Onsite Insites by SatisFacts Research 2014 - 2nd Quarter | Page 13
as simple and as complex as that.
You can build trust with residents when you:
1. Stay connected. Engage with your residents. This
means no hiding behind closed doors. They are paying
(often a hefty amount) and deserve your availability. This
includes being visible in the office and online. Being
available builds trusts—and builds a sense of community.
2. Communicate updates. Residents don’t like surprises,
so advise them in advance of changes and issues that will
affect them. It’s common courtesy.
3. Act reliably. You and your team members don’t need
to set up unrealistic expectations. Rather, you want to
establish realistic ones and meet them reliably. And as
issues come up, be sure to resolve them as swiftly and
completely as possible. A breach of trust here produces
massive withdrawals from your trust account! And once
it gets low, it’s tough to bring it back up.
Trust-Building Pays Handsomely
When residents have a strong sense of trust in your
team, it can pay out handsomely. They stay longer and
frequently become ambassadors for the community.
They might even write positive testimonials of their
experiences on AptRatings.com and Yelp.com—
comments that greatly assist your property in reaching
full occupancy. What better marketing exists than that!
Creating a strong resident community involves building
self-trust and a trustworthy team that delivers on the
promise of service. Trust does matter. Make it a solid
strategic advantage that you can start nurturing today.
Your Action List
•Establish trust as a
strategy in building your
community currency.
•Measure how many
positive or negative
posting your property
has now.
•Embrace and practice
the methods noted here,
setting specific goals
with your team
In the next 90 days, measure the
increase in the number of
positive postings and in the
trusting relationships that have
developed among you, your
team, and your residents.
About our Featured Expert
Terri Norvell engages people to break through their barriers as a highenergy keynote presenter, workshop facilitator, performance coach,
and author. Her 25 years of executive leadership includes VP of
Training, Marketing & Business Development with a $1.2B property
management and development company; GM of a $9M temporary
housing firm; president of a Silicon Valley Chamber; and co-author
with Jack Canfield of The Masters of Success.
You can reach Terri at 303-475-5456, [email protected] or
www.TerriNorvell.com