by Kim Kilpatrick
July 5, 2011 1:17 PM
Without a superior product, a business will go under in time. Catchy marketing and low prices can save it for a period of time, but eventually people will wise up. At the same time, the best of products can have a hard time turning a profit for owners if the pitch is not right. Either way, success comes down to how well you can talk with people.
For self storage facilities, since the product is essentially the same wherever you go the key to making your self storage facility stand out over the next guy’s is you, the owner/operator.
A big push in many businesses, the self storage industry included, is to automate as much as possible. While this does make many things more convenient, it takes out the human element when the fact is that people actually like to talk to other people.
When it comes to doing business with someone, people prefer to do it with someone they like. The trick to that of course is that you have to be someone that is likeable. Smiling is always a plus. When you do that it immediately warms up the room and tends to put people at is. After all, it’s easier to talk to someone that appears open to conversation (and smiling) rather than grim faced and stoic.
Just smiling and being open to conversation is not always enough. Just like in many things in life, the trick is in going the extra mile. For tenants to see you as more than just the person that takes their rent each month they need to have reason. You need to be open to them so that they will be open to you.
This does not mean that you need to make that extra effort to engage every person I conversation and find out their life story. Some people will have no interest in talking and they may find you pushy and overbearing.
Rather than hunt out conversation, appear ready to accept it. Most people are more than happy to talk about anything; they just need to find something that is interested and willing to listen to what they have say.
So create an atmosphere that makes people comfortable. Having coffee and water available for people is always a nice touch. Decorate for the holidays; people are always more comfortable when ‘holiday spirit’ is in the air. Perhaps most important of all, be willing to go the extra mile to show your tenants that you care and see them as more than just folks that are storing there stuff with you.
Basically, if you want people to have a hard time ‘breaking up’ with your self storage facility, just be a friend.
Sources Used:
“Breaking Up Is Hard To Do.” SSA Globe; July 2011.
“Upcoming Webinar Can Help Self Storage Operators Interact Better With Customers.” Self Storage Industry News; 07 February 2011.