Marketing:
Smells Can Increase Sales
Expert marketers have made use of all of the senses when selling apartments.
This includes the nose, too! Studies show that apple pie smells close sales
more quickly, and vanilla and jasmine smells help people relax. Cinnamon and
gingerbread candles top sales at one mail order company, and who doesn't feel
immediately at home after smelling freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies?
It's time for you to use smells to close sales. Many of your competitors
already are. Warm Welcomes, a catalog for property management professionals
(800-882-8022), can't keep their cookie-scented air filters in stock.
Leasing consultants are putting these air filters in their models and insist
the smell aid in sales. Here are strategies you can implement to use the
scent sense to increase your sales.
Using Scents To Brand
No matter what size your community is, you can use smells to effectively
brand your community or company. Some companies "brand" a smell by using
the same scent throughout their portfolios. One management company in
Michigan decided to use the same Glade Plug In scent (Pine) in all of their
models and leasing offices. When prospects entered a leasing office, they
immediately knew it was part of this management company's portfolio. And,
no, not all of your customers will notice -- but for this company there has
been more than one instance where a prospect has recognized the smell, and
rented an apartment because they were with XYZ company.
How do you decide which scent to use?
Go to the cleaning supplies aisle in your grocery store, Kmart or Target, and
look at the Glade Plug In options. Choose a smell (or smells) that you like
and bring them back to your community. Test out the different scents to see
which ones your team members like best (after all, they are the ones who will
smell it the most!) and start tracking the number of comments from prospects.
Plug Ins (or similar products) are less than $3 each, so test your market to
see which scents work best for your customers.
Retailers find that smells associated with the room increase sales.
We can put:
-Baby powder in air ducts for kids' rooms
-Bounce sheets in Laundry rooms -- behind the dryer and in the airduct above
the laundry area
-cinnamon plug-ins in Kitchens. I have also been in models that smell like
apple pie or cinnamon rolls; freshly brewed coffee; or microwave popcorn the
leasing consultant pops while in the model (popping corn is also a way to
keep prospects in the apartment for the three minutes and thirty seconds it
takes the bag to pop!)
-bath salts or bubble bath in bathrooms.
Along the same lines, if your vacants smell like the previous resident, well,
that's a strike against you! Go to your local pet store and buy a Fresh Air
or Pet Candle. These candles will neutralize pet and smoke odors. Your
carpet supplier may also have products to help you eliminate unwanted odors.
Scented Air Filters As A Retention Tool
Some communities in California actually give residents a choice of scent for
their air filters! You can buy scented air filters from Warm Welcomes or
from your local home improvement store (Home Depot, for example). Managers
find that the scented air filters provide a nicer home environment. The
happier residents are, the longer they will stay. The little details make
the difference.
Scents Can Increase Employee Productivity, Too
A Japanese company, Kajima, installed ventilation systems that disperse
different fragrances throughout the day. A lemon smell in the morning
increases productivity, a rose scent at lunch helps employees relax, and the
afternoon pine scent invigorates employees as energy wanes.
Time To Do It
Look around. The number of retail stores specializing in aromatherapy
products have more than quadrupled in the last five years. The Italian
restaurant in our neighborhood pumps an irresistible garlic bread smell into
the air every Friday and Saturday night. Not only can scents help you close
more sales, but they can relax your customers and increase productivity in
your employees. Try it. It just makes scents.
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