LIVE! From MproTV: A Leasing @ Current Market Rents Special Feature!

If you're a Leasing Professional, when your phone rings it's probably a resident or a potential resident calling. Statistically speaking, four out of five first contacts come to us as phone calls, and four out of five signed leases start off that way. In plain language, this means that how well you handle every call has an overwhelming impact on your closing ratio ... MORE of an impact than how you handle any other first contact with a potential customer. And even if you think you already have a great handle on phone skills, consider that today's caller has access to a full array of added technology options thanks to smartphones, changing the game when it comes to what's possible when that first phone call occurs.

So how might your telephone-to-traffic-and ultimately your closing ratio-be affected if you got better and smarter at turning calls into visits with less lost opportunities, and taking full advantage of all the new possibilities out there that can give you a killer competitive edge? How much more effective could every tour be if it's built on a flawless first impression and a phone experience that has already set you head and shoulders above the competition? The answer is that your closing ratio can SKYROCKET, and your presentations can be out-of-this-world successful ... if you just know how to use the telephone with every advantage available to you today!

Join us for this FREE Special Feature, led by two of our industry's most renowned leasing experts, Toni Blake and Tami Siewruk.

YOU WILL:

• Engage your telephone customer with a new series of high-powered telephone interview questions, strategies and tools designed to convert telephone calls to leases.
• Make best use of technology to communicate with GenY and other tech-savvy consumers through links, photos, videos, and other informative online resources.
• Discover and use fantastic visual tools including areal maps, walkscores, and local Facebook fan pages that create an unforgettable telephone presentation.
• And more!

Spend just one hour with two of our industry's top leasing experts and gain a new set of innovative, career-changing skills and techniques that are proven to increase revenue and put YOU and YOUR COMMUNITY at the top of the shopping list! Register now, FREE, gather the Leasing Team together to watch this LIVE presentation, then watch the closing ratios soar!

Team-Building and Traffic Generation x2
Our goal at Newport and Concord Village is to cross-train all our staff, increase qualified traffic, encourage return visits, and improve our closing ratios. In addition, by cross-training, we will be able to improve the market-ready condition of our vacant apartments and decrease the response time to our maintenance requests. Our team members include the Newport and Concord Village... Read More

Increase Renewals 10%
Offer your residents an incentive to renew their leases early. This can be, and has been, done during an open house, or you can set aside a special month, like February or March, for the renewal incentive. This is how it works: Advertise to your residents through your newsletter, emails and notices that you are offering a special rental increase if they sign their leases early... Read More

12 Ways to Increase Performance Anytime
With soft markets and shrinking budgets, the focus on retaining Residents and saving money is at an all-time high. Since our Service Team members are the key to achieving this goal, here's 12 ways to make it happen! 1. Why most people don't perform as expected: My basic premise is that 98% of all Employees REALLY WANT to do a good job (when you find you have hired one of the other 2%...  Read More

Unique December Promotional Ideas
Operation Santa Paws Month; Root Vegetables and Exotic Fruits Month; Safe Toys and Gifts Month; Tomato and Winter Squash Month; National Hand-washing Awareness Week; Gluten-Free Baking Week 19-25: a local baker can offer some wonderful tips and recipes; National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day Dec. 16: no explanation needed on this one but lots of PR opportunities... Read More

Raise Rents, But Offer an Early Lease Discount
None of us want to pay more money for the apartment or house we are renting. Most of us have trouble increasing our customers' prices when we ask for a new renewal commitment. One of the things I've learned is that perception is reality. So the key to raising the rents while keeping resident retention high is to help your residents perceive that they are getting a bargain... Read More

The Case Against "Business Casual"
"Employees who don't dress appropriately cap out a ceiling on their careers really quick," says professor Dennis Tootelian of California State University, Sacramento. According to the study done by Tootelian, nearly two-thirds of Americans have felt inappropriately dressed at a business or a social function; and more than two-thirds are uncertain about the differences among business attire, business casual... Read More

How To Quiet the Twitter Noise
Twitter is my news stream. I use it to get the best news and information from people that I trust and admire. I barely even use my Google Reader anymore because I carry my Twitter with me everywhere I go. As you find more and more interesting and valuable people to follow, you're going to find it difficult to keep track of all of the tweets you receive. You're going to need something to help you manage all of the noise... Read More

Register for Brainstorming 2011 Before January 1 and SAVE!!!
Registration is now open at http://brainstorming.multifamilypro.com/2010-sessions/register-now/. We're offering an UNHEARD OF special Super Early Attendee rate of ONLY $395 for paid registrations before December 30, 2010!!!  Hurry and reserve your seat now for our next event, September 13-16 at the Renaissance Glendale in Phoenix! It's the best Holiday gift you can possibly give yourself.  We'll see you there! Read More

Make Your Community a Stop on the Tour Route

"If you're marketing to families, why not host field trips to your community from the local schools. This can be an educational opportunity for children to see how a community runs. Have your head service technician explain maintenance. Let the grounds people show off their work and explain their positions. Your office staff can talk about job skills and career opportunities ..." Read More

A Tiny Apartment Transforms Into 24 Rooms

"Our good friend and top Brainstorming Facilitator, Tina Cavaco, sent us this AMAZING link! In Hong Kong, because of the space, apartments are small and expensive. Gary Chang, an architect, decided to design a 344 sq. ft. apartment to be able to change into 24 different designs, all by just sliding panels and walls. He calls this the 'Domestic Transformer." ... Watch The Video Here

Social Media Success for Apartment Communities

"I have a few thoughts to share on the topic of social media today, and I should tell you up front that I intend this post to provoke conversation, and I hope you'll participate! You all know how passionate I am about the need to begin using social media now, because I truly do believe it will play a major role in not only our relationship/retention efforts, but also our marketing strategies. I also happen to believe that its value..." Read More

The Power of Place

"If you've had doubts location-based social networking services were going to really catch on, you should know that Foursquare whizzed past the one-million member mark back in April and just passed 1.8 million; and raked in $20 million in venture funding just a couple of weeks ago. That buzzing sound you hear is the Power of Place, about to go mainstream." Read More

Build the Model Organization of the Future

"Before you invest time and money in traditional strategic planning consider this - only 5-10% of strategic plans are ever implemented. The reason most organizations engage in strategic planning is to reduce anxiety. It's like taking a couple of aspirin for a headache. In this case the headache is the future. The aspirin is a couple of days locked in a room putting checkmarks in the appropriate boxes." ... Read More

Partnerships That Work

"I created and facilitated a one-day workshop called 'Partnerships That Work.' This class was designed for Apartment Community Managers and their Assistants and focused on synergy, teamwork, and delegation. Our challenge and reason for needing such a workshop was that Assistants either felt as though they were not being trusted with enough to do while other felt as though the Manager was dumping ..." Read More

Better Training Through Skill Gap Analysis

"One of the best things you can do to improve your team's training plan is to add Skill Gap Analysis. This step helps the trainer to identify gaps in performance and areas for added training and development.The first step in conducting a thorough Skill Gap Analysis is to create a picture of what ideal performance looks like. This step-called Competency Profiling-takes a look at the attitudes ..." Read More

Five Multifamily Training Ideas

"The Idea - As part of our new manager training we have implemented a Manager Mentor Program. After each new manager comes in for a day of training on company policy and procedures, we select a Resident Manager from the Property Manager's portfolio to provide another eight hours of training at their community or at the new managers community. Both managers are provided with an Agenda ...." Read More

Form An Alliance at Brainstorming 2010: Reality Check!

It's not your typical seminar, conference, or workshop. Unlike any other national Multifamily event, only Brainstorming connects you to the vast power of many individuals working together with one goal: to solve your toughest challenges! You'll receive thousands of ideas worth millions to your company, communities, and career, guaranteed to repay your investment and more! Register for Brainstorming Now!

July Door Hanger Special

Stock up now! All our fabulous door hanger designs (except one - the Halloween design) are on special until July 31st! Buy any two packages at our regular low price of only $25 per pack of 100, and get a third pack absolutely FREE ... that's a whopping 33% discount, making NOW the best time of the year to buy and stock your shelves! Call 727-784-9469 with your order or Click Here to Find Out More!

Reduce Vacancy Loss: Step Up Your Move-In Dates
"You have 24  Notice to vacates for the month ending. How do you rent the apartments quickly and get the new resident to move in as soon as possible? I was faced with this situation several years ago when I had just begun as the new Manager of a community and knew that something must be done to get occupancy back up to the level that the community had enjoyed in the past." Read More

Keep It Real, Keep The Faith, Keep The Resident
"Ours is a business of cycles; and believe it or not, the time is going to come again to raise the rent. In case you've forgotten what that's like, let me remind you that just like every great relationship, the one between you and your residents requires a carefully maintained balance of give and take. When they signed the lease..." Read More

Growing Tomatoes Increases Traffic
"Grow your own tomatoes! We used this as a tag line on all our ads, then showed prospects the two community gardens we had prepared for our residents to grow their own tomatoes. It was a big hit! People called to have a look at the community and several said: any landlord that would care enough to have a garden for their residents would care enough about me as a resident." Read More

Going Mobile
"Let's face it, the world runs on lattes and 5-hour energy these days. People constantly en route from one destination to another, and during these transits they are going ... mobile. What once was a sedentary task, web browsing has evolved: users are accessing the internet via phones and mobile devices from the convenience of wherever they happen to be." Read More

Green Is Lean
"Global warming, oil spills and other environment disasters seem to be on everyone's mind. Business magazines write about "green" businesses. Movie stars drive hybrid cars to look "green". But most companies overlook the single biggest opportunity they have to go green by simplifying, streamlining and optimizing their internal operations." Read More

Go For The Dogs
"This simple idea becomes a habit when you have a pet friendly community. Take a small Ziploc bag full of treats in your pocket when you make community inspections. I keep a large container with dog biscuits in my office. I walk around the grounds and stop to visit with the residents and their dog(s) get a treat!" Read More

Six Truths About Marketing With Social Media
"Yeah, I know you've heard it all ... that Social Media Marketing slices and dices, is the answer to world peace, and will make your teeth up to three shades whiter with only one use. But from the sea of hype that we've been sailing-filled with assertions about what social media is and isn't and what it can and can't do-are beginning to arise some proven truths." Read More

Brainstorming Keynote: People Are the Killer App with Geno Church
Even with all the new focus on social media tools, many organizations struggle with how to incorporate these tactics into a results-driven strategy that truly connects a community of brand ambassadors. Don't miss this dynamic storytelling session centered around the theme of stories as the ultimate connector between company and customer. Register for Brainstorming Now!

The BIG Book of Proven Traffic Generation Ideas!
This invaluable book will quickly become one of your very favorite resources with MORE THAN 500 pages of proven ideas to boost your traffic, starting NOW! It's positively JAMMED from cover-to-cover with HUNDREDS of ideas (including LOTS of low-budget ones!), tips, techniques, articles, tools, and more, designed specifically to generate more traffic now! Only $47.50! Call 727-784-9469 or Click Here to Order Now!