Keep Beating Your Drum!

What are the first images that come to your mind with this opening title?  Hold that thought.  The drum is one of the most ancient of instruments and still has the ability to make us tap our feet, tap our desk, make us run faster, work out harder, and pretend to dance better.  The drum is a fundamental instrument at pep rallies.  Can you imagine a pep rally with all flutes?  I think you get the image.  The drum has the ability to inspire, motivate and pursue whatever goal you aspire to achieve.

At Brainstorming last week, the keynote address was presented by top executives in the multifamily industry.  The CEO of Camden Property Trust,  Richard Campo, used the expression “keep beating your drum”.  His message was to inspire all of us to pursue the ideas we feel will work, investigate options that will benefit our company and keep presenting them to our superiors.  He encouraged vendors to provide hard data and infomercials in order to communicate effectively with decision makers. 

So what does this all mean?  Does it mean our rhythm and beat should be the same as our multifamily company’s beat?  Or do we beat our drum with a different tune?  Are we ready to stand out as different and present a different tempo because our belief is that we have something better to offer?  Are we ready to march to the beat of our own drum?  How does your company inspire you to find the new tune?

Written by Jonathan Saar - The Training Factor

Fair Housing: Landmark Judgment Passed for Multifamily Company

A landmark decision was handed out by the Justice Department yesterday.  This is something that everyone in the multifamily industry needs to pay attention to.  Here is the link to the article and also the full article from the Justice Department.

http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/capital/2009/11/03/justice-department-hits-la-apartment-owner-with-record-fine/

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2009/November/09-crt-1187.html

A couple of key excerpts are as follows: “Tuesday, the Department of Justice announced that a Los Angeles apartment-building owner had agreed to pay $2.7 million to settle allegations that he discriminated against blacks, Hispanics, and families with children. It’s the largest penalty ever obtained by the department in a housing-discrimination case involving apartments.

“The magnitude of this settlement should send a message to all landlords that we will vigorously pursue violations of the Fair Housing Act,” said Thomas Perez, assistant attorney general for the department’s civil rights division.”

In addition, an independent contractor will test Sterling’s compliance with fair-housing laws at his Los Angeles properties for three years and provide training to his apartment managers and leasing agents on fair-housing rules.”

This judgment should strike a chord with all of us the importance of making sure our companies are fully educated in the Fair Housing Act.  I found it quite sad after reading this article yesterday and then reflecting on a recent conference I attended.  Here is why.  One of my usual questions to everyone who came by our booth was, “What does your company do for training?”  It was unfortunate to hear from some, “Training! We don’t need training.” 

I wonder how this landlord feels about multifamily training now.  The Fair Housing Act is in place for a reason.  In order to work without fear of a violation, it’s important to be educated properly and have clear documentation on how each staff member is in compliance. 

This judgment could be the first of many to come.  Let’s be proactive and not reactive.  Being reactive could cost us dear.

Written by Jonathan Saar - The Training Factor

What goes around, Comes around

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post on how corporate can really do a number on those who are just trying to be creative and innovative.  This is kind of a follow up and a brief reminder that corporate decisions should really come as no surprise.  In other words, remember to never get too comfortable.  What may appear as peachy keen and hunky dory in one moment, can change in an instant after they review their quarterly P&L.  Then all of a sudden, its the "Oh No", and "We spent that much", and "Now things got to change" speeches.  Their typical solution is not using the resources they have in their people, but letting those resources pack their bags and head out the door.

This is a reminder that our multifamily career path should never be fixated on a single course.  If you are fortunate enough to have had only one job your entire life, then I tip my hat to you.  For most of us that does not happen.  The only thing you need to be focused on is to not treat individuals the way you were treated by your corporate heads.  Those who squashed your creativity look exactly like our CEO in the video below.  In your comments below you can call him what you want.  Thanks for stopping by and remember what comes around is not vengeance but your opportunity to rise, shine, and fulfill your goals no matter what.

Written by Jonathan Saar--The Training Factor

Corporate Cut the Tabs! -My Take on the Interview with Captain Sullenberger

If any of you missed out on The Daily Show with John Stewart the other day, the interview with Captain Chesley Sullenberger is below.  First of all, our hats go off to this amazing person who showed such poise and saved so many lives.  There were two particular points from his interview that struck home with me.  Much thanks to my wife Renee, who totally rocks, for pointing them out to me.

For my multifamily colleagues and really for all of us in business, here they are. 

1.       Corporations need to invest in training and

2.       Put the Tabs Back!!!!!!!

The interview is only about 7 minutes long, so please watch and then see my comments below.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Chesley Sullenberger
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Ron Paul Interview

How many of you thought how completely lame and ridiculous it was for an airline to mess with an emergency handbook!!  As the Captain stated, “I think it would make the system better if we put the tabs back.”  Corporate somehow came to a conclusion that to cut costs, it would be a good idea to take the tabs out!!

This is just an amazing example of where some corporate officials have their heads.  Unfortunately this line of thinking continues across the corporate world and seems to have leaked into the multifamily industry.  It continues to sadden me to hear of major layoffs as a result of the perception that this is the only way to cut costs.   These employees are the ones who have been trying to get their voices heard and who have consistently tried to present to their corporate heads cost saving solutions in order to help their company succeed.  But they feel like my illustration up at the top-gagged and tied up.  And the corporate solution- “Let’s cut back on the tabs.”

This post may be of little consolation to those who are stunned and hurt over what has happened to you.  You are thinking to yourself—“After all the years I have devoted myself to my job and I just got treated like a Tab!!!”  I was a victim of that once as well and I am sorry for what you are going through.

Thank goodness for the Captain’s training.  It saved lives that day.  In the multifamily industry, you cannot go without a training program.  When it counts the most, the training you provide for your staff may save you from a Fair Housing or Sexual Harassment disaster.  Do you keep wondering why your marketing dollars are not bringing the return you hoped for?  The training you provide for your leasing, maintenance and management team will change that.

This message may never reach the people who really need to hear it, but you are reading this now and remember to take this with you as you progress in your multifamily professional career.

P.S. please take a moment and comment.  Thank you.

Written by Jonathan Saar who was inspired by his wonderful wife for this post.

The Training Factor

Is Social Media Like Baking a Cake?

I remember making my first Devil’s Food Chocolate Cake . I was around 12 years old and my wonderful mother was trying to teach me to bake. This was no cake in a box method, it was all from scratch. She outlined the necessary steps in order to be successful. Read the recipe carefully. Make sure I have all my ingredients. Get out all my measuring instruments. Then begin the step by step process as outlined in the recipe. Thankfully I had my mother there while I painstakingly went through the steps. There was very little room for error, so I needed to be precise. She gave me some tips as I went along and Voila! I had my first cake.


I was thinking about that this morning and applied it to the continuing debate on how to employ Social Media. I imagined myself making that cake and not using the right ingredients, not measuring properly, and not reading through and applying the steps outlined in the recipe. What would I have? I would have a huge mess, failure, and something that would not represent my Mom very well.

Social Media is no different. You cannot just jump on the band wagon and throw a whole bunch of ingredients together and hope to have some sort of tangible results! The recipe is research. The ingredients are the right Social Media options that will suit your business plan and purpose. The measuring instruments speak for themselves. It is important to employ the right amount of any given ingredient. The steps also speak for themselves.

Is there only one recipe for Devil’s Food Cake? Absolutely not! They may all have similar characteristics, but each baker has their own unique recipe that fits them. Social Media is the same. You need to find your recipe. You need to measure and you need to take careful steps. Hopefully you will have a cool Mom to help you along the way.



Written by Jonathan Saar -The Training Factor


For more information on Multifamily Leasing and Fair Housing Training, please visit our site.

Hello!!!!! Anyone in There????

The above title can be a common expression when dealing with our fellow team members.  Our ability to communicate and to be communicated to is a major determining factor in our leadership skills.  The complete slowdown and or failure in the business process are usually attributed to a complete breakdown of communication between various departments.  Then the frustration, anxiety, uncertainty and many other negative emotions are the soup du jour.  How would you feel if these emotions are what described your communication business process?  Maybe it’s time for a second look at your communication policies.

Here is an example of a typical corporate situation.  Your superior assigns you a project wanting to see a specific outcome in order to enhance a particular business process.  You research, brainstorm, rough draft and then bring the project to a final proposal.  You present the information to your superior but that is the last you ever hear of it.  No next steps, no implementation date---nothing!  What happened?  You may never know.  Reason why this took place—no communication.

This is one little teeny tiny example that barely scratches the surface of where breakdowns in communication can hurt the daily process.  So what can practically be done?  Maybe the title of this blog should be the theme of your next communication training meeting. 

Some other symptoms of bad communication would be finger pointing, lack of follow through, no clear direction for next project and the list goes on.  Those are the symptoms, how about attacking the disease.  Lack of policy is the disease.  The communication policy needs to include everyone.  It does little good for a policy to affect only certain departments but never applied by the leaders of the company.  One word for that—FAILURE.

You want to start saving money and make your company a happy and productive place to work—this is my tip of the day: Open your two ears and do a lot more listening and do half the talking.  That's what my Mom would always say to me.  What does your communication policy sound like?  I hope it's not like the one demonstrated in our video below.  Enjoy the laugh.

Written by Jonathan Saar:  The Training Factor

More Bang for Your Buck

This was an absolutely hilarious training video in my opinion, but then again I am often told my sense of humor is quite dry.  From a business point of view, this video has such a great analogy.  Keeping this all in good humor of course, but can you honestly imagine this poor guy making it to the Olympics with this existing program he is using?  It may be cheap, it may look like what the real Olympic training programs are, but the bottom line is that it is NOT!

There seem to be quite few companies offering multifamily training programs out there.  They promise the world, they say they can offer it for half the price of other systems which is probably absolutely the truth.  I guess the moral and professional dilemma is the decision to choose what training is best for your multifamily team.  What kind of bang do you want for your buck?  Maybe it depends on how bad you want the gold medal for your team.

Written by Jonathan Saar The Training Factor

New Media Atlanta Summary-Choose Your Direction

Last Friday September 25^th, I had the opportunity to attend “New Media Atlanta” at the Georgia Tech Research Institute.  Chris Brogan was the keynote speaker and was surrounded by other speakers who had their own take, message, and experience to share with this audience.

The scene was quite intriguing.  The room where the conference was held was extra high tech.  Quite comfortable for everyone and a place to plug in your laptop, make some notes and enjoy the presentations.  The environment was totally the perfect breeding ground for the social media enthusiasts who were ready with their twitter accounts to share this information with the world.  On that day alone, 3719 tweets were recorded based on statistics from http://wthashtag.com/Nmatl

Trying to wrap up the key points from that day in a few paragraphs will be a challenge, but here I go.  Basically there is not a one size fits all standard of Social Media.  Every company has a different product, service, and customer that need to be engaged properly.  It does you little good to have 30,000 followers on Twitter and 950 fans of your Facebook page, when you have absolutely no dollars to show for it.  Social Media is just another aspect of any other marketing plan. You do not just jump in with both feet; you need to carefully study and measure to make sure your methods are providing the best effect. 

This really starts by “listening”.  Do you know what your customers or residents want?  Do you know what they are saying about you?  Do you have a message that will engage them, so that they want to come back and hear more?  These are just a few questions that are necessary when formulating a plan to add Social Media to your existing structure.  FYI-Horizon Realty made the list of examples of what not to do when using Social Media.  I don’t think we need to go down that road again.

One statement that stuck with me from Chris Brogan’s presentation was this; ask people “How much do I suck?”  In other words, be ready to take the good with the bad.  Social Media has made the world completely transparent.

The multifamily industry is starting to break into this frontier.  Some are trying it out on their own, and some are using experienced and skilled consultants.  Social Media can you show your dedication to Fair Housing Laws.  It demonstrates your commitment to customer service and resident retention.  The main point is to accurately measure your path.  Use strategic reporting to carefully chart your progress.  If after a business quarter passes by and you do not see the results, do not toss the plan into the garbage.  Tweak it and keep moving forward.  Social Media is not a fad, it is here to stay.

Written by Jonathan Saar The Training Factor

Stay the Course

Those three words have inspired thousands of individuals for centuries now.  It’s interesting to reflect on the definition.  Wikipedia makes these statements. 

"Stay the course" is a phrase used in the context of a war or battle meaning to pursue a goal regardless of any obstacles or criticism.

Similar to "cut and run", a pejorative phrase used to describe cowardly withdrawal from battle, "stay the course" allegedly originated as a nautical metaphor on maintaining a constant, unaltering course while navigating.

How do these three words inspire you?  What are your business challenges?

Here’s a theoretical list.

1. Marketing plan-Is it the right one for me? How long should I stick to it?
2. Competition-What size fish am I in my pond?  What do I do about the bigger fish?
3. Budgets-Do I spend the money, or do I cut back?  Do I invest or do I ride this economy out?
4. Training-Do I really need it?  Can I live without it?  Will the cheap version be as effective as the higher quality version?
5. Occupancy percentages-What really works for resident retention?  Do I use social media or not?

For many multifamily companies its budget time and new fiscal year decisions are being made.  Your leadership training now comes into play with crucial decisions that will affect your company, your team, and yourself.

Now think of our three words.  “STAY THE COURSE”.  In the nautical context, can you envision the captain of the ship who is trying to encourage and convince his entire crew that they will survive the storm?  The course is front of him is uncertain.  It’s hard to see with all the waves pounding against his ship.  Water is flying everywhere.  His crew is being tossed around.  The 1^st mate and lieutenants continue to delegate orders so that the ship will not sink.  The captain cannot see clearly what is in front of him, but he has his instruments to tell him where he is going.  His compass has never let him down.  His maps and charts have been accurately created.  His calculations are correct.  He knows that the direction he is taking his crew is true.  He stands at his captain’s wheel and confidently yells out to the crew, “STAY THE COURSE”.

Within our multifamily companies we have our instruments that do not let us down.  We have specific ones to deal with Marketing, Competition, Budgets, Training, and Occupancies.  We have instruments that have stood the test of time and we are discovering new ones that deal with the more current conditions and times we live in.  The message is clear for us.  If we act as leaders within our company, have you ever thought of those three words?

Post written by Jonathan Saar from The Training Factor

Acorn Got Secret Shopped!

It’s current events like we have been witnessing recently that give us a whole new appreciation for being Secret Shopped!  I was hired at one time to do secret phone shops, and I never felt more uncomfortable in my whole life.  I felt so sad for the people I was talking to on the phone and looking to try and find something to score them high on.  I felt bad because now that report had to go to their boss and I was so anxious that because of my call, someone might lose their job.  After witnessing the ACORN events, my attitude has changed.  Secret Shops are for a protection and will only make you strive to achieve higher in your position.  Notice below from the ACORN website their motto and brief bio.

Who is ACORN?

ACORN is the nation’s largest grassroots community organization of low- and moderate-income people with over 400,000 member families organized into more than 1,200 neighborhood chapters in about 75 cities across the country.  Since 1970, ACORN has been building community organizations that are committed to social and economic justice, and won victories on thousands of issues of concern to our members, through direct action, negotiation, legislative advocacy and voter participation.  ACORN helps those who have historically been locked out become powerful players in our democratic system.

http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=12342

Now in the property management end our bio or our mission statement on our website may read something similar.  Let’s change the words up a bit.

Who is Property Management XYZ?

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT XYZ is one of the nation’s largest property management companies.  We have a portfolio of over XXX condos and apartments in over 10 states.  Since 1970, PROPERTY MANAGEMENT XYX has been building communities that are dedicated to helping our residents have the best living experience possible.  Our goal is to keep you happy and satisfied with your community and to retain you as a resident indefinitely.  Our chief concern is you as the resident.  Our goal is the utmost of customer service.  We want to hear your voice.  We are here for you.

The question is:  Does our company description match what our employees portray?  When you look at ACORN and their company description, the proof is in the pudding.  It sounds good on paper, but reality is much different.  I can guarantee you right now that they are wishing they had some sort of secret shop system set up in order to protect their organization. 

Does our “About” page read something similar to the example above?  What are we doing in the multifamily industry to make sure our mission statement matches our people?  If you were not participating in secret shops before, what will you do now?  If you were not creating and implementing a performance review program, what will you do now?  If you do not have an active and ongoing multifamily training program, what will you do now?  Do you believe that the only way an employee can benefit from their secret shop is if they have follow up training to enhance their skill sets?  It all ties together.

Never be afraid of secret shops, but welcome them.  Treat each situation as if you were being shopped, that way you can never go wrong.  They are a protection for you and your company to make sure that fair housing laws are being followed and customer service skills and leasing skills are optimized.

Your feedback is greatly appreciated.  If you have been secret shopped before, what is your general feeling towards them?  As a property management company who has that policy of using secret shops, how do you use them to make your team better with their job title?

This article written by Jonathan Saar Director of Marketing for The Training Factor

Questions about your current program contact us: http://www.thetrainingfactor.com

You Must Choose, But Choose Wisely

Decision makers have such a huge responsibility.  Whether or not we are on the property management side or the vendor side, everyday there are decisions to be made. It could be new employees, products, services, events, you name it, there are numerous items on a given business day that need to be addressed.

One of my favorite movies, “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” had such an interesting scene towards the end that gave us all something to compare to.  The scenario: What do I base my decisions on?  The Grail Knight in the tomb used that expression, “You must choose, But Choose Wisely”.   We all remember what Walter Donovan did right away.  His superficial reasoning was that the most beautiful chalice had to be the correct vessel.  However he really did not know his history well nor did he do the proper research in order to come to a correct decision.  He just went with what looked best and what seemed to be the easiest choice and we know what happened to him, it kind of got yucky from that point on.  However Indiana Jones knew his history and had studied well which enabled him to ‘choose wisely’.  The action hero once again saves the day.

So what is the application for our industry?  We are confronted daily with 2 paths to take on any given decision.  One appears to be the intriguing and easy choice.  It looks pretty, it has a lot of show, and it glistens with promises and makes you think that if you choose this way it is going to make you a hero, that you will be so highly esteemed for the decision you made.  Where will this path lead?  The other path does not outwardly appear like much.  There is not glitz, no glamour, no outrageous promises, but you have done your research on this path.  You have investigated thoroughly.  You have educated yourself enough to know that even though the glitz is not there, you will not be misled by superficial reasoning.  You will know by your research that this path and decision is the best because you have examined it thoroughly and you want your team to benefit the most.  As the Grail Knight would say, “You have chosen wisely.”

Of course we are not talking about life or death decisions here, but the same principles apply.  Let’s continue to make our industry stand strong because of the professionalism that its foundation is based on.  Don’t get sucked in by a high pitched sales presentation or a resume with pretty borders and big words.  Don’t get caught in the snare of someone who says they will undercut a proposal no matter what, just to get a sale.  Be careful about the events and resident retention concepts you bring to your communities.  Our decisions should not be about short term glamour, but long term prosperity.

I am so interested in hearing from you on some of the challenging decisions you face and what steps you take to make sure you are making the best choice for you and your multifamily company.

Just for fun check out the old Diet Coke Choose Wisely commercial below.
Written by Jonathan Saar-Director of Marketing The Training Factor
For more information on The Training Factor visit our site http://www.thetrainingfactor.com

Perfomance Evaluation and Analysis Feature

We are pleased to announce a new feature that has recently been added to our Training University! We are constantly improving our product for your benefit. You have told us of your need to marry employee training with employee performance evaluations. Whether those evaluations are in the form of Supervisor/Manager evaluations or secret shopper experiences, you needed a way to disseminate those evaluations to your employees and to train them in the areas where they may need extra help. You spoke and we listened!!

Introducing the Performance Evaluation and Analysis feature. This feature will allow you to upload all of your employee evaluations to your employee’s transcript page. Your employee will be able to see their evaluation, see and/or hear their secret shop, and receive training based on their performance analysis!

Best of all, this feature is available now and at no extra cost to our valued clients!!

We will shortly be unveiling reports to complement this new feature as well!

If you are interested in learning more about this feature and get an overview of how to use it effectively, please call Mechelle or Renée at 770-514-7773 or email us to schedule a mutually convenient time!

Thanks again for your feedback that helps us make The Training Factor the most comprehensive Learning Management System in the multifamily industry.

http://www.thetrainingfactor.com 

Blue 32--Blue 32--Ready, Set Hutt Hutt

Football season is now in full swing. Time to take the passion of the game and use it to your advantage with your residents and with your team. Statistically speaking, football continues to grow in popularity with many different demographics. It is no longer just a guys game, but the amount of women who tune into NCAA on Saturday and the NFL on Sunday is steadily growing.

So with such an ingrained passion with so many people, what can you do to use this to retain residents and gain loyalty with your multifamily team? How about dress up Fridays? Let your staff show up with their favorite team jersey. The result? Instant conversation starter when the residents come in!

The stuffy office atmosphere is gone and opportunities for fun and engaging conversations now have a breeding ground.

Now what about direct resident retention? Pretty well I am sure you know your resident's birthday, anniversary, graduation day etc. What about their favorite football team? Interesting fact to chat about on the community blog and get the residents involved in a little friendly rivalry.

How about a fan dress up contest? Or maybe a Saturday tailgate party? Options are probably endless when those wheels start spinning upstairs.

Bottom line-- have some fun with your multifamily team and with the residents. Show them both how much you value and appreciate who they are and their own particular passion for such a great weekend pastime.

If this is something you have already tried before, please share. I would love to hear how it worked for your community.

Visit our website http://www.thetrainingfactor.com

Are you an Otter?

Good morning everyone. I love watching Planet Earth and found an episode particularly interesting this weekend. There was a section that discussed the otter as a social creature and how well they work together as a group.

Here is what was cool. What do you think? One on One, Otter versus Crocodile. Who do you think would win. The answer is obvious. Don't count the otter out yet. Here is how the otter faces such a formidable opponent--teamwork. As a group they work together to harass and antagonize a crocodile that is coming to close to its family group. The crocodile although hungry, gives up on trying to catch a meal.

Lesson for today--Are you an otter? How much do you contribute to your team? What is the crocodile in your company's daily challenges? Is it the economy? Occupancies? Or maybe something within ourselves?

Whatever the case may be, there is a lot to learn from such a wonderful creature. The only thing that matters to an otter is keeping the team together and facing adversity and challenges head on. How do you act like an otter in your daily work and life? Thanks for reading, and have a great Monday.

Training--Huhh!! Why??

Good morning everyone and happy Friday!!!

Morning thoughts have been reflecting on the different types of multifamily professionals I have met. The most intriguing for sure were the ones that when I asked questions about their training program, they said--Huhh! Why? They looked at me as if to say-"We hired them because they know the position, why should we as a company have to go any further?"

I really need your input on this statement. Here is what I have humbly noticed thus far. Please notice that this may not be the only variable on this next statement, however it is an important factor. Those companies who did not believe in training have been laying off like crazy. In contrast those companies who have a strong training program are hiring and even buying up new additions to their portfolio.

My message--Maybe your response to why you are laying off or why your NOI does not look good at all should be--Huh!! Why!!

Open the mind, examine the possibilities, get involved with the social aspect of the multifamily industry so that you can learn from others. Be humble.

Please share your thoughts-thanks folks- Have a fabulous weekend.