An article by Rachel Barnes
It’s 5.15pm on a cold winter’s night and Penny the proactive Property Manager is caught in peak hour traffic on her way to an Open Inspection. For most average managers (like Pam who we wrote about last time) this would feel like a waste of time because they already have an approved tenant signed up to move into this property.
But for Penny every Open is an opportunity for more business!
Brian, the principal of the agency is delighted that Penny has such a great attitude and is very proactive with business development. He knows from experience that most average and/or uneducated property managers don’t realise that increasing the company’s rent roll, being efficient AND getting continual commission on sales, is the only way this agency can be sustainable.
Brian is very aware that with the right staff, right training, right attitude and right systems, he gets to spend less time working (and stressing) in the business himself.
Penny isn’t stressed at all because she’s allowed plenty of time to reach the property early so she can open up and prepare it to be presented brightly and warmly. The agency makes it a policy to ensure that the power is available between tenancies so it’s safe and welcoming for staff and prospects at all times.
With the lights and the heater on, the prospects start arriving and immediately feel comfortable. Some of them comment immediately on the difference in presentation of this property compared to others they’ve viewed which were cold and dark. That helps impress them with the property, but also Penny’s positive approach and disarming smile confirm that this is a great agency to be dealing with.
Penny welcomes each person as they come in, ensuring that she addresses both men and women equally. She introduces herself and takes their names and contact details up front. She thanks them for coming out and invites them to look around. She explains that time is short here today… however she’ll ring them in 24-48 hours. When is the best time to call? Which of the couple would prefer to be contacted? Then she hands them a business card with her picture and contact details included … and a small chocolate. That leaves a good taste in any one’s mouth and Penny wants to make sure they remember and like her.
Although she knows they have a signed lease already, she wants to take the opportunity to connect with more prospects.
Wayne is the first to arrive and is eager to dominate Penny’s time and get an application completed for this property. He looks very well presented and says all the right things, but Penny is polite yet persistent that she can’t talk to him now.
That night she plans her next day’s calls and blocks them out in her calendar with any notes to remind her about each prospect. She knows the first impression of that call counts if she wants to engage them.
Each of them are expecting her call and are impressed she’s calls as promised! Her boss is pleased too. He spends hardly any money on external marketing because Penny gets so many great leads from her open inspections that they always have a funnel of prospects for property sales as well as management.
Penny calls Theresa who’s a lawyer. She’s brief and to the point with Theresa so as not to waste her time. This property isn’t for her, there’s another coming up soon that will be better. Penny promises that Theresa will be one of the first to know when it’s available. It’s a higher priced rental but Theresa is happy that Penny can save her a lot of time and stress in her property search.
Ian is an Investor who’s looking to rent a home to live in. Penny doesn’t have anything suitable for him at the moment, but she has a great network in the industry and offers to find him a rental she thinks would be perfect. Helping another agent may not give her income, but she’ll undoubtedly get a reciprocal referral down the track. Either way, Ian is happy and impressed with her service. After a little more conversation about property investing, Penny offers to introduce him to one of her team to find a suitable investment. Ian is very happy and tells his network of Investors about this great agency he’s found!
Chloe it turns out was only doing some research when she attended the open. However she’s very impressed with Penny and will certainly use this agency to manage her rental in future, and possibly even get their help in sourcing a property to buy!
Sue the sticky beak neighbour may have seemed a waste of time to many managers, but Penny knows the value of word of mouth referrals, especially in the local neighbourhood. Sue’s sister Betty may be a buyer, and Betty has a property to sell – so that referral goes to Brian’s sales team.
At the end of the day, this 15 minute inspection has provided some great business, reinforced a fantastic reputation for Brian’s agency and provided future leads, not just from the people who attended, but from their friends, family and colleagues too!
By Rachel Barnes
Property Investment Coach and Trainer for Investor Friendly Agents; helping agents and investors reach new heights and greater profit together through training, consulting and coaching services.
Book a free consultation http://investorfriendlyagents.setmore.com/