Literally every prospect who walks through the doors to your leasing office these days brings along their smartphone. And it seems as though they can never, ever put it down. Granted, they may have used it to navigate their way to your property. Or perhaps they have some notes so they know what to ask you as you demonstrate the model and tour them around the community. But seriously…the phone NEVER LEAVES THEIR HAND. A recent report from USA Today even proves it: “Almost 90% of Millennials say their phones never leave their sides.  The first thing that 80% of Millennials do every morning is reach for their smartphones, and 78% spend more than two hours a day texting, surfing, talking, tweeting and – more importantly for businesses – shopping, banking, and more.”

It can be distracting. It can even be daunting. It can create a difficulty for even the most seasoned Leasing Professional to keep their prospect focused on the apartment home they are currently considering. So what can be done about the smartphone issue on the tour?

It’s really very simple.

Once you are ready to show your customer around the property, acknowledge the phone by saying something like, “I’m so glad you have your phone out. You’re going to want to take pictures of what you see today so you remember all of the details”. And voila! The phone has been turned into a leasing tool, rather than a leasing distraction.

Invite your prospects to text photos to their friends, family or co-workers to get their opinion. Tell them to Instagram the rooms so they can show everyone what they are looking at. If they have an iPhone and want to share the tour, remind them how simple it is to conduct a FaceTime tour. Droid users can use the Periscope or Meerkat apps to share their tour with a friend in real time.

OTHER TIPS TO CREATE A PHONE-FRIENDLY TOUR:

Show them the best spots to take a selfie. Provide them with a Selfie Stick so they can really get some great shots with themselves in each and every one. Have cards made up with your property name for them to place in every photo so they know which photos correspond with your property.

Create a basket of props that can be used with the Selfie Sticks. Some ideas for callout props: My First Apartment; Just Married!; New Job!; Our First Apartment!; Baby on the Way!; New Place – the options are endless.  (Editor’s Note: Oriental.com has selfie props. 1-800-875-8480.)

By incorporating the phone in the tour, you’ll make your prospects feel far more comfortable about having their phone out in the first place. And they will actually pay MORE attention to you and the tour because you have acknowledged the fact that they have their phone out and ready to use.

Stop viewing smartphones as deterrents to leasing by transforming them into an actual leasing tool.