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Have you ever had the opportunity to be secret shopped? At first, it was thought that the owner of the business has no need to be shopped because they know what to do when customers have to be served. Secret shopping can also help those people at the top get a reality check sometimes. We all know that even we property owners need to understand what our managers are doing and what they are facing. Secret shopping the property managers might not be a bad idea to show them that they also have some opportunities in their customer service.

Now do not get it wrong. We are not saying that the property managers do not know how to do their job or do not know what their managers are going through. It is just being said that maybe a property owner should work in a store for a day or two and see how it is for your managers. Then, while working, a secret shopping agent gives them a call to see how they handle the customers. The secret shopping agent could call a couple of different times in the day just to catch the property owners at different situations. This will give the manager a snap shot of what is really like for the property managers to be shopped when they are least expecting it. This will allow managers to maybe rethink how they coach and train their associates around customer service.

There was an example of a manager of a large retail store being involved in secret shopping. He was in his department and a regular customer, or so he thought, came in to ask for assistance. The secret shopping agent proceeded to go along with the shop even though they identified he was a manager. It just so happens that same manager was shopped again in a different part of the store that same week. Both scores came back from the secret shopping agent and it revealed some interesting things for the general manager. It showed that even the leaders of the departments were inconsistent in their customer service presentations. One score was over a 90 percent, which their individual secret shopping score goal was 85 percent. The second score was a 56 percent very sub-par.  The manager was pulled into the general managers office where they had a conversation around consistency and expectations of a department manager.

So what does this show us? This shows us that even the property owners have some opportunities in the area of being consistent around customer service. They would not know that unless secret shopping assisted the manager in the example above. The secret shopping evaluation opened his eyes to show him that if he is not consistent, how can he expect his people to be. How can a property owner that expects a certain level of service receive such low secret shopping scores?

Maybe we all need to put ourselves in the shoes of our employees. We can go out there and sell just like them. We can take calls just like them. We can also receive customer issues just like them and see what they go through on a daily basis. After going through all of that, then we can see what our secret shopping scores would be.

OR Storage Units

StorageMart Odenton, Maryland 21114

Self Storage

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Hiring a secret shopping company can be extremely beneficial to many different businesses. Storage facilities, health clubs, and retirement homes are just a few examples of businesses that are very reliant on the telephone in order to be successful. A secret shopping company can assist owners, managers, and customer service reps, to determine what is working properly as far as telephone etiquette and sales are concerned. A secret shopping company can also help determine what the areas are that might need improvement. A problem can be with a particular employee, or it might be with company policy. A secret shopping company can help establish new guidelines.

The first impression that a potential customer gets over the telephone can make all of the difference in the world. Even though the initial conversation will be fairly brief, a lot can be accomplished in that short period of time. The attitude of the person answering the telephone can make or break a sale.  These things can all be examined when it is a secret shopping company that makes the call.

People needing to get a storage unit are usually at a crossroads in their life. They are getting divorced or moving across the country or getting deployed by the military. Their life is full of uncertainty. If they call a self storage facility and the employee sounds completely confused and incompetent, then the customer knows there are other facilities in the area.  Listening to the actual call and reviewing the evaluation from the secret shopping company can help management address this issue.  Maybe this employee just needs some extra training to help them feel a little more confident on the telephone.

A person might call a health spa trying to lose weight, or maybe their doctor might have told them they needed to start an exercise regiment.  Either way, the caller is probably very timid and hesitant. This would explain why the customer called on the phone instead of physically going to the facility and enjoying the customary free work out. If the employee on the telephone is very gruff and standoffish then the potential customer will probably decide to workout at home, or maybe start that program next year. A secret shopping company can help the gym manager realize maybe this particular employee is better in the training room than on the telephone.

Most people calling a retirement home for information are very distraught and upset.  They are considering the fact that they may no longer be able to care for a loved one at home, and that it may be time to consider a senior living facility.  However, if the person answering the phone appears to be preoccupied, or to busy to be bothered, the caller will be put off.  They will think that this facility is understaffed, or even worse, uncaring.  The odd thing is that the retirement home employee may not even realize they sounded indifferent. It may be the policy of the facility for the person answering the phone to also perform several different tasks at the same time.  After actually receiving feedback from the secret shopping company, the retirement home may be able to change their guidelines.  With the help of the advice from the secret shopping company the facility might establish a new procedure that the person answering the telephone focuses only on that one important job.

Excellent telephone skills can make the difference between getting a new customer, and having them continue to let their fingers due the shopping through the yellow pages.  A secret shopping company can help owners and managers alike to determine the best way to use this important asset.  A good secret shopping company has the tools and know-how to help a business make the best use of any employee that answers the telephone.

IN Storage Units

StorageMart 95th & 435 Lenexa, KS 66219

Storage

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Explaining how a feature will be beneficial to an individual customer is always important in any kind of sale. This holds true whether you are selling self storage, or telephones, or automobiles, or security on your property, etc. This is an important step in the sales process for two reasons. One, it conveys to the consumer how the particular feature actually works and what it is used for. And two, it allows the customer to know how this feature will be useful for them personally. So and which are great words to use when discussing the benefits of a feature.
Examples:

• Our self storage units have drive up access, so it is easier for you to unload your belongings into your unit
• This phone has Caller ID, which allows you to see who is calling
• This car has Cruise Control, which will help you avoid a speeding ticket on long trips
• Our property has a fence, which gives you better peace of mind

 
No matter what the feature is, you can always put a positive spin on it and relate it to what your customer’s particular needs are.

• Our self storage units are all inside the building down the hallway, so we can better monitor who is coming and going and improve security
• This phone will announce who is calling, so you do not have to find your glasses to read the Caller ID
• This car is a manual transmission with a stick shift, which makes it easier to get out of snow drifts
• Our fence is 8 foot tall and gated so only customers can get into the area

Simply telling a customer the features you provide is not enough. Showing them how these features will improve their lives is what is really important, and will make it far more likely that they will want your product or service. That is why we here at PhoneSmart stress giving the feature (drive up, caller ID, cruise control, fence) and then giving the benefit (monitor and security, announces who’s calling, better for snow, and 8 foot tall). Both of these things, benefits and features help provide the caller and walk in customer with all that goes into pricing a self storage unit, car, caller ID or security. If you can help the potential self storage customer visualize the value of the self storage unit for the money, then the potential customer will be more likely to spend their money.

Sales techniques and good sales training along with being a first-class listener will let you convey to the potential customer that your self storage property is worth the money and the peace of mind of storing your belongings. It takes a flexible and seasoned sales professional to be able to convey to a potential customer that they are getting their money’s worth. So whatever you are selling take these tips and run because the name of the game is getting more customers who will spend more money while giving them a top quality service or product.

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

Canada Storage Units

Storage Unit

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Well, we are 11 days into the New Year. Have we adjusted our businesses to see success this year? Maybe, we have maybe we have not. It is never too late to make a difference that will make a big impact in your business.

Yesterday, I found out that I cannot do everything myself. I know, I know, I am a together person, but I have a lot on my plate. The difference that I have made this year that will make the biggest impact on my business is getting my people to take some pride in the business. I can go out there everyday, all day and coach my people around good business decisions and showing them the numbers. How much of an impact do you think it would make if all of my associates were talking about the same thing to all of their peers? 

I had one of my part time associates come up to me and present a good business case on why he should receive a raise. I entertained the idea and he had a good point. He pointed out that we pay associates a certain amount of money and the store makes a certain amount of money. He should get more. Right after that statement was made, one of his peers stated that he would get more money if he produced more. He went on to state, if you have less people on the floor producing at high levels, then everyone receives raises because we don’t need to pay more people. But currently with a lot of people on the floor producing at low levels, how can we expect raises? I went on to show them all the numbers and show them why they are not receiving more money and where our profit actually goes. It was like a light turned on in their head and they saw that they are the main reason and the main driving force of this business.

I felt awesome after that conversation, because my staff understood how the business works and how all the money is divided up. They finally understood that every customer interaction made the difference in the bottom line of the company. Every interaction counted towards their year-end bonus. Every time they decided to take a day off at work and not take care of their customers, it could cost them dearly in the long run.
If everyone understood what part of the big picture they play and how they influence the business, your job will be a lot easier. What a great outlook to start of the New Year with!

Joel Little, experienced Manager.

NH Storage Units

Self Storage Article Directory. Visit our Self Storage Section.

Storage Units

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The primary purpose of the model is to determine if a project meets or exceeds an acceptable or hurdle rate of return for three different types of return. Return on assets, return on equity, internal rate of return, and cash returned to investors are all measured and taken into account.  Targeted hurdle rates for StorageMart acquisitions are 9percent ROA in year five, 9percent ROE in year five, and 20percent IRR. ROA and ROE increase significantly after year five, due to refinancing that is done to pay off investing partners, distribute excess equity, and increase loan leverage (decrease equity). This allows self storage owners and their investors to essentially operate on other people’s money, since they have their initial equity paid back to them.

This method of business analysis can be utilized with a variety of businesses and industries, not just the self storage industry. All businesses typically have the same expenses in varying degrees, such as payroll, insurance, advertising, maintenance, office supplies, and taxes. While every industry will differ in their competitive analysis and means of how income is earned (i.e. retail, food, production, real estate, etc.), it all comes down to a hurdle rate of return that must be met for investors, and an evaluation of the level of risk that the opportunity presents.  It is not rocket science and does not require a college degree (though it would help tremendously). All it requires is knowledge of the industry, the specific market embarked upon, and accurate analysis of critical operating information.

CO Storage Units

Self Storage Article Directory. Visit our Car Storage Section.

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Storage Units

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Well, it is the New Year. What does that mean? It’s the time to give resolutions and promises to yourself that you won’t keep. Let’s keep it real. It is the time of year to make goals. Don’t get sucked into this New Year resolution fad but do make some solid, attainable goals for you and your company.

In property management, I for one will make a goal to do over 15% better than I did last year. Is that attainable, absolutely. I will have to grow my business that much over this year to stay in business and to take some of the market share in my community. I want my store’s name to be at the forefront of people’s minds when they are out looking for my type of services.

Is this goal going to be easy to reach or will it be very hard work? It will definitely take a lot of work. With the passion that I possess, I must look at every facet of my business to see where I failed last year and where I succeeded. I will have to look at who helped me in my victories and who contributed to my losses. However, with my drive and desire, I will attain the 15% growth that I am after.

So Happy New Year to everyone out there involved in property management. I wish you the best in your business, but as a property manager, you are in the driver’s seat and must make some tough decisions this year in order to grow. Are you able to plan and make goals to do the work necessary to drive results in 2008?

Joel Little, experienced Property Manager.

Self Storage

Self Storage Article Directory. Visit our Boat Storage Section.

Property Management  

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This past Saturday evening Mid-Missouri was blanketed with up to an inch of ice; yes, pure ICE.  Snow we can deal with, but ice is impossible.  It not only makes for hazardous road conditions, but power outages and a host of other problems.  Emergency personnel advised that everyone stay at home and off the roadways on Sunday, so our director Tron Jordheim closed the PhoneSmart Call Center. 

Things improved somewhat on Monday.  Schools were cancelled which allowed road crews to make good progress laying salts and chemicals on the streets.   Most of our employees were able to make it to work; maybe a little late, but thankfully all in one piece.  The only problem was that the weather forecasters were calling for another serious round of ice storms for Monday night.  We thought, here we go again.

In steps, Tron with his Outside the Box mentality, came up with the perfect solution.  He simply asked for volunteers to spend Monday night at PhoneSmart.  Since we have a backup generator, even if the power went out and the streets were treacherous we would still be able to answer calls for our self storage clients.  Tron would provide sleeping bags, air mattresses, snacks, etc. for anyone up to the challenge.  He had three people take him up on it.

As luck would have it, the temperature only got down to 33.5 degrees that night.  All precipitation fell as rain, and the roadways did not refreeze.  Our three volunteers were tired the next morning, but still raring to get on the phones and give self storage rates. 

Tron is always willing to get a little creative when it comes to providing the best customer service to our call center clients.  And we all have a funny ditty we will be talking about for some time!

Written by Ann Sheehan, call center representative.

Self Storage 

Self Storage Article Directory 

Secret Shopping 

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It is important to make every customer feel that they are important and that you appreciate their business, regardless of their age. When customers have children with them, it is important that you also give them your attention. Although I’m not saying that you should ignore the adults when they are speaking, but that you make the child feel important also. You can do so by including them in your greeting and answering questions that they may have also.

No matter what business you are in it is important to realize that they only reason you are there is to serve people.  You’re not a storage company serving people; you are a people company providing storage. Your main focus should be on serving the customer. Some will be harder to please than others will but everyone has that one thing that will satisfy them.

Go for the WOW. Sometimes there will be customers that have a complaint. It is important that you listen to them without interruption and if possible repeat what their problem is so you both are on the same page. After you correct the problem, try to go for the WOW again by going above fixing the problem to give them something that they were not expecting.

This will help erase the bad feeling that they had previously and leave them with a positive image of your company.

Written by Heather Gerling, Restaurant Manager

Self Storage

Self Storage Article Directory

Secret Shopping Blog

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Being the manager of any property is difficult in and of itself, but trying to efficiently run a staff, adds to that difficulty. With managing a property, there are a lot of things that you are held accountable to. You need to make sure that every one that works for you is on the same page as you.  You have to ensure that the lines of communication are open and are being used frequently.

When I am running my department in my store, I am accountable for sales, merchandising, customer service and inventory. I have to ensure that I have people on my staff that will do the job well and care about the job. When something needs to be done, I can do it myself to ensure that it either gets done on time and is accurate, or delegate it to someone else. 

Other keys to a team that communicates well are, being detail oriented. I like to have the employee repeat back to me or write down the task, and most important is following up with them. With out following up with your employees, you are not ensuring that what you have communicated to them is being done. 

As managers, we are put in charge for a reason and we are probably really good at what we do. One sure way to succeed with our business is to make sure we have an open line of communication with our teams to ensure inventory is counted, alarms on storage units are tested periodically, specials are being offered to our new storage customers, etc.  The better your communication that is between you and your team, the less you physically have to do. 

Written by Guest Blogger, Joel Little

Self Storage

Self Storage Article Directory

Property Management Blog

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