Onsite Insites by SatisFacts Research 2014 - 1st Quarter | Page 10

"The Basic Secrets of True 
Success Stories!"  
By Jackie Ramstedt, CAM, CAPS, CAS
It really IS the Little Things That Matter Most to People
Whether you are managing a small apartment
community in rural America or one of the industry’s
largest assets, people’s expectations in principle, are still
basically the same: “give me good quality products with
reliable service performed by competent employees for
the value of money I am spending”.
With today’s aggressive competition trying to compete
solely on price, you may quickly be on the road to ruin
for your business if you can’t differentiate between
“expectations” and “advantages”. Here’s a little secret
you should know: contrary to common perception,
customers will not go almost anywhere just to save a
buck. You need to stand out in an overloaded market
place by matching today’s customer’s expectations with
your own business plans. This will clearly separate
yourself and your business, from the competition.
You have to stand for something.
The quickest way to get people to ignore you is to not
stand for anything, except price. So if you want to avoid
getting beat up on price, stop trying to compete on price
alone! What your property needs to stand out is not just
“better” but exceptional customer service producing
more satisfied customers.
But don’t make it just the simple “please and thank you”
variety. Aim higher. Strive for fabulous, prominent,
outrageously great service to set your business apart
from all the others in your market area.
Keep your word and your promises.
If you want loyal customers, you need to get THEM to
care about YOU. Trust is a huge factor in the formula for
exceptional relationships. Seems like it would be easy to
get people to trust you and your property, but the truth
is it isn’t.
According to the Retail Consumer Dissatisfaction Survey,
33% of people can't find a salesperson when they shop
and 25% are ignored by associates! Furthermore, here
are some other interesting facts about what the general
public endures…
* 96% of dissatisfied customers do not complain directly
to management or owners!

* 90% will just not return!
* One unhappy customer will tell at least nine others!
* 13% of unhappy customers will tell at least 20 other
people, even if unsolicited!
Lack of sincerity and concern combined with empty
promises makes your credibility worthless. Offer multiple
ways for them to contact you including phone, email, text,
fax, or live chat. We want to hear from them.
The most beautiful words to their ears.
When you hear this phrase you immediately think of a
person’s name being the most persuasive. This is true,
however in this case, we are speaking about certain words
that encourage or entice people to action more than
others, in particular: free, new, and guaranteed. When
customers hear these words (and the promises they imply
are backed up), they’ll enjoy their stay more than they
would have otherwise.
Creating unique advertising that shows your property
actually “walks the talk” boosts your credibility rating.
Money back guarantees for satisfaction, 24 hour or same
day response time to service requests, and staff available
when the “customer” needs them, are all examples of
your credibility. After all, it’s what you DO to back up what
you SAY you will do that’s so powerful.
Make it personal; very personal.
In a study from the Journal of Applied Social Psychology,
researchers found that waiters could increase their tips by
23 percent by the simple act of returning to tables with a
second set of mints. So did the mints have magic powers?
Probably not, but the researchers did see a correlation
with the mints that created the feeling of a “personalized
experience” among the customers who received them.
For us that personalized experience comes from each
encounter with our customers: prospects, residents,
vendors, former residents, shoppers, etc. Those
“moments of truth” when the individual makes a
conscious decision about the professionalism and worth
of our business, good or bad, and that decision affects
future outcomes of encounters. That’s why the renewal
process is an ongoing course of action that reinforces
those promises made during the initial leasing process.
Quality always exceeds speed.
This is especially true in our business. Because of the long
term aspects of our customer relationships, people
understand that sometimes we can’t get to their request
quickly due to unforeseen issues of such things as lack of