But, how do you get employees to act like owners?

As it relates to the statement; I have two questions I like to ask people.

First one relates to leadership and specifically employee issues;

If you owned this apartment management company; would this person be working for you?

The second pertains to more general items that comes up on a daily basis.

If the sign out in front of this apartment community read [your name] apartments; what would you do?

Nine point nine times out of ten the answer comes – tip of tongue.

What do you do to create an ownership mentality?

The all to familiar ring around the first of the month. Time to pay the rent and the drop box is the perfect scape goat for would be late payers.

My question: Do we need a drop box? Should we take them away and force payment during business hours only?

I am an advocate for it. Not because I want to make it hard for people to pay their rent. Not because I have a mean spirit. It’s rather because I’ve had thousands of dollars stolen from drop boxes over the years. I’ve heard every single excuse in the book relating to missing checks and money orders. I’ve even had a few drop boxes come up missing.

With the advancement of technologies; I think it is time to join the ranks of drop box as not an option for paying rent.

What are your thoughts?

Whatever the outcome, I have always been of the firm opinion that apartment management company employees should never cede to the pressure of commingling their personal brand handle in joint with the company they work for or with. For example: @Mike_MyEmployer or @MyEmployer_Mike. In my head, there is no chance and no way I would ever do that. Not in the context of personal branding world. Neither would I ever ask anyone I work for or with to do as much.

Now I am sure there a several camps out that agree or disagree and all for reasons that apply to their various interests.

But who is right?

Or, is there a right answer? And, as a company that champions social media as part of their branding/marketing strategies, should you push the issue? Would you terminate someone who refused to comply with the request to co-brand? Is it in your social media rules, regs, do’s and don’ts? Do you refuse to hire a soon to be hot personal brand superstar because he or she says – “yeah – no, my social graph is not up for discussion even if it is in the early stages of development.” “Neither am I willing to segregate business from personal?” Bold?  Yes – but, it is out there.

Do you sue the guy that leaves with the list?

Related articles, courtesy of Zemanta:

• Former Employee Sued $340,000 Over Company Twitter Account
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At one point in the conversation, Mike asked me the the proverbial, “So what’s going on with you?” I took it in the context of business and replied, “I think that this is an absolutely exciting time to be alive! And, I think things just feel like they are getting better.” I really believe that. Not to suggest the the whole world is peaches and cream but the bulk of what I touch on a day to day basis is good. Mills Apartments has absorbed North of 2000+/- units additional units into the family in the trailing eighteen months and the pipeline for more is there. We are on the cusp of unveiling a new website, our social media platform is on a firm setting, our community team [marketing director, coordinators, mascot, bloggers, etc.] are planting the seeds for conversation and operations are seeing concession reduction and in some cases rent gains. To borrow a quote from our company President, Kirk Mills, “things are good.”

Skip back to Mike Whaling, it seems his appointment book and book of business are filling up. We feel the same way about our business at Mills.

So there is my apartment business observation.

And, I wonder – what is your sense of the business today? Is the phone starting to ring more? Are you booking more appointments? Are companies starting to reach out in a more meaningful way?

Change: The infrastructure of massive connection is now real. People around the world have cell phones. The first internet generation is old enough to spend money, go to work and build companies. Industries are being built every day (and old ones are fading). The revolution is in full swing, and an entire generation is eager to change everything because of it. Hint: it won’t look like the last one with a few bells and whistles added.

The accelerating pace of change in the apartment marketing space has been in full swing for nearly the whole of the last decade. It may have seemed slow to some and not fast enough to others but one thing can not be argued – it has changed. And, the coming decade will no doubt bring some crazy amazing uber-cool things to the apartment space.

Apartment Marketing Ideas

Don’t think of this list as another prediction or trends of the coming decade list as it is just some off the top of my head thoughts – some short term some long term and in no particular order and with no premise:

• It’s all marketing all the time – will take on a whole new meaning
• It’s not all about heads in beds as giving back un-publicly will take on some level of importance [some will no doubt exploit this publicly]
• The continued adoption of platforms like Facebook and Twitter will no doubt accelerate –
• Platforms like Foursquare will gain traction -
• User reviews will be a common element of your website -
• Blogs will finally catch real traction and, in my opinion – it doesn’t matter what the content is about as long as it is compelling and adds value – it will be your hub as it relates to the conveyor belt theory of marketing
• Monetize everything will no doubt be an operating aim for many – I think it’s the quickest way to kill your advocates – think long and hard about this one before you make a move –
• Participation will become the key initiative across platforms – look for experience marketing with heavy entertainment themes as a way to gain followers -
• Craigslist as it relates to marketing apartments will be mashed up beyond recognition and it will be compelling, automatic and anticipatory –
• Print will hang on for a bit but will look far different than it does today -
• ILSs will experience massive disruption as a result of crazy good UGC and dare I say Google – might want to think about becoming experience marketing creationists
• Employees will demand participation be a part of their job descriptions -
• Gen Y will serve Gen Y – this will be massively cool and massively frustrating for those who don’t embrace it -
• So called gurus and experts will pop up everywhere – I encourage you to become your own guru or expert [the tools are accessible to everyone, they are free and they are easy to use] -
• A/P and A/R will become 100% digital -
• Paperless offices will happen -
• True help yourself leasing will happen -
• Apartment mechanical systems will self diagnose, check your inventory, order part or replacement if necessary, schedule maintenance and notify residents all along the way -

Just some back of the napkin stuff here – no doubt there is so much more. I will be back to update often

Have a famous new year and I look forward to participating in denting the multifamily universe

M

They were attempting to build an underground parking garage…