I took the Managers to a Conference...
- Josh Parker
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Yesterday, I took the Managers of our CT facilities to the Northeast Self Storage Association (NeSSA) Fall Conference. It was a fantastic day at the Publick House of Sturbridge, MA- great speakers, awesome food, and the best part, thoughtful conversations about self-storage and how to be the best in the business every day for our customers.
Here are just a couple of our takeaways from the day.
Brian: One topic that I found interesting is the misconception that “younger” renters only want contactless rentals. While contactless rentals —online, call centers, and kiosks — are nice conveniences, being so close to UCONN, I've noticed that many of my student customers will call for assistance. They need someone to walk them through the process- they have never used storage before! They want (and appreciate!) someone to show them how to access the facility, work the latch, and disc locks. Additionally, more and more people make comments on how it is nice to have someone that they can ask for help, or appreciate the care of the facility, which cannot happen without someone on-site. And they certainly know the difference between a manager who cares and one who doesn't - the reviews show this!
Kim: One of the speakers talked a bit about how good site managers treat the facility as their own. This ownership mentality directly impacts all aspects of the job, but especially their ability to rent units, by how they take the time to connect to customers. They approach renting now with a "sleazy car salesman" or pressure cooker approach to sales, but with a relational approach. “Clients buy from people they trust.” One thing she talked about was the importance of high-tech convenient solutions, paired with the personal care and connection of a great manager- or what Josh is always saying- High-Tech, High-Touch!
Josh: I had one round table conversation that I thought was interesting because it was talking about being different- thinking outside the box. Differentiating yourself from the competition is huge, and most of the time, your competition won't take the time to do it, especially if your competition is one of the big REITS or does not have a manager on-site.
One way she suggested to be different is with your promos. She runs a .98 cent move-in special, which is nearly the same thing as her competition's 1st month free, but it SOUNDS different. $.98 what an odd number. Why not $1.00 or $.99? Because its odd, and odd stands out. Finding creative ways to offer promos that differentiate you from your competition can be the difference maker for a prospective customer. Take the time to research your competition and see what they are offering before deciding what promotions you will offer. And the same is true for other aspects of your business -especially sales and marketing strategies.
If you aren't part of a self-storage association, I'd highly recommend signing up for one local to you. They often have great events, and can be an excellent resource for state-specific self-storage information.
If you want to talk more about all things self-storage operations, sales & marketing, reach out to me at Josh@StroageAuthority.com I'd love to chat!
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