A Tiny Apartment Transforms Into 24 Rooms
Jul 7th
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.’
Build the Model Organization of the Future: Stop Planning and Start Pioneering
Jul 6th
By Jim Whitt
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. Mission statement (yada, yada, yada): check; SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats): check; long range goals (3-5 years): check. Ah, that feels better. And like the aspirin bottle, the plan is put on the shelf. But the future, like the headache, keeps coming back. As Dr. Phil likes to ask, how’s that working for you?
Even if you do try to implement a plan using this process it will be flawed. Think back five years ago. It seems like a millisecond doesn’t it? If you look no further ahead than five years you’ll see the future as an extension of the present. You’ll be trying to solve tomorrow’s problems with yesterday’s solutions. If you really want your organization to succeed in the future, you need a pioneering process instead of just a planning process. Instead of looking ahead 3-5 years you need to look a generation ahead.
To get started, assemble key people in your organization to be part of your pioneering team. How many and who you choose will depend on the size and structure of your organization. Break them into small groups and have them select a facilitator and recorder for their group. Ask the following questions, one at a time, giving the group time to share and record their answers. After each question, have the groups share their answers with the rest of the team.
1. What did the world and your industry look like 30 years ago? This question primes the pump. Once you’ve compiled a list of the monumental changes that have taken place in the last 30 years you understand there will be monumental changes that will take place in the next 30 years.
2. What will the world and your industry look like 30 years from now? While no one can accurately predict the future remember that Jules Verne was writing about a trip to the moon 100 years before it happened. Don’t limit your thinking. Tell your team to be as futuristic as their minds will let them.
3. What will your organization have to be, do and look like to succeed in the future you just described? You are not bound to the form or model of your current organizational structure. Borrow a page from Star Trek and dare to boldly go where no man has gone before.
4. What will you have to do to help the organization get there? Planning for an organization’s future requires collectively creating a picture of our future where we’ll find meaning and purpose, not just as a group but as individuals.
The collective answers to these questions provide the information your team will need for the next assignment: A major newsstand business magazine has selected your organization as The Model Organization in the year 2040. Have each team member write an article describing what happened in the three decades between then and now that enabled you to become that model organization.
These articles are a matter of engaging your team in a process of writing tomorrow’s history today. Everything you need to do to succeed in the future is contained in that history. You’ll identify your organization’s purpose, operating philosophy, business models and structure. You’ll identify goals and objectives and the people who need to be responsible for their completion. Your history will have everything you need to develop a real strategic plan. Implementation then becomes a matter of living the history. What makes this process effective is that instead of starting at the present and trying to work your way forward you are starting at the future and working your back.
Of course, this is a condensed overview of the pioneering process. It takes a genuine commitment of time and energy. If you simply want to reduce your anxiety about the future take the road most traveled and use the traditional check the boxes method. But if you want to succeed in the future, you have to go beyond traditional planning and do some serious pioneering. Pioneering has never been for the faint of heart. It’s for those who want to lead rather than follow, and thrive instead of just survive. Pioneers take the road less traveled. Which road will you choose?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jim Whitt is an unapologetic people provoker. For more than 20 years as a speaker, consultant and author Jim has provoked people and organizations to reach their full potential. He is cofounder of Purpose Unlimited which is in the business of transforming lives, leaders and organizations through the power of purpose. To find out more about his speaking and consulting please visit www.PurposeUnlimited.com or call 918-494-0009.
Social Media Success for Apartment Communities?
Jun 30th
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 that 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 on both of those fronts is already beginning to take hold.
I don’t need to tell you that idea isn’t universally held. We’ve all seen our share of debate on the merits of social media right here online; and even among the detractors, there are varying degrees of buy-in… some will concede that while social media has a place in resident retention, it’s not a valuable or proven marketing tool; and if not now, *maybe* one day in the far-flung future. I disagree that it isn’t yet a viable as a marketing tool based on my own experience— I believe it’s possible for any business, apartment communities absolutely included in that count.
Success is, admittedly, still a very subjective term when it comes to new media. We’ve all experienced its benefits when it comes to connecting with others; and we know as marketers that connection breeds commitment—a key ingredient to the success of your brand. It stands to reason that anything that facilitates a better connection with your customers is going to benefit your relationship/retention efforts. But just as we’ve always had to work a little harder to gain a customer in the first place than we’ve had to work to keep one who’s already experienced the value of our product; it also stands to reason that marketing via social media is going to take more work than just being there. Now, don’t read me wrong here … I am absolutely not implying that anybody who isn’t seeing the sales benefits of social media just isn’t working hard enough. I am saying, however, that we’re all still learning the ropes; and perhaps if you’re not seeing the benefits yet, you just haven’t hit upon the right combination of tools or strategy for your brand. Social media isn’t, after all, any one thing. It’s a diverse and growing set of opportunities. Imagine trying to crack a safe when there are a few more numbers on the dial each time you turn it, and you’ll get a good idea of what it can be like. That’s just one reason why I’m so committed to educating our industry on what’s out there, what’s coming next, and the potential all those opportunities represent.
When I hear the arguments now that social media is important to keep an eye on, but isn’t yet a proven marketing tool and therefore not yet worth implementing or even getting educated on, I frequently laugh; and I’ve been asked more than once how I can be so amused at something I’m so passionate about. Mostly, I’m remembering when—way back in 1994—we started writing about how important it was for property management companies and apartment communities to have internet access, get to know the “lay of the land,” and begin to build an online presence; because if their customers weren’t on the internet yet, they soon would be. I can’t tell you how many times we heard “why should I do that when the internet isn’t even proven as a marketing tool?” Then we watched as the early-adopters began to reap the immediate benefits of great online positioning while other companies and apartment communities struggled to catch up—and heard time and time again that “it’s taking us more time, effort, and expense to adapt than it would have taken us to prepare.”
Yes, great marketing is a science. It’s important to carefully measure the hard reality of what you put into it against what you get out. But it’s also an art, requiring at least equal attention to softer ingredients that include creativity, intuition, the ability to spot a trend, and the occasional leap of faith … but I’m not going to ask you to set the science aside. So here’s what I want to know: is social media working for you as a marketing tool? Is it worth the time it takes? Are you getting rentals that you can track back to your social media efforts?
Let me know your thoughts.
Tami
Apartment Marketing & Management: Recap
Jun 25th
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!
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