It is imperative, as a Marketing Manager, to consistently come up with new and effective ideas to increase traffic resulting in more new leases.  When the property owners asked me to start marketing all the businesses in my town, I wanted to come up with a plan that did not involve cold calling.  With any type of direct marketing, it is easier if you know someone and who better than our own residents.

Every Monday morning, the Property Managers at each community fax me copies of applications of all the move-ins from the previous week.  I then highlight where they work and I schedule an appointment on my weekly calendar to visit them at their work place.  When visiting the new resident, I am able to welcome them in person with a bag of goodies with assortment of colorful balloons attached that say we love our residents and welcome home.  The bags have our company logo on it, and it includes a mouse pad, work out towel, cozies, candy and cookies.  The purpose of this marketing strategy is threefold:
•    Creating a lasting positive impression on the new resident.
•    Impressing coworkers that will lead to discussions about our communities.
•    Making a contact with the human resource department for future marketing efforts.

Since I have implemented this program three months ago, we have increased our occupancy by 5% and we have experienced an increase in our corporate referrals.  We also have had a great response from the residents and the businesses that we visit.  Our residents feel very special that we have taken time out of our schedule to make them feel welcomed.

I have been in the apartment industry for several years and one thing I have learned what you need to implement ideas that separate you from the competition.  My success in this marketing program has been tremendous, and I know it will be an instrumental tool for this industry.

Contributed by:  Gita R. Tollette, Marketing Training and Recruiting Manager

Easy customizing with some simple office supplies and a color printer:
Purchase the business card size perforated paper and print a “Welcome” message on it, including the phone # of the office.  We then glue these to some inexpensive refrigerator magnets that are the same size, and voila, the residents have an easily accessible way to reach the office – right on their refrigerator.
Purchase some small box type containers – either in the shape of a house, a Chinese food container, etc. (available at local import stores or oriental trading company, etc.) and glue a cute message on there – printed on those same business card size notes.  Fill with candy, and you are ready to go!
Small boxes of inexpensive stationery and pens can be tied together with a simple ribbon and a welcome card put there.
Print out one or two pages of return address labels for the new resident as part of their move-in gifts.

Other tricks…
A lot of paint vendors will have miniature paint cans that you can fill with candy, etc. or even touch up paint as move in gifts.
Work with local pizza delivery companies – we have exchanged coupons and free advertising for them by letting them put in a small box with a coupon on it for one free pizza upon move-in – with two sodas.  We put these in the refrigerators for the new move-ins – and our residents’ first meal is free!

Contributed by Micha Breen

In a work environment, it’s natural for employees to strive for attention. While they seek positive attention first – such as acknowledgment, praise, admiration, and love – they also strive for negative attention as well – such as criticism, mockery and contradiction. Of course people prefer positive attention, but if they don’t get it, most still prefer negative attention to none at all.

Acknowledgment for Announcements
Typically, people look for this praise by making personal or professional announcements to others; their co-workers or even their managers. When they announce their goals or their achievements, they are seeking acknowledgment for those intentions.
Here’s an example: While standing in a social gathering, a colleague announces: “My goal is to climb up the job ladder. I’ll work harder than ever before, and I will move into an upper management role.” Some of his co-workers will naturally pat him on the back and say, “I think that’s a great idea; you are so ambitious!” In this scenario, the person is receiving praise for his intentions, but not his actions. This form of verbal acknowledgment is very flattering; he received attention and thus positive recognition for his announcement.
Here’s another example: In a typical sales meeting, the sales manager wants to know how many leads are likely to convert over the next quarter. The employees will naturally overestimate their conversion rates because the higher they shoot for, the more recognition they receive from their manager. Acknowledgment is given for the announcements, and as a result, the manager has a certain expectation from each employee. If those expectations aren’t met, there is disappointment and possibly serious consequences.
Ultimately employees desire the positive recognition they get through their announcements. Once they receive the recognition they desire, often times there is a lack of follow through. After all, why would someone work toward his announcement if he has already received the positive praise and attention he was seeking?
Attention for Excuses
As soon as the announced goals aren’t achieved, management will look for an explanation. Excuses are the common solution, and some people will be successful with this behavior. Most excuses will lead to even more announcements, which will result in attention, praise and acknowledgment.
For example, if someone complains she couldn’t complete her project because she is severely stressed, her managers and co-workers may feel sorry her, offering her advice to help get her life under control. Now, the “victim,” or the person who should be accepting the consequences of failure, is receiving attention for making excuses. If a person sees herself as a victim, she washes her hands of all responsibility, blames others and sees herself as entirely innocent.
The problem, again, is that if most people strive for acknowledgment and attention and receive both through their announcements and their excuses, why should they work for anything more?
If you’re ready to focus more on “doing” and less on “announcing,” here are a few simple rules to live by:
1. Be a person of action – Don’t announce it, just do it
Never announce a goal unless you have to in order to achieve it. Before making an announcement, ask yourself, “Is announcing this necessary because other people really need the information, or am I looking for an endorsement?“ If the latter applies, keep it to yourself and put your first task into action.
Even if one lives up to her announcements, she will always be perceived as a person of words. However, someone who continuously brings in results will be perceived as a person of action. Only a person of action has the respect of her peers and her manager.
2. Never back – Always forward
Every excuse is a justification. Every time you blame someone or something else, you admit you didn’t have power over the circumstances. A person of action takes matters into his own hands, explaining why something didn’t work as originally announced.  Always keep in mind how you will achieve the announcement; this way you don’t have to explain why it didn’t work, but what you can change to make it work. Don’t think “after” the fact, making excuses for the past, but think “forward” and do it!
3. Demand and reward actions, not announcements
To hold others accountable in the same way you hold yourself, never give praise for an announcement again. Do not compliment prior to achievement, and do not even agree or nod your head in approval. Don’t let your co-workers get any praise for their announcements!
Giving acknowledgment for announcements rather than achievements sets a negative standard, allowing your peers to give too little recognition for actual accomplishments.
4. Ignore excuses, force solutions
Always ignore excuses. Don’t listen, even if someone tells you, “I just want to explain…” Simply say, “ I don’t want to know why something didn’t work. I only want to know how you will make it work. Tell me how you will do it in the future.”
People of action lead simpler, easier and more successful lives!
Satisfied?
Receiving attention through announcements or excuses is rarely satisfying, and truthfully, it can lead to long-term confidence issues, depression, and other psychological and physical problems.
By following these simple rules, you will be surrounded by goal-oriented people, which will make you and your team more efficient and successful.
When employees aren’t held accountable by the manager or co-workers, productivity suffers: There is too much talk and not enough action.
*Translated by Anja Strejcek.

About the Author:
Eric Adler is a trainer and mastercoach in the fields of communication, motivation and mental training. He is an Austrian-based, best-selling author who developed a unique method for measurable and verifiable personality development. A public study that consisted of 800 adults and teens documented that Eric’s unique form of personal development training had a very effective impact. His know-how is widespread in the licensing system in Europe, and he now issues licenses to trainers, speakers, coaches and consultants in the U.S., as well. For more information, visit www.asc12.com or e-mail adler@asc12.com.

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The goal is 50% ready for ALL properties~ the property that is the highest % vacant ready the MAINTENANCE SERVICE team & Mgr gets a bonus~   If the properties with the larger # of vacants will hit 50% ready then I will start a separate contest for those properties~ The properties that are highly occupied usually start making budget income & NOI and then I ask those owners to place the properties on a quarterly bonus program~

Media Vehicles: Emails~

Estimated Cost: Bonus amount for team
Results: GREAT way to get 50% of vacant product turned and ready!~

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Many management companies offer an incentive to the resident for renewing in some form of discount, etc.  The Gene B. Glick Company wanted to offer a similar program company-wide of the sake of consistency, but they were reluctant to use an accelerated percentage program that would deduct too much from the bottom line over the course of several years.  During a Brainstorming session on the topic, one of their Property Managers came up with the idea to reduce the amount of the increase by a percentage, rather than the entire apartment rent.

It was a perfect solution!  As a result, each resident receives 20% off their increase when they renew their lease.  It provided exactly what their residents wanted… recognition that they’re valued and the realization that they are getting a better deal than market renters.

Has it worked?  The first Property Manager to implement it changed the minds of two residents who’d given intent to vacate notices, the first day the idea was implemented!

Contributed by Brenda Coons

The UNConvention

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Brand new at this year’s event and located in the hotel’s lobby area, the Tweet Spot will broadcast a continuous, big-screen display of the Brainstorming Twitter streams. It’s “Social Networking Central” at Brainstorming, providing a place to share thoughts, tips, ideas, and insights in person and online, with other Brainstorming followers while the event is underway. If you’d like to learn how to use Twitter more effectively, join our social networking experts at the Tweet Spot for one of the 15-minute educational sessions that will be held throughout the event to help you make better use of this exciting format!

Tuesday, November 17

• 2:00pm: Twitter 101 Demo (15 min overview)
• 3:00pm: Twitter 101 Demo (15 min overview)
• 4:00pm: Twitter 101 Demo (15 min overview)
• 5:00-6:00pm: Tweet Up – See who’s following who and maximize your online social network by mingling with the socialites of the multifamily-housing industry up-close and personal!

Wednesday, November 18
Tweet Spot Open from 7:30am-8:45am, 12:30pm-1:45pm and 5:30pm-8:00pm

• 8:00am: Twitter 101 Demo (15 min overview)
• 1:00pm: Twitter 101 Demo (15 min overview)
• 5:45pm: Twitter 101 Demo (15 min overview)

Thursday, November 19

• 9:00am: Twitter 101 Demo (15 min overview)
• 10:00am: Twitter 101 Demo (15 min overview)
• 12:00pm: Twitter Power Users Demo (30-45 min overview)
• 2:00pm: Twitter 101 Demo (15 min overview)
• 4:00pm: Twitter 101 Demo (15 min overview)
• 6:00pm: Tweet Up – Join all your new Twitter friends and maximize your online social network while mingling with the socialites of the multifamily-housing industry up-close and personal!

Friday, November 20

• 11:00am: Twitter 101 Demo (15 min overview)

Friday
November 20, 2009

Look Before You Leap
Presented by Doug Chasick, CPM®, CAPS, CAS, Adv. RAM, CLP, SLE, Chief Learning Officer, and Senior VP, Multifamily Professional Services, CallSource and Nadeen Green, Senior Counsel, For Rent Media Solutions
9:00 – 10:30 am

There are lots of good reasons for our industry to embrace social media to connect with prospects and residents; but because social media is impacted by fair housing, it’s very important to look first before you leap! With discussions about model releases, endorsement releases, and more, presenters Doug Chasick and Nadeen Green will show you exactly where and how you need to look so you can make the leap with care and confidence, and land safely with success!

More Real Tools, Real Strategies, Real Results
10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Moderated by Anne Sadovsky, CSP with Joe Bailey, President, Grace Hill, Inc.; Toni Blake, President, TotallyToni.com; Eve Bradford, Revenue Reviver, Excel Training, Design & Consulting, Inc.; Doug Chasick, CPM®, CAPS, CAS, Adv. RAM, CLP, SLE, Chief Learning Officer, and Senior VP, Multifamily Professional Services, CallSource; Mark Cukro, President, Plus One Consulting, Inc.; Cheryl Donato, National Multifamily Trainer/Speaker, Apartment Performance Training Solutions (A.P.T.S.); Julie Marie Irvin, President, Keystone Resources; Joe Kaye, Director of Sales and Marketing, Direct Energy; Amy Kosnikowski, President, Quintessential Marketing & Training; Patty Morgan-Seager, President and Owner, Seager Marketing; Jackie Ramstedt, CAPS, CAM, CAS, Owner & CMO Chief Motivational Officer, Ramstedt Enterprises, Inc.; Wendy Walker, Owner and President, Wendy Rae Walker Associates Speaking & Training; and Additional Panelists To Be Announced

You probably know that there’s a whole galaxy of tools out there that would benefit you, your company, and community … but it can sometimes seem like there are as many of them as there are stars in a clear night sky, leaving you wondering which ones really work and searching for the solutions that are right for you. Well, you can finally stop wondering and searching, because this astounding session will bring them all within reach. Our panel of industry insiders has searched the known universe and identified the resources that today’s Multifamily Professional needs to achieve stellar success, and they’re bringing them all to Brainstorming! You’ll walk away with not just ideas, but the actual sources behind the tools, techniques, tips, products, services, and more that we’ll explore together, so you can put them into action immediately! The countdown begins on Friday morning, so be there and Blast Off from business as usual to Out Of This World Results!

Social Media in the Workplace: Risk, Liability, Policy, Management and Training presented by Jamie Gorski, Senior Vice President, Corporate Marketing, The Bozzuto Group
Mike Whaling, President and Founder, 30 Lines
Allison Crabtree, Director of Marketing, Bell Partners
Mark Juleen, V.P., Director of Marketing, J.C. Hart Company, Inc.
Lisa Trosien, President, ApartmentExpert.com
Eric Brown, President, Urbane Apartments
10:30 am – 1:00 pm

Though most marketing, management and HR executives accept that social networking is key to improving their business and plan to increase its use to further corporate objectives, it’s natural to be concerned with the risks of entering such a dynamic atmosphere including such potential pitfalls as reputation mishaps or lost productivity. Join the discussion in this executive panel session designed to help you become more aware of the real issues and opportunities surrounding social media so that you can, in turn, craft policies that will work effectively within your corporate culture; avoid potential conflicts of interest and safeguard confidentiality; identify smart guidelines and management metrics; and train your team to effectively put social media to work for you proactively and competitively in the marketplace!

Best Practices in Affordable Housing
Rick Ellis, President, ELLIS Consulting Group, Inc.
Lia Nichole Smith, Director of Marketing and Training, SPM Property Management
10:30 am – 12:45 pm

Effectively optimizing the performance of affordable housing communities requires a solid knowledge of what works; so this session zeroes in on only proven strategies for success, including real-world lessons learned, and techniques for effectively handling the unique challenges affordable housing presents. You’ll learn the latest best practices for attracting qualified, low-income residents; managing tax credit certification and recertification; training your team to handle the unique intricacies; overcoming a “low rent” reputation; and much more. If you’re responsible for one or several affordable housing communities, this is one session you can’t afford to miss!

You’ll spend all day Wednesday Brainstorming with changing groups of multifamily professionals from coast to coast, and that’s how we multiply the power of our entire industry and the number of solutions that we can generate together.

On Friday at Brainstorming, the tables turn, offering a very special opportunity for you to Brainstorm with only members of your own team and address the issues and challenges that you’re facing together as a company, right now. You provide the Brainstormers, and we’ll provide a reserved table (or tables) staffed with expert Brainstorming Facilitators. Best of all, there’s No Additional Charge!

All you have to do is register your Brainstormers for the event, then drop us a line at info@multifamilypro.com to let us know that you’d like to participate in private Brainstorming Sessions with your own corporate team on Friday, and approximately how many members of your team will participate in this portion of the event. (We’ve found that around 5-7 Brainstormers per table works best, but we’re flexible!)

Then, prepare to kiss your team’s toughest challenges goodbye, because we’ll focus the massive power of Brainstorming on your needs! You and your team will walk away with targeted and ready-to-implement solutions that are unique to the needs of your company and communities!

*Please note that once you’ve reserved a private Brainstorming table for Friday and been assigned your Facilitator(s), advance notice is greatly appreciated should there be a change in your plans to participate in this portion of the event, as a courtesy to your assigned Facilitator(s). Thank you!

NOVEMBER 18-20, 2009  |  Hyatt Regency  |  Houston, TX Click here

NOVEMBER 18-20, 2009  |  Hyatt Regency  |  Houston, TX Click Here

Marketing Thursday, November 19, 2009
Sponsored By:

Implementing Social Media as Part of Your Strategic Marketing Plan, Presented by Lisa Trosien, President, ApartmentExpert.com and Mike Whaling, President and Founder, 30 Lines

Are you confident that Social Media Marketing is a necessary component of your marketing strategy? How do you ensure your decisions will provide measurable ROI? In the last 18 months, Social Media Marketing has generated a lot of attention and buzz in marketing circles. Mainstream media continues to point to unprecedented adoption rates for social networks like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and others, prompting businesses to not merely ask whether or not to adopt social media as part of the marketing mix, but to decide how they should adopt it. In this session, we will discuss how others are using social media and how they are tracking their ROI, and then work together to write a Strategic Marketing plan that you can take back to the office and get started.

Breakthrough Marketing – Presented by Tracey Hopkins, Owner / Chief Marketing Mechanic, Jumpstart Marketing and Jamie Gorski, Senior Vice President, Corporate Marketing, The Bozzuto Group

In today’s multimedia world, we live in a constant fog of marketing messages; and only the brightest, freshest, most interesting and innovative efforts break through to capture the imagination and attention of residents and prospects. Today’s increasingly marketing-savvy consumers know exactly what their attention is worth; and they expect you to work for it as an indication that you’re serious about meeting their needs. This session takes a tour of the most innovative ways to command attention so you can jump-start your efforts, and shine beyond the fog of mediocre marketing, today!

Never Mind the Money … Show Me The Results! Presented by Todd Katler, Vice President, Level One, Inc.

What you spend on advertising is important, but the more critical factor to your success is what you get for what you spend; and that means you need to be as educated and careful in measuring results as you are in deciding where and how to advertise in the first place. This step-by-step workshop will teach you, very simply, to define and execute the best possible measures of your ad source spend. You’ll learn the pitfalls common in calculating cost per lead and cost per lease and how to avoid them, and walk away with new tools and skills for evaluating your advertising results as accurately and consistently as possible.

INTELLIGENT Marketing: Customer Service – Your Reason to RENT! Presented by Toni Blake, Owner, TotallyToni.com

Do you want to be … the best deal or the best place to live? Many in our industry have been distracted by the price war and lured into making their price the reason to rent! This seminar will show you an entire plan for focusing on being the “best place to live” not simply the best deal! Discover great new ad copy, marketing plans, focused laser outreach ideas, new technologies, creative resident referral and relations, innovative customer service programs developed with evidence based best practices and a renew plan that simply WORKS! You will hear specific detailed results in success stories from the companies who have already blazed this trail. Your results are based on your focus – what have you been watching? Come and let Toni Blake inspire you with INTELLIGENT Marketing!

Lights! Camera! Cell Phone! Sales! Presented by Mike D’Alba| Director of Mobile Media, For Rent Media Solutions™ and Melanie Stiles, Director of Marketing and Training, Milestone Management

Using video and digital cameras for immediate, on-demand images and cell phones for texting and email are second nature to today’s consumers, opening up many new opportunities for us to more effectively lease and market our communities; and there are big wins in store for those who get it right. This session will walk you through the many opportunities to use video, still images, and text communications to best advantage. You’ll walk away with innovative ways to capture the attention and imaginations of today’s renters; immediately satisfy their informational and visual needs; put your company and communities on today’s communications edge; and begin leasing more apartments as an immediate result!

Sharpen Your Marketing Skills – Presented by Greg Benson, Account Supervisor, Merrick Towle Communications

To keep a company and communities on top, today’s Marketing Professional faces an ever-changing spectrum of opportunities! The skills needed to turn those opportunities into profitable results, however, are solid fundamentals that simply need to be kept sharp! This session is designed to home in on the Essential Marketing Skill-Set, and help you hone those skills to a razor sharp competitive edge. We’ll discuss: the foundations of masterful marketing; tactical essentials; building in measurable goals; crafting effective messages with a cohesive design; aligning your plan with the strategic goals of your organization; keys to successful planning and execution; what makes an award-winning marketing presentation; capitalizing on integrated and multi-channel marketing opportunities; spotting and staying abreast of trends; marketing optimally online; effective analytics, and more, and walk away with the sharpened skill-set you need to maximize every marketing dollar!

Resident Referrals 2.0
Building Brand Evangelists – Presented by Amy Kosnikowski, Quintessential Marketing & Training; Ed Spiegel, Rentmineonline; and Robert Turnbull, Co-Founder, Rentwiki

People talk; they do it more effectively than ever, in real time … not just face-to-face, but in social media circles, online “apartment rating” sites, and more. Today we need to make certain they’re not only talking about us, but make certain they have the tools to use to spread the word with great things to say, if you aren’t using everything at your disposal then you’re missing out on one of the most powerful marketing opportunities available anywhere! The key is to turn the residents in your communities into absolute “Evangelists” by encouraging and empowering them to spread your message to the masses! Nothing convinces a potential resident to visit more readily than the word of a true convert to your community. We know that 70% of potential residents who have been referred and visit, lease! Join this session and learn how to build a corps of Brand Evangelists who will drive this highly qualified source of traffic to your door, creating a flow of new referrals without spending a fortune in advertising!

Uncover the Secrets to Traffic Generation Using Craigslist and Similar Sites Presented by Allison Crabtree, Director of Marketing, Bell Partners and Charity Hisle, New Media Director.

So-called “free” internet advertising can be a reliable traffic generator for your communities, but only if you know how to use it most effectively, and avoid key mistakes that can end up costing you undue time and effort. Attend this valuable session and learn: which sites work and why; who shops these sites and how to appeal especially to them; how to design ads that will stand out from the crowd and elicit qualified responses; and how to track your results. Only the most effective tips, tricks and resources will be revealed to you in this session. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to advertise effectively online and leverage the power of the internet to start generating more traffic and leasing more apartments, now!

Marketing 101 … Without Web 2.0! Presented by Cathy Macaione, President, CMA Direct/Stopping the Real Estate Gremlins and Heather Blume, Owner, Behind the Leasing Desk Consulting Services.

The growth of the Internet has led many to embrace online advertising opportunities so fully that they’ve forgotten that old warning: “don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” As important as the Internet and Print is in daily life and decision-making today, no single marketing platform reaches everyone. If we removed online advertising and print publications from the marketing mix we are left with the need for creative ways to generate more traffic to our communities. In this session, we’ll spotlight tried-and-true, affordable, and easy-to-implement ways to generate more traffic the old fashioned way!