What's Hot For 2001
From new leasing practices to what our residents' homes will look like,
let's see how on top of trends your company is. The common thread: Making
the leasing process easier for prospects, and installing more services for
residents.
1. Leasing Offices
New trends for leasing offices mainly come from the Retail Industry. Some
management companies are calling Leasing Offices "Sales Centers" and Leasing
Consultants "Sales Associates." Sales Centers have built in shelves designed
to showcase collateral, are bright with lots of light, and sport oversized
graphics above the tall, counter-like desks. Sales Associates wear
monochromatic uniforms -- either all black or all ivory -- to complete the
sleek, professional look.
2. Brochures and other collaterals have also been updated.
Logo-shopping bags with handles, just like retail, are given to every
prospect. The shopping bags contain: Leasing collateral (brochures, floor
plans, applications, etc.), bottled water, prepackaged snacks, and post-it
notes.
3. Sales Associates now personalize brochures for prospects.
Tailoring the brochure to the prospect's interests, personalized brochures
give more detailed information. For instance, if the prospect drives to
work, the Sales Associate can use www.mapquest.com to plot the quickest route
to take. If the prospect likes Chinese food, www. yahoo.com lists
restaurants in the area. Personalization is the key to sales in 2001. By
personalizing your sales information to suit a prospect's interest, you are
more apt to make the sale.
4. CD Rom brochures and Interactive Business Cards should also part of your
sales package.
If multimedia collateral is not in your budget, put together a Power Point
presentation or a .pdf brochure. Since most people have Power Point, Sales
Associates include short presentations as email attachments. In your Power
Point attachment include a few photos of your community, the model, your team
members, and a photo from your last resident event. If you have Adobe
Acrobat (www.adobe.com), convert your floor plans, brochures, amenity
packages, price sheets, application forms, and sales literature into .pdf
files. These files can be read by most computer applications in their
original form, so your brochure still looks good after being downloaded.
5. Via The Internet Future Customers Can
-get a virtual tour of apartments
-download .pdf files with everything they need (brochures, floor plans,
amenity packages, price sheets, application forms, etc.)
-complete rental applications on line
-view digital photos when you follow up with email
-download neighborhood information
-get instant application approval.
6. Via Your Web Site, A Community Intranet Allows Residents To:
-use your 24-Hour Concierge Service
-contact your 24-Hour service center (if you need a light bulb changed at 10
P.M., no problem)
-check the status of service requests
-contact other residents for tennis dates, set up car pools, etc.
-and pay their rents on line. Another rent payment option: Pay stations
where residents can pay their rent by credit cards, ATM cards or electronic
checks in your office.
7. State Of The Art Fitness Centers
Residents will work out with Virtual Reality bikes where they can bike Mt.
Everest. New technology also enables residents to surf the Internet while on
the tread mill. After their workouts they rejuvenate in hydrotherapy massage
machines while enjoying a snack from your upgraded vending machines (with
spring water, Gatorade, granola and power bars).
8. High speed Internet is a must.
On call computer specialists (Tech Butlers) are popular, too. Working with a
computer store (CompUSA is a good choice) ask them to provide technical
support for residents by phone one or two nights a week in return for
advertisements in your newsletter. If you have a Business Center on-site,
offer computer classes. Business Centers in 2001 resemble Kinko's with color
printers, high-speed copiers, scanners, and loaner digital cameras.
9. Comfort is a must with programmable thermostats in homes, heated towel
racks in bathrooms, and shower heads that dispense filtered water.
10. New apartment homes host side by side 20 cubic foot refrigerators,
personal intrusion alarms and monitors on televisions that allow residents to
view the parking lot/front door as well as see if the laundry room is full.
11. Of course, with the new technology, washing machines and dryers can be
programmed to phone residents when loads are done or if it's time to change
laundry from washers to dryers.
12. Super savvy apartment managers are making more space for residents' on
line purchases. Newer communities have cold storage lockers for residents
who buy from home-grocery delivery services like www.homegrocer.com. When
food deliveries are made during the day, residents can pick up groceries
after work. Each locker has a storage code chosen by that resident.
13. Also catering to the needs of our residents: Hot Tub "hook ups" on
terrace apartments. Similar to washer/dryer hook ups, residents can rent hot
tubs on a monthly basis for as little as $35 per month.
2001 means we offer more services to prospects and residents. Our goal: To
make their lives easier and more comfortable.
The best way to discover trends and residents' needs is through surveys. Ask
them what they want, and then do your best to provide it. Most of your
residents will pay for these extra services, so you can upgrade your
community at little cost to you. A final thought -- if you are giving large
rent increases, you MUST provide additional services to help justify the
increase!
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