All About Banner Property Management!

Hey! It’s Halloween all over Bannerland and Regency is sharing their great costumes. Thanks!!!

They’re SCARY, but fun!!

Big congrats to everyone who worked so hard on the Yardi transition. Kent was instrumental in organizing and coaching the whole team! Nancy Coiley and her team of accounting PRO’s literally spent hours studying the data that was to be converted so that, after the conversion, we could all make sense of what we got! Our Area Managers (Cheryl, Jo’Angela, and Scott) spent a week up in Chicago setting up all of the functionality and practicing…..so that they could support our on-site teams after the conversion. Penny and Steve studied the system top to bottom and designed web ex’s and training documentation so that everyone could be up and running just as quickly as possible. Joy spent hours and hours relinking all Banner automated reporting to the Yardi database platform so that all the Banner systems could continue to run smoothly. Aaron did a ton of troubleshooting of performance issues and tech needs so that the transition was as seamless as possible. And our on-site teams were great! Everyone was really patient and calm as they learned a whole new way of doing things!

Hey a good project like this has a ton of challenges but so many great things, too. I think we all bonded again. It was great to see everyone in the classroom both in person and in the virtual world!

It is very fun to work on a project together!

Summer Shops!

Ok so the name of the game for this summer was Yardi!

Well it’s time to get back down to business. Our average shop scores were NOT where they need to be!

As we go into the fall, it’s really time to get back to basics.

There are currently six Banner communities that are under 90% occupied! Yikes!

So we definitely need to make sure that our focus is on giving every prospect who walks through the door the best experience that we can.

Active listening and closing are the keys!

Our average benchmark score for the summer shops was 84%. We’ve done so much better in the past. Remember that the benchmark is all about the fundamentals – the benchmark questions are:

• Getting the telephone number
• Setting the appointment
• Making a positive first impression, appearing helpful
• Determining specific needs and preferences
• Showing the amenities and facilities at the property
• Showing a clean, comfortable apartment
• Using BENEFIT language
• Effectively overcome objections
• ASK FOR THE MONEY – ask to leave a deposit
• Would the prospect have leased

As you can see, these are the fundamentals, and our company average was only 84% – ugh! We can all do better together!

Average TOTAL Score = 82.93%
Average Telephone = 82.8%
Average Greeting = 91% – hey! We are a friendly bunch!
Average Identifying Needs = 87.67%
Average Demonstrating = 87.47%
Average Closing = 75.99%
Average Follow-Up = we won’t go there.
On-site Totals Average = 83%.

Onward and upward, right??

Courtesy of Bob O’Connell, Sharon’s biggest fan!

Just a little story; as you probably know Chesterton was hit by a tornado Wednesday night and though there is a lot of damage, by some miracle there were no injuries or fatalities. Deer Run Apartments caught a glancing blow when the tornado passed within 100 yards of it, but some of our neighbors were not so lucky having lost the roofs of their homes. Power was out Wednesday and Thursday and the main street was partially blocked by fallen trees, downed power lines and emergency vehicles. Sharon took control and kept everyone at Deer Run calm.

The next morning, we assessed the damage to the property, made of list of things to be done and started calling contractors in. We sustained minor damage, but a fair amount of it including three windows sucked out on the top floor, some roof damage, trees fallen on cars and the bicycle shelter, fallen trees blocking the drive, some a/c units blown over, downed electrical lines and some ceiling damage. Many residents were very helpful and pitched in to help clear debris. We had a lot of people at the property, electricians, glass contractors, tree trimmers, guys with chainsaws, Hvac guys, Nipsco (the power company), the local authorities, fire department plus worried family and friends of residents all trying to get things back to normal. We were busy. At one point, I needed Sharon to ask her about a repair but I asked around and couldn’t find her. Finally when she caught up with me, where had she been? Showing an apartment! In the dark! And they are putting in an application! If that wasn’t amazing enough, later that afternoon again I couldn’t locate her because she was busy signing a new lease!!!

So it just goes to show that a truly dedicated property manager can coolly handle anything and doesn’t let small details like a tornado interfere with renting apartments!

Our first Jumpstart call for July had Katy Nillson from Rent.com as our Guest Star – she talked a bit about Rent.com’s new Rapid Response program and presented some great tips about effective use of photos and headlines to get your share of traffic on your on-line sources of advertising.  Thanks to all who hopped on the call and participated with their great ideas about headlines, photos, etc.!!

June is history and we found out that we are VERY GOOD GREETERS – we scored an average of 95% on the Greeting portion of the shops!  Hey – our prospects are getting a great Banner hello when they come in for their tours.

Let’s start with Westview with a 100% benchmark and 100% total score!  Rock it!  Betsy was polite and friendly….overall attitude was impressive!…she seemed very excited and she enjoyed showing me the apartment…asked many closing questions….asked to leave a deposit that day!….about my specific needs….no weaknesses…spoke about the surrounding area….gave three benefits before stating the price!!!…24-hour maintenance….and Banner is a great company to work for.  We love 100%! 

Congrats to Autumn Ridge at 100% benchmark and 97.5% score!  The shopper said that our associate was very easy to talk to…had a great attitude…I would be glad to recommend her to others….our conversation felt like a chat between friends….she discussed the commitment of the maintenance department to the property….asked excellent questions….listed several benefits…clearly recalled our telephone call and was anticipating my visit…demonstrated the room layouts…very natural and at ease about closing!

Congrats to Glen Hills at 90% benchmark and 93% score!  ….our associate made it evident that any needs and concerns I had as a resident would be taken seriously…had great people skills…specifically mentioned the maintenance staff and how quickly they responded….I appreciated the time she took to show me all available locations on a map…was enthusiastic about the apartments…polite and friendly….office was immaculate inside…phone associate was busy with another guest so the other was able to easily help me using the guest card that was already filled out!

Congrats to Greenway with 100% benchmark and 98% score!  Our associate…had a great attitude, presented herself well, was easy to work with…created urgency and obtained buy-in with small questions….outstanding on the phone….clearly remembered our phone conversation and seemed sincerely happy to meet me….great at demonstrating!

Congrats to Park 44 with 100% benchmark and 94% score!  Our associate….was friendly and outgoing….likable and easy to work with…created a sense of urgency….presented options even though he did not have exactly what I was looking for…said they had an excellent management company…as he saw me, he asked if he could help me…..nice tour!

Congrats to Pine Crossing with a 90% benchmark and a 94.5% score!  Our associate was…personable, professional, and showed me all the features of the apartment….pointed out the maintenance staff….seemed to enjoy working at the community….gave a good explanation of the tax credit program….nice on the telephone, gave good directions, and inquired as to exactly what I was looking for….went over the guest card questions to get to know my needs…pointed out amenities along the way…

Congrats to Regency Arms  with a 100% benchmark and 94.5% score!  Our associate had a pleasant attitude and seemed to enjoy his job…made a good first impression…presented the community and the apartment very well…made me feel like he wanted me to be there….asked what was important to me, and talked about how the apartment could meet my needs.

Congrats to Southwoods with a 100% benchmark and 97.5% total score!  Our associate was friendly, warm, and welcoming over the phone…..presented the community in a positive light…I found no weak points!!…gave positive information about the staff…spoke highly of Banner…used my name during the conversation…took control as she led me throughout the community!

Congrats to Rosewood with a 90% benchmark and 90% total score!  Our associate was helpful and friendly…genuinely interested in finding an apartment for me…made a positive first impression…pointed out all the features of the apartment…emphasized the savings if I leased quickly….was good at pointing out the value…was greeted immediately…office communicated warmth and welcome…apartment was very clean and showed well.

Overall for June –

Benchmark – 86%

Total – 87.37%

Telephone – 90%

Greeting – 95%

Identifying Needs – 85.67%

Demonstrating – 88.27%

Closing – 82.12% – HUGE room for improvement here! 

It's Marci, Christine, Scott, MaryAnn, Wendy, and Cheryl!

Look how happy eveyone is about Yardi!

Hey!  Thanks to everyone who worked really hard to get all of our teams through their first Yardi trainings.  Big wow to Penny and Nancy who basically learned and tested the system backwards and forwards to get us off and running!  And Aaron who helped us with all of our tech issues along the way!  And Joy who got all of the travel done and kept track of everyone along the way.  And to Scott, Cheryl, and Jo’Angela who supported their people along the way – and attended two full weeks of trainings to help out and make sure that everyone was good to go!  Ok so we should all be experts…we’re off and running!  Of course it will be smooth sailing when Yardi is up and running!  What a great way to spend the summer!   We included some photos from our St. Louis training at beautiful Stonegate.  For some reason, we weren’t groovin’ with the camera the next two weeks!   But rest assured that the Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Kansas, Florida, and Ohio folks had a ton of fun as well! 

Here is how Scott keeps his People Focused During Trainings!

Thanks to everyone who participated in our JumpStart call this morning!  We went over our phone self-assessment program one more time since improving your phone skills is the number one way to increase your traffic!  Get those interested prospects into the office for their tour so you can show them the great experience they will have at your property! 

….and Sondrah Laden from Gracehill was able to join us to offer her phone HOT Tips! 

1. Shine the Spotlight on the Prospect – try the “tell me” approach to get prospective residents to share their wants and needs;
2. Answer the un-asked questions like “So What…is in it for me?”  This is a great trick for feature benefit selling!  You tell the prospect that you have a fitness center and they’re thinking…so what?  You jump in there and let them know that the fitness center saves time since they work out right on property AND helps them avoid teh $50 per month fee for the gym that they might never go to anyway!  That’s what! 
3. Avoid the hard close on the phone – you want to focus on solving the prospect needs on the phone so they are excited to come in for the tour.  You don’t want to start an aggressive close right on the phone.  Get to know your prospects!
4. And the 3 P’s – be Prepared, be Positive, be Personable!   This is the first impression.

Good luck everyone!!  And thanks for working so hard on polishing those sales skills!

Congrats to Scott Boone who is now on the St. Louis Apartment Association’s Board.  Way to get Banner out there, Scott – and make a difference in the industry!!  That’s awesome!

Here's our Winner in the Middle!

Wind River had a great time with their laptop promotion during February, March,  and April! 

 

Ms Ernest was thrilled to have won the drawing, and the staff enjoyed being able to share in the surprise.

With Antoinette

Great idea, team, hope you had fun with it!!!!   And that is Jeannine, WR’s Leasing Consultant, on the right with the winner!