by John Stevens
June 17, 2011 4:42 PM
In a perfect world we would all be able to watch over and control every endeavor that we are involved in, be it the hiring of new employees, tracking inventory, having a date night with your significant other or coaching your son/daughter’s little league soccer team. The harsh reality is that time constraints often force us into making decisions that we do not want to make.
That is why the use of third party management companies to control the day to day running of self storage facilities has become popular. However, as the concept continues to become a popular one and the number of companies in that niche continues to grow it can be more and more challenging to figure out which one is the right one for you to go with.
Essentially what you want for your self storage facility when it comes to hiring an outside management firm is that your life as the owner should be easier and that your self storage facility should become more profitable.
Just by hiring one, and not having to be involved in the day to day grind of managing the facility, will make your life easier. The trick is figuring out whether they will go the extra mile to make sure that your self storage facility is as profitable as it can be.
One tool that can work well is getting involved in the community. It endears the local populace to your facility when they see your company involved with making the lives of their neighbors and/or loved ones more pleasant.
Take for example what Accountable Management, a self storage management company in Florida does that manages 20 different facilities in the state. If there is one thing that people love and appreciate, it is the men and women of the armed forces and the people that support them.
Accountable Management has partnered with Overseas Coupon Program to help send coupons to military families overseas. The company has specifically been helping families at a Marine base in Iwakuni, Japan. They have been sending coupons every other month for roughly a year and a half.
“Couponing has become very popular and we love that we’re supporting families and our troops,” said Lori Judd, project manager. “The best thing about this program is they accept any manufacturer coupon including expired ones.”
To give you an idea how valuable the Overseas Coupon Program is, last year the entire program helped military families save more than $10 million via coupons. In a day and age where patriotism is at an all-time high, you can’t get much better publicity than you can through helping the men and women of the armed forces.
Sources Used:
“Self-Storage Management Company Accountable Management Helps U.S. Marines Stationed in Japan.” Inside Self Storage; 17 June 2011.
“How Your Third-Party Management Company Should be Adding to Your Self-Storage Facility's Bottom Line.” Inside Self Storage; 25 March 2011.