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  • Self Storage Space For Your Hobby
    By admin on July 12, 2010 | No Comments  Comments

    When it comes down to making the most of your free time, you have to be sure that you are doing something that you truly love.  The activity that you choose to adopt as your hobby does not particularly matter so long as you genuinely enjoy what you are doing.  If you should happen to choose a hobby that requires you to rent some studio space, though, then you are going to want to be sure that you are looking into all of the options that are at your disposal.  At the end of the day, you have to be sure that you are renting a work space that is not going to destroy your budget, thereby bringing your hobby to a premature end.  Given all of the different venues that are out there, though, you should not have any serious problems in these regards.

    Let us break down a few different hobbies, here, and explain how you might execute them safely and responsibly in the various self storage units that are at your local disposal.

    Are you a passionate painter?  Are you worried about getting paint all over your house and creating a huge mess?  I know that I am.  I love painting, but I can never seem to pull it off without getting paint all over the place.  While I have been using my back yard for this purpose for several years, now, I cannot say that I enjoy doing so.  When the wind picks up, or when the rain starts to fall, my art is at risk.  So, I set out and rented a self storage unit to use as a studio.  I have equipped the floors and walls with roofing tarps, so
    I know that I am not going to leave any stains behind when I am done with my painting.  I know that I do not have to worry about a thing, because I have taken all of the necessary precautions to keep my unit from getting damaged.

    Of course, if you hobby requires that you use power tools, then you are going to want to make doubly certain that your property manager is all right with it before you begin to conduct your work inside of your unit.  The last thing that you are going to want, here, is to get evicted from your unit because you failed to follow the basic rules.  Granted that your property manager is all right with your plan, though, you are going to be able to get to work right away.  Just be sure that you are not going to trip the circuit breaker when you plug in all of your tools, and you are not going to run into any major problems, here.

    If you are not looking to drop thousands of dollars on a professional practice space, then you are going to want to be sure that you are not forgetting about all of the self storage facilities that are in your local area.  I mean, these units are incredibly versatile once you get all of your equipment moved in.  If you have never even considered these units as practice spaces before, just make a few phone calls and set yourself up with some on site tours of your local properties.  You will not be sorry that you did.

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  • How To Make Storage Safe For Your Items
    By admin on May 10, 2010 | No Comments  Comments

    If you are not taking care of your belongings when you move, then you cannot become angry when they are harmed. I mean, accidents are accidents, but when you fail to meet even the basic accommodations that you are going to need to keep your belongings safe, then you have only yourself to blame. Especially considering that it is not hard for you to come up with the supplies that you are going to need to keep your belongings safe, you do not have any good excuses in these regards.

    First and foremost, reader, you are going to want to be sure that you are buying all of the boxes that you are going to need for your smaller, miscellaneous items. While you may think that there is no harm in simply tossing these things into large boxes, you are actually going to want to be sure that you are buying smaller, specialized boxes for your delicate belongings. That way, you are going to be able to rest assured that they are not going to smash into each other when you make a turn in your moving truck.

    Of course, you are also going to want to be sure that you are buying some packing peanuts for your boxes, too. If you simply box up your belongings without packing paper or packing peanuts, then you are not really doing much to guarantee that they are not going to break when they are on the road. I mean, these packing peanuts are so cheap, there really is not a reason to avoid them if you care for your belongings. Simply head out to your local self storage supply store and ask them what they have. When your belongings arrive at your new home in good condition, you will understand why you went to such pains to keep them safe.

    Finally, reader, you are going to want to be sure that you are buying special crates and tapes. If you want to be sure that your belongings do not spill out of your boxes, then you are going to have to buy some reasonable packing tape. Clear tape may get the job done, but if you are looking for some extra strength and security, then you are going to buy tape that has nylon strips inside of it. These nylon strips are going to drastically improve about the grabbing power of the tape, meaning that your boxes are not going to burst open if they should happen to collide with each other. Of course, you are also going to want to be sure that you are buying wooden crates for extremely sensitive items, lining them with great, safe pressure foam on the inside. If you are going to be shipping something like a drum set, for example, then you are going to want to be sure that you get your hands on some of these crates.

    Truly, reader, you have to be sure that you are doing a good job when it comes to moving your belongings. If all of your belongings break or become damaged when you arrive at your new home, then you are going to feel like an idiot knowing that you could have protected them further. Just be proactive, here, and do not cut any corners when it is just as easy to stay on the proper road.

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  • Self Storage Is There When Life Changes
    By admin on April 7, 2010 | No Comments  Comments

    It is easy to become stressed out when your life is changing in a major way.  Especially when you are moving from one home to another, it is easy to become overwhelmed with all of the chores that you have to tackle.  Likewise, it is easy to resort to despair, thinking that you are never going to be able to take care of everything before your moving date rolls around.  Fortunately, though, you are going to be able to tackle all of your problems if you are ready and willing to come up with a proverbial game plan.  Follow through this article carefully, and you are going to find that you can organize your move without much trouble.

    The first thing that you are going to want to do, here, is make sure that you are developing a firm understanding of your time frame.  If you cannot figure out your time frame, then you are going to find that you become stressed out much more easily.  First, sit down and figure out when you are going to have to be out of your current place.  With this in mind, figure out when you are going to finish all of your individual chores.  Go so far as to put them on a schedule, and be sure that you are holding yourself to this schedule.  What you are going to find, here, is that you immediately become less stressed out when you have a plan to follow.  It is just the way that the human mind works, reader.

    Moving on, here, you are going to want to be sure that you are not waiting until the very last minute to purchase all of the supplies that you are going to need in order to move safely.  Here, then, you are going to want to be sure that you are buying all of the boxes and moving supplies that you are going to need.  Likewise, be sure that you are sizing up your belongings, here, and getting a good feel for precisely how much stuff you are going to have to move.  It is very important that you take this part of your move seriously, as you would hate to break your belongings as you are trying to move them.

    Of course, when you have purchased all of your moving supplies, you are going to want to begin packing your belongings immediately.  If you wait until the last minute to begin packing your belongings, then you are going to find that you are actually throwing away more things than you intended to.  By packing ahead of time, you guarantee that your stress is not going to result in a giant pile of garbage.  Likewise, you guarantee that you are going to be able to label all of your boxes and bags accurately, meaning that you are not going to have to waste a ton of your time looking for your stuff when you get to your new place.  Truly, packing your belongings ahead of time is the only way to go.

    At the end of the day, you are going to be very happy that you made a plan and stuck to it.  When you do not have a plan, you do not have a way to combat stress.  You are left at the whims of chance, simply hoping that you are going to be able to take care of everything in time.  If you cannot, then you get stressed.  Even if you can, then you get stressed.  But when you come up with a plan, you are never stressed, because you know exactly where you stand.

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  • Personal Self Storage Unit For Rent
    By admin on February 8, 2010 | No Comments  Comments

    Have you ever used a personal self storage unit before?  If you answered that question with a resounding no, then perhaps you should give the self storage industry a bit more thought.  Indeed, while you may think that you can get by without renting a unit, chances are that you could find a way to put a good unit to good use.  If you are looking for someone to push you in the right direction, here, allow this article to serve as a catalyst of sorts.

    The first thing that you can use your self storage unit for is, well, storing all of your spare household belongings.  It is hard to believe that your house is truly full of stuff that you are not using on a daily basis.  The crazy thing, here, is that if you get rid of all of your excess stuff by either selling it or storing it, then your house is actually going to LOOK a lot bigger.  Sure, that may sound a bit silly.  How is getting rid of your spare furniture going to make your house look bigger?  Well, until you have tried it, you simply cannot understand.  Do yourself the favor of renting a self storage unit.  You can see for yourself.

    Of course, if you know that you are going to be gone on business for a long while, then you might want to look into storing your car.  While you can certainly choose to store your vehicle at the airport, or in a standard parking garage, chances are that these places are not going to keep it as safe as you would prefer.  Indeed, to guarantee that your vehicle is staying as safe as possible, you are going to have to lock it down and keep it out of view.  Indeed, when people can see your car, they are, naturally, more inclined to mess around with it.  When you rent a self storage unit for your vehicle, you know that you are going to be able to keep it out of view.  Simply be sure that your local facilities allow for you to store a vehicle inside of their units, and you are good to go.

    Self storage units are also perfect for storing your collectibles.  Generally speaking, you are going to be able to find a climate controlled self storage unit at your local facility, meaning that you are not going to have to worry about delicate collectibles being harmed by changes in the temperature and humidity.  When you rent a climate controlled space, it’s just like adding an extra room to your home.  No matter what you are storing, you can rest assured that it is not going to be harmed.

    Finally, know that many people use self storage units and lockers to store their tools.  The next time that you get the chance, head out to your garage and look at how much space your tools take up.  Really, give a look.  Tool cabinets, table saws, and the like take up an enormous amount of space.  By renting a unit and getting them out of the way, you can actually use your garage for your vehicle.

    At the end of the day, you are not going to have any trouble when it comes to figuring out how you are going to use your self storage unit.  There are a million different ways for you to put your unit to use, so your only limitation is the power of your imagination.  Just sit down and come up with a few ideas, and call around to your local property managers to make sure that you are not violating any of their rules.

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  • Store Important Documents In Personal Self Storage
    By admin on March 19, 2009 | No Comments  Comments

    Even in today age of Internet when almost every possible bit of information is going digital, there are still plenty of important documents that we need to deal with. We need a personal self storage spot to store the same in a safe and secure way.

    Storing spaces for personal use has emerged as one of the most affordable yet safest way to do this. You may like to store these documents even at home or office, but security might be a great concern for you here. For example, there are certain documents that you need to retain for a very long period of up to forty or fifty years because of legal regulations. If you lose these documents, you may get into trouble. For example, insurance companies that have their list of clients, financial firms have year-end reports, physicians have their patient histories and other medical records, accountants possess their company balance sheets, and attorneys have important case files and dossiers. Earlier people would use archive facilities to store these documents, but today personal self storing has emerged as a much better alternative. It is more reliable, more efficient, and at the same, much more affordable, as well. It can store a massive amount of documents in a completely safe and secure way. You will find the following tips very helpful while you are using the services of personal store rooms. 

    Security

    Security obviously should be your top priority. You will have to make sure that the facility you have chosen to store your important documents provides optimum security. Check if there are available security lighting, perimeter fencing, security cameras, and keypad entry systems. Besides that, you or your employees must have convenient option to the personal storing space unit you have stored the documents in. The quality of all the security equipment must be in a top-notch condition. It is also wise to check the working hours of the security manager. He or she must be on duty whenever you make a visit to the store house. What is more, in order to protect your documents from the adverse effects of extreme temperature and humidity, you also need to make sure that the storing unit you have chosen has climate control facility.

    Back-Ups

    It is great to rent a highly efficient personal self storing unit but in order to be on safer side, you are strongly recommended to have back up of all the stored documents. Make multiple copies of all your important documents and store the same in other distinct location. You may also like to consider scanning the documents and store the same in password-protected DVDs.  

    The Method Of Packing   

    Even if you are satisfied with the security measures adopted by the personal self storing facility, you still need to be very careful while packing your documents. Any kind of packing material will do as long as you have packed the documents properly in a secure way.  In order to ensure secure lifting, make sure that the packed boxes do not exceed 30-50 lbs. You should never use newspapers as packing material because if you are storing the documents for a very long period of time, the print may transfer.

    Last, but not the least, you should stack the boxes in chronological order in your personal self storage spot. The packaging must be airtight else there will always be a risk of mildew formation.

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  • When the Dust Settled…
    By Sarah Little, Blog Executive on September 20, 2006 | No Comments  Comments
    Written by Kay Johnson, PhoneSmart call center blog editor.
    Welcome to PhoneSmart’s business blog. We offer an insider view of the self storage industry.
    Wow! What rush the Labor Day weekend was. The calls came thick and fast and we were struggling to keep up. Our breaks were reduced to a quick trip to the restroom or to heat something in the microwave and eat at our station. Our throats dry out and sometimes our sense of humor gets stretched thin. Our callers are stressed and the need for self storage is beginning to outweigh the availability.
    The PhoneSmart call center is always a busy place but this busiest moving weekend of the year had us buzzing. We were trying to keep our best foot forward and employ our best sales techniques to help our self storage facilities have sales increases.
    Now that the dust has settled we are looking forward to new projects and new challenges. As the call volume drops off we must keep our wits sharpened to work with people who are just shopping or planning for months in advance. We are being offered additional training and opportunities to use our creativity to create new projects.
    We serve the self storage industry in many capacities. If you would like to see what we could do for you just give us a chance. We turn your missed calls into profit. Our trained professionals could be taking calls, secret shopping your staff or offering our resources for better property management for you tomorrow.

    Your local self storage unit provider in 9702 W. 67th St. Merriam, KS. 66203

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  • STORAGE ZEN!!!

    The energetic Jeanette Puccetti, call center operator looks at the lighter side or organization.

    Welcome to the PhoneSmart self storage blog. This is a diary of the self-storage industry by the people who work behind the scenes.

    Organization is a challenge that many of us face in these stimulating, event packed times. We have so much going on in our lives, that our homes often reflect this chaotic state of being. Have you ever noticed that it is much more difficult to get things checked off of your list when your home is crammed with belongings? Nothing is easy to find, or often times, even where you think it is. By clearing out excess “stuff” we facilitate an effective and efficient lifestyle. Storage is an excellent way to de-clutter and simplify.
    For a few extra dollars a month, you can store extra belongings that you don’t need on a day to day basis that are basically just taking up valuable space in your home. By packing up these superfluous belongings, like the extra card tables you use for parties, Christmas decorations, or the children’s outgrown baby clothes, you free yourself of needless distractions and uncover extra space, allowing you to think more clearly and to more easily achieve your goals of the day. In our fast-paced, complex, contemporary society getting down to the basics can make a whole world of difference in increasing productivity in our lives.

    PhoneSmart Your Source for Lead Generation
    Property Management Blog The ins and outs of Property Management
    Self Storage Search Engine Self Storage in Minnesota

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  • What was the question?
    By Tron Jordheim on November 11, 2005 | 1 Comment1 Comment  Comments

    Be careful before you answer a question. Make sure you understand the question. Many times a tenant or a prospective customer asks you something and you give them an answer only to get an odd look.

    This story for “Eric’s clean jokes” web site is a perfect example of what can happen.

    What is sex?
    An 8-year-old girl went to her dad, who was working in the yard. She asked him, “Daddy, what is sex?” The father was surprised that she would ask such a question, but decides that if she is old enough to ask the question, then she is old enough to get a straight answer.

    He proceeded to tell her all about the “birds and the bees.” When he finished explaining, the little girl was looking at him with her mouth hanging open. The father asked her, “Why did you ask this question?” The little girl replied, “Mom told me to tell you that dinner would be ready in just a couple of secs.”

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  • Selling or taking orders?
    By Tron Jordheim on July 14, 2005 | No Comments  Comments

    Welcome to the self storage blog, where we keep a diary of our experience in the self storage world.

    I think there is another way to differentiate one operation from another. It is nothing new. It has been talked about for a very long time. It is the difference between making sales and taking orders. Anyone can take an order from a prospect who already wants to buy. But making a sale to someone who is not yet convinced to buy is another subject. When you look at your storage facilities and hear how your staff people deal with prospects, can you tell which side of the fence you are on?

    I had a great visit with a prospective PhoneSmart customer today and found that this company is focused on creating a selling culture and seeks to make sales and not just take orders. I think they will like dealing with us, because we look at our company in the same way. It will also mean that this company will make the most of our work and end up with some great conversion ratios. This makes for a win-win situation we will all enjoy.

    If you have competitors who are just taking orders, you are in a great position, beause you have a little time to shift over to a selling culture or to fully develop your already budding sales culture. If you are competing with the company I met with today, you are several laps behind and need to get moving. You still have time to sell to the customers you will deal with after you have become a sales organization, but in the mean time, you will be losing many of your propsects.

    There is a simple test to tell which side of the fence you are on. The next time someone buys from you , ask yourself, “Did I get this sale beause the person wanted it, or did I do anything to make it happen?”

    If you can’t find anything you did to make it happen, you have taken an order. We all love the “gimme” orders and we need them. But don’t think you had anything to do with it besides just being there.

    If you did something to make it happen, even if it was seemingly a small thing, you have made a sale. Whatever you did to make it happen…do it some more!

    Bye for now,
    Tron

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