Hello 911?:
These Ideas Are on Fire!
If You Lived Here
...you would be home by now. A Maintenance Supervisor in my Chattanooga
seminar asked me why we have those signs on buildings and not inside vacant
apartments.
"After all," he said, "that's really where they could live."
Bottled Water As A Summer Prospect Gifts
"We give bottled water with our community's name on it. The water is 20
cents and the label is 2 cents. Our prospects really appreciate it," said a
Memphis manager.
Put Your Promo Video On Continuous Loop
...so prospects have something to watch if you're with someone else.
If you have slides on a Power Point presentation, set it up as a "slide show"
and keep it rolling.
"Once You Visit, You Won't Want To Leave"
In my spare time I like to tour new home developments to see what ideas we
can use, from a builder/design standpoint and from a sales perspective. Last
Saturday I toured gorgeous, brand new homes with spectacular ocean views in
Southern California. Starting price: In the high 900's (Yah! As if!!)
These homes were amazing -- mostly because I just don't see how people could
afford to buy them! Here are some ideas I got from my tour.
1) They had a "Once You Visit, You Won't Want To Leave" drawing. Prospects
entered their name in the drawing (by business card), the winner won a
catered, gourmet party for eight IN one of the model homes. We can do this
too! Sure, our apartments don't cost $1,000,000 and most don't have ocean
views. But, a free dinner with friends is a great idea. Do this once a
month, every quarter, or whenever you need a big traffic draw.
2) You've heard me talk about "Lifestyle Models" where the accessories make
it look as if people really live there. Well, these were "Lifestyle Homes"
and I do mean down to the details! There was soap in the bathroom, family
pictures on the walls (not the pictures that come with the frames -- real
people), laundry detergent above the dishwasher, water in the refrigerator,
and dishes and glasses in the kitchen cupboard. The homier it looks, the
easier it is for us to imagine ourselves living there.
3) About five feet up the wall there was a small shelf/chair rail. On it
were paintings leaning against the wall. What I liked about this was that
they could easily change the paintings (to update the look) without putting a
million holes in the wall.
4) In several of the children's rooms there were blotters on desks where
children were encouraged to draw. In one room children answered the
question, "I love this room because....." The answers were hung on the
bulletin board above the desk.
Ask Children To Plant Summer Flowers
...then put a sign saying "Our children helped plant these flowers. Please
don't walk on them. Thanks!"
Not only will this be a fun activity for your neighborhood children, but it
will keep them (and others) from picking and walking on the flowers. This is
working very well for a manager in St. Louis.
Graduate Your Referral Bonus
If you can give money for referrals, do what one manager in Kansas City, MO
does. She gives $100 for the first referred resident, $200 for the second,
and $300 for the third.
"Residents really get into it and try to make it to the $300 mark!" she
explained.
She limits the referral to $300 but residents can refer an unlimited number
of people at $300 each. Check with your attorney first!
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