Recently on the social media site, LinkedIn, The Coach (Earnest Oriente, Power Hour), put out an invitation to business owners to put what prospective parties should expect from their property management company in six words! The answers were interesting and many of the words used were professional, quality, efficient, effective, affordable, excellence, sterling reputation, and more.
Can YOU put together a mere six words on what you feel your company projects?
Let’s say that you accomplish this task to your satisfaction and this now is your company motto that is circulated everywhere. That’s great, but here is THE question. What does everyone truly experience when they interact with your company? To answer this, you need to review every area of your business – personnel, physical office, telephone service, website, marketing, documentation, maintenance, vacancy record, tenancy, owner interaction, and more. Here are examples where expectations do not meet the written word.
Example A: your company has great advertising, a superb website, and great marketing. However, when someone walks into the office, no one acknowledges them, the personnel are sloppy. The service when someone calls is extremely poor, and no one answers their call. These problems negate the great PR and it blows off getting to the next step – presenting the company and getting that new account. To make matters worse, the company is losing existing clients due to the poor service.
Example B: an out of state investor contacts your office and is definitely interested in using your services. The phone contact goes well both through reception; the property manager interacts well with the caller. Documentation is sent out but it takes several days and the materials are poor or sketchy. There is little or no follow-up. Do you think this investor is still interested? Would you be?
What does it take to meet your written promise? Can it be done? Of course it can! However, you have to review your entire operation, analyze what is wrong, and then make a plan to live up to your words.
Have a problem – then take action!
To help you, I have created a form to use for this exercise, The Six Word Company Review. It requires you to create a six word saying for your company and then rate various areas of your business. Below is how you use the document.
- Change the sample wording to what is applicable.
- Add, delete, or modify the areas on the form to fit your operation
- Then give each area a rating; total the outcome
- Unless you are an office of one, ask each person on your team to perform an evaluation
- Schedule an office meeting and discuss the results with your team
- Devise a plan to change what is necessary to meet your six word description
It is important is to be brutally honest about every area of your business if you tackle this exercise. This exercise may lead to positive changes in your business and see the need to introduce better systems/service.
Live up to your words and increase your property management bottom line.
Jean Storms, MPM® is the founder/author of LandlordSource and has been a NARPM® member since January 1993.
Disclaimer: LandlordSource does not represent the article content in this website as legal advice. It is shared information only and up to the reader to use this information responsibly, seeking legal advice as necessary to their business.
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