During this month’s session of our learning series, Leasing A to Zumper, Lisa Trosien shared her secrets for successfully staging, selling, and closing self-guided tours. Renters continue to want options when it comes to how they view an apartment, and self-guided tours are the leading choice for in-person viewings. Here are our 5 takeaways from Lisa’s latest session.
1. Set the tone with a warm welcome
If your prospect is coming by to pick up the keys, make the intro exciting. Think about the tone of voice you use when speaking; they’ll feed off of your energy. Talk to them about their needs, asking high-value questions to show them you’re interested in helping them find the right fit. Keep these things in mind when having your intro.
- Ask, “What is your favorite room in the house?” Whatever their response, call out that room or feature in the apartment and sell them on it before they even see it.
- For example, if they respond that the master bedroom is their favorite room, say, “You really want to take a look a the master bedroom, it has A,B, and C”
- Cater the questions to the individual customer
- Remind them you have what they want and they’ll see it on the tour
2. Showcase your commitment to Fair Housing
This one’s short and sweet: Put up a Fair Housing Poster to show prospects that you do business in accordance with the fair housing law. Don’t hide it behind a door or somewhere where they’ll miss it; put it right where they can see it!
3. Signage sells when you’re not there
Since you won’t be on the tour with your prospects, signage throughout the apartment is crucial. Without overdoing it, sprinkle signs (something the size of an index card is fine) throughout the unit to draw attention to the things they might overlook.
Make signs for each room. For example, make a sign for the master bedroom and mention its size, like this: Master bedroom, 14 x 12. Don’t forget about the closets! Generally speaking, 1 cubic inch = 1 garment. Place a sign next to or in the closet that reads like this: Closet is X cubic feet and holds X garments. If your apartments face points of interest or if they’re facing a certain direction that’s good for natural light, put up signs by windows showing this.
Add signage on the back of the entry door saying, “Thank you for visiting! To lease this apartment..” and either include the office phone number or add in a QR code that takes prospects right to the application page on your website.
Finally, you’ll want to have signage for high-interest items in the apartment, like:
- Good cell phone reception
- Package lockers for safe delivery
- USB outlets
- TV wallmount
- Dishwasher/disposal
- Microwave
- Air conditioning
4. Stage, Stage, Stage
Just because this is more of a self-service experience doesn’t mean our customer service slips. Before a prospect arrives, make sure the apartment is staged and ready to be toured. Here are some super helpful tips to remember when staging:
- Maximize lighting
- Turn ceiling fan on
- Put the toilet seat down
- Add accessories/furniture
- Turn on some music for background noise
- Place a welcome mat in front of the door or a wreath on the door
- Welcome signage like discussed above; also include a sheet with the floorplan name and apartment address
- Set the room to comfortable temperature
5. Close the Deal
Self-guided doesn’t mean self-checkout! Check on your prospect 30 mins into their tour to see if they have any questions. Always leave some time at the end of the tour to ask, “Did I miss anything, or was there something you wanted to see that I didn’t cover in the apartment?” This givese prospects the opportunity to ask about the things your sigange might not have covered, like whether or not the pool is open, how package lockers work, use of the residents’ lounge, etc.
Finally, don’t rely on technology to close the lease for you. Ask for the sale! And if your prospect needs more time, that’s when you follow up.
Stay tuned for next month’s session, Customer Service During Covid, where Lisa will dive into strategies for maintaining excellent customer service amidst a pandemic.
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