» Sales Techniques

We all love being sold to when we are looking to buy a product. Think about the last time you went to buy something. Some of us had some pleasant experiences and some not so good. Now, when you go to the register or when you pick out a product, does the sales person or the cashier try to get you to purchase other items as well? Do they pressure you to get their store credit card or a savings off your product if you buy more? That is annoying. Wait, we do that do some of our customers in mini storage? Some of us are hardcore sales people that need to ease off the gas a little and drive the customer to renting, not being repelled by us.

Let us explain what we mean by the last line above. Some of us decide not to tell the caller about any additional costs there are to rent such as a lock, admin costs, etc, until they come down to the facility. The customer does not deserve that. If they come down ready to move all of their belongings and bring enough money to cover their unit and tax, they will not be too pleased to pay more than what was quoted on the phone. It is our job as mini storage sales representatives to ensure the caller knows what they are paying for, or any extras they need, before they rent with you. You can maintain that great relationship with the caller if you do so and potentially more units sold.

Trying to get the caller to reserve a space with a credit card, could be handled differently than most property owners hear. Instead of just offering to have the space held, tell the caller why they benefit from giving you their credit card. With mini storage, a customer can understand limited availability or ensuring that they get the great special that was offered. They will not enjoy the fact that you are pressuring them to give you their credit card with no tie in as to why they should give it to you. Would you just give you credit card to a person that says you can hold this space if you give me your credit card? In that statement, it is believed that you have many spaces so we do not need to give them our credit card over the phone. Now saying something like, We are limited in our space that we have. It would benefit you have a space reserved in order guarantee the space will be here when arrive to store. The way to do that is to use your credit card to hold it. The second way did not pressure the customer at all. It simply explained to the caller that it would benefit them to have a space held. In mini storage, show the caller some value when asking for their credit card. For some people, their credit card is their identity.

In mini storage, we are here to help the customers that call or come into our building. Take the time to treat them, as you want to be treated. Ease off the gas a little, do not pressure them and develop a relationship to take care of their needs. Do not surprise them with extra costs, as you would not like to be. Take care of them now and they will refer people to your facility or rent with you for a long time.

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When you listen in on one of our seasoned phone representatives selling self storage, you get the impression that selling self storage is a piece of cake. However, considering the amount of work and effort these representatives have put in to being proficient self storage representatives, you begin to understand how multi-faceted the whole process is. Just like selling any other product or service, selling self storage requires knowledge, practice, and patience.

Our new hires go through an extensive training session that usually lasts their first two weeks with the company. By the end of the two weeks, the basic foundation of how to sell self storage is formed. They learn how to recommend a size, where to look on the store screen for different information, new terminology that is appropriate for the industry, how to ask for the reservation (or sale), and how to utilize sales tools such as move-in specials to get a reservation. At this point enough role plays (acting out a call with two people) have been performed that the next step is to get our new hires on the phone.

The next two weeks of the new hires’ first month are spent practicing with live callers. As there are only so many situations you can role play, nothing is better than hands-on-learning with live callers (After all these are people who can actually say no if given the opportunity. Role plays, however are typically easy sells). This puts the new hire in direct contact with the self storage audience they will be selling to for the remainder of the their employment. Patience plays a key role in this stage of the learning cycle, as not every caller is the same. Some callers can be difficult, some are a pleasure to work with, while others still are just plain mean.

Regardless of the type of call our new hire is dealing with, the practice of looking at the store screen for important information, pacing the speed of delivery, and determining the needs of the caller are all imperative for creating the vine-ripened self storage representative. Then after a few months of being on the phones, they can be expected to be pros at several different scenarios, suggesting two 10×10 units when 10×20 self storage units are sold out, recommending a drive up unit when outside parking is sold out, or even promoting climate controlled self storage units for facilities especially affected by inclement weather.

It is true that some of our representatives are natural born salespeople, and we are glad they work for us. They would be capable of selling anything in any industry. But even these naturals have to be educated to an extent about self storage in order to be proficient in this industry. Basically they can’t sell it if they don’t know the benefits to give to customers, how move-in specials work, what kind of qualifying questions to ask, etc. But by being knowledgeable, well rehearsed, and patient, they have been able to be successful.

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Ever wonder how you can increase your self storage business by using better sales techniques? Here are a few phrases that you can use in your self storage sales pitch to make you sales increase.

• Our job is to help you
• Let StorageMart show you the right way to
•  We make an effort to
• The answer to all of your storage needs
• We offer a full range of
•  We cater to
•  We make it easier to
•  At StorageMart, we do all that and more
• Professional advice
• The solution to your moving, storage and packing needs
• We work harder to make it happen for you
• Each of our managers is hand picked
• Our friendly staff is ready to assist you
• Your self storage manager takes the time and effort to
• Your self storage manager makes himself/herself available
• Sound advice on how to

By including one or two of these phrases into your sales pitch, you can help the customer understand that you are there to help them receive the best customer service possible. Talk to the potential customer like a friend; help them figure out their self storage needs and give them a good self storage rate. Treat the customer like you would want to be treated and you will have a customer for life (or at least a great referral).

Written and compiled by Natalie Thomas, TQAS executive.

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Let’s look at the concept of the price stall for a minute. The first words out of that caller’s mouth might be, How much is a 10×10? You think you need to respond directly to the question. Stop and think about this for a minute. If you give the price right away, then you are enforcing the prospect’s notion that price is the main issue. Bad idea. People often lead with the price question because they don’t know what else to say, or because they erroneously think price should be the main consideration. Well, here are a couple of things you can say to get the chance to go through a few agreements before you give them a price.

Price stall number one: Let me pull up my price screen; and while that’s loading, let me tell you a little bit about us. Now how soon did you say you were going to need something? Oh, okay, great! And do you know where we’re located over on 5th Street? Okay, well then you know we’re a really great place to store because we’ve got this convenience and that convenience. Sounds like it’s a convenient place to store, doesn’t it? And we’ve also got this security feature and that security feature, which means we take security very serious. And after all, you do too, don’t you?

Wow! Before you know it, you’ve already got three agreements out of the way, and you haven’t even talked about size, and you still haven’t given the price, and the caller is perfectly fine with it because your price screen is pulling up. And now up comes your price screen. You can talk about size, figure out price, and set a time to get the caller in the store. Few people will argue with this price stall, because they do not assume you know every price off the top of your head. Customers understand that it takes a minute to load a computer screen.

Written by Tron Jordheim

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For many of us out there in the self storage world, we have a set way or script to do business or to talk to potential customers. Customers call us and they want a price on a storage unit. Being the gracious hosts we are we make their wishes a reality. Now, just taking a snap shot of your community, does everyone look the same? Does everyone act the same? If your answers were no the questions earlier asked, why would you have a set way to talk to each self storage customer?

Everyone is different in the world and different in their storage needs. I believe it is good to have basic questions to ask and ensure that you cover in the presentation, but you have to make the presentation more adaptable. I sometimes hear manager ask the caller what is most important to them. When I hear that question, it’s most often said in the close of the call, after the caller has raised some objection. Wouldn’t be easier to close the sale if you knew which factors are important to them and spend the rest of the sale accommodating those needs? You could ask this powerful question early in the conversation, while you’re building a self storage quote, in order to build even more rapport with the caller.

When picking up the phone to assist customers with their self storage needs, take the time to figure out what makes them different.  Whether location is the deciding factor on renting from you or the gate hours, find out early and use it to your benefit. What makes you different? Are you the same as your brother, sister, or best friend in what your needs are? Of course the answer should be no. Treat each customer differently and find out which one of their needs is different than the previous customer. Not all customers want to hear a list about how many amenities you have or if you have a free truck. Just one simple question would grossly improve your close rate, What is important to you when you are shopping for self storage? From there, it is all in your hands.

Joel Little, Experience Manager

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I have a pool.

Okay, now you know I have a pool, but that isn’t a very exciting statement. How do you know it’s not an icky, green-algae infested pool or just a small kiddie pool?

I have an inground, heated pool complete with waterfall and a hot tub in the corner. It gets the perfect mixture of shade from the palm trees and sunlight so you can get the perfect tan. And on Saturday’s a lovely gentleman cleans the pool and serves drinks to us.

Okay, now you know a lot about my pool. You want to be in it and swim, especially on Saturdays. If you were to drive by another pool, you’d automatically be comparing it to mine.

Can you see how the first statement and the second differ? The first, I have a pool, is how most self storage managers sell their amenities. I have an access controlled gate, we have on-site managers and so on; these are commonly heard. However, to the average American who hasn’t managed a self storage facility, those words are foreign. They hear them and know you must be saying something but they can’t quite make it out.

In the second description of my pool, I painted a picture; I let my reader know how the pool will benefit them. This is an example of how a self storage manager should sell their amenities.

We have an access controlled gate, so that only tenants can enter the property. I live on-site and keep the property safe. We have climate controlled storage to protect your belongings from humidity. We sell moving supplies for your convenience so that you only have to make one trip. Statements like these will lead your customers to compare everyone else to you. This will lead customers in your door.

Written by Sarah Little, TQA Account Executive
The sad truth is that my pool is currently hanging over the side of my porch to dry out because we had to empty it for the sixth time this summer to get the grime out. It’s just a two foot tall kiddie pool; that wouldn’t have worked very well for my demonstration.

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Here is another fun rule of selling. It’s called the Chuckle Rule, and it goes like this: For every chuckle you get from your prospects, the odds of you doing business with them doubles. And it’s an exponential formula. So if you get one chuckle, your odds are twice as good. If you get two chuckles, the odds are four times as good. Now there’s a point of diminishing returns in there somewhere around the third to fifth chuckle where the people are laughing so hard, they leave your store, or they have had enough and would like to get down to business. But keep the chuckle rule in mind. It’s a very, very important rule because that moment of laughter gives you great rapport with people. Having that rapport allows you to really talk openly and honestly with them. It means they are likely to follow your recommendations. It means you can be a little assertive in dealing with them.

I was talking to one of our clients recently who was telling me about how the chuckle rule had helped him make a rental. He had someone walk into the store, and they had shared a few laughs. The potential customer told our client he was not ready to rent anything yet and started to walk out the door. Our client, the store manager said, Oh, come on now, you know you’re going to need it Saturday. Isn’t the best thing to just get it today and start getting organized before Saturday? And the guy turned around and said, Yeah, you’re probably right. Okay. Not the most sophisticated close in the world, but it worked because he had shared a few chuckles and had established some rapport. He didn’t have to be particularly smooth when he tried one more time to get the rental. He just had to try. The chuckle rule is a powerful technique.

Shared by Tron Jordheim, Director of PhoneSmart.

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Creating a selling culture will require good leadership and good management skills from you and your staff people. Some of your favorite employees are going to have a hard time adjusting. You’re going to end up firing a few people you like because they won’t fit in a new system. You’re going to have a hard time finding people to hire as new employees who have what it takes to thrive in a sales culture. Not all of the people who you think will work out actually will end up working out for you. You are going to devote time, money and effort. So what’s the point?

Would you agree that it’s better to have a sales-savvy staff than to not have a sales savvy staff? Okay, great. That is the jumping off point. Call it strategy; call it philosophy; call it keeping up with your competition. If you believe you should have a sales culture then it will be worth creating a sales culture. 

Excerpt from Tron Jordheim’s, Selling Self Storage. Our blogs will regularly feature ideas, tips, stories about the self storage, property management and secret shopping industry. Stay tuned for Tron’s next installment on How to Sell Self Storage.

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Why is convenience consistently the number one reason people choose which self storage property they want to rent at? People want to be able to stop by their self storage unit and not have to go all the way across town. When a potential customer calls your self storage property, you might already be asking, do you know where we are located? And that question should always be followed up with, And is that a convenient location for you?  This idea will stay with the customer if they are still shopping around. If they find two locations that are comparable, they will usually pick the most convenient. Just like regular self storage, boat storage, wine storage, automobile storage is the same. You don’t want your boat storage to be 10miles from the lake that you boat in. Your wine storage needs to be close to the place where you like to entertain and your automobile needs to be accessible.

Self storage developers spend lots of money to research locations that will fit into current areas of the population that will be utilized. Gone are the days of, build it and they will rent so companies are relying heavily on population, saturation, competition and accessibility to have successful self storage properties.

Written by Natalie Thomas, TQAS executive.

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Selling self storage via the telephone at the PhoneSmart Call Center is just like any other sales. First, it is important to determine the needs of the customer and give them all of the pertinent information, such as which of the self storage locations we offer is most convenient for them. Then we go for the close. There are basically four different types of closes, depending on the situation.

1. The Order Blank Close - We simply ask the caller questions until they stop us. What is your name? address? phone number? etc.
   
2. Assumptive Close - Instead of asking the caller if they want to reserve a unit, we just assume that they want to and continue with the reservation.
   • Avoid: Do you want me to hold this unit for you? 
   • Instead: I will go ahead and hold this unit. (Then proceed with the Order Blank Close.)
3. Alternate Choice Close - We close the sale by giving the caller choices.  Do you want to come in on Friday or Saturday? Will you be using Visa or MasterCard?
   
4. Limited Availability - Stressing the limited number of units available builds a sense of urgency with the caller.  Even if there are 250 open units, the number is still limited!

The close is a very important part of any sale. Determining a customer’s needs and selling the store is only half of the process. Completing the sale with the proper close ensures that this caller will become your newest tenant.  

Written by Ann Sheehan

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