Using Secret Shopping To Sell Supplies

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Anytime that people have to store their items in a self storage facility, you can almost bet that they have some sort of chip on their shoulder already. Why? Well, these people are inconvenienced. The lives they lead are already busy, and making time to store their belongings (not to mention packing and transportation) at a self storage facility is the last thing they would rather do. With that being said, it should be a no-brainer to a self storage facility that they can help out the potential tenant with moving supplies. On way to monitor how your self storage business is doing is by implementing a secret shopping program.

From previous experience with self storage and secret shopping, the managers can typically be under the wrong impression about the moving supplies. To correct their assumption, just because they have the supplies displayed in the office, does not mean that people will notice them or that they will buy them. Selling accessory items is not that simple, that is why secret shopping is aimed at helping managers sell their facility. These tenants are already giving the self storage facility they chose money for their storage unit, so why should they spend more? There are two main reasons for this. The first reason is that these tenants will need the supplies no matter what. They might as well give the self storage facility their business instead of going somewhere else. The second reason is that it is convenient to get everything from the same place. Even the basic secret shopping evaluation has a section about moving and packing supplies. As was mentioned earlier, these tenants are busy people with busy lives. It is safe to say that they would rather not spend any more time getting supplies. In fact they are probably still worrying about how to have time to work and pack while maintaining family life on top of everything. In this respect, it is important for the employees of the self storage facility to purposely show their tenants what kinds of supplies are available in their office. Just a quick mention to potential secret shopping clients on the phone will earn the manager points towards a great evaluation.
 
Moving supplies can come in a variety of forms, so it is important for an employee of a self storage facility to be very familiar with their stock. It is a great customer service tool to include moving and packing supplies in your sales script. Secret shopping evaluators will pick up on the mentioning of these products. The many different supplies that self storage facilities may sell include, mattress covers, locks, bubble wrap, packing tape, anti-moisture products, and of course boxes. The easy way to get out of having to buy these supplies is to get them free. Instead of mattress covers, some people use garbage bags. While this does provide the same kind of protection, the garbage bags are not clear. The clear mattress covers ensures the visibility of the mattress. Tenants may also have their own lock from a previous rental at another self storage facility. However, the self storage facility may sell high security locks that are also better for all different weather conditions. Secret shopping your competitor to see what they are selling their locks for, then you can price your locks a little lower.  Boxes are the key product and should be mentioned for secret shopping points. These can be found at grocery stores, furniture stores, from work, etc. Instead of letting the tenants use these used boxes that may have their integrity compromised, the self storage employee can sell the boxes in the offices. These are brand new boxes that are durable and sturdy.

So next time you sell storage, do not forget to include everything to ensure a complete solution for the tenant. Save them time, save them money, and add money to your bottom line. Not everyone is going to have a perfect secret shopping score, but you can add value to your units and sell some packing supplies along with the rental. Make every call seem like you have a secret shopping evaluator on the other end of the phone and you will see a difference in your sales techniques.

Alaska Storage Units

StorageMart Halsted & Chicago Ave Chicago, IL 60622

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