SIX Ways To Distinguish Yourself

1. Dress the part.
Dressing neatly and professionally sets the tone for the type of image you want to project. Worn out heels on pumps means you are not detail-oriented. The prospect won't believe you when you say you will take care of them when you don't even take care of your own shoes.

2. Memorable presentations make the sale.
Using a different sales approach from your competitors will make you more noticeable. One leasing consultant had coffee mugs imprinted with 'Taste the perks of Sunrise Apartments" with a packet of Starbucks coffee in the mug. She dropped these off for Human Resource Directors for the ten largest companies in her area.

Walk up and down the aisles of the grocery store and see what idea you come up with. Example: Hershey hugs and kisses for residents with a "hugs and kisses from your manager" note.

3. Make your collateral more memorable.
Is your business card printed in white, cream or pink? So is your competitor's. Different colored cards get more attention. Also flip your card over. is it blank? This is great space for a tag line, directions to your community, a cookie recipe, top 10 reasons your community is the best, etc.

4. Do your brochure and floor plan stand out?
You may want to paste the floor plan on brightly-colored 9x12 paper OR put a yellow sticky note with 'huge closets' or 'great view from this window' on the floor plan.

5. Stay visible to the prospect.
But do it with class and respect. No one likes being hounded!

Develop a one-two-three follow-up system. Within the first 12 hours send an e-mail thanking them for their visit and reiterating the prospect's hot buttons. On the third day after their initial visit, send a handwritten note, also with subtle sales text. If you haven't heard back from a prospect a week to ten days after her initial visit, call or email the prospect one last time. Remember to ask for permission to follow up before starting the one-two-three follow-up system.

6. Create a family tree of your team members.
Take digital photos of your team and put them on a poster. Hang the poster in your office and include the names and titles of each team member. This is a fast way for the prospects to see the whole group.

You could also put the digital photos of team members in frames in your model apartments. This way throughout the tour you can point out pictures of your manager, service supervisor, etc. This creates a friendly environment. (Of course check with your attorney first!)

To close more sales you need to stand out!

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