The ABCs for Slow Leasing Season: Always Be Cleaning

It's the new year - ready or not! The snow is falling, the holiday lights are coming down and if you work in our business... the slower leasing season has arrived (which can feel like our stockings got filled with coal). BAH HUMBUG! Generally, in these cold months of December and January, we feel our traffic numbers decrease and slowly see our occupancy start trending downward a little more than we are comfortable with.

We all have our ways of psyching ourselves up to close some deals, to get inspired, and get us out of our leasing funk. Maybe it is busting out the classic movie,Glengarry Glen Ross and watching Blake from Mitch and Murray give his “motivational” speech about ‘Always Be Closing’ and reminding his lower performers that ‘coffee is for closers only’. Perhaps it is watching Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street give his peptalk about ‘Picking up the phone and start dialing’ and to ‘solve your problems by becoming rich’. Or one of my favorites, Boiler Room, where Jim Young reminds the newstockbroker trainees that ‘A sale is made on
every call you make. Either you sell the client some stock or he sells you a reason he can’t.
Either way a sale is made, the only question is: Who is going to close?’.

Though hard sales and strong closing tactics can be effective to sign some leases (and you should be asking EVERY tour for the lease), I have discovered in twenty years in the apartment business a new-and-improved ABC acronym, Always Be Cleaning. In my opinion, there is no magical phrase of persuasion that has closed a lease more than having a spotless apartment community, detailed grounds and curb lines, properly staged amenities, and near-perfect apartments homes that you show prospects. Cleaning sells more than selling sells. It’s not just my opinion either. The Disney Institute, which is over 30 years old and helps advise and train organizations world-wide based on the insights and best practices of Disney parks and resorts, states that every single employee is considered a “custodial employee” first and foremost, from the CEO to the actual custodians. Cleaning is a team effort, and your entire team (not just maintenance) should play a major role is executing and maintaining the standard. Through proper planning and communication, this can be done and makes a HUGE difference for the success of our leasing efforts.

 
Here are 10 tips to get you started:

• Every office should have a sparkle bucket or cart for the leasing team. When you walk vacant units (which should be done weekly), bring it with you and ensure the apartments look and smell great.
• Execute full team grounds cleaning once a week. Remember to audit balconies and
  garages too.
• Throughout the day, ensure all amenities are staged and everything is operational.
• Write up every work order you see. Broken items are just as bad as dirty items.
• Check and clean resident everyday touchpoint areas such as mailrooms, stairwells,
  laundry rooms, bike storage closets, and any other spaces that are not a main amenity.
• Assign office employees a floor or two that they are responsible to fully inspect
  and detail once a week.
• Ensure the leasing lobby and amenity doors / windows are completely smudgefree
  throughout the day.
• Schedule monthly in-house carpet cleaning and painting touch-ups in common-area hallways. Involve the entire team and make it fun.
• Ensure all desks and offices are clear of clutter.
• Have weekly team meetings to discuss, review, and reinforce the cleaning standards and to ensure that everyone knows their part of the plan.

Remember that cleaning and organizing is a continual practice, not just a one-time project. Through proper scheduling, entire team involvement, and a great attitude cleaning can be fun and help you rent more apartments. Start now and always remember to ABC....ALWAYS
BE CLEANING – Which turns into CLOSING!