Why Is Mystery Shopping So Important To Your Self Storage Facility?

After being in the self storage industry for many years, one thing has proved itself true over and over again: A storage facility is only as strong as its employees.

Your employees represent the essence of your business. You could have gotten a piece of land for a steal in an outstanding location in a jam-packed demographic, but if you don't have skilled, sales-minded employees, your facility will not reach anywhere near its potential. Many owners pay thousands of dollars each year in yellow page ads and other advertising, but they have not spent a dime to have their managers trained by professional sales consultants.

It's time to get the ROI that you deserve, my fellow owners. When I myself was a self storage manager, the best thing the owner ever did was set mystery shopping in place and give me a bonus based on my performance. I stayed on top of my game EVERY phone call from that day on. Now as an owner of several self storage facilities, mystery shopping is of the utmost importance to me. I know that every dollar that I spend on advertising to get that phone to ring becomes money well spent. My ROI is maximized by my mystery shopping program.

However, you will want to use a mystery shopping company that specializes in the self storage industry. You also want to make sure that they will offer your employees sales training to help improve their skills. PhoneChexx Mystery Shopping does our telephone mystery shopping, and they offer sales training to all of our employees to help improve their performance. We love this, because this results in more sales for us. It is worth every penny.

© 2007 All Rights Reserved.

Make A Friend, Make A Sale!

Relational marketing is one of the most effective tools available to the self storage manager. I have heard it said (and I totally agree) that a self storage manager is a bartender without the booze. Managers hear every dilemma known to man. And if you think about it, it makes so much sense. Every self storage customer is renting because they are in some sort of dilemma: not enough room, divorce, real estate closing dates don't match, family member passed away, eviction, etc. The best advice I could give to the self storage manager is simply this...........listen. Become a great listener. The more that you learn to truly empathize with your callers, the more that people will find their way to your office. And be genuine. Nowadays, people can smell a fake a mile away. But if you truly care about your customers and do you best to make their life easier, price will be of little significance.

I remember a time as a self storage manager when a gentleman walked into my office. We dialogued a bit as I like to do, and he asked all of the common questions a potential customer would ask. I showed him a few units, and too my surprise, he didn't rent with me on the spot. He said that he wanted to visit a few of my competitors (who I knew had lower prices). I shoved a brochure in his hand and did my best to assure him we were the best, and then reluctantly let him go. When he walked out my door, I thought, "Well, there goes that sale." About 2 hours later, he walked back into my office and said, "I'm going to go with you." Excited, I grabbed the nearest blank contract and got him started. Knowing full well that my competitors were renting units far cheaper than I was, I just had to ask him about it. "I know that the facility down the street is cheaper. Why did you decide to go with me?" I will never forget his reply, because it was probably one of the best compliments that I have ever received. He said, "I could just tell that you really wanted my business, and I really want to work with people like that." In other words, "I mattered to you." I promise you that if your customers truly matter to you, you will matter to your customers.

© 2007 All Rights Reserved.

Potential Customer, Come On Down!!!

When someone calls your storage facility, your ultimate goal is to get that potential customer to walk through your door. But how do you do it?

Good telephone salespeople know how to create a sense of urgency in the mind of the potential customer. But what are some ways to get that caller out of their chair and into your office? Here are just some of the ways that we have found to be most effective:

• If you've had other calls recently on the same size for which your caller is inquiring, you can create a sense of urgency to by letting the caller know about the demand that you've experienced. By saying, "I've had a TON of calls on that same size, and I only have a few left. Would you like to stop out today and secure a unit, so you are guaranteed one when you need it?"
• When vacancies are thin, tell the caller, especially when you only have 1 or 2 left of the size which they are inquiring. You could say something like, "We only have 1 left of that size, so you may want to reserve it over the phone with a credit card. I wouldn't want to run out and leave you without a unit when you need it. Would you like me to hold that last unit for you?" More times than not, they will jump on it.
• Use the word "Special". Your rates fluctuate with supply & demand (or at least they should), so if you are using a current rate lower than your highest posted price for that size......call it a "special". When you say, "Right now we are running a special on our 10 X 10's for $100," that indicates 2 things: #1) They are getting a great deal and #2) That special price is for a limited time, so you better act quickly. (Remember: The word "special" is a positive word. Stay away from the word "discount". It has a negative connotation.)
• Run something called a "Manager's Daily Special." This can be something that can be used if you need to fill some units fast. If at the end of the phone conersation, they seem unwilling to commit or you know they will be shopping around to your competitors, offer them the Manager's Daily Special. This could be any number of offers: a free lock, $20 off 1st month's rent, second month free (whatever you are willing to concede to get this sale). Then you make sure that the caller knows that this offer ends at the end of the business day. The goal is to get them to come down to your facility and rent today, but by doing this, you also stop them from shopping your competitors and potentially losing the sale.

A good salesperson will be able to create that sense of urgency in the potential customer that they will lose out if they do not act NOW.

© 2007 All Rights Reserved.

Caller ID - A Salesman's Best Friend

The service is around 10 bucks a month, but, when used correctly, Caller ID can yield your company hundreds of dollars per month in sales.

Caller ID can be used in 2 ways:

1) When you receive a sales call, the name and telephone number on the Caller ID should instantly be recorded. We like to call it our "Lead Sheet." If your lead does not show up to rent a unit or doesn't call you back within 48 hours, you should call them to see if they are still in need of storage. Many times we find out that they were planning on using a competitor for a few bucks less. At that time, we offer to match the competitor's price and throw in a lock for free that retails at $15 (which costs us $3). I can't tell you how many sales the companies we consult get this way!

2) We have consulted our companies to head straight for the Caller ID the very first thing in the morning. Many times calls are missed just after you have closed the night before or right before you open, and many times they do not leave an answering machine message. Call back everyone! Sometimes it will be a current customer asking a question, but, more times than not, it will be a prospective customer wanting to inquire about storage. Frequently we find they are so impressed that we called them back that they don't even check out the competition but reserve a unit right over the phone. Now, that's customer service.

© 2007 All Rights Reserved.

Worst Thing To Do On A Sales Call

I have heard thousands and thousands of self storage mystery shops, and I keep hearing the same mistake over and over again. A large majority of self storage calls start the same way: "How much are your 10 X 10's?" (or whatever size they think they need). Answering this question immediately is the absolute worst thing you can do. If you answer this question as soon as it is asked, the customer will compare you to the other nearby facilities based solely on price.

Instead, the price should be almost the very last piece of information that you share with your potential customer. First, you want to ask a few questions about the kinds of things the caller would be storing. You may find that they actually need a 5 X 10 or a 5 X 15. Then you will definitely be the "best priced" to the customer, because you have quoted them a smaller size.

But if by chance they do, in fact, need the size for which they are asking, you would want to give them all of your facility features and benefits that set you apart from the rest. These can be security features (fenced lot, door alarms, security cameras), convenience features (24 hour access, drive up units, free moving truck) or quality features (climate control, immaculately clean, pest control). Once you have given them the reasons why you are the best, price does not mean near as much as it did at first. You have given them a completely different criteria from which to compare facilities. This way, you don't to the be the cheapest. You have to convince them you're the best.

© 2007 All Rights Reserved.

PhoneChexx Telephone Mystery Shopping - Company Overview

PhoneChexx Mystery Shopping started in 2005 out of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Kyle Zimmerman, owner and founder of PhoneChexx, started this company out of his home with an extremely small amount of money, a telephone and a computer. "I saw the need and demand for quality telephone mystery shopping, and I caught a vision," said Zimmerman. "The next few months were full of researching, investigating, marketing and developing." They started off small in 2005. PhoneChexx now provides telephone mystery shopping for self storage facilities all over the country, and it has quadrupled its operation since just last year.

Kyle Zimmerman got his start in the self storage industry in 2001 with a small local company with many problems. "The 600 unit facility was only 43% full when I got there, and I had my work cut out for me. But I quickly learned that the key to success in the self storage industry was outstanding customer service and telephone salesmanship," says Zimmerman. This self storage rookie took that facility to 97% in a matter of months. "This is where I feel very savvy storage owners miss the boat. They have the nice facilities with the posh offices and the free moving truck, but their managers lack the accountability and the training to excel. This is why PhoneChexx exists: to provide the missing piece to the puzzle of self storage success."

PhoneChexx claims to be one of the most affordable and one of the highest quality telephone mystery shopping companies in the industry. PhoneChexx Telephone Mystery Shopping is even offering to shop your facilities for absolutely free for the first month. PhoneChexx customer service is open 7 days a week 9am - 8pm and can be reached at (260) 750-7867 or you can e-mail them at service@phonechexx.com.

© 2007 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome to Self Storage Mystery Shopping

The Self Storage Mystery Shopping Blog is dedicated to bringing you all of the information you need to keeping your self storage employees functioning at 100%, 100% of the time. We all know that outstanding customer service is what makes happy customers, generates numerous and residual referrals, and increases the bottom line....your profits. And where does the public come in first contact with your employees? That's right, the telephone. That first telephone conversation with your employee is your best chance at turning that "shopper" into a "customer". It is my belief that most customers derive their perception of your facility in the first 15 seconds of the first telephone conversation. This makes telephone salesmanship of infinite value. This blog will answer some of the tough questions that you have been asking: How do I get 100% out of my employees? How do I know what my employees say on the phone when I'm not around? How do I get my employees to say what I want them to say? What are the best telephone techniques? What "words" should my employees add or omit from their telephone presentation? How can my employees create urgency in a potential customer? How do I turn telephone rings into dollars? All of these questions and more will be addressed by some of the leaders in the self storage industry.

© 2007 All Rights Reserved.