Showing Off Your Property

Have you ever gone on a guided tour? To the Hoover Dam or perhaps Niagara Falls or visited an art museum showing of impressionist painters? Did you come away with a better understanding of what you saw, of what you felt? Did you look at the experience as something that added value to your life? Hopefully so because the intention of the tour operator is to educate you about whatever specialty they represent. A good tour guide knows the history, construction, and cultural connections giving them the opportunity to have you participate with questions and answers ultimately leaving you a changed person from the time you paid the price of admission. Sometimes the guide gives you tips on the good local restaurants and everyone leaves happy and enlightened.

Part of the job responsibilities of property management is taking the customer on a tour of the self storage facility once they arrive.  It is important for property management to have some type of plan in place, knowing how long the tour will take and what you want the new tenant to see and know. Try and have the time prearranged for a meeting so you do not have to rush through it.  For many self storage customers this is the first time they have ever rented self storage before and this gives them the opportunity to see how the whole process works.  For the seasoned self storage veteran this gives them the opportunity to see what they may have missed before storing elsewhere and what your self storage facility has to offer.

Property management should be prepared by having the self storage units cleaned and ready for inspection, a variety of locks on hand for point of sale once at the self storage unit, and any information given from previous contact with the self storage customer. If possible have a self storage lease agreement preprinted for a quick and hassle free checkout when done with the tour. 

The property management tour itself should have a beginning, middle and end. First impressions of course are crucial so always smile, use the self storage customers name and have a professional appearance. After the meet and greet take whatever form of transportation, your legs or a people mover, and begin showcasing your self storage facility. Remember as the tour guide and property management you are the expert and you are reinforcing that image by your knowledge of the self storage facilitys history, construction, and pointing out features. Property management should narrate the process so the self storage customer can visualize the experience and what it would be like to store there.

When property management arrives at the self storage unit, again, help the customer visualize what they will be storing and the process by demonstrating the particulars of the unit. Open the door, show them the light switch, operate the alarm if any, and get them comfortable with the unit.  Now is a good time for property management to ask if they have any questions and ask for the sale. By this middle stage the customer should be ready to rent because showing them and helping them understand the process also helps close the sale. 

As you wind the tour down on the way back to the property management office the customer should feel relaxed, comfortable, and be ready to sign the self storage lease agreement.  Now is a good time to share a little personal information about the property management with the customer and get to know them maybe even be able to recommend a good local restaurant or two. You may not have a bullhorn, maps to the stars homes, or a double-deck tour bus but for your new self storage tenant it was certainly worth the price of admission. 

Self Storage Business

Hawaii Self Storage

Miramar Storage

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

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