» self storage managers

Sometimes, it is hard to figure out how to keep your workers happy.  I mean, your company is not about having fun, per se.  Your company is about producing results, right?  You have a job to do, and you would like to make sure that your workers are doing that job well.  Even so, there are a few small things that you can do to make sure that your workers do not have an eternal case of the blues.  Granted that you are willing to take a breather for a few minutes every couple of weeks, you are going to be able to keep your workers perfectly happy.

One of the best things that you can do for your office is host an occasional potluck.  I mean, when you let all of your workers take a break and enjoy some great food, you are going to see their morale improve rather dramatically.  They get to talk to each other and sample a ton of different foods, and you are hardly going to have to pay for a thing.  Just be sure that you stress the importance of bringing a dish, and you are going to have nearly all of the food provided for free.  Set the date on the calendar, make sure everybody knows by sending a mass email, and you are good to go.  Before you know it, your workers are going to be enjoying themselves tremendously.

Of course, if you would really like to improve their morale, then you are going to provide them with a lunch free of charge.  And really, there are several ways that you can go about doing this.  For one, you can call a catering company and have the food brought to your office.  This is going to guarantee that you are not going to lose much work time, as your workers are not going to have to leave the office to get their lunch.  IF you want to get fancy with it, though, you can take the office out on a little field trip.  You can treat them all to lunch at an actual restaurant and make an afternoon of it.  If you choose to go down this road, then you are going to find that your workers are working a lot harder from then on.  I mean, small perks can go a really, really long way when it comes to improving the overall morale of your office.

Finally, reader, you are not going to want to forget about birthday parties.  While you do not have to fund all of them on the company’s dollar, you are going to want to be sure that your workers are getting the acknowledgement that they deserve.  Send out happy birthday letters, and be sure that you are open to the idea of having a cake in the break room for that day.  A little bit of a party is going to make that worker feel special, and that is always a good thing.

Sure, some of this stuff may seem like a stretch, but if you are not giving your workers an occasional treat, then you are, simply put, a terrible boss.  You do not have to be their best friend, but you should treat them like real people.  They need some acknowledgement once and a while, and you are in charge of giving it to them.

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Are you sick and tired of losing your sales?  Do people step all over you when you are giving your sales presentations?  Do you feel that with a little bit of extra practice, you might be able to significantly improve your sales success rate?  If so, then you have arrived at the right article.  Here, I am going to provide you with some really great strategies for improving your sales figures, whether you are just starting out or you have been working in the field for quite some time, now.   While some of this advice might seem kind of simple, you are going to want to bear it in mind when you head out on your next sales call.  The simple things are the things that you forget the easiest, after all.

First and foremost, reader, be sure that you are not falling victim to the stalls that your customers are going to deliver.  Most of the time, you  are going to catch them in the middle of their shopping process, which means that it is going to be somewhat hard for you to get them to put the phone down and reserve with you.  This, however, does not mean that you should not be trying to get them to do precisely this.  Enumerated, here, are several of the stalls that your callers are going to use, and the ways in which you should ideally respond to them.

If you caller tells you that he or she has to wait for their significant other, then you are not going to want to be too pushy with them.  Chances are that you are going to offend them if you go too far.  Tell them, here, that your concern is the availability of your units.  You are concerned that if they do not reserve, then you are going to run out of them before they get the chance to make it in.  If they insist upon waiting for their significant other, then there is nothing else that you can do.  Try to get them onto your property for a tour as soon as possible, but do not press the issue any further.

If your customer objects to the price and insists upon calling around, you are going to want to do what you can to be sure that your price is not without its context.  If your caller seems overly concerned with how much he or she is going to be paying when they are at your property, simply explain that you have the best security features that are in the area, and that they are going to be getting a lot of valuable services in exchange for those few extra dollars that they are going to be paying.  If you can make them feel as though they are getting a bargain for their money, then you have essentially guaranteed the sale.  Truly, reader, it is just as simple as that when you really sit down and think about it.

Improving your sales skills is not exactly going to happen overnight, but that does not mean that it is not going to happen, period.  If you are ready and willing to do a little bit of research and practice your objections, then you are going to find that you are able to close many more sales, and that you are not as nervous when you are talking to a nonplussed customer.

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Self storage manager is the ultimate responsible person for anything and everything of a storing unit. Many people have a wrong idea about this profession that a property manager is only responsible for collecting the monthly rent from the customers. But, practically the scenario is not that. Many medium or small sized storing centers do not have the financial ability to hire several people for different types of jobs. So, the owner hires only one professional to take care of anything related to the stores. For these managers, it is really difficult to keep track of his responsibilities. Starting from gate handling to accounting, he has to look after everything.

However, there are some primary responsibilities of a self storage manager . These are described below.

• The most important responsibility of a manager is to deal with the renting unit or space. He has to enhance the saleability of the warehouse. He should be planning out different types of marketing and advertising strategies to increase the popularity and reputation of the store within that locality. Providing superior client service skill, he has to convert potential customers into permanent renters. The main objective of any store owner is to have more customers and an efficient manager is the most important tool to do that.

• The self storage manager be responsible for any type of help to the customers. He has to solve or answer any problems or queries faced by the clients, in a timely and courteous way. He has to attend the telephone calls also, with a total professional attitude having an objective of converting the telephone inquiries into real life renters. He should always be aware about the service provided by other storing facilities, so that he could compete with them.

• He has to handle aggressive collection practice to maintain the standard of the company.

• He will also be responsible for entering payments, bank deposits, maintaining records and reports and looking after the office room.

Sometimes, on top of all the above duties, a self storage manager is also responsible for running the front office, keeping the facility clean, spraying insecticides, mowing the lawn, doing electrical jobs, maintaining the entry point, working on general mechanical repairs and many more. For many facilities, there are specific service providers for taking care of the lawn, the building, the electrical connections and equipments etc. However, at time of emergency, the manager is the only one, to give primary support. Unless the manager is a jack of all trades, he will not be able to manage all these together.

If you want to succeed as a self storage manager , you should have certain abilities in some specific areas. Some of these areas are telephone and online sales, merchandising and displaying the unit, tenant management, auctions, light maintenance, accounting and record keeping, security processes, computer or storing software etc. A managerial position in a reputed storing facility offers various benefits like medical, dental, vision, paid vacation, paid holidays and bonuses. However, relocation may not be available all the time. No specific education is required for the post, though the incumbent should be smart, energetic and professional.

Many such jobs are available over the internet. If you are interested to start your career in this industry, then you can search the job sites for this type of position.

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As the self storing rental property industry is growing day by day, the requirements for efficient self storage managers are also increasing. The industry is always in need of these professionals, as very few people are really eligible to tackle the multi faceted responsibilities of a storing unit. Usually, a dynamic and energetic team is required to carry out all the works at the warehouse. Some big storing companies have their branches all over the country. They have various kinds of requirements for different types of works at the storing facility. However, some smaller sized storing facility cannot afford to hire many people for different type of responsibilities. These storing facilities can at most manage to have a team of 2 to 3 smart, dedicated and efficient professionals.

The responsibilities of self storage managers vary from place to place. Mainly, these are the post of administrative managers, who are responsible for looking after the daily operations of the storing facility. These managers will supervise the other employees of the warehouse. They also have the authority to hire or fire subordinates with the approval of the owner or the director. The senior managers are also responsible for managing the financial aspects of the storing facility. Sometimes, they have additional responsibility to look after the marketing and sales part of the business. Thus, the major part of the responsibilities lies on the shoulders of these managers.

There are various types of positions available for the job of self storage managers . Other than administrative managers, the most common posts are location manager, location assistant manager etc. A location manager is completely responsible for the warehouse. He should be living on site providing whole hearted service to the customers. The location assistant manager post is mainly available at the bigger sized companies. The person should be assisting the location manager by all means. Normally, the storing companies look for smart, dedicated, customer and sales oriented persons for these positions.

The self storage managers earn a lot, in terms of money and benefits. The senior positions are offered a good compensation package, along with different types of allowances. However, these positions require some amount of experience in the industry. Without any experience, you will not be eligible to apply for this post. In case of other positions, experience is not a must, but preferable. Most of the companies pay competitive salaries, commissions and bonuses for these positions. As these posts require the employees to stay onsite, the cost of renting a residence and transportation for commuting to the warehouse can be saved. This amount of savings is another great benefit earned from this profession.

Over the internet you will get to see many positions for self storage managers . To get a list of all available jobs in the storing industry, search the websites. At these job websites, you can apply online with your resume and details of work experience, if any. These job websites will send your application to the respective storing companies. Otherwise, you can also apply directly to the individual websites dedicated for specific storing companies. These storing firms advertise regularly their employment opportunities in their own website. Anyone can apply for these vacancies. If you are energetic, sincere and dedicated to your work, nothing can stop you from reaching the top position in this industry.

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Written by Tron Jordheim, Director of PhoneSmart, your offsite sales force. Call Center in Columbia Missouri.

Thanks for reading today’s self storage blog; the truth behind managing and selling self storage.

Your local self storage unit provider in 6401 Third St. Stock Island Key West, FL. 33040

Total Quality Assurance Services Quality Assurance Testing

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Written by Kay Johnson PhoneSmart call center blog editor, and business blog writer.

Welcome to the PhoneSmart call center blog, an inside view of the self storage industry.

Your local self storage unit provider in 2727 Shermer Rd. Northbrook, IL. 60062

Total Quality Assurance Services has Quality Management Services.

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Welcome to the PhoneSmart blog, an insider diary of the self-storage industry.

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Welcome to the slef storage blog, our self storage diary. Today’s self storage blog comes from Angela, one of our sales reps. She has been taking self storage calls for a long time in our call center and has talked to people all over North America.

When It is Okay Not To Be Okay

As I write this blog I want you think what the definition of a “mirror” is. When you look in the mirror what do you see? You see the same thing as you would see on the other side. In a mirror you get what you see, this way there are no surprises nor do you have to worry about seeing something that makes you look funny or something that you feel is too high class for you. The same thing works for when we are on the phones talking to our customers about storage.
Since we are a national call center, our customers are from coast to coast. Like everything else from coast to coast it changes; whether it is the cost of living, the gas prices or even the type of education that is offered. We should keep this in mind as we speak to our customers. Here at PhoneSmart it is ideal to keep the caller in their comfort zone.
In order to do this we should mirror our customers. Of course, it is hard to fake an accent such as presented in the New York, southern, or even Canadian stores but using words like “our”, “here”, and “we” will give the caller the impression that you are talking about a storage unit that is at the facility where they called; which will make them feel comfortable. It is important that the caller feels comfortable so that he or she will not be reluctant to give out personal information or even a credit card number.
To ease the caller’s suspicions or to avoid the caller being hesitant, speak their language. A person may say, “Ma’am, I have a 2 bedroom house that has a sofa, bedroom suite (pronounced suit) to store.” So in return you should say, “Okay I understand that you have … to store, is that correct sir?” pronouncing words the same that they did in their initial explanation of what is needed.

Although in the back of your mind you may want to say home instead of house or couch instead of sofa or even bedroom suite pronounced sweet, or perhaps you are not accustom to using ma’am or sir. But if they used the title with you then it is appropriate do the same with them. Does it really matter how you pronounce it? No, just as long as the caller and you are speaking the same language.

There are times that we may answer the phone and someone uses improper English and says “aint” or “fina” or even use language that is not appropriate for a professional call such as “yeah” or “uh huh”. Again it may be hard to train yourself to use improper English but if they say “yeah” then you should do so as well. Giving the caller a comfortable dialogue will ease their mind and allow them to focus on what their initial call was about… which is storage. If a caller instead tries to concentrate on how we talk or how to mirror us, it may seem as though we are talking “above” them.

My pastor once said that when giving a sermon or talking to a large group of people, you should try to find the youngest person in the audience and base your lecture to them, that way if the youngest member of the audience can understand what you are saying then the most intelligent or advance person in the group can articulate what is being said as well. That way no one in the audience has missed what is being said. This makes the same sense in storage as well, not only through calls but through your everyday life. Try to mirror the person you are speaking to this way this will eliminate the stress of how the conversation is being presented and will allow both of you to focus on what the conversation is about.

Angela

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Welcome to the Self storage blog, our window into the world of self storage.

I heard someone once say that the way to win over a customer is to deliver an unexpected gesture at an unexpected time.

When I hear stories from self storage managers about their “secrets of success”, they often revolve around the same theory. One store manger told me that he also stops to check on people who are moving things into their units just to see if they need anything. It takes him just a few minutes to do it.

The people are very appreciative that he cares to check on them. It builds good will. He also ends up selling additional boxes, tape and packing material this way. And he gets to see if someone is storing something that they shouldn’t be storing. The simple act of walking up to the tenant and saying, “Hi. How’s it going? Is there anything I can do or get for you that would make your move-in go a little smoother?” serves so many purposes.

I know many managers who get up from their seat and come out from behind their counters to greet people who come in the store. This is another simple and unexpected gesture that makes people feel special.

Look at your routines and identify the unexpected and well timed gestures you offer your customers. Then keep doing them. And come up with one or two more.

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Welcome to the self storage blog, PhoneSmart’s diary of our day to day experiences in the world of self storage.

A few days ago I wrote an entry about the lady who left her birth certificate in storage too long. I thought it was a good story because the whole ordeal helped our client catch a door that had been accidentally left unlocked at the property. The lady calling us was the inspiration for this blog entry from Wendy, our evening supervisor. Wendy go to talk to her several times that night.

Wonderful People

A lot of the calls that we take here in the evening are some very nice people! Just joking. Most are pleasant but some are not. The ones I am talking about are those not so pleasant people that call and hear my smiling voice and are still not nice!

I know it is most likely because of their present situation at that time. A lot of the calls we take late at night are people with storage bills they did not pay. They call the store when they are trying to get into their units after hours. They are over-locked and can’t get into the unit. Since the store staff is gone for the day, we get to talk to them.

One particular woman called and knew she was late on the bill. She said she had paid the bill, but could not access her unit. We don’t know if the caller is making up a story hoping that we will find a way to get them in to their units. We don’t know if they actually did pay and there was some confusion in getting their over-lock removed. Or we don’t know if they made a partial payment and the staff was not able to remove the over-lock.

Well I took the brunt of that call for the next 2-3 hours after initial contact. When I had first spoken with her she demanded to speak to someone above me. After I had told her she would need to contact the manager the following day, she got very upset. This is not unusual and we have gotten good at “taking arrows” from callers. She was leaving for a trip and needed her birth certificate to leave the country. So I passed the call on to my superior who had resolved the issue with her or so we thought.

Two hours later she called back and got to speak with another agent here. Again she demanded a supervisor. So at that point I got on the phone with her and tried as hard as I could to get through to her but it was to no avail. I got cussed out yet again. At least in the midst of her cussing she did apologize. To my surprise! Most people cuss me out and do not apologize. They often don’t admit that they had a hand in causing their current difficult situation. But anyway, I did the best I could do for her situation, which she realized towards the end of this horrid call.

So I endure to take another phone call from another person who is mad at me because she didn’t pay her bill and is now locked out, just minutes from the one I just told you all about. I smile and go on as if the next caller will be a little more pleasant.

Wendy

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