Pub. 5 2020 Issue 4

21 ISSUE 4 2020 be addressed before photos. How is the curb appeal of your community? Do you need to have the maintenance staff or the landscapers tidy up your entrance with a few freshly tended flower beds and fresh paint on the curbs and park- ing areas? Are the signs and directories clean and up to date? Has the parking lot been swept, and is the asphalt in good condition? Are the weeds under control, and have the sidewalks been swept and maintained? Check out the path to the model or vacant apartments too. Inside the apartments, sounds and smells are important but not as import- ant as the lighting and layout of the floorplan. Mini models are still a great way to highlight apartment features. Try adding a few eye-popping items to pique interest and make the viewer remember your unique apartment. Add something quirky and fun in an unusual spot in the kitchen or bathroom. Use color to enhance the experience. After setting the stage, make sure you choose a professional photographer or videogra- pher to create your photos and videos. Closing Techniques — All of the clos- ing techniques you learned can still be used, but you have fewer opportunities to use them when a prospect is doing a self-guided tour. You may no longer have the luxury of a stroll around the community with your prospects, so be sure to close them whenever possible. The window of opportunity is much, much smaller now. Need a refresher on all the different ways to close on a prospect? We have an e-learning course for that! The Follow-Up — Say you knocked their socks off with your greeting and descriptions, and they have gone on their virtual tour. What’s left? The follow-up is your last opportunity to close and collect! A timely follow up by telephone, text, mail or email expressing your desire to welcome them to your community will set you apart from the competition. You would be surprised how many apartment communities do not follow up with their prospects, and studies show that 25% of your prospects you follow up with will lease from you. The Move-In Process — So perhaps, without ever meeting your prospects, they chose your community to be their next home and have submitted their application and qualifying documents online. You and your great customer service were the icing on the cake. All leasing paperwork is now computerized and finalized with e-signatures. If a “wet” signature is required, a special area inside or outside your leasing office can be designated for pick-up and drop- off of documents. Of course, by now, we assume that everyone is following the CDC Guide- lines regarding sanitizing everyone and everything and are following the proper social distancing rules. That includes pro- cedures for making each vacant apartment market-ready. Be ready to explain to each prospect the methods your compa- ny is using to keep prospects, residents, employees and vendors safe. If you have special cleaning chemicals and protocols, tell your prospects about them. Knowl- edge is power. Make them feel comfort- able about their decision to become a part of your community. And what about the keys? Agree upon a specified time for the move-in and unlock the home in advance or upon arrival. Leave the keys inside the apartment with a written request to text or call the office upon receipt OR use the packet approach again. Do a pre-inspection and mark all items that you know are not perfect, and leave the list for the new resident to com- plete and return or scan and email back to the office. It’s still all about the basics with a few new twists and turns. Are you struggling with the changes? Occupancy Solutions offers online e-learning courses and webinars on all of these topics and more. I am also available to do custom webinars now and once the current pandemic passes, in-per- son training sessions or keynotes. Visit our website at www.occupancysolutions.com and call 1 (800) 865-0948 for your free consultation today. Have each staff member create their own description of the community, its amenities and each floor plan. Paint a picture with words so each prospect can follow along and visualize each amenity and each room of their new home.