Skip to main content

Top 5 Mistakes Leasing Agents Make

Let me start by saying, everybody makes mistakes. But the only way to correct those mistakes is to acknowledge them and work on fixing them. Whether it's a lack of training, laziness or case of the "Mondays", it's important to make sure you are on the top of your game each day. Here are the top 5 mistakes leasing agents make and how to correct them:

Lack of Followup

I've seen a lot of leasing agents focus their follow-up efforts on renters who have toured the community and showed a real interest in the community or property. But not many take the time to follow-up with EVERY lead (including ones that haven't seen the community already) that comes across their desk. Sometimes that lead that requested information but never set up a tour is busy. Following up on all your leads is vitally important.

Not Gathering Enough Information

So you have a prospects name, email, move date and price range. But what about the other stuff? One fundamentally selling technique is building rapport with a potential resident. Selling involves matching a renter's needs with your product. Ask questions like: where do you work? What are you most looking for in an apartment? What's your decorating style? Is view important? Do you have a pet? What do you do for a living? Get to know your prospect! 

Touring Only Sample Unit

Renters want to see the space they are going to live or something close to it. Showing them a bottom floor unit that is staged when the unit that is available is on the second floor with a different view isn't helpful. If a unit that might work for them isn't available at the time of a tour, make sure to show them something comparable. 

Don't Smile

This may not seem like a big deal, but smiling when you meet a prospect or even over the phone can have a huge impact. Nothing worse then walking in for a tour and seeing a straight-faced leasing agent. This isn't a high-level negotiation! Be friendly and approachable. And if you can't do that, fake it and crack that smile! 

Not Asking For Application

I've seen this first-hand numerous times. You tour a prospect, you hand them a marketing piece, tell them process for applying but never ask for them to apply! It's like quitting the race right before the finish line. It is my experience that leasing agents miss opportunities by not asking the most crucial question. And instead of asking "would you like to apply for the apartment?" ask "when do you think you'll be applying for the apartment? Be a closer! 

Author: Justin Cleary is an almost 20 year veteran of the Multifamily Industry. He has owned and operated several multifamily focused businesses and startups including The Philly Apartment Company, The DC Apartment Company,  BlueSquare Real Estate & Property Management, and his latest venture, BreadBox (http://breadbox.consulting)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Reputation Management for Apartments

WHAT IS REPUTATION MANAGEMENT? Online reputation management (ORM) is the process of controlling what shows up when someone looks up your apartment community online. WHY DOES IT MATTER? Damaging reviews can have a devastating effect on a apartment communities leasing efforts when they appear on the first page of the search engine's results. How your property or apartment community looks online directly impacts your leasing, retention and renewals Negative items showing up online can damage your brand and decrease new lease generation, whereas having a positive online reputation leads to increased leads and retention rates. HOW TO FIX IT? The goal of any good Reputation Management program is to minimize the impact of adverse reviews while improving the number of positive reviews left by renters and tenants. Each reputation management campaign should be unique and apply a customized approach to your brand strategy. While the process of building and maintaining a po...
Post a Comment
Read more

ReMarketing - The Secret Weapon of Apartment Leasing

So you're browsing the internet. Let's say you're on Amazon.com. You view some items then decide to check the news over at CNN.com. Magically, you start to see ads for products you just saw on Amazon on the CNN site. How did they know? Is it magic? Some kind of sorcery? No, it's Remarketing. Remarketing is a relatively new way of showing targeted ads to individuals that have previously visited your website - as they browse elsewhere on the internet. It has been primarily used by big retailers over the last couple of years with great success and now, could be a game changer for the multifamily industry. Remarketing & Apartment Marketing One of the most significant deficiencies in the apartment marketing world has been brand awareness and website conversion. Let's say Jane Renter is browsing your website. She likes your building but isn't ready to pull the trigger. She leaves and keeps browsing the internet. You've now lost her as a lead. You've ...
Post a Comment
Read more

SEO & Apartment Marketing: The Next Step

A very long time ago (circa 2008) the leasing world was a simpler place. Place an ad on Craigslist or in a newspaper, and sit back and watch the renter leads flow in. The most complicated it ever got was when you wanted to add a template to Craigslist. Those were what I would call "the good old days."  Flash forward ten years and the leasing world could not be more complicated. From ILS sites, listing syndication systems, Social Media, Blogs, Google Adwords, Remarketing and more, there are numerous marketing channels to choose from. However, there is one area that could be the most important, but seldom gets the attention it deserves, Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Curiously most apartment communities either don't think SEO can have a significant impact, or are dissuaded by trying to compete with the "big boys." Whatever the reason, SEO needs to be the next step in your apartment communities marketing efforts.  What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?  ...
Post a Comment
Read more