Apartment Manager Training

A Step-by-Step Guide to Sales Training

What is the most important sales feature of your apartment community? If your answer wasn’t “the manager,” it’s time to reconsider. In the past, apartment operators were concerned about competitors building communities within a five-mile radius of their location. Today, operators often find themselves with another complex right down the street.

To remain competitive, having highly trained and motivated managers is essential. The era of relying on retired “mom and pop” resident managers is a thing of the past. Training is no longer a luxury reserved for larger companies; it has become a necessity. Apartment operators are now more aware of the competitive environment in this industry, making apartment manager training even more critical to the community’s success.

Where to Begin?

As an owner/operator, you must assess your current and future personnel needs. The following checklist may help:

• Are my managers maximizing profits?
• Are these managers adding “value” to the community through effective sales techniques?
• Do your managers understand the company’s policies and objectives?
• Are the managers focused on providing excellent customer service?

If you answered “no” to any of these questions, your organization requires a manager training program.

The First Giant Step

When creating a training program, an operator must first determine what information all managers should be required to possess.  This calls for an operations manual.  A manual will enable a company to standardize its community operation.  It will also allow the trainer to have a text from which to instruct new personnel.  An operations manual should cover the following topics:

• Company Policies
• Job Overview
• Marketing
• Inspections
• Renting
• Computer System/Manual Bookkeeping System
• Deposits
• Vacating Units
• Reports
• Collections
• Maintenance/Supplies
• Emergencies

An operations manual should be written at a reading level of approximately seventh or eighth grade so that most people can understand it.  Write it as simply as possible and avoid being “nitpicky.”  Before the manual is written, operations must be simplified.  Discourage unnecessary paperwork.  This manual should translate into improved business operations.

Finding a Trainer

Most operators, however, lack sufficient communities to justify hiring a full-time trainer financially. Therefore, they must select a trainer from their current personnel. When searching for this person (or couple), it is essential to look for a positive role model for your manager. Moreover, your trainer or teacher will then present the company’s goals and objectives to new employees. In addition, this person should be patient, understanding, and socially adept. Furthermore, keep in mind that not everyone learns in the same way through the same teaching methods.

Both the teacher and the student take responsibility for what is learned.

In an adult learning situation, the new employee:

• Is an active participant in the learning process
• Has experience in the subject and brings that experience into the classroom
• Has individual needs that must be addressed
• Evaluates himself or herself
• Immediately applies the new concepts

Discussion and experimentation are commonly used teaching methods.  The more the new employee participates in the training process, the greater its effectiveness and the longer the employee’s retention will be.

There’s A Time and A Place

Training occurs in three stages.

Job Introduction

All new employees should be introduced to the job before they are required to fill in the last manager’s shoes.  The new hire should visit several competitors in the area to gain a better understanding of the market.  This will give the new employee an idea of what is expected in the job, while familiarizing them with the housing industry.  The trainer should demonstrate computer or bookkeeping systems, sales techniques, and reporting systems, while introducing the employee to the company’s product.  At this point, it is essential to familiarize, rather than instruct, the new employee.  Once the new employee has become familiar with the community, the new manager should be given sufficient time to read the operations manual thoroughly.

On-the-Job Training

If possible, the training should be conducted off-site.  This will ensure that the new employee has individualized training before being confronted with a customer.  If off-site training is not practical for your company, the trainer should begin the on-site training by using a training checklist.

This list should encompass every aspect that managers need to know to complete the job.  Be sure not to neglect the small items (i.e., the golf cart, elevator, supplies, keys, re-locks, etc.).  The trainer should have specific goals and objectives for each day of the training.  This will ensure that the trainer stays on track and provides the best instruction possible.

Maintenance of Behavior

Once the basic job information has been passed on to the new employee, maintaining positive behavior is required.  “Maintenance of behavior” is a training term that refers to the skills taught that must be reinforced through follow-up training sessions or by supervisors who verify that the desired behavior is being maintained. Using the purchase of a new car as an analogy might help explain the principle of behavior maintenance.  A new car will last longer and run better if the owner makes a habit of checking the oil and tires and has the car tuned up regularly.

Start at the Beginning

Practical training begins with an introduction to the company’s goals and objectives.  This will set the tone for the employee’s job experience.  The employee should understand where the company places importance and how the employee should act within the position.

Obviously, profitability should be one of the company’s objectives, and that should be stressed during the training process.  Employees should be instructed in the economics of the multi-housing industry.  Often, managers will continue to discount prices, even during periods of high occupancy, assuming that the owner’s / operator’s goal is to be 100 percent occupied.  Instructing the managers in the economics of housing will increase their understanding of why dollars deposited are more critical than unit occupancy.  This is a common mistake that managers and owners often make by becoming overly focused on occupancy.

Another typical example of housing economics is the theory that it is better to give away free time than discount unit prices.  A general rule of thumb, commonly referred to as the “90 percent rule,” states that a manager should not discount if a unit size is more than 90 percent occupied.

As a car owner, you would not expect the car to tune itself up.  Much like a car, employees who are not properly maintained will eventually develop more significant and expensive problems in the future.

Once a manager has completed the training process, the trainer should review the new employee’s written reports and regularly visit with the employee for a minimum of 90 days.  This will enable the latest manager to demonstrate improved skills to the trainer.

Using Outside Trainers

If you are considering hiring an outside service to train your managers, be sure to ask questions first.  Some examples:

• Have you ever trained apartment managers?
• How long is the training process?
• What type of follow-up training do you provide?
• Who (or what system) is going to maintain this training?
• Has your training program been professionally evaluated?  What were the results of the evaluation?
• How much does the training cost?
• Is the training conducted on-site or off-site?
• What materials will the training include?
• Who is the trainer?
• What experience has the trainer had?
• Can you provide training references?

A reputable training company will be prepared to answer any of the above questions.  Before you commit to a program, investigate your options.

Complete Management

Apartment manager training is just one aspect of creating a successful apartment operation.  If any of the following aspects of management are neglected, the community will suffer:

• Supervisory management
• Personnel selection
• Training
• Operations/systems
• Feedback or maintenance of behavior

If any component is missing, it becomes significantly more challenging to maintain a profitable housing community.  These five factors of successful management must work in concert.

Once the basic job information has been passed on to the new employee, maintaining positive behavior is essential for long-term success. This “maintenance of behavior” involves reinforcing the skills taught through ongoing follow-up training and support. Regular check-ins, refresher courses, and performance evaluations can help ensure that managers continue to develop their skills and adapt to new challenges. By fostering an environment of continuous learning and improvement through apartment manager training, apartment operators not only enhance their community’s performance but also retain motivated and effective managers who are invested in their work. Ultimately, a well-trained team translates into satisfied customers and increased profits for the self-storage community.