Do you have a learning culture in your business?

Having a learning culture in property management will take you one step beyond simply having the skills you need to deliver a good service. It will empower your staff to achieve dramatically improved results compared to traditional businesses. Because as you are enabling staff to anticipate and adapt to change, as well as grow through innovation, they will also become more energetic, loyal and goal orientated.

Creating a learning culture requires a change in the way you see the traditional real estate model – usually heavily focused on sales training. To develop a company wide learning culture, training must become a key focus in the overall business strategy and it needs to be seen as a long term commitment (not a quick fix). A true learning culture continuously challenges its own systems and way of doing things, ensuring continuous improvement for not just the business but the individuals themselves.

Training can be a strong motivating factor for your staff, for some property managers this progress and development will be more important than money, as it helps them grow and gain new skills. It will help their performance at work and make them feel part of something bigger than themselves. Your workplace can become a business that people strive to come and work for.

On a team management level it will also get everyone functioning together, trusting and complementing each other and through having common goals will be able to produce extraordinary results. To be effective, training needs the full participation and commitment of all staff, at all levels – especially you.

To get started on redesigning your learning culture, we have a great analysis tool that can help you to identify where your company is currently at in regards to learning culture, click here to receive the “Learning Culture Audit” checklist!

If you are Real+ member, click here to visit Real TV where you can watch the webinar, 'Team Management Tools'

The 7 Don'ts of Creating Strong Client Relationships with your Landlords

Working in property management means we have to wear many hats and play many different roles for our clients. It can be a demanding yet rewarding job. There are several minor mistakes than can happen on a daily basis but generally these mistakes can be rectified without damaging the client relationship.

Sadly there are a few more significant relationship mistakes that we can all easily make that will potentially damage a bond with a client. Once a relationship with a client is damaged or doubted it can make even the simplest tasks moving forward, difficult to deal with, let alone keeping that client on board for life.

To ensure you keep your client relationships strong from the start (and not to mention make your life easier,) here are 7 tips from the experts of what not to do.

1.       Don’t think it’s just a job – Passion is palpable, if you don’t care about your job it shows. Not feeling passionate? Take a moment to make a connection between what you do and the bigger picture. Constantly seek out ways to grow, learn and develop. Would you prefer to have an agent who is passionate about what they do? Or doesn’t care? What breeds more trust?

2.       Don’t be too sure of yourself – Keep a healthy perspective of yourself, remember it’s not about you and stay client focused. Clients do not like someone who comes across as patronising, knows it all, or constantly sings their own praises. Show me how good you are, don’t tell me.

3.       Don’t tell ‘white lies’ – This includes exaggerating. We can usually tell when others are doing this so why wouldn’t clients be able to pick up on it?  “When you create a reputation for honesty, for laying out all your cards even when it doesn’t benefit you, for telling the whole truth – you’ll gain customer loyalty that money can’t buy. Clients will trust, respect and refer you and your own life will become easier” - Joseph Callaway

4.       Don’t be too professional – Remember to stay human and be real to your clients, being too robotic and professional will give off the impression to the client that they are just another number. Don’t be afraid to make a personal connection - give a little something about yourself, find out more about your client and see them as more than an ATM machine.

5.       Don’t think you’re always right – Being the expert in the relationship it’s easy to automatically think you are right, but that doesn’t mean their opinion doesn’t matter. Try to put yourself in the clients shoes and see things from their perspective, you might find a new way of looking at things or at least a better viewpoint and attitude to exhibit in those tough conversations.

6.       Don’t be tight with your time – We all know our time is valuable and so do your clients. Wrapping up that conversation to get to the next one is noticeable and will not show that their relationship is important to you. Sharing your time, taking that extra minute to explain, educate, re-clarify or seek input, can become the most valuable relationship maker. “Imagine everyone you meet is wearing a sign around their neck which says - make me feel important” – Mary Kay.

7.       Don’t fail to express gratitude –We all want to feel valued, there are many ways to say thank you other than the usual verbal way.  It’s easy to take clients for granted or make them feel as though they aren’t valued. “Find ways in your everyday discussions to make them feel valued through getting to know them personally, forgiving occasional bad behaviour, and staying up-to-date in your field so you can give them the highest level of service," Joseph Callaway says.

If you are Real+ member, click here to visit Real+TV where you can watch our webinar with special guest expert Kirsty Spraggon: How to Create a Client for Life.

Need Advice on Landlord Relationship Management?

Don't just woo them - win them over long term!

The first stages of the landlord relationship are kind of like a new romance. We are trying our best to woo the client during our first date with them (the appraisal), showing them all our best features and tricks (during the leasing process) and securing them as yours (negotiating the tenancy).

But what happens once this honeymoon period is over? Does the ongoing relationship burn strong with confidence that they have made the right choice in you?

Or is this the part where attention to that client quickly fades as other tasks take priority, and the client is left wondering why they made the decision to go with you in the first place? Are they thinking “None of those amazing promises they first made are being met!”

Perhaps the problem doesn’t lie in there being other tasks to do (there will always be other tasks to do) but potentially, in the rush to woo the client over: 

1. The needs of those clients hasn’t been effectively listened to, recorded, or passed onto the property management team. How are they best contactable? What level of involvement do they wish to have in the ongoing management? At what stage do they need to be advised about certain issues?

Or 2. That we haven’t done a thorough job in educating our new clients as to exactly how the ongoing management process will move forwards after the initial honeymoon period. Do they know what the property management service includes? How we communicate with them, how is best to contact us, expected response times, how unforeseen issues will be dealt with, when they receive their funds and more.

Of course first impressions are important to establish the relationship with the client - the initial impression can set the tone for the entire customer experience! However it is increasingly more important to spend more time in discussing the needs and requirements of the ongoing relationship, to ensure that you’re passing over the baton smoothly beyond the initial stages of leasing. 

If you are Real+ member, click here to visit Real+TV where you can watch our webinar: Starting the Landlord Relationship Right.