Renoir Staffing Blog

This week we return to our Competitive Edge series for property owners/managers. Last time we discussed Why Renters Rent and you have spent the time between then and now focusing on the motives for renting behind your target market. You know who they are, what their looking for, and now you need to know how to market your property to them in such a way that will make your community more attractive than your competitors. There’s a lot of information out there that goes over this, both our own knowledge on the subject and that of other experts, and we’re going to be sharing it with you this week and in weeks to come. As marketing plays such a huge role in the development and success of a company, it is going to take more than one blog to cover the details! So let’s get started:

You need a Facebook page for your property. This is an easy way to advertise the culture of your community/communities and it is still pretty unique in property management. While large real estate companies have their own pages of course, it hasn’t yet become common for smaller property owners and that’s one of the reasons why jumping on this resource now will set you apart from your competitors. Your market is informed, and they rely on the experience of their peers when making a decision. If you can reach them with content that demonstrates that your property is a place they want to live (before they even step foot on it) and have that content positively reinforced by current tenants, your referrals could potentially skyrocket. It’s free and not very time-consuming once you’ve mapped out a posting schedule, and it can really give your space a positive reputation.

Okay, so now that’s I’ve convinced you that a Facebook page is a great way to start your marketing campaign, here’s one of my favorite articles on doing it right:

Top 10 Must Read Tips to Run a Successful Facebook Business Page

Did you take note of the last sentence in the article? We’ll be covering these other channels soon! Stay tuned and in the meantime:

Ready. Set. Get on Facebook!

Jessie Williams, Marketing Coordinator

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We’ve kicked off the summer season with two events recently that were an absolute blast!

On April 30^th, we brought collegiate style to the CAA Education Expo at the Santa Clara Convention Center. It was a great day meeting all the movers and shakers in the property management industry, we felt so lucky that so many of you all stopped by our booth to say hello!

May 17^th found the Renoir Staffing Folsom team out on the golf course in Auburn, CA where we represented the diner from the movie Grease and offered golfers nostalgic candy and a popcorn bar with eight different flavor, including cheddar bacon and banana split!

This summer is packed with events, so stay tuned to hear about where we’ll be next!

For more picture from these events, click here!

Jessie Williams, Marketing Coordinator

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Recently we covered the ways in which temporary employees can stand out to employers during their assignments, specifically on how to make a great impression and stay in the mind of management when it comes time for them to hire a permanent employee. You can read those tips here: Taking Advantage of the Temporary Assignment.

This week we wanted to continue that discussion. Know that you know what to do while you’re on assignment, let’s talk about what not to do! Here are our top four behaviors to avoid:

1. Don’t Act Like “Just a Temp.” Approaching the assignment in such a flippant manner will not impress management, and chances are they will express just as much to your agency, making you a less-desirable candidate to send to their clients. Even if you discover on-site that the job is not what you expected, dive right in and show enthusiasm! Every experience has the potential to teach you something useful but you’ll miss those insights if you don’t take the job seriously.
2. Therefore, Don’t Just Sit. Finished your assigned duties and haven’t been directed towards more work? This is not a time to pull out your cell phone (which, by the way, shouldn’t be on your person anyway!) but rather the opportunity to be pro-active and ask for more projects. Show them you’re a serious worker! This may not be your dream job, but again their satisfaction will be noted by your agency which means that your ideal assignment could manifest much more quickly.
3. Work ALL Your Hours. There’s a rumor going around out there that some temporary workers (not ours of course!) make the mistake of thinking since they aren’t a permanent employee they can take a relaxed approach to fulfilling their contract, namely show up when they want. This is not acceptable and won’t look good to your agency. Be professional.
4. Don’t Be Too Picky. It’s great to know what you want and what you’re working towards, and of course you’ll be more inclined to accept assignments that align with your plans, but don’t close yourself off from the possibility of growing other skills you might not be too interested in at the moment. Not only is networking an important factor in the job search, but you may discover other positions out there that you like even more! If your recruiter calls you with something a little outside your career path, that means they think you’re right for it. Explore.

Remember to take advantage of every chance you have to impress. Staffing agencies are looking for stars to represent for their clients and they take your career goals just as seriously as you do. Make sure to convince them that you are the real deal and you may find yourself in a permanent position a lot sooner than expected!

The Renoir Team

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At the moment, we’re happily preparing for the CAA Education Expo to be held April 30th at the Santa Clara Convention Center (come see us in booth 614!) and as always, it gets us thinking about how these events can work for us in terms of building our business through networking. We love to attend events and are always promoting doing so to both our clients and candidates. When you attend an event, you likely not only get to learn something new about your industry (as events are typically educational in one way or anther) but you also get the opportunity to really engage with the people on your ‘target list’ -those individuals who are either potential customers or have access to potential customers.

Long story short, I wrote about the importance of industry events (and how to find them) some time ago and wanted to pull it out of the archives before the summer event season gets going in order to encourage each of you to get out there and network!

Industry events are an important part of one’s growth in their line of work. While it can be difficult to schedule in an event with all your other duties, the rewards you can receive (such as meeting industry leaders, acquiring new knowledge that can improve your skills, and/or promoting your company) have the potential to move you higher up the business ladder.

We often hear that it’s ‘Not What You Know, But Who You Know.’ If this is occasionally true (because let’s not discount the fact that a strong skill-set will get you far!) then networking with the community of your industry can prove to be beneficial to you if you are looking to move into a new position, or simply want to make new contacts in order to promote your business. At the very least, you can demonstrate your knowledge and advertise your expertise with the people who can contribute to the growth of profession or business.

And speaking of expertise, what better way to increase all the knowledge you already possess than to attend functions that give you the all the latest, up-to-date information available in your trade? And, not only are many events designed to inform you, topics that includes increasing your business are often presented in a workshop manner in which you’ll not only been given examples of how a particular tool has been proven effective, but also the way in which you can utilize it to your own advantage!

Networking is also a great form of advertising your company. We all know that branding is only effective if our target audience is exposed to it, and therefore meeting with potential consumers is paramount. But use it not only as an opportunity to spread the word about your company but also as a way to build a relationship with your consumers. You may notice familiar faces at these events as you begin to attend them regularly. Use this as your chance to get to know people on a more personal level; it can only increase your chances of being relied upon when they have a need!

Wondering how to get started? The first place you should go is the Associations that are relevant to your industry. In our case, it’s property management and therefore we belong to, and attend events by, the Rental Housing Association (RHA) of Sacramento, California Apartment Association (CAA), and many more, and the events they have held, such as trade shows and luncheons, have proved an invaluable source of information and opportunities to network.

Another great place to get associated with your industry’s community is LinkedIn Groups. Simply by joining a few relevant groups can open the door to expanding your brand and skills tremendously. You’ll receive emails about current topics of discussion, invites to events, as well as the opportunity to reach out individually to these people, great for the follow-up message after meeting them at a luncheon!

If you’re looking for opportunities to strengthen your relevance to your business community, and we all should be, then attending events should be at the top of your list! The knowledge you’ll gain, as well as the people you meet, can only serve to boost your business or marketability!

Happy Event Browsing!

Jessie Williams, Marketing Coordinator

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The first newsletter of the year has arrived! This spring, we reflect on how 2012 promised, and has so far delivered, a prosperous year in 2013. We introduce you to a new office location for our San Jose branch, announce our 2012 Employee of the Year, and recognize some of our internal staff who will be taking on new roles for company! This year has already proven to be an exciting one. Don’t miss out on the news, click the link below!

Spring Newsletter

Jessie Williams, Marketing Coordinator

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Our series on keeping a competitive edge for property owners and property managers continues this week with a focus on understanding your current and potential tenants. Why do renters rent? Possessing a thorough knowledge of the motivations behind your target market will make you better able to cater to their needs and thus maintain high occupancy.

In the past the general consensus for why people rented was because they were unable to buy, typically because of the lack of funds or credit. Whether that was true or not at the time, it certainly isn’t the case now. There are a number of motivating factors in the decision to rent, and yes, money can be one of them, but the others are much more complex and understanding these factors is important in staying competitive.

Your first step in finding out why your tenants rent is to ask them. You can encourage them to fill out an optional anonymous survey, even offer a monetary incentive for doing so, that asks them to give you insight on why they have chosen to rent. This could very well give you the best insight into your target market’s renting motivations. From there, consider these other reasons why people choose to rent rather than own:

Mobility and convenience. These two factors are increasingly gaining momentum as the deciding forces behind renting. The recent recession required of the unemployed to be flexible while looking for work. If a job was found in another state, a home could be a hindrance in getting there quickly to take it. But if the person is a renter? Not so bad. And, with more and more employment reports stating that it is becoming increasingly commonplace for employees to stay at companies no more than two years before moving on, it’s probably a safe bet that when they’re looking for a new position they may consider relocations as well. Renting allows workers to be more mobile in their careers, to avoid the hassle of selling a home, and avoid the upkeep costs of said home (and possible value loss).

Neighborhood. Especially in urban areas, an ideal neighborhood may be where apartments are big in number and the single-family home not so much. In the Bay Area, for instance, apartment living allows for individual to live in vibrant neighborhoods where the focus of development has been multi-family units rather than single. Some chose to move to the suburbs but singles, and those families that need/want to remain close to the hub, have a lot to choose from in terms of finding a match for their desired lifestyle. And developers have been responsive to the demand.

Time. Yes, buying a home takes time (and a lot of effort) but for the purposes of this blog entry, time refers to the time a homeowner must invest into the upkeep of their investment. And a lot of working people these days just don’t have it. I’m sure a lot of homeowners are inwardly groaning when something breaks and they have to break out of the DIY manual or shell out the cash to get it fixed rather than pick up the phone and call the landlord. That’s a major incentive to rent for the time-strapped.

There are other reasons why renters chose to rent (and remember to do your own asking around to uncover factors more specific to you), but these four factors came up again and again in our inquiries on the subject, so we feel it’s safe to conclude they are the ones to pay the most attention to when marketing your properties. Are they located in a desirable neighborhood? Do you have a reputation for addressing tenant’s concerns and property maintenance quickly and efficiently? (You should.) Do you offer flexible leasing options or maybe furnished apartments that attract those tenants with mobile lifestyles? Find out what is about your property that keeps your tenants happy and capitalize!

Jessie Williams, Marketing Coordinator

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The two things we do the most around here? Talking and reading. Our focus is to be in-the-know in regards to the property management industry and the two best ways to be just that is to talk to people in the industry and read the content they have published. It keeps us sharp on the needs of our clients and candidates which only serves to make us better able to provide them excellent service.

We’re going to add a new series to our blog starting this month which will be periodic collections of links to websites and individual articles that have grabbed our attention for one reason or another. Since the time we have to peruse online publications each week is limited, we’ve gotten really good at recognizing the valuable sources out there for relevant information and we want to share it with you!

So, without further ado, here is this blog’s collection:

We’ve mentioned this before on our Facebook page but it’s worth mentioning again as it is a big favorite of our Marketing Coordinator. According to her, Curbed.com is probably the most entertaining and smart collection of real estate news online. The format is easy to navigate, very attractive, and the writing is tight and refreshing. They’re nationwide but section their website in the traditional format of individual locations. Here is the link for the SF Bay Area: sf.curbed.com. Enjoy!

For fun: Whether you own a business or work for one, standards for social media behavior applies to you. Well, if you care about the perception you make to the industry (and if you don’t, keep your profiles private and for friends only!) It’s easy to make a whoops in social media but take caution not to make such big ones that they hurt your career. When managing a social media page, in this case Facebook, here are some good rules to go by: 25 Things That Make You Look Dumb on Facebook.

One-Stop: Compilation site of the postings made by industry companies that covers everything Affordable Housing in a daily collection with minimal advertising. How cool is that? Plus, along with the news is the added bonus of discovering new companies to follow on social media sites through previewing the content they post. We’re fans. The AffordableHousingReport.com Daily.

There’s A LOT more (we work in such a great industry!) and we’ll keep delivering our favorite news spots throughout the year!

The Renoir Staffing Team

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I’m betting one of your New Year’s resolutions was to be better organized. Well, now that you’re nearly a full two months in, how’s your organizing going? Are you having a rough time? As we’ve discussed before in this blog, it can be difficult to remain consistent with new procedures but it is the most important key to being successful in any goals you may have.

This week, I want to share with you the procedures I use when organizing my computer files. Being in marketing means I have the privilege of a lot of information at my disposal, which also translates to being responsible for organizing it in such a way that makes it easily accessible! And if I don’t stay up on it, I am quickly buried and overwhelmed by the vast amount of all this content. Every day my department is collecting on average twenty to thirty items that need to be filed away, whether they are current projects, future plans, or completed tasks, each item that lands on my desk comes with its’ own “rich in quantity” background of content to support it

So here’s how I handle it all:

Consistency. Since I can’t tell you anything that you don’t already know about the importance of being consistent to make any game plan work, I’ll keep it short: I stay consistent. And if I fall of the wagon? I avoid getting discouraged about it and instead hop right back on, do the catch-up required to get back on track, and then stick with it. Again.  

 Keep it separated. Take care not to let a lot of different projects share the same locations. If something has been completed, put it far away from the projects that need work, and maintain sanity with your current projects by keeping them isolated from one another. When you allow multiple projects to share space, you are inviting inefficiency to step in and make a cluttered mess of your work day. Fight back! Take the time to setup folders in your computer storage for each project and its’ categories so that you can find items quickly. This will help you to manage your time better.

Delete! Don’t need it anymore? Get rid of it! I feel that we humans have a tendency to hang on to stuff that is not relevant to our lives or that serves no purpose to us anymore. While sentimental value is not to be scoffed at in my opinion, why am I hanging on to a goofy Pez dispenser when I do not eat Pez nor do I particularly love the character the dispenser is in the shape of? It does nothing but take up space that could be allowed to remain open for something significant to arrive. Which is what all your unnecessary files are doing on your computer. They take up space, not just on your time when you’re searching through them looking for something you actually need, but they’re also putting pointless strain on your computer housing all of them. If you find you can’t quite make yourself hit the permanent delete button, send this stuff to the cloud! Chances are you’re already saving some or all of your files there, so you might as well set up a special folder for items you never look at. And I bet once a few months have gone by and you see just how inapplicable this stuff is, that folder will hit the trash

Three steps to keeping yourself a lean machine of productivity: stay consistent, separate/categorize, and delete! Repeat until it becomes second nature! Now go out there and fight those files!

Jessie Williams, Marketing Coordinator  

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This week we continue our series on how to keep a competitive edge in the property management business. Last time, which you can check out here, we talked about the first step: Knowing Your Competition. We encouraged you to familiarize yourself with who they are, the resources they use both in advertising and resident retention, and their reputation in the industry. This information can help you to format your own marketing plan by knowing what does and doesn’t work for your competitors as well as (and in our opinion, most importantly) what you can offer your residents that your competitors do not. And this blog is going to discuss exactly those options.

What makes your property unique?

First off, when advertising your properties, play to your strengths. What features do you already offer that make your communities an ideal place to live? Do you have on-site security? Experienced staff who practice responsiveness to any issues tenants may have? Are your grounds kept up and attractive? Is the neighborhood where your property is located desirable (and why)? These are all great features to showcase in your marketing. And you can get creative with them, too. Is the patio a great place to relax on sunny Saturday mornings while enjoying your morning coffee? It’s up to you how creative you want to get with your advertising, but remember that most tenants are looking for a lifestyle and if you describe the one they’re searching for, they’ll most likely pick up the phone.

Once you’ve established these basic community features, it’s time to start considering what you do, or can, offer to residents that is unique. This can take some resourcefulness as apartment community marketing is becoming more and more creative to this tune but it’s worth the time to develop something that jumps out to your target market. Do you offer a discount if residents consistently pay rent on time? Do your properties host community events to show your appreciation, such as bbqs or a monthly movie night? Are they raised beds on the grounds where residents can grow their own vegetables and flowers? (Seriously, this is becoming a desirable feature). Essentially, you are looking for the features that will make people live at your properties, not just sleep there. that is how you attract new business and retain existing profits.

Once you’ve made your list, it’s time to advertise! Advertising takes skill since competition is fierce out there to get your listing noticed (something I’m sure you know very well). You need to stand out for all the right reasons, and we’ll be covering this subject in the next segment of this blog series.

Until then, make your lists and brainstorm the things you can do to establish your properties as attractively unique!

Jessie Williams, Marketing Coordinator

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We take safety really seriously here at Renoir Staffing. In the office, we consistently brush up on our safety knowledge throughout the year and we’ll be doing the same for you. This week’s blog is a re-post from Director of Sales Arisha Williams. Last summer she shared these tips on keeping yourself safe while in the leasing office.

It is important to always keep safety in mind when working in a leasing office. While sometimes it can be easy to take things for granted, you should always remember to keep safety first. Since most leasing professionals are the first point of contact with the public in a leasing office, it is imperative to remember that most of these individuals are people that you don’t know so you should keep your guard up at all times and engage in safe practices when interacting with the public.

Culled from the fantastic resource Grace Hill, here are some tips to keep in mind when dealing with prospective tenants and/or residents when working in a leasing office:

1) Always collect a picture ID from all adults in the touring party and leave it in a designated spot in the management office during the tour. Look at the ID and make sure it is the person that is requesting the tour. Do not photocopy, but keep the ID in a locked drawer or office during a tour. Never tour a person without taking a picture ID, not only for safety reasons but for fair housing reasons also.

2) Try not to go into a closed room first, and do not allow yourself to get backed into a corner. For example, in a closed kitchen, invite the prospect to enter in front of you. Demonstrate bathrooms and closets by standing aside and pointing out features and benefits. On stairs, always be sure to invite the prospect to walk up the stairs in front of you. Do not leave yourself vulnerable to an attack.

3) Leave the front door of the apartment open during a tour. If the door has a deadbolt lock, turn the lock before closing the door so the door will remain ajar. Or, carry a door stop triangle like hotel bell-persons do, and prop the door open during the tour.

4) Always let someone else know where you are going. When you are leaving the leasing center, mention to another team member which units you will be showing and how long you feel it will take you. If you are on your own, alert a member of your maintenance team by telephone or radio, or leave a message with your answering service.

5) Use the “buddy system” and invite another member of the leasing or maintenance team to join you on your tour if you feel uncomfortable with your prospect.

6) Rely on your instinct. If a prospect really makes you uncomfortable, just open the door to the show apartment and let the prospect tour him/herself. This rarely happens, but let your intuition be your guide.

7) Develop a system of code phrases with your maintenance team that you can use in front of a prospect to call a maintenance person over the radio for help. Use of one of your code phrases will alert the maintenance person that you are uncomfortable, and let them know to join you at the leasing center or model at once.

8) Carry a hand held two-way radio with you if possible. Also, carry or wear a personal alarm or “screamer” which will make an incredibly loud noise should you activate it. This will alert others in the area to come to your assistance.

9) Invite a police officer to the property to discuss risk profiles with your leasing consultants. An easy resource is your Courtesy Officers, if that is a service you offer. They have terrific tips on how to avoid putting yourself in a dangerous situation.

10) Be consistent. Always follow these safety guidelines and your management company’s policies no matter how clean cut, well dressed, or harmless the prospect may seem.

For more information, visit www.gracehill.com

Arisha Williams, Director of Sales

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