TECHNOLOGY
ernest f. oriente | the coach, power hour
How Useful is Email?
Tips For Using Email at Your Community
A
ccording to a recent survey by Matrix
Information, three billion people
around the globe have access to
Internet-based services and E-mail.
In addition, this report expects electronic
commerce to grow from $3.2 trillion in 2013 to
$6.2 trillion by the year 2015. Is your property
management company ready for these exploding
communication and marketing trends? Is your
leasing team ready to handle the E-mail just sent
by 15 new prospects relocating from Paris or
Moscow? Read the tips in this article and learn
how easy it is to master E-mail and profit from
it…it’s just a few keystrokes away!
WITH PROSPECTIVE RESIDENTS:
• Ask your leasing teams to always use spell
check before sending an E-mail to a future
resident
• Have your teams read each E-mail twice
before they send it, just to make certain
it conveys exactly what they are trying to
communicate and it portrays the professional
image important to your property
management company
• When sending an E-mail, the subject line
must clearly summarize what the body of the
E-mail says
• If your leasing teams are using the E-mail
“reply” feature to respond to a future resident,
make certain they reply by including the
information the prospect sent in their
original E-mail note. In addition, ask your
leasing teams to include the name of the
future resident throughout their E-mail
reply.
WITHIN YOUR PROPERTY
MANAGEMENT COMPANY:
• When your leasing teams are using E-mail
to communicate internally, make certain they
understand when to respond by E-mail and
when to call the person who sent the original
E-mail, depending on the tone or content of
the E-mail
• Explain to your leasing teams how and when
to use carbon copy {cc} and blind carbon
copy {bcc} with E-mail
• Have a written company policy regarding
the use of E-mail, clearly outlining the rules
and expectations of your company. Have this
document signed by each person who will be
accessing your E-mail software
www.aamdhq.org
• Explain to your leasing teams that deleting
an E-mail does not remove it from their
computer system nor from the system of
the person the E-mail was sent to. During
several recent lawsuits, damaging E-mails
that had been deleted were used in the
courtroom to the surprise of the individuals
and their property management companies
• Instruct your leasing teams about the extra
care required if they receive an E-mail that
has an attached document, as this is where
most computer viruses are hidden. Many
property management companies do not let
their leasing teams send or open attached
files.
• E-mail files can easily be opened and read
so confidential information like salaries,
financial reports, social security numbers or
credit card numbers should not be sent by
E-mail.
AS A MARKETING TOOL:
• Aside from a small $15-$20 service charge
per month, sending or receiving E-mail is
free. When compared to other forms of
marketing…having your leasing teams send
E-mails to new or existing residents is their
least expensive form of marketing.
• Imagine the marketing success your leasing
teams will have if they had the E-mail
address on the guest card of every future
resident who visited their apartment
community over the past 12 months…and
your leasing teams can stay in touch with
these potential new residents for free!
• When your properties are using E-mail to
handle resident questions or maintenance
requests, a timely response is expected and
required.
• Create two separate E-mail lists…one for
future residents and one for current residents
so you can send appropriate marketing
information to each group.
• Create an E-newsletter which can be
easily sent out on a weekly or monthly
basis. Remember, since sending E-mail is
free, your leasing teams will have lots more
flexibility. In addition, E-newsletters portray
a professional image about your property
management company and are quick to be
passed-along to others, thus expanding the
reach and exposure for your marketing.
• When sending E-mail, have your leasing
teams develop a five to seven line signature
which is automatically placed at the bottom
of every E-mail they send out. This signature
line will further promote their apartment
community, your corporate website and can
be changed on a daily basis, if necessary.
• Use E-mail to stay in touch with the media
in your area, especially if your apartment
communities have any exciting events or
community projects to announce.
• The E-mail address at each of your
properties should be included on every
business card, every brochure, on any sales
information and with all print advertising.
Ernest F. Oriente, a business coach since 1995, a property
management industry professional since 1988--the author
of SmartMatch Alliances--and the founder of PowerHour...
[ www.powerhour.com and www.powerhourseo.com and
www.pirmg.com
AUGUST 2014 • TRENDS | 35