RV Storage, Furniture Storage, Boat Storage, Yacht Storage and Self Storage Finder.

Maryland Storage Units

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The most important part of every self storage, property management or manager calls for a PhoneSmart call center rep is the greeting.  The potential self storage customer can immediately tell if our self storage phone rep is distracted, or in a bad mood, or has a smile on their face, etc.  This initial greeting sets the mood and the tone for the entire call.  These first few seconds alone can determine if we will get a self storage reservation.

Oftentimes someone needing self storage is not in a good point in his or her life. Not many people wake up in the morning happy to spend money on a self storage rental. Because not many people have the extra money, transportation or drive to get a self storage unit rented. They might be going through a divorce, the loss of a job, a sudden move, or a death in the family.  The self storage caller is upset and terrified, and it is easy for them to think the entire world is against them. We get a large amount of self storage calls from people who are calling for someone else that needs self storage. These people are trying to get self storage information from the call center so they can help the friend or relative in their life manage a self storage unit.  

If a PhoneSmart sales agent answers the phone nonchalantly the caller will notice immediately.  They will simply assume we are just another person in the world that does not care about them or their self storage problems.

If one of our PhoneSmart phone reps answers the phone upset (because we did not leave our personal problems at the door) then our potential self storage renter will think we are uncaring.

But we here at PhoneSmart answer the phone at our call center with a smile on our face and a lilt in our voice (because we are focusing on the job at hand) then the customer knows that someone really does care about them; that life is going to get better. Which makes our job great that we can help someone in his or her time of self storage need and hopefully make his or her day go a little smoother? When you make someone else feel better, then the feeling will be returned. It warms the heart to know that you have helped another person in need. 

Today’s tip is: no matter what kind of mood you are in or what kind of day you are having, ALWAYS answer the phone in a cheerful and professional manner.  Even though you may be having a bad day, chances are pretty good your caller is having an even worse day than you are. Take a breath, push the button, smile and then answer the phone. Your self storage callers will appreciate your professionalism and you will brighten someone’s day with your friendly and helpful demeanor. When you are done helping them, they will feel relieved that they can cross find self storage off of their to do list.

Storage Concierge is your premier Storage, Storage Unit, Car Storage, RV Storage, Furniture Storage, Boat Storage, Yacht Storage, Self Storage finder.

Alaska Storage Units

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Raise your hand if you want to have your storage facility at 100 percent occupancy? I expect to see everyone’s hand up, if I could actually see everyone who reads this blog. We all want to do well with self-storage and get customers to come through our doors. It is remarkable that we want a specific result, but we are not taking the time to ask the caller or in-store customer, enough questions to satisfy their self-storage needs.

I have heard so many people just give out the price without asking any questions. How do they expect to sell self-storage? You have to ask the caller questions. How many questions do you need to ask a customer in order to discover all of their needs? That is up to you, essentially but I believe there are seven basic questions you should always ask. Those questions are: what is the customer’s name, when do they need storage, do they know where my facility is located, is my facility convenient for you reach when you need your belongings, how are you getting your belongings to the storage facility, what are you storing, and why are we in need of storage today. There is no specific order these questions should be asked, but if you can get it to flow through all of the questions it will not sound scripted.

Let us dive into why we ask the questions from above.

• What is the customer’s name? This question is asked to build rapport. The caller or customer is most likely to buy from someone they have been introduced to. Additionally, without a name, who do we reserve a unit for?
• When do they need storage? This information can be used to create a  sense of urgency to rent soon and to check the availability of the space they need.
• Do they know where my facility is located and is my facility convenient for you reach when you need your belongings? A powerful tool used to make sure the caller knows how to get to your facility to visit and to ensure that they are not inconvenienced driving periodically to your facility.
• How are you getting your belongings to the storage facility? We can use that to find out if the caller would need the services of a truck or mobile storage.
• What are you storing? Knowing this helps determing the storage unit size they need.
• Why are we in need of storage today?  This one is not common in the self storage industry, but it is an awesome way to develop that you care about what their storage needs are and to further build rapport. Also, this will help if they are in need of other packing supplies or climate controlled storage.

If we take the time to ask the caller questions about their storage needs, we are in a great position to satisfy their needs. The more you know about the caller, the more that they agree to and the less objection they would have to reserve a space with you. It would be hard for the caller to say no to someone who has completely taken care of all their concerns.  So take the time to listen and then to accommodate. The caller will be taken care of and I am sure that they will recommend your services to a friend or family member.

Joel Little, Experience Manager.

LA Storage Unit

Self Storage Article Directory. Visit our Self Storage Locations by State Section.

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Ending every sales call with the appropriate information will leave a positive impact on the self storage caller. Here are some items that you should include at the end of your sales presentation.

1. If you have not already given your name, tell the caller instead of them having to ask
2. Let the caller know what your office hours are so they will know when to come by
3. Ask the caller if they have any additional questions, and let them know to call you if they think of any questions after the call has ended
4. Thank the caller, and end with your self storage company’s name.

Even if the caller was not listening to your every word, they will remember if you were friendly and helpful. That first and last impression on the phone will stay with them and be part of the reason that they choose which self storage company to rent from. By doing your part at the end of the call, you can make sure that the caller has a good picture of your self storage facility. The end of the call is just as important as the beginning and the middle of your sales presentation, make sure that you end on the high note for great customer service.

Written by Natalie Thomas, TQAS agent.

CA Storage Units or CO Storage Units

Self Storage Article Directory. Visit our Furniture Storage section.
 

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Today’s daily tip is to always ask each caller and walk in self storage customer, How did you hear about us? Why is an important part of your customer service and sales duties? Because it can help you track your advertising and marketing dollars. Many self storage sites offer current tenants some incentive for self storage referrals. It is important to treat your current customers with great customer service, so that they will stay as renters and they will refer your site. If you ask every caller and walk in that question, then you can see if the phone book or other outside advertising is doing you any good. You might find that some of your business is coming from an unexpected source; this enables you to redirect that marketing focus to gain more customers. Some self storage businesses will have a verbal agreement with local moving companies or property management companies. You talk up our self storage business and we will talk up your moving company. It works both ways, and is a good business practice. Many people you ask might say that they looked your local self storage facility on the internet. This is becoming an increasing trend with the internet becoming more user friendly and the high cost of gasoline. So, do not forget to ask, you might be surprised at some of the answers.

Written by Natalie Thomas, TQAS agent.

Storage 

Self Storage Article Directory.  Visit our Climate Controlled Storage Section.

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