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Reading Room Articles The Adventures of Leasing Lynda: Demonstration The Total Impression By Tami Siewruk Prospects lease because a Leasing Professional has been helpful to them as much as they lease the apartment, services, and community. If you create a poor impression, the prospect's attitude toward your community can be greatly affected. A Leasing Professional must create a positive first impression! Some Professionals make a poor impression without even realizing it! They may have extensive product knowledge, but they still "turn off" their Prospects by overlooking the seemingly insignificant - but very important - details that can either polish or tarnish their image. One small discrepancy can create a negative image. Unfortunately, where one detail is overlooked, many others are also ignored. If a Leasing Professional is careless about his or her personal appearance, with sloppy clothes or chipped nail polish, it suggests that they're careless about how things look in general. Could you blame a potential resident for wondering how their apartment might look at move-in or how their resident file would be kept? If the professional pulls out a wrinkled application or a smudged brochure, it also creates a poor image. The potential resident thinks that the professional is oblivious to things that aren't first rate, or that no one cares one way or the other. Something as small as the state of a Leasing Center desk can detract from the positive picture that we try to portray. Your prospect is going to wonder whether their rent check could end up among the little pieces of paper strewn about the desk, or if their service request could end up lost at the bottom of one of those piles! The state of your car or golf cart is important for the very same reason. If you must escort a valued future resident to their new apartment home, you'd certainly do better to take them on foot than in a messy or dirty vehicle. Heaven help you if the rent ready isn't rent ready and "turned on!" If these details seem like a bit much to consider for such a simple task as showing someone an apartment; let me remind you that today's consumer is conditioned to believe "what you see is what you get." It's up to you to convince the prospect that your community offers far more than what's immediately evident - and who wants more of what they don't like in the first place!?! Do I sound like a perfectionist? Perhaps I am, but it's because years of experience have proven to me that when it comes to influencing an individual's perception, little things mean a lot, and a nuance can be as powerful as a shout. This means that, as a leasing professional, what you fail to do has at least as much impact as what you do. Both can potentially contribute to or detract from your success. Six Steps To Effective Demonstrations A demonstration that is rehearsed or handled like a written script is not nearly as effective as a demonstration that is customized for each prospect. Have you ever wondered why the newest leasing professional in the community often receives the most leases? The answer isn't beginner's luck - it's simple enthusiasm. In order to have an effective demonstration, you must begin by determining the Prospect's interests, then customize your demonstrations to fulfill those interests. Step one: Customize your demonstration. Start by asking yourself: "Who is this person? What special needs and wants do they have? Why are they moving? What do they like best/least about where they are living now?" As you've probably already guessed, the qualifying process is the first place to start to customize a demonstration. Step two: Demonstrate specific features that provide the key benefits that are important to the prospect. For example: "_____, you mentioned that you need lots of storage. With this outside closet and the added space in the garage you'll have plenty of storage area. Don't you agree?" Step three: Tie these features back to his/her needs and wants. For example: "_____, you mentioned that you need lots of storage. With this outside closet and the added space in the garage, you'll have plenty of storage area. Don't you agree?" Step Four: Show the benefit of the feature, not the feature alone. For example: "This garage doesn't just protect your car. It also provides additional storage." Step Five: Get the Prospect actively involved whenever possible by inviting them to touch surfaces, open doors, etc. For example: "Go ahead and open that door." or "This carpeting is really plush. You can feel the difference." Step six: Use many "trial closes" along the way. This will make your final close much easier. For example: "Will your bedroom set work well in here?" or "Does this carpet color work with your furniture?" By following these six steps, you'll answer the Prospect's questions and present benefits that are relevant to what that special individual wants, needs, and likes about the apartment - not what you or somebody else might want, like, or need. You'll also build a relationship that cements the lease and starts working on a renewal. Tips For Demonstrating The Apartment Home: Tip 1. To avoid the age old problem of SCATTER (when you're showing two or more people at a time, and as soon as you open the door, they scatter throughout the apartment), try this effective tip. Put the key in the front door, look back over your shoulder, and say: "I have some very special features to point out to you and I wouldn't want you to miss anything, so please stay with me. Okay?" When they agree (and they always do), you can add: "Once we're finished, I'll give you all the time you like to look around further." This works like a charm, every time. Tip 2. Use thought clouds (named for those little floating clouds above the heads of comic strip characters that tell us what they're thinking, these are simply pieces of paper with printed messages that "call out" a special feature about the apartment). Thought clouds make certain that the prospect views all the features the you want to point out. They're also great because (let's face it) effective presentations take a great deal of concentration, and there will be days when you find yourself too exhausted or distracted to keep all your ducks in a row. They are by no means an excuse to slack off, but they're a big help in demonstrating important or not-so-obvious features, and the prospect can't help but read them. Create a set of thought clouds for each type of floorplan in your community, print them on interesting paper, have them laminated, and place them in an envelope that's marked with the floorplan's name. The next time you have a vacancy simply pull out that envelope, go to the apartment and place each cloud by the feature it is referring to. Presto - talking apartment! Here are a few ideas to get you started: "Wow! With all of this extra storage space, you can really get organized now!"; "This extra-large capacity hot water heater is energy efficient too!"; "This space is so bright! What a perfect place for plants!"; (next to the fireplace) "Light my fire!" Use your imagination! Tip 3. For fresh demonstration ideas, have each leasing professional on your team take you through each vacant floor plan style and demonstrate the apartment for you. You will soon see that each person has different features that they point out and different benefits to support them. Tip 4. Create a leasing portfolio with a copy of all floorplans; a current availability sheet; rental rate information; blank paper for note taking or for use by the prospect to jot down notes; and a zippered pencil bag that contains a pencil, a color wheel (available at most art supply stores, to show color contrasts and complements), and a measuring tape. This portfolio demonstrates that you are ready and prepared to assist the prospect with virtually any question they may have, whether it be on size, color, availability, etc. Additionally, you will be well equipped to handle and doubts or concerns the prospect may have. Tip 5. During the demonstration, use a number to indicate to the prospect how many features you plan to point out. For example, "Mrs. Prospect, I would like to point out three outstanding features in the kitchen." When you prepare them for a specific number of observations, you'll find that their attentiveness will be almost reflexive, because in their mind, they're both listening to what you have to say and counting the number of features you're demonstrating. Be careful not to overuse it, because it grows redundant and loses its effect quickly, but you can usually use it twice in one demonstration with a positive result. Tip 6. Always be aware of your personal safety. When opening the deadbolt on the front door, please leave the deadbolt in the locked position. This will not allow the door to close all the way but will prevent your being locked in the apartment against your will. Always allow the prospect to walk into a small room first while you remain closest to the door and talk to them from that position. Ask each prospect for their driver's license or a photo ID and leave it in the office while you go out to demonstrate the apartment, and then make certain that you let someone know which apartments you are going out to lease. In Summary A successful demonstration starts with a great leasing environment, continues with a perfectly groomed and confident Leasing Professional, and ends successfully with a personalized demonstration of the apartment home's features and benefits. Don't underestimate the importance of any of these elements when it comes to creating the great impression that will end up in a signed lease. I wish you great success in demonstrating, and many closed leases in return! As Chief Imagination Officer of The Sales & Marketing Magic Companies, Tami Siewruk shares more than 20 years of experience in multifamily housing, encompassing leasing, marketing, management, training, authoring, consulting, developing, and Brainstorming! For more information on Tami's newsletter, Sales & Marketing Magic for Apartment Managers; the latest Tools & Forms Catalogue; The Annual Multifamily Housing Brainstorming Sessions™; or to receive Tami's top ideas, FREE, via e-mail, please call 727-784-9469 or visit www.SMMOnline.com.