Business is booming in multifamily! Everyone is busy (and probably stressed) and we’re all looking for ways to streamline our process and make the most of our efforts. We’ll explore 10 leasing hacks to establish yourself as a multifamily leasing leader.
1. Be Attractional
The Attractional Selling Model says that to be an effective salesperson, you must be both engaging and assertive and that a balance of both will help you to be the most successful. If you’re very engaging, but not very assertive, you’ll be perceived as nice, but may not be very successful in closing multifamily leasing deals. On the flip side, if you are very assertive, but not too engaging, you may be seen as pushy and off-putting. (If you’re neither engaging nor assertive, you’ll send the message that you don’t care – yikes!)
2. Identify What Sets You Apart
It’s crucial that you identify the things that set you or your community apart so that you can clearly communicate to your customer why they should choose you. Ideally, you’ll find ways to convey this in convenient little morsels. Ask yourself how your customer’s life will be better if they choose your community.
3. Serve, Then Sell
Some of the more common mistakes prospects say multifamily leasing professionals make are:
- Rushing through the presentation
- Providing generic information
- Being boring
- Being “sales-y”
Take the time to serve the customer at their level. Work to create trust and build a connection, even if it takes a little extra time.
4. Use the “Happy” Response
When a prospect calls and asks their initial question, respond with:
“I’d be happy to help you with that! Who am I speaking with?”
Once you have their name, take the opportunity to personalize by addressing them by name and saying:
“(Name), just in case we get cut off, what is the best phone number for me to reach you?”
This is a great way to get the telephone conversation started and prevent yourself from losing control of the multifamily leasing conversation.
5. Walk Through the Website
Use the website as a multifamily leasing tool to work through the conversation. Ask if they’ve taken a look at your website and if they have, ask them what about the community attracted them. If they haven’t, suggest they take a look. You can direct them to the site to sell the things they’ve told you are important to them.
6. You Need to Know What Your Customer REALLY Wants
Ultimately, you want to narrow down what exactly your prospect is looking for. What is important to them; what do they really need to make a home? If you can dig in and find this answer, you’ll be able to figure out how to give them what they’re looking for.
7. Speak THEIR Words (Literal and Emotional)
Of course you need to understand the basic features and amenities the prospect is looking for, but you also want to understand the ‘feel’ they’re seeking. When you speak to the customer, use their own words to affirm you’re listening. If the prospect tells you, “I really want an apartment with a red door”, respond with “Okay, you’re looking for an apartment with a red door?” This also comes in handy when you’re touring and you can point out, “You mentioned stainless steel appliances were your preference…”
8. Sell with Benefits
Remember as you interact with your prospects – Features are facts; benefits are the desired feelings and experiences reached through those features. For example, “We have onsite maintenance (fact), so that you can enjoy worry-free living. (benefit)” Anytime you can, work the benefit of a feature into your multifamily leasing presentation, especially if it pertains to something they told you was important.
9. Look Into the Lens
When you are providing a multifamily leasing virtual tour, look into the lens, not at your screen. This will help you to connect with the prospect on a more personal level.
10. Asking Made Easy!
If you’re still feeling a little uncomfortable asking for the sale, try this method:
- Review the apartments you looked at.
- Specify the details of the first apartment.
- Specify the details of the second apartment.
- Ask which one the prospect prefers and then wait for a response.
- Validate the choice – “That’s a great choice!”
- Ask for the SALE – “Do you want to take it off the market?”
Bonus: Use Videos to Multiply Your Efforts
Create a few short videos of various apartment floorplans so you’ll have them to send to prospects to help your multifamily leasing game.
Share with us how you were able to use these 10 leasing hacks to establish yourself as a multifamily leasing leader.