» Self Storage Business

We are nearing the end of our trip/conference in Las Vegas. Sarah and I along with Tron Jordheim represented PhoneSmart at the annual Self Storage Association Conference and trade show. We had fun but were very busy with work stuff, so busy in fact that we didn’t have much energy at the end of each day. What amazes me the most about places that have several thousand visitors each day is that they are planned out so that you don’t feel crowded. The hallways and byways allow a smooth transition of people moving about the casino floor and around the shops and restaurants. The only time I felt a little crowded was crossing the strip with 200 of my closet friends darting here and there.

What do you do on your self storage, car storage, or shoe storage property to keep your customers flowing through the property? Property management can be as basic as making sure the vehicles that enter your site has plenty of access to pull in, pull out, turn around, still be safe, and not hit anything. Property management and self storage owners from Kansas City, Missouri to Oakland, California know that site layout is top of the list for successful property management.

Written by Natalie Thomas, TQAS executive and business blog writer.

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21114 Self Storage

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On Wednesday, Natalie and I made a trek to Kansas City, Missouri. From there we flew to Vegas. We arrived early to Kansas City International Airport and had about two hours to wait. We sat and chatted as we people-watched.

People-watching should be considered for a profession. If there were any money to be made in it at all, I’d volunteer. We sat near a Jaguar on display. After only a few minutes, we realized that every man walking by slowed down, his jaw dropped slightly and he ogled the car. Some women slowed their pace and gave it a glance. But every man took time to admire the beautiful chassis. Men of all age, men from various ethnicities, men in business suits, pilots, men vacationing with the family, even a group of young men getting ready for their first stint in the military stopped to pay homage to the Jaguar’s timeless beauty.

When we walked up to it and sat in the row of seats nearby, I told Natalie I was going to enter her name into the drawing to win it. As I circled the car, I realized there was no drawing. This car was placed here simply for advertisement. And I think I heard the car speaking to me saying, I am too classy for a cheesy gimmick such as a raffle.

As I sat there, I realized that the dealer or company that placed the car there must have done some research to suggest that people in an airport would be an excellent target market. I don’t know if they knew how different the reaction of men versus women would be, but I could give them some insight after sitting there for over an hour. Whatever their marketing plan, they decided to place a $75,000 car in an airport, making it susceptible to dings from luggage, admirers, children, carts, etc. So I sincerely hope that research was based on some serious fact; I’d like to know the ROI of that car sitting there. Perhaps if they don’t make enough money on it, I could volunteer to drive it around. More people would see the car that way, right?

Written by Sarah Little, TQA Account Executive

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66203 Self Stroage

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Sowing and reaping, karma, fate, destiny, call it what you like, but it’s a universal principle that the effort you put into something directly effects what you’ll get out of it. However, in the sales world this universal truth goes tilt.

The truth is that you can put all your effort into a sale or deal and you aren’t guaranteed to get the results you desire. Sometimes a negative outcome results and it had nothing to do with your actions, or lack of action. In sales, there are so many other variables that can break a deal: what does your competitor offer, will the customer’s need change, will the market change, etc.

There are some things you can do to control the affects these other variables have on your prospects. First, know what your competitors offer and know their rates. Know their strengths and definitely know their weaknesses. I should caution you that bashing your competitor to your client doesn’t shed a positive light on your company. There is a fine line between saying that you’re the best and talking about how much the other guy stinks. If you stick to talking about what you have to offer and the edge you have over the market in general, then you will come across as professional and the best.

While there’s not much you can do if your prospect’s need changes, the best way to stay ahead of the game is to stay in communication with your client. Make follow up calls and ask them what information you can give them for their decision making. If you anticipate a change in their need, know what other services or products you have that can still benefit them or meet a new need.

As for the market, we know it is a wild beast that not even the most determined professional can tame. So the best thing to do is to know what’s going on within your industry and within the economy. Have plan A, plan B, plan C and so on.

Although karma may not play fair in the world of sales, your best efforts will shine through and build a strong reputation for your business so that when customers are ready to make a move, they’ll come to you.

Written by Sarah Little, TQA Account Executive

Thanks for reading our property management blog. We offer sales training and secret shopping to the sales industry.

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Rent storage at 2727 Shermer Rd, Northbrook, IL 60062

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78023 Self Storage

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Do you want to see a sales increase as far as your self storage or property management business is concerned? If so, you are just like every other property management owner out there. When it comes down to it, the more you sell, the more you are going to make for your business. But with that in mind, this is much easier said than done. It may sound easy to increase sales, but actually being able to do this is not always a simple process.

To see a sales increase you need to look at the overall plan of your self storage or property management business. This means that you not only have to look at what you are doing right, but you should also look at what you are doing wrong at the same time. All in all, even though you may think that your self storage business is doing everything right, there are probably some changes that you can make. And when you decide to tweak your sales techniques, there is a good chance that you will see a large increase in the amount of money that your company pulls in.

Anything that you can do to increase sales, within the law, is something that you should consider. Even though it would be easy to look at general ways of increasing sales, you really need to consider specific action that will benefit your business, like offering a self storage quote.

Overall, a self storage or property management business can be quite profitable as long as you are always increasing sales. Once you learn how to do this, you will be well on your way. 

Written by our Guest blogger.

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Are you looking for a way to increase the amount of sales that your company makes? How about retaining clients? If so, you need to look into your secret shopping/training services. When it comes down to it, the better your customer service is the better chance your business has of succeeding. You need to make sure that your current clients are happy at all times, and that you can also use your customer service team as a selling point during negotiations.

The self storage business is dependent on a high level of customer service. Not only do interested renters have many questions on their mind, but once they become customers, they will have even more. Even though you will not be able to retain every customer for a long period of time, this should be your number one goal. When you offer a good customer service experience, it is safe to say that this is more than possible. And of course, good customer service also goes a long way in increasing the amount of repeat and referral business that you secure.

There is no denying the fact that customer service has a lot to do with success in the self storage business. If your company is thriving in this area, it is safe to say that your profits are not far behind. But if you are struggling to keep your customers happy, there is no doubt that sales may be down as well. With so many benefits of offering good customer service, there is no reason to shy away from a great secret shopping program.

Written by guest blogger.

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I have conducted many mystery shops during this month and I was pretty disturbed by the number of answering machines that I received.  These clients were not clients of the call center but should consider using the call center instead of an answering machine.

I called a place three times in one day at different times of the day and then I called them back to back on different days of the week, still I received an answering machine.  As I continued with the secret shopping process, I began to think as a real caller and I thought that I would not leave a message.  If I am searching for a product and comparing prices, I am not likely to leave a voice message on an answering machine. I am searching for immediate answers and help as soon as I dial the number or go into the. 

I feel that the self storage facilities using an answering machine are taking a big risk. The caller will go to a competitor that is available to answer the.  If I had been a real caller, I would not wait for a manager to get back to me after leaving a message; I would just go to another place. Many times people want a fast and immediate response, so leaving a message and waiting for the manager will prolong the time requested. Unfortunately, those using an answering machine will lose a potential rental because the caller will have already had their needs met by the competition. 

I wanted to share this because I conducted mystery shops and was puzzled by the lack of managers answering the phone versus the number of answering machines that I received at different times and days that I made secret shops.

Written by Angela Perry, secret shopping caller and business blog writer.

Need storage?  20 E Alameda, Burbank, CA 91502

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Self Storage Owner — Where Self Storage Owners meet Self Storage Customers.

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PhoneSmart offers many services to the self storage and apartment industry. The branch or division I work in is mostly dealing with our Mystery Shopping and Sales Training services. The two go hand in hand. Secret shopping is more than just listening in on your staff, it’s a valuable training tool. When used correctly, secret shopping programs will consistently increase the selling power of your staff.

Because training shouldn’t happen just once, we also offer a Sales Training series. The details of this series varies as our client’s needs vary, but the constant thread throughout is that we take your staff to the next level. It’s our personal goal to see them, and your business, increase sales.

I say the two go hand in hand because you need them both to operate a well-rounded training program. Begin with our sales training courses, workbooks, seminars, and conference calls and we’ll reinforce the sales principles with a strong secret shopping program. PhoneSmart is your sales training management company; if you haven’t taken advantage of this call us now.

Written by: Sarah Little, TQA Account Executive

Thanks for reading our secret shopping blog. We offer sales training and mystery shopping to the sales industry.

Rent storage at 958 Portranco Rd, San Antonio, TX 78245

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Sometimes when I take calls for self storage it can get a little frustrating when there is a lack of communication between PhoneSmart and the property management clients we answer for.  So in turn we get a customer that is asking us about something we do not have any information on.  Yes, I can offer to put them through to the self storage facilities voicemail or offer them to call back.  Then sometimes that is not the answer the customer was looking for. They are frustrated that they have a live person (yes, I have been asked if I am a real person before!!) on the phone that should be able to provide them the information they are seeking.  SO, I try to make the situation better as best I can and move onto the next call, which is all I can do.  We only have the information our clients provide us with so they provide the information they believe to be the most important.  Lately I have taken quite a few calls with questions I could not answer about the particular self storage facility.  One that pops up a lot is about pest control and they mainly ask that if they have had a bad experience in the past with pests and self storage.  Another one is how old a particular self storage facility is.  That one is different but for one reason or another it is important to the caller.  I pretty much can only tell them that I can have an employee of that particular facility give them a call back with the information.  Sometimes the customer is understanding of the situation and at other times not so much.  As much as I hate leaving a customer hanging I have to if I don’t have that information in front of me to give.  I just move onto the next call and hope I can provide the answers they need about self storage.

Written by Wendy Lane, PhoneSmart telephone sales rep and business blog writer.

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Find self storage at: 12430 Bandera Rd, Helotes, TX 78023

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Self storage is booming, and it has proven to be a great investment for many individuals and corporations. People who do not know a thing about the business are jumping in with both feet!

These days, however, there is a lot more to the self storage industry than a slab of concrete and some metal walls.  Competition is fierce, and it is extremely important to have an understanding of the business before becoming involved.  Is the location good?  Is the local market over saturated?  What variety of sized units should be built?

These questions- plus many, many more – have opened up a whole other occupation in the industry.  The storage consultant. 

Here are just a few of the things a consultant can help with:

• Site evaluation and feasibility studies
• Brokerage services and recommendations
• Project design
• Development and building coordination
• Self storage software suggestion
• Employee staffing and training
• Business and marketing plans
• Advertising and Yellow Pages considerations
• Retail store advice

These licensed professionals know the industry inside and out.  The consultant should be the first person hired when getting into the business and a continued advisor even after the facility is running great! 

Written by: Ann Sheehan

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PhoneSmart is your offsite sales force and call center in Columbia, Missouri.

Rent self storage at 2990 Cropsey Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11214

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I talked to someone today who asked me if PhoneSmart made people sound smart on the phone. I thought about it for a second and said, yes of course. Our self storage customers sound smart when they have someone answering the phone for their stores after hours who can ask the right questions and close on a reservation.

The sales and customer service people who we help train for our clients sound smart when they answer the phone with confidence and walk callers through a good sales process and ask for the rental.

Our clients sound pretty smart when they talk to their friends about the kind of ROI they get from their investment in PhoneSmart services.

So I guess we do help people sound pretty smart both off the phone and on.

Written by Tron Jordheim, PhoneSmart Director

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PhoneSmart is your offsite sales force and call center in Columbia, Missouri.

Self storage is just around the corner at 1880 Bartow Ave, Bronx, NY 10469

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