National Apartment Association Education Institute Telephone Presentations

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National Apartment Association Education
InstituteTelephonePresentations
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Telephone Presentations Objectives

• Implement good telephone etiquette in the
  workplace.
• Apply effective speaking and listening skills to
  telephone presentations.
• List preparations a Leasing Professional should
  make for a telephone presentation.

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Telephone Presentations Objectives

• Describe the basic objectives of a telephone
  contact.
• Develop a process for working with current
  residents.
• Handle an irate caller.

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Telephone Skills Self-Evaluation

• In all telephone conversations
• When speaking to a prospective resident
• When accepting a service request

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Todays Agenda
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Importance of the Telephone

• 9 of 10 future residents call first
• 4 times more likely to lease

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Preparing for a Telephone Presentation

1. Pens and pencils

Telephone message pads, blank guest cards
2.

1. A calendar

1. An up-to-date list of apartments available to
   lease

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Preparing for a Telephone Presentation

• Written directions to the
  community from North, South, East and West for
  ease in providing directions
• 6. Blank service request forms

1. Frequently called numbers

8. A positive attitude
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Projecting your Professional Image

1. Smile and be enthusiastic
2. Speak clearly and at an appropriate pace
3. Not place your fingers or hand over the
   mouthpiece
4. Keep your personal calls to a minimum
5. Be sincere and courteous to your callers

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Telephone Etiquette

• Answer the call promptly
• 2. Add warmth to your response by smiling when
  greeting the caller
• 3. Keep the greeting clean and simple
•  

1. Identify yourself

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Telephone Etiquette

• What you are doing and give the
  caller your undivided attention

STOP

1. Slow down and take control of the conversation
2. Do not carry on additional conversations with
   others in the office while you are on the
   telephone
3. Do not handle the call while trying to process
   paperwork, etc

9. Do not eat, drink or chew gum while on the
telephone
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Telephone Etiquette

• 10. Put people on hold only after asking them to
  hold and waiting for their response
• 11. Do not leave the caller on hold for longer
  than thirty seconds

12. Always say thank you 13. Wait for the
caller to hang up before you hang up the
telephone 14. Do not use industry jargon or slang
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Improve your Speaking Skills Improve your
Performance.

• Communication is a two-way street
• Never assume
• Think before you speak
• Vocabulary
• Speaking
• Voice Inflection

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Voice Inflection
7 Spoken word
93 Non-Verbal Communication

• I didnt tell Tom you were stupid. 

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Voice Inflection

• I didnt tell Tom you were stupid. 

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Voice Inflection

• I didnt tell Tom you were stupid. 

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Voice Inflection

• I didnt tell Tom you were stupid. 

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Voice Inflection

• I didnt tell Tom you were stupid. 

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Voice Inflection

• I didnt tell Tom you were stupid. 

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Voice Inflection

• I didnt tell Tom you were stupid. 

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Activity

• Empathic Listening

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Top 10 Ways to Improve Listening

1. Work to understand the other person.
2. Pay attention to the substance of the
   speaker's requests.
3. Make it a habit to listen first and respond
   second.
4. Be attentive.
5. Listen carefully for the main idea.

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Top 10 Ways to Improve Listening

1. Concentrate on the facts.
2. Ask good questions without overly interrupting
   the caller.
3. Do not allow positive or negative reactions to
   the speaker change your behavior.
4. Concentrate all your energy on the speaker.
5. Jot down more detailed notes.

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According to Research

• Prospects call an average of nine communities

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Types of Callers

• Time Saving Caller
• I Dont Trust you Caller
• Geographical Caller

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Basic Objectives

• Who?
• What?
• When?
• Where?
• Why?
• How much?
• An appointment?

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Keep These in Mind

• 1. Make sure you guide the conversation
• 2. As you respond to questions, make sure you ask
  some of your own
• 3. Talk about a specific apartment. It is more
  personable
• 4. Elaborate on the benefits of this apartment
  before quoting rental rates
• 5. Speak positively about the rates. Build
  value!
• 6. Always remain pleasant even if you cannot
  schedule an appointment
• 7. Leave the prospect with a positive feeling

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INITIAL LEASING QUESTIONS

• How much are
• Do you have any
• Can you tell me about

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Why Use Q/A/Q?

1. It deflects the price issue momentarily.
2. It places the Leasing Professional in control of
   the call.
3. It helps qualify the caller by asking when they
   need their apartment home.
4. It begins the closing process with use of the
   Assumptive Close.  

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Whats wrong with this Telephone Call?

• Leasing Professional
• Prospective Resident

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Key Elements of a Successful Presentation

• The leasing presentation
• begins the moment the
• telephone is answered.

People buy from people they like.
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3 Key Elements

• Persuade
• Inform
• Enthuse

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Closing Begins with the Telephone

1. Establishes a relationship
2. Gathers information
3. Describes the community
4. Looks for opportunities to "close"

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Tracking Weekly Traffic
Resident Referrals
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Taking Requests for Service

• What are the three most frequent requests for
  services from existing residents at your
  community?
• Which requests are easiest to address?
• Which are hardest?
• Why?
• Do you notice any difference in your manner when
  talking with prospective residents than with
  existing residents? If so, how do you account for
  it?

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Identifying Caller Needs
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Identifying Caller Needs
Information that should be obtained from the
resident generally includes the following

• Resident's name
• Apartment number
• Telephone number
• The date(incl. year) and time of the call
• Permission to enter the apartment

• Pet?
• Intrusion alarm code
• Specific nature of the problem
• Specific location of the problem

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Resolving Problems

• Follow-up to Ensure the
• Resident is Satisfied

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Handling Irate Callers
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The Most Frequent Causes of Irate Calls

1. Previous service request was ignored.
2. Previous service request is still not completed.
3. Increase in rent or decrease in amenities/
   resource facilities.
4. Personal problems of the caller unrelated to the
   service request.
5. Problems with neighbors.

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Dealing with Irate Phone Calls from Residents

• Remain calm.
• Use the caller's name once or twice during the
  conversation.
• Listen to everything the caller says without
  interruption.
• Identify the problems.
• Probe for additional information.

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Dealing with Irate Phone Calls from Residents

• Apologize for any inconvenience, real or
  imagined.
• Keep the voice low.
• Reassure the caller that everything possible will
  be done to solve the problem.
• Follow up to make sure the resident is satisfied
  with the results.
• Take thorough notes throughout the conversation.

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Fair Housing Implications

• Arranging appointments
• Making callbacks
• Acts of courtesy
• Personal information required

• Availability of properties presented
• Location of properties presented
• Follow up procedures

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TelephonePresentations