TPCO Leasing Bootcamp RECAP
The Preiss Company is always looking for ways to remain a leader within the student housing industry. Recently, we gathered leasing focused professionals from across our entire portfolio for the first ever TPCO Leasing Bootcamp. This 3-day conference allowed our attendees to learn new sales techniques, discuss strategy with one another, and hear from experts both in and outside of the student housing industry. For those of you who weren’t able to attend, check out this recap below!
Know Your Form - Terry Vaughan
The opening session was presented by Terry Vaughan with TVEmpowers. Terry is an author, speaker, and a veteran for the British Military, where he found a passion for reading people and situations. His session included information and tips on body language and how it affects you and the people around you, within your job and even in your personal life.
““The information that Terry gave was extremely insightful and helpful. It was interesting to see the actual specifics of body language when it comes to first impressions.””
He then went deeper into discussing how body language might directly affect us in leasing, particularly when interacting with prospects and residents. But techniques behind reading body language goes beyond the client: it can provide essential intellect on the feelings of your team as well.
“I plan on using the techniques that Terry showed us, especially when it comes to interactions not just with residents or prospects, but with my own team here at CBG,” said Marcus. “Even though I know all my employees, I think they deserve my best and I believe improving my body language with them will show that I am even more engaged.”
Lease with Physique - Joe Woo
The next session consisted of Joe Woo sharing insight on defining a personal brand with good leasing practices and consistency, and gave everyone in the room a chance to comment on and discuss the techniques that have made them successful in their careers.
““It was super helpful to review good practices for leasing. I think we often get tied up in whatever we have going on and can sometimes get in our own ways when it comes to closing leases. When I gave my next tour after the seminar, I was reminded of easy ways to build rapport with prospects.””
He also went into discussing the importance of making a great first impression, and how your presentation and attitude can completely change an experience between you and a prospect.
“Most of us remember the easy stuff,” said Morgan, “how to dress appropriately, wearing our name tag, answering the phone politely- but he also made some great points that I didn’t think of.”
Power Lifting Panel
Panels are always a great tool to use in order to get different perspectives into play on broad topics of discussion. Luckily, we had the pleasure of listening to the unique ideas and thoughts of five of our most successful leasing professionals to discuss overcoming leasing challenges and obstacles that we all often face in our daily efforts.
““It was very informative to hear the different strategies used at these properties. I saw how they have benefited from touring the other properties in their market. Again, I feel like this is something I could do better as an agent in order to have a better understanding of what we can offer over our competitors.””
Some big takeaways from this session included various new closing tactics, appropriate interaction with prospects, and even some funny stories when trying to sign a lease. Overall, this panel gave leasing agents a chance to bounce ideas off one another to better themselves and their own techniques.
How to Get Max Gains - Willie Butler
William Butler is the author of the book ReLeasing: A Counter-intuitive Approach to Apartment Leasing. He has a wide range of experience as a student housing professional with a specific focus in leasing, marketing, and staff training.
In this session, Willie shared his personal story as a leasing professional, specifically how hard work and a good attitude helped him achieve great personal and team success. He spoke about self-motivation and how that alone can help you meet your goals and allow you to excel in your job. But outside your job, it’s important to understand that you aren’t guaranteed tomorrow.
““He said there are two days that you can never do any work and that is yesterday and tomorrow. He was exactly right in the sense that you only ever have today to do the things that are important to you. Everybody’s got an expiration date so why not make the days you still have count and put your best foot forward in every aspect of your life!””
The Right Equipment - Whitney Kidd
We are very fortunate to have a strong relationship with one of our most valued vendor partners, Realpage. This relationship provides opportunities for us to hear directly from a key decision maker within their organization. Whitney Kidd, VP RealPage Student, shared details and answered questions about a new tool Realpage just rolled out that integrates communications with prospects and residents into one single platform called Relate 24/7.
With this tool, Whitney explained that the need for any texting or mass emailing apps can be essentially eliminated, as Relate 24/7 will keep history and messages in sync with OnSite/OneSite. This helps us keep track of our relationships with our clients and stay up to date with them in real time.
Working Your Core - Keith Dimsdale
In the spirit of great customer service, Keith Dimsdale, Chick-fil-A Franchise Owner and Operator, spoke on his experience in a company that emphasizes great customer service.
Keith gave us a deeper look into the history of how Chick-fil-A developed their reputation for providing the best customer service, starting back to when the chicken sandwich was invented! Keith credits the success of Chick-fil-A to the hardworking employees who consistently provide the best customer service that the fast food industry has to offer.
He believes that if you apply phenomenal customer service to your business practices daily, your brand and reputation as a whole will thrive.
Gains vs. Strains - Chloe Rasmussen
With every job comes challenges and hurdles, but particularly ones that involve a great deal of direct interaction with your clientele. Chloe Rasmussen, Regional Manager, discussed her approach to handling problems that arise when interacting with both residents and parents. Chloe went into detail on how to stay positive in situations that seem impossible to do so in. By doing so, you’ll be able to build deeper relationships with your residents, which will hopefully create more loyalty and trust.
““I think that it can be very difficult for new, young agents to properly handle negative interactions with residents and parents both on the phone and in person. Providing them with more information in a similar setting to Chloe’s talk would be invaluable. I found myself wishing all my agents from both sites were present to glean as much information from that talk as possible.””
Top 10 Habits of a Good Leasing Professional
Management Specialist, Steven Branch, led the last session of the Bootcamp which allowed all attendees the opportunity to participate in a workshop with the goal of creating the top ten habits a TPCO leasing professional should have.
We touched on each part of the leasing process, from introduction to closing, and gave our best tips and tricks on our best experiences.
This first ever TPCO Leasing Bootcamp was a huge success. People from across the entire country had the opportunity to network with others and get a feel for the Preiss culture.
“It was so great to network with people I had only ever seen via email, and to catch up with some old friends as well, all while learning new tips and tricks for leasing,” said Morgan Wilson. “I thought I’d leave having one favorite session, but I can’t honestly pick a favorite because I found something interesting, helpful, or motivational during each and every session. I’m so grateful to have been able to attend.”
We look forward the second TPCO Leasing Bootcamp next year!
