“When you look for the bad, expecting it, you will get it. When you know you will find the good – you will get that…” – Pollyanna
To be the most successful leasing agent you can be, you must avoid overthinking and allowing yourself to stumble on your own perceptions of problem areas within your community. We’ll discuss several tips to help you focus on the points you need to present the community as the best option for your potential residents.
It’s not for me; it’s for them.
Your customers know what they want, so remember to tailor your sales presentation to their needs and forget about your own preferences. Although the community you work for may not be the place you would choose to live, it may be the perfect home for your prospective resident! Most of your sales interactions will fall under one of two scenarios:
1. You have an available apartment and you are actively promoting it as an appropriate solution to the customer’s needs.
2. Your customer has discovered the apartment/community on their own and is actively seeking it. You are their first contact and they want to lease it from you.
In either case, your job is to share the benefits of the community and allow your customer to make their own decision. Take care not to cloud your presentation with any of your own negative perceptions.
Stop the stinkin’ thinkin’.
“We all need a daily check up from the neck up to avoid stinkin’ thinkin’, which ultimately leads to hardening of the attitudes.” – Zig Ziglar
Your feelings or thoughts about a community may not match your prospect’s. Despite whatever you may see wrong, your community may actually be an upgrade to the prospect’s current living situation. Be sure to maintain this mindset as you promote all positive things your community has to offer.
The goal is still the goal.
“Often it isn’t the mountains ahead that will wear you out; it’s the little pebble in your shoe.” – Muhammad Ali
Your energy should be reserved for selling the pros of your community. You can allow your customer to draw their own conclusions on the cons. Remember, your goal is to lease an apartment to your prospective resident, not to find one that works for your own personal needs.
5 Actions to Help You Overcome the Stinkin’ Thinkin’
- Stop leasing with your wallet.
Your sales narrative should be with the customer’s perspective in mind, not your own. Your own feelings about the community as a potential resident may not match those of your customer. Do not forget the customer is the potential resident in your sales scenario. - Ask the right questions.
Ask questions to learn more about your prospective clients and their feelings about the community. You should ask questions about what they liked the most or the least about their previous apartment. You may also want to find out what they are looking for in their new home. Get an idea of their style of living to help you find the best place for them. - Shrink the elephant in the room.
Call all your colleagues together to look at the “sore thumb” apartment within the community. Work together to shrink those big negatives about the apartment. For example, if the apartment is in an unpopular location, find any positives about the location so you are ready and prepared to discuss them with a prospective resident. - Manage your setbacks.
When you encounter a setback, such as an application cancellation, do not lose your focus. Use this time to accurately analyze and perceive a situation to glean useful information for the future. More times than not, a negative situation is not personal to you as the leasing agent. - Manage your self-talk.
Take care not to put too much focus on talking about yourself. You will want to make sure you are present for your prospective residents. Instead, focus on asking the right questions to determine the customer’s needs.
Always remember, the apartment you are selling does not have to be right for you; it only needs to be right for your prospective resident! The more you can focus on selling the good things your community has to offer, the less you will be burdened by the problem areas. This will make for easier, smoother presentations going forward.
Presented by:
Maria Lawson
EPMS, VP of Training and Development