Apartment Demonstrations vs. Tours

 

 

We all love giving the apartment tour. That is where we get to see the prospective resident(s) eyes light up and they begin to imagine themselves living in the apartment home. Unfortunately, that dream moment only lasts a couple of minutes and then we need to be prepared to answer questions, handle objections and go for the close.

 

I have been in the apartment industry for over 2 decades and shopped hundreds of communities and can honestly say, I can count on one hand the number of great demonstrations I have received from Leasing Specialists. Sadly, I can also tell you, I, my family and my circle of friends do not have enough limbs, fingers and toes to count the horrifying, un-motivating, non-action inducing tours I have been subjected to over the years.

 

Demonstrating an apartment home is an art form, well thought out, practiced and consciously customized from the knowledge a Leasing Specialists extracts during a phone or initial meeting conversation. The details of the prospective resident(s) must be carefully woven into the demonstration narration, specifically highlighting benefits of features that significantly apply to them individually.

 

The bad news is, most Leasing Specialists are never trained how to effectively demonstrate an apartment. So out of ignorance, they become tour guides, merely announcing the rooms. Leasing Specialist: "This is your kitchen." Prospective Resident: "Holy crap, thanks for telling me, I would have put my bed in here next to the stove!" Leasing Specialist: "This is your bathroom." Prospective Resident: "Wow, you are great, I thought the room without the toilet and sink was the bathroom!"

 

Fess up, you know you have done this, and possibly are still doing it today.

 

We are missing our opportunity to point out benefits of features that would motivate the prospective resident(s) to apply, leave a deposit and move in. Below are some demonstration tips that are sure to increase your closing ratios.

 

Tip #1 - Use your initial phone or in person meeting to extract as much customizable information as possible. Find out names of all of the occupants, names of pets, furniture sizes and colors, interests like baking, clothing, watching televison and what's important to them like outdoor living space, quiet neighborhood, social activities, etc. Anything you can find out, will give you more to utilize when customizing the demonstration. During the demonstration, state everything as though they have already rented and it is his/hers/theirs.

 

Tip #2 - Upon arrival to the model or make ready, build the suspense, keep them outside the door by asking them a few questions. "Have you seen many apartments with ceramic floors throughout?", "Can you picture what 1400 square feet looks like?", "Can you imagine your 12th floor view of the city?" and finally "Are you ready to see your new apartment home?" Upon their positive answer of "Yes", unlock and swing open the door and say "Welcome home!"

 

Tip #3 - Don't announce the DAMN ROOMS, they know what they are. Immediately start pointing out the benefits of the features that you can customize specifically to them, based upon your phone call or meeting. "You told me you liked to entertain, so notice your entry guest closet." "On the same note, take notice of how open the layout is, you can have guests on the balcony, in the living room, in the dining room, at the bar and you will still be able to be part of the party while working in your kitchen."

 

Tip #4 - Know your floor plan facts. "I know you said you like to cook, so that typically means you have a nice collection of pots, pans and dishes. Notice, your kitchen has 18 cabinets, 4 utility drawers and 14 linear feet of countertop space." "Since you told me you work retail, I am assuming you might have a great wardrobe and collection of shoes. This specific floor plan offers at total of 1280 cubic square feet of closet space." (height, multiplied by depth, multiplied by width)

 

Tip #5 - Make them work for the reveal, don't do it for them, this gets them actively involved. "Open your glass sliding door, step onto your balcony and check out your view." "Open your refrigerator and see how many cool compartments there are for your eggs, meats, vegetables and dairy." "Step into your walk-in closet, stretch out your arms, notice you can touch the walls, this is a big closet." "Turn on your stove overhead exhaust fan, listen to how quiet it is."

 

Tip #6 - Remember, they are soon to be homeless, and you just showed them an apartment home that has been customized specifically for them. "Robert, picture your 60" TV on that wall while you watch the Super Bowl, it was built just for you." "Gretchen, picture your first cocktail party, with all of your tasty appetizers artfully displayed on the bar for all to admire." "Penny, picture all of your dollies lined up in the window sill, so they can watch the birds play in the trees while you are at school." "Jimmy, your pet lizard Fang, is going to love all of the sun that comes into your bedroom window."

 

THEY WILL RENT, ASSUME THE APPLICATION AND DEPOSIT. "Ok, let's get back to the leasing center and do the paperwork, so we can get these keys into your hands soon!"

 

Of course there are many other things involved in the dynamics of being a great Leasing Specialist, but one of your strongest tools, is your demonstration talent. Your company is potentially giving you a $12,000 tool annually (lost rent on model), use it wisely and with aggressive dedication. Likewise are the vacant units, each day is lost rent, yet if demonstrated well, the loss can be minimized.

 

So, consider yourself fired as a Tour Guide, and rehired as a "Demonstration Artist"! Let, the demonstrations begin and the commissions roll in!!!