Written by SAlter on 26 June 2010
Ah, the long, hot days of summer are here. Finally, we can all take a short breather from the whirlwind that has been 2010. You’re working hard to keep your tenants in place and you’ve managed to maintain, even grow, your company. Satisfaction guaranteed, right?
Not so fast. The year is half over and it feels as though something is, well…missing. That nagging feeling keeps interrupting your thoughts—and your sleep. Perhaps your company has been through some significant changes the past year or two. Client demands have increased. Your properties are different, and so are your tenants. Even your employees are different. In fact, you’re not at all certain you have the right people in the right place to enable you to meet and exceed all of those new client expectations.
If this is what you’ve been grappling with, it’s time for a real shift in your thinking. Now is the perfect opportunity to take a step back and reassess and re-evaluate your organization. After all, it’s all in you demonstrate value to clients and customers. Take the time now to refine, retool– and maybe even reinvent– your organization.
It’ll get you a good night’s sleep.
Written by SAlter on 31 May 2010
One of the best ways to market yourself and your company is to tell people who you are and what you do in a way that makes them want to find out more. Sounds simple, right? Not so fast– it’s not always easy to write about ourselves in a clear, concise manner so I’ve put together a few quick tips to help you create your best bio–a bio that sells!
Top Ten Tips for Creating Your Best Bio
Written by SAlter on 19 April 2010
Picture this: you’re a prospective tenant looking for space in a large regional mall. While you’re waiting for the leasing agent, you decide to walk around to get a sense of the mall. Your first impression is that it’s very quiet and very vacant—there seem to be few shoppers, and many dark spaces. As you stroll around, you see that several retailers have gone out, however their old store signs remain, and the store windows are half-covered with torn brown butcher paper. In fact, not much seems to be going on at all. Having second thought about leasing space here? You betcha!
No matter what your property type (or budget) is, marketing is everything. Don’t let your vacant spaces take a back seat. Here are a few easy ways to make sure your vacancies are in tip-top shape:
Check your curb appeal: First impressions really do count! Try to view your property through a prospective tenant’s eye: are spaces sparkling clean and show-ready, or are there obvious unpatched holes, stained ceiling tiles and unsightly restrooms?
Check with your owner: Before you bring out the checkbook, talk with your owner. Not all owners will want to spend the money to redo a space after a tenant vacates. The theory is that a new user may want to reconfigure the space anyway.
Check your strategy: Even if your owner doesn’t want to spend a lot of money, consider an overall strategy for your vacancies. Consistency is important—if you want to conceal vacancies, for example, decide whether you want to leave windows free and uncluttered, or whether blackening them out is the better option.
Stay tuned for more ideas on how to use and merchandise your vacancies!
Written by SAlter on 07 March 2010
It’s a fact: customers who receive stellar service talk. Unfortunately, those who receive disappointing or just plain lousy service do too. I am inspired about this topic today because I just spent over an hour on hold with a major airline—all to resolve a simple seating issue. Am I crazy for staying on hold so long? Perhaps. Am I persistent? Definitely. You see, in an article last year I recounted another customer service issue with the same airline. That time, when I finally reached an airline agent who could resolve the issue, she said “Ms. Alter, I know we have our problems here. But you shouldn’t have to see them”. Too bad they didn’t take their own advice.
What’s the lesson to us as real estate managers? There’s no mystery about it: stellar customer service really does count. Think about it. The competition for customers out there is stiff, isn’t it? We’re all busy, and there are plenty of distractions in real estate management, but our customers shouldn’t be at the mercy of them. It’s our job to make service to our customers seamless—every day, in every way. Now is the time to concentrate on delivering stellar, high-touch customer service to our clients and tenants. After all, it’s important to get—and keep—every advantage we can.
Customer service counts. As you’re settling in with your first cup of coffee tomorrow, consider asking yourself these questions:
- Who are our customers?
- How can we bring the company closer to our customers?
- How can we create opportunities for superior service?
- Can we deliver what we promise?
Consider the following quote from Walt Disney regarding the impact of great customer service: “Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends.” That’s what we all want. Encourage your team to create a list of all of their customers—internal and external—and put it right where they can see it everyday.
To view the customer service article mentioned above, please see “Managing Properties in a Fast-Paced World”, available at www.alterconsultinggroup.com
Written by SAlter on 03 February 2010
Turnaround in 2010? Many of us who manage and lease office and industrial buildings, shopping centers and other commercial properties are only too willing to leave 2009 behind. It’s a fact that the market will take a turn for the better sometime. I think we can use this time to prepare for the coming upswing by focusing on our clients and adding value for them, for our employees and for our companies. I have some ideas on this topic to share with you in this blog, and I hope you will share your ideas.
There’s a cartoon I like which shows two doors, one marked “Excellence’ and one marked “Mediocrity.” Which will you choose? Most of you will likely say “Excellence”, of course! That’s important, because it means you support the idea. Bust it’s important to remember that Excellence is a choice–every day. That choice begins from the moment our Receptionist or Tenant Coordinator answers the phone, or the minute our Engineer steps into a space, or the second our property accountant takes to respond to a question. The choice comes from the bottom up–our employees have it all. Face it, the commercial real estate climate is a tough one. And there are a lot of people who do what we do. How can we add value? The key to differentiation in 2010 is to become client-centric, and to incorporate Excellence at every level of our organization.
Take a look at Lioe Arussy’s book “Excellence Every Day” for some great ideas.”
