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  • Keeping Things Convenient for Your Storage Clients
    By jeff on January 31, 2011 | No Comments  Comments

    Many times the managers at Aspen storage facilities are asked about all kinds of different situations and ideas. The managers sometimes are shocked by what they here then other times it does not faze them at all. Most of the time they have probably heard what is being asked before. They want to think that they know about all that is coming their way, but in reality that is not possible. Even if an Aspen storage manager has been the Colorado area serving those who needed storage for decades, they would not be able to know all of what is possible. If a manager does not quite know what to do at the time they will improvise.

    A manager spoke with a young man recently who had a friend that was currently renting a storage unit at their Aspen storage facility. The reason he was calling is to find out if he could take over his friends unit or if he would need to rent a separate storage unit. The manager came to find out that the friend of the caller no longer needed the storage space as soon as he found a new home. Well that new home that he purchased was ready to be moved into. So the storage unit would be vacant very soon at the Aspen storage facility.

    The caller was going on vacation to Germany for a few months. He saw the space and knew it was exactly what he also needed.  Of course the manager wanted to make sure that the caller was storing the right belongings for the space in which he was looking at renting. As the Aspen storage manager was talking to the customer they agreed that he could have surely took over the storage space that was being vacated if he wanted to, However he decided to rent his own separate unit because he could start moving into it quicker.  Instead of waiting the couple of days in which the storage space would be empty, there was another space there that was available to be moved into right now. The customer did not see any reason to wait. The paperwork would have been the same, so there was not an advantage of waiting.

    The customer at first was not sure about moving in early and was going to wait for his friend to move out. He liked the idea simply based on he knew who was in the storage unit before and he knew that it would be cleaned out properly before he moved in. The manager knew about this concern and told them that the space would be cleaned out thoroughly before he were to move in. That did please the customer but they were still wavering. So the manager made the idea seem even better by saying that if the customer decided to go ahead and rent today, he would give them their special which was fifty percent off the first three months of storage. The customer could not pass up that idea.

    Sometimes the managers at your local storage facilities have been in the storage industry for a long time. They know the ins and the outs and they also know different tricks of the trade. They know what they are limited to and they can go above and beyond for.

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  • Taking Care of the Staff that Takes Care of Your Facility
    By jeff on January 3, 2011 | No Comments  Comments

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    As an owner of Hoboken self storage properties, there are some nice things that you can do to make it a better place to work. The fact is that many storage owners in New Jersey just do not do enough to make it a great place to work. These are some tips that can make your Hoboken self storage property a better place to work than the others. If you incorporate some of these ideas, you will be better off for it. While your budget may not allow you to do all of these things; the more you can do the better.

    You can start with a nice break room. If you have a successful Hoboken self storage property, then your employees are probably pretty busy most of the time. It is nice for them to have a place to relax when they get a chance for a little break. This is good for employee morale which will lead to better customer service and more rentals. The break room should be kept nice and clean. You could put a microwave and refrigerator in there. Also, remember that coffee makes the world go round so make sure to have a nice coffee preparation area. This will keep employees alert when they are performing their daily tasks. A break room is also a great social environment that will build team unit. Make the break room that your budget can afford, but make a break room.

    You can also search for options that will add to your Hoboken self storage employee benefit package. These are things that will not cost that much money, but will make employees happy. Term life insurance policies are usually pretty cheap and will give employees peace of mind. You can also hire a company that offers insurance for injuries. Check with some companies that offer these services to find out what is available.

    Sickness can be a big problem if it starts to spread around your Hoboken self storage offices. You could put hand sanitizer around your office to prevent the spread of a lot of sickness. Also, you can bring in a nurse to administer free flu shots for employees. This will save you money over the flu season because you will not have to deal with lost time and lost revenues.

    Putting up handicapped accessible entrances to your Hoboken self storage facilities will be good for employees. It may cost a little bit extra, but it is truly an investment because you will gain extra rentals and add revenue that you would have missed out on otherwise. Not every storage facility in New Jersey offers easy access for handicapped people so this will set you apart from the competition.

    You should also make sure to do little things like keep your office clean. You should have procedures in place to ensure that employees do their fair share in cleaning, but you will also want to hire a cleaning service. They could clean your office every week, bi weekly, or just once a month. Do what your budget allows. A clean office says a lot about your cleanliness of your facility. Make sure you are conveying the right message to your customers. Bathroom facilities should also be nice so that you impress customers instead of disgusting them when they come in.

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  • Finding the Right People for Your Storage Company
    By jeff on December 30, 2010 | No Comments  Comments

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    If you have been a Greenpoint self storage owner for very long, you know what it takes to keep the doors open. It is all about making the customer happy. This is a simple concept, but is something that many companies in New York struggle with. It is a hard goal to achieve. You need to have everyone in your Greenpoint self storage company on the same page. Your message needs to be clear and direct. Most employees will be on their best behavior when you are around, but they may act very differently when you are not there. There are a couple of ways that you can find out how they are performing on a day to day basis. It is essential for the success of your company.

    There are companies that offer services to Greenpoint self storage companies to find this information out. The first is through evaluations. They will call the storage site pretending to be just a normal New York storage customer. The call is recorded and then evaluated to determine how the employee is doing their job. This will show you how well your employees are selling your facility when someone calls in. Hopefully, they are doing everything that they can to impress the caller and this will probably be the case with most employees if you have trained them correctly.

    There will be employees in your Greenpoint self storage organization that do not do the proper sales presentation when someone calls in for storage. That is why it is important to hire a company to do secret shopping for you. You will be able to find out who these employees are so that they do continue to sabotage your efforts to be the best. In most cases, an employee will change their behavior when you talk to them about it. They will give everything that they have on each call because they know that you do secret shops. If they do not comply, then disciplinary action may be required. Do not just let it slide because that will be bad for your company.

    You need to get with the company that you hire to determine the guidelines for what you want to hear on the phone. If you do not, then your Greenpoint self storage may get poor evaluations because you have trained them to do it a different way. If you get with the secret shopping company, then you can make the necessary adjustments in the evaluation process.

    You can even take it a step further and hire outside help to train your employees on how to sell effectively over the phone. This will usually not be cheap because it is a more hands-on approach. It would be a good investment if you are looking to increase your storage rentals right away. There are companies out there that will do both secret shopping and training on the same phone call. They will call in to the secret shop and then reveal their true identity at the end of the call. They can then offer tips and advice right there on the spot. This is probably the most effective way to help your employees learn new sales techniques that will generate you extra revenue right away. You have to spend money to make money, as they say.

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  • Follow These Tips – Become A Superb Self Storage Manager
    By admin on August 11, 2010 | No Comments  Comments

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    Are you looking to get a job in self storage property management?  If so, then you are going to need to do some research before you start sending out your resumes.  Indeed, there are quite a few things that you are going to have to know as a self storage property manager, and failing to learn them is always going to come back and bite you in the end.  Fortunately, there is tons of free advice out there, ready and willing for you to read it.  This article, this very article, is quite the relic of free advice, if I say so myself.

    First and foremost, reader, you are going to want to be sure that you know how to work with your hands.  While some of the larger companies are going to have their own fleets of repairmen, you are not going to want to rely on them entirely.  When a customer comes up to you and tells you that, for example, she has a problem with her door, you should be able to head out to the unit and fix it yourself.  Not only is this a more efficient, safer way of conducting business, it is also going to lead your property to a point of higher customer retention.  When your tenants see that their complaints result in immediate action, you are going to win their trust over in a huge way. 

    I mean, think about how you would feel if you were the tenant.  Your door is stuck open and you cannot figure out what to do.  You have tried pulling it down, but you have only succeeded in jamming it even further.  You are scared to leave your door ajar because your belongings are plainly visible, and you fear that they may be stolen as a result.  You walk up to the front office and tell the property manager that you are having a problem, he gets up from his chair, walks out to the unit with you, and fixes it on the spot.  You feel great as a result.  Now, you can rest assured that your belongings are safe, and that your property manager is there to help you out if and when trouble should arise.  You are quite happy with your property manager, and you are going to rent additional storage units from this company in the future.  You are confident that customer service must be part of their company motto.

    If you do not have adequate experience with working with your hands, then you may find that you stand to benefit from a few vocational courses at the local community college.  If there is something that you do not know how to do, feel free to look it up on a video website or ask questions on a self storage forum.  Listen to self storage property management podcasts and develop a nice, solid understanding of the problems that you are going to encounter most often.  That, and how to set about resolving said problems.  Before you know it, you are going to be quite the self storage property management expert, and you will never have to fear for your position.  Your company will know that you have the skills to watch over the property responsibly, and they are going to be quite happy that you have approached your situation with such seriousness.

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  • Skills of Self Storage Managers
    By admin on March 2, 2009 | No Comments  Comments

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    Self storing business is totally customer oriented and it gains or loses as per the patronage pattern of the customers. So it is very important that the customer get the very best of services that a self storing facility can offer and to look after that the service is given in the right manner the facility needs proper management and that management is provided by the self storage managers . A good manager, like in any business can do wonders. Almost all the functions of the facility are managed or looked after by the manager and though he has his duty cut out, he, in reality has to be a jack of all trades.

    The foremost job of the self storage managers is client service and it starts from counseling the customer even before they actually move their goods. It starts with answering the queries when the customer comes to book space in the facility. A normal question is on the hiring charges. The manager should be clear enough on any charges that are not generally advertised but are charged on account of various services or taxes. Most of the customers do not have any idea about how much space is required to store what. Even if they think of it they think on a two dimensional plane while the units are actually high enough to stack one box on another and the space required as per floor area will become far less than actually thought of. This is an area where the manager plays a guiding role.

    Self storage managers are the guides of the many laymen who need to store articles but knows nothing of storage. They rely heavily on the real estate manager and any fault on his part can pose problem for the customers in the end. So he should be well versed in the art of storing and should readily calculate the storing unit that will best suit the customer. If a facility has the provision of climate control then the manager should try to explain the advantages of such a facility and justify why they are charging more than ordinary.

    Situations are actual tests of the managerial skills of the self storage managers . It is the quality of the manager that allows him to take several items in his head and successfully implement all of them. This person has to do all the unpleasant jobs like handling the defaulters and the aggrieved customer, clearing the units of the non-payers and also handling any legal problems. He is also entrusted with the marketing of the facility and maintaining its popularity among the customers. So he must also look after this from time to time.

    Remember that self storage managers are also the administrators of the facility and are also responsible for all the sales and services that are offered by the self storing company. They are responsible for all the monetary transactions of the facility like hiring out the units and making collections for them. Collecting the rent for the units regularly, marking the defaulters and taking care to send the notices when required. The manager is also the statistician and he is responsible for telling how the facility is performing. If there is any slump he should try to sort out by devising the correct way to market the units. The job of a manager is highly skilled. Some institutions have special programs to impart formal training to the potential managers as well as refresher courses for the existing managers.

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  • Job of a Self Storage Manager
    By admin on March 2, 2009 | No Comments  Comments

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    With the popularity of storing units the need of keeping a self storage manager to manage everything becomes necessary. The work of a manager is informal and friendly. In general there is no pressure in this work and only at times it becomes hectic. The work time of a manager is eight hours per day, five days per week. There is a system of overtime though it is not very frequent.

    Though the work of a self storage manager is quite light it should be very professional. The manager should be professional, friendly as well as extremely energetic person because sometimes the work pressure increases and he will not be able to handle it if he is timid, slow and reserve. A manager should be careful and prompt whenever the customer needs it. Moreover he is the representative of the whole storing place. People who will come here to hire the storing place will make their first impression after interacting with the manager. For these reasons a manager should be smart, well behaved and presentable man.

    As far as the duty of a self storage manager is confirmed it includes attending telephone enquiries, giving answers of questions of customers sometimes over telephone and sometimes in person. He also takes payments, registers complaints of the customer and reports it to the office, take necessary steps to rectify it and other office duties in general. In simple word his duty is do everything to run the business smoothly.

    The principle objective of the self storage manager is to develop the business and make the maximum profit and acquire customer satisfaction. For a better business he should fix a financial target and his aim will be to go forward in that direction. His target will be to increase the business as much as possible and to gain the maximum profit. A manager should be well planned in his work and his plans should be confirmed and passed by the regional manager. To increase the quality of work qualified, experienced and specialized employees should be employed. A manager may arrange for training of the employees if it is necessary for the promotion of the business. Store should be clean and dust free as much as possible because dust is one of the main enemies of the articles which are stored here. The inside atmosphere should be healthy and hygienic both for the customers and the staffs. Manager should monitor all these things and the property owner can employ a mystery shopping company for quality assurance.

    Another quality that a self storage manager should have is that of leadership otherwise it is not possible to run the business. With this quality the person should gain the obedience of other employees. To perform anything with the help of a bunch of workers, obedience is must. Other important thing is discipline. A manager should supervise that a discipline should be maintained in the work place otherwise work cannot be performed in systematic way. Among various duties boosting up the morale of the employees and to maintain the work culture is the most important duty of the manager. A store manager is the head of the storing place. Like customers, staffs of that store also can make complain to the manager if they have any. It is the duty of the manager to convey it to the regional or general manager. He is like a bridge between the higher and the lower ranks. He is a problem solver and as the politicians run the state, he runs the business.

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