These seminars are often delivered as general admission events, where anyone can attend, and are all available for individual associations and companies. They can be customized to allow for time constraints, current market conditions and management philosophies. Because of the casual and interactive nature of each session, they are recommended for audiences of no more than 40. Please click on the underlined course title to preview an Adobe PDF file of the attendee materials for any seminar listed below. For pricing information click here.
 

What’s the difference between a soft close and an effective one? Why do we fear asking for the sale? This seminar is an introduction to closing techniques that are tried and true in the multi-family industry. So many leasing consultants are afraid to ask for the money or seal the deal, and this seminar gives them the tools they need to be more confident and convert more traffic to signed leases. Attendees learn to get prospects more involved during a property tour, tools they should always have with them and effective closes to use everyday. We finish with a role-playing module to put the new skills into action. Close ‘em with confidence - this seminar shows you how.

The simple fact is the apartment industry doesn’t provide very good service. We are selling a highly personal product - a home. This seminar highlights the importance of good customer service on our jobs, performance and retention. Good service equals good retention and satisfied residents! We uncover the elements you need in a customer service plan, the importance of move-in inventories and surveys, how to listen more carefully to customer concerns, implementing a cross-training program, dispute resolution, listening skills and much more. This seminar will help you to instill a customer service culture on-site - resulting in better customer experiences, increased resident retention and success and satisfaction for your employees.

A few hours investment can save a management company $3,900. That is the cost of the typical fair housing complaint - whether found guilty or not. This seminar introduces the national, regional and local regulations, plus what steps to take to insure a community and management company remain in compliance. There are real world case studies involving maintenance workers, leasing personnel and property managers. On-site team members are sued constantly because they answer questions and don't consider certain details simply because they haven't been through fair housing training. How should maintenance requests be prioritized? Why is filling out the guest card yourself so important? What should a maintenance tech do if they notice too many occupants in a residence? How should a manager respond to complaints about drug use? You’ll leave with the answers to these important questions and new confidence in working within the guidelines of the law.

Did you know that nearly ½ of all Internet leads are never responded to? The Internet prospect is different because they expect information timely and with all the bells and whistles. This seminar shows you how to react the right way to Internet inquiries, how to sell your community through the use of e-mail, web demonstrations and plug-ins, plus easy ways to bring Internet shoppers into your doors. Many companies spend tons of money to generate Internet prospects that are followed-up with incorrectly or too late! This seminar gives you the tools and knowledge you need to maximize this resource.

This seminar focuses on resident retention from the minute the lease is signed. Topics include how to anticipate resident's needs before they become “issues”, how to keep your finger on the pulse of your community and how to get your residents more involved in their home. We also discuss creative ways to get the most out of your clubroom, how to insure the renewal gets signed and how to effectively listen to your residents. This seminar covers fun and innovative ways to approach customer service and the lease-renewal process, making you more likely to Keep 'em!

Tired of giving it all away? A culture of concession has changed the way we market and sell apartments. Just how do you get away from the giveaways and gimmicks and toward selling value and maximizing revenue? Why is it that our prospects expect something for nothing when they call us? This seminar shows you how to sell your community based on value, quality of life and amenities and rely less on specials and gimmicks to close the deal. You’ll leave with skills you can put into place immediately to improve your closing ratios, raise the quality of your residents, impact resident retention and increase your success!

We spend so much money to generate each phone call; yet most times, this opportunity is squandered. This seminar teaches how to get more involved with your telephone prospect, ask the right questions to create interest, get the critical tracking information you require and turn the phone traffic into a walk-in! We also discuss how attitude and preconceptions get in the way of successful phone presentations. In short, all the essentials to make you Phone-Tastic!
 

These seminars are designed for the seasoned apartment professional and decision makers for property management firms who seek to implement change and increase success. Each seminar is customized for market conditions and time constraints, with run times between 50 minutes to two hours. For pricing information or to book your trade show or association seminar, click here.

 

In our increasingly nomadic world, we are dealing with more and more clientele who are coming from across the country or across the world to settle in our community. Attentive property management companies and informed leasing consultants can make all the difference in welcoming these transplants and creating that sense of community that they seek. Just how do you get your on-site teams to act as community ambassadors? This seminar uncovers tips and tactics to get your teams up-to-speed on selling the city, the neighborhood and the property to potential renters and creating camaraderie and a community atmosphere that aids in retention, public relations and employee turnover. Don’t just put out the welcome mat, become an Ambassador!

Does your management company have a passion for perfection? This seminar is a look at the key points that have made Lexus, Nordstrom and Ritz-Carlton the leaders in their fields and how many of these lessons can be applied to the apartment industry. We cover essentials such as creating a customer service plan, delighting your residents and creating customer loyalty - all of which translate into happy residents and lease renewals! Why not add your community to the list of customer service legends?

Are your leasing teams faltering at the finish line? Are they afraid to ask for the money? Many times, our leasing personnel don’t have the basic sales training and confidence to close effectively. This seminar attacks that problem and how to communicate these skills to our leasing teams effectively and quickly. You’ll learn helpful closing techniques that you can immediately put to work. We also uncover easy ways to get appointments made, react to buying signals, effectively engage the prospect and more. Designed for property supervisors and trainers, this seminar can help you make a positive change in your organization that results in increased closing ratios and improved NOI!

Passing the buck happens so often at our communities because our teams don't see the whole picture. We are all responsible for excellent customer service, renewals are everyone's job and an unsatisfied customer reflects on each one of us. This overview will point out some of the successful ways that great companies from different industries empower their people to meet their customers needs and in so doing, meet their own as well. You’ll leave this session with a number of ideas you can implement immediately to create a customer service culture at your communities.

So maintenance is mad at leasing again. How do we get past this us-versus-them mentality that is prevalent in so many of our on-site offices? A simple game of musical chairs leads to a much more in-depth discussion of how to get your teams working together again. In this seminar, we reveal how many companies in divergent industries employ the methods of cross-training and teamwork for maximum success. You’ll hear about the corporate CEO’s and famous motivational personalities that feel that teamwork is more important than product! Nobody can do this job alone and a sense of how each person fits into the puzzle is an important tool. This seminar will provide you with many ideas to create a teamwork culture. Who will be left standing when the music stops?

Hundreds of leases are lost each month because of just one phone call - and that is precisely the problem. One call is not follow-up! It takes a systematic change to effectively follow-up with prospects and turn them into signed leases for your community. You can easily implement change by using components you already have in your property management software. This seminar shows you how to organize your contact list, innovative ways to get in front of your prospects and tricks to get them to respond to you! Leaving a message isn’t enough - effective follow-up is a response. This seminar explains how to get your doors opening, phone ringing and your closing ratio soaring.

How do you retrain your leasing teams to sell based on service, amenities and value rather than on price, specials and a deal? This powerful seminar shows you how to implement a value-selling plan through training, incentives, accountability and the right marketing. We uncover how specials get going in a market, how to build a plan to eliminate them and how to use managed specials constructively. From points like how to find hidden value in everyday amenities, and how to sell the concept of service to your prospects, you’ll leave with dozens of great ideas to help your communities move away from concession selling.
 

These seminars are designed for the apartment professional seeking a hands-on, down-to-business session that will give them immediate tools they can use to increase productivity, return on investment, and marketing success. These seminars can easily be sponsored by major property management vendors. Each seminar is customized for time constraints, market conditions and vendor content. For pricing information or to book your workshop, click here.

 

In this fun, interactive seminar and workshop, we take a look at what makes a successful apartment advertisement. I’ll show you how to create a unique headline and USP, how to incorporate different graphical elements and how to work amenities into bullet points for maximum impact. We also take a look at attractive and effective advertisements from markets around the country to see successful advertising in action. Lastly, the group breaks into smaller teams to review their current advertising with peers and industry professionals and create a plan to make them more enticing.

Does your community brochure make the impact it should? This seminar and interactive workshop takes a look at the different types of community brochures that are out there and which ones have the most impact. We take a look at different budgets and uncover which type of brochure is the best value for each. We determine what essential elements are necessary for any successful brochure. We also look at some terrific examples of community brochures from around the country and determine what makes them stand out. Lastly, we break into groups where your peers and graphic design professionals work with you to take a look at your current community brochure and develop a plan to make it more appealing.

So many choices for your Internet ad dollar, but do you know which sites are being seen by your prospects? This interactive workshop is an overview of the 7 nationally active apartment Internet search sites, their strengths and weaknesses and how to choose the right ones for your community. We dive in online to show you how to update your ads on each site, different tools and resources to make your advertisement stand-out, how to easily keep your ads fresh and current and much more. We also take a look at some sample advertisements within each major site for a good look at what ads draw attention and pull people in, and which ones just don’t. With nearly 60% of community prospects turning to the Internet first, understanding how to make the most of this resource is crucial to the success of your community. (There is a customized version of this course for Canada and also for inverted major metro multifamily markets in the United States. Please contact us for more information.)

This seminar takes what we can learn from companies that have worked with the National Trust and other organizations to renovate and make money from historic structures while respecting the building’s architectural integrity and history. We look at case studies of properties that have been successfully renovated and preserved, and how the management company approached the marketing and positioning of each to reach their goals. We discuss sample campaigns that have effectively attracted a target market to a community, and others that have missed the mark. It is surprising what can work in selling the old to the not-so-old – find out what it takes.

An essential crash seminar for any new marketing director or property manager! This workshop introduces the key elements to a great marketing plan – advertising, branding, signage, the property tour, outreach, resident retention, collateral and premiums. We cover the best vendors in each of these categories and discuss how to build a comprehensive marketing plan for a community or a property management firm, including determining a target audience and market position, creating a USP and more. This workshop shows you how to make an impact with your marketing plan and budget right away!
 

These addresses are designed for luncheons and trade show events and are inspirational, industry-centered and entertaining. Each has a graphical element. All presentations may be customized for time constraints and market conditions. Please contact Christopher Higgins for more details about a keynote address for your event.

 

How is life like a floor plan? Just as an architect can’t design a perfect home without a blue print and a plan, you can't have a successful life without one. This address discusses one of the most important aspects of life - balance and how to achieve it. We in real estate see blue prints, site plans, house plans and design plans every day. Detailed schematics of the way things ought to be. But our busy careers often get in the way of us achieving a balanced life. You have to create a plan to accomplish balance, balance your success in career with your family and personal goals. Not much good in life comes without a plan, and this session shows you how to sketch out a better, more balanced, life.

A multifamily professional is selling the most personal thing a person can purchase - their home. Yet often we use customer service skills that lack that attention to detail. Personalized service is the way to achieve great success in the apartment industry. This exciting session takes a look at three titans of customer service - Lexus, Nordstrom and Ritz-Carlton. We uncover the tactics and techniques that have made each of these three legends rise to the tops of their respective industries in a relatively short period of time, and we hear how many of the concepts can work in multifamily housing. You will leave with a pumped up attitude and a plan to provide award-winning, legendary service to your customers.

Why so stressed out? Monday morning reports, conference calls, missed deadlines and property disasters can seem daunting. If you step back from your hectic workday, and appreciate what you do, you’ll have a better outlook. This fun keynote takes a look at some of the world’s most stressful professions and draws parallels to the world of multifamily. From window-washers hovering over Hong Kong to air-traffic controllers at London’s Heathrow Airport, gator-wranglers in Florida to SWAT-team officers in Washington D.C. - you’ll hear how these amazing individuals triumph over stressful careers and make the world better, safer and cleaner! With a bit of perspective, the apartment industry will begin to sound like a piece of cake, reminding you to enjoy your career!

Ads that ramble on, webpages that just don't stop. Many of our marketing challenges in multifamily require brevity. The ability to “headline it”. This skill of advertising gurus and PR masterminds is essential to the successful marketing of property or a company, yet many real estate professionals don't have this skill. Don't believe that? Look through any Sunday newspaper or any free apartment publication. Surf a rental housing website. You’ll see silly headlines, missed opportunities, poor photography and graphics, no attention grabbing message. This session is an introduction to the powers of persuasion and clarity in writing and designing advertising. Get the maximum impact out of what you spend - just headline it!

The business of real estate has for hundreds of years focused on taking from the land to provide for our well-being. Whether it be agricultural, development or even the sale of new and existing homes. But real estate practitioners also have a responsibility to the land and our society at large. This session details the successes of real estate people across the country who have used their positions to effect positive change in their community. From environmental initiatives to providing low-cost quality housing, renovating important architectural treasures, setting aside land for protection and adaptive reuse of old industrial property - you'll hear how professionals have shown they understand and embrace our responsibility in real estate.
 

Each session is two hours. The Webinar concept utilizes the Internet and a live telephone line, so that a virtual attendee views the content of the class on their computer screen and listens to the material via the phone. There are online collaborative break-out sessions, opportunities to ask questions and discuss with other attendees, and polls and assessments. A high-speed or broadband connection is preferred but not required. While not intended to take the place of a “live” class, these Webinars are a great way to deliver basic skill sets quickly, conveniently and at a low cost. Registration is handled online and is available up to five minutes before the Webinar begins. To register, click here.

 

A condensed and multimedia version of the Close ‘em seminar listed above, this interactive webinar session teaches the basics in interacting with prospects, creating interest, establishing rapport and moving towards the sale. Basic selling skills are necessary to do a good job as a leasing consultant. Each attendee will learn multiple closing techniques, tools they should have with them while out on-site, great methods to break the ice and much more.

Fair Housing law impacts almost every function of the on-site leasing and management team, yet many on-site professionals interact with customers before they know anything about fair housing law. This essential webinar provides a basic understanding of responsibilities and restrictions under the law, and what techniques and tools you can use to remain in compliance. A condensed version of the Front Lines Fair Housing seminar listed above, this webinar session is concise and tailored to the needs of the office team.

Today, there are more fair housing complaints filed against the maintenance team than the office, simply because most maintenance personnel have not received fair housing training. This online webinar explains how the fair housing law impacts the maintenance team and provides procedures and policies to keep employees in compliance. Many “real life” scenarios are presented and the attendee has multiple opportunities to weigh in on what was done right and what was done wrong.

Converting the multitude of internet leads generated today is a challenge for most apartment communities. We spend a significant amount on the Internet resources we utilize, but this money is wasted if a lead isn’t followed up with appropriately. This webinar, a condensed version of the Internet Lead to Lease seminar listed above, teaches the basic methods of following up with Internet leads and how to convert this valuable traffic into signed leases for your community.

Resident retention is crucial to the survival of any apartment community. We tend to focus so much effort on getting new customers to walk through our front door that we lose sight of how many of our old ones are leaving out the back. This webinar, a condensed version of the Keep ‘em seminar listed above, refocuses attention on the basic of resident retention. From listening skills and customer service tactics, to methods to help you achieve a higher renewal ratio – this is essential training for anyone working in the leasing office.

Just because a prospect calls, doesn’t mean they will lease from you. We talk many of our phone callers out of leasing, just by the manner and method in which we answer the telephone. This webinar, a condensed version of the Phone Tactics seminar listed above, teaches the basics of phone traffic and conversion. Attendees will learn how to paint word pictures to describe the community, how to get crucial details without sounding like a telemarketer, and how to get appointments that are kept.