National Apartment Association Education Institute

TelephonePresentations

National Apartment Association Education Institute

TelephonePresentations

1December 2013

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.

2December 2013

Telephone Presentations Objectives

• Describe the basic objectives of a telephone contact.

• Develop a process for working with current residents.

• Handle an irate caller.

3December 2013

Telephone Skills Self-Evaluation

• In all telephone conversations:

• When speaking to a prospective resident:

• When accepting a service request:

4December 2013

Today’s Agenda

5December 2013

Importance of the Telephone

• 9 of 10 future residents call first

• 4 times more likely to lease

6December 2013

Preparing for a Telephone Presentation

1. Pens and pencils

Telephone message pads,

blank guest cards2.

3. A calendar

4. An up‑to‑date list of apartments available to lease

7December 2013

Preparing for a Telephone Presentation

5. Written directions to the community from North, South, East and West for ease in providing directions

6. Blank service request forms

7. Frequently called numbers

8. A positive attitude

8December 2013

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

9December 2013

Telephone Etiquette1. Answer the call promptly

2. Add warmth to your response by smiling when greeting the caller

3. Keep the greeting clean and simple

 

4. Identify yourself

10December 2013

Telephone Etiquette

5. What you are doing and give the caller your undivided attentionSTOP

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

6. Slow down and take control of the conversation

7. Do not carry on additional conversations with others in the office while you are on the telephone

8. Do not handle the call while trying to process paperwork, etc

11December 2013

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

12December 2013

Improve your Speaking Skills… Improve your Performance.

• Communication is a two-way street

• Never assume

• Think before you speak

• Vocabulary• Speaking• Voice Inflection

13December 2013

Voice Inflection

“I didn’t tell Tom you were stupid.” 

7% Spoken word

93% Non-Verbal

Communication

14December 2013

Voice Inflection

“I didn’t tell Tom you were stupid.” 

15December 2013

Voice Inflection

“I didn’t tell Tom you were stupid.” 

16December 2013

Voice Inflection

“I didn’t tell Tom you were stupid.” 

17December 2013

Voice Inflection

“I didn’t tell Tom you were stupid.” 

18December 2013

Voice Inflection

“I didn’t tell Tom you were stupid.” 

19December 2013

Voice Inflection

“I didn’t tell Tom you were stupid.” 

20December 2013

ACTIVITY

“Empathic Listening”

December 2013 21

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.

22December 2013

Top 10 Ways to Improve Listening

6. Concentrate on the facts.

7. Ask good questions without overly interrupting the caller.

8. Do not allow positive or negative reactions to the speaker change your behavior.

9. Concentrate all your energy on the speaker.

10. Jot down more detailed notes.23December 2013

According to Research

• Prospects call an average of nine communities

24December 2013

Types of Callers

• Time Saving Caller

• I Don’t Trust you Caller

• Geographical Caller

25December 2013

Basic Objectives

• Who?

• What?

• When?

• Where?

• Why?

• How much?

• An appointment?26December 2013

Keep These in Mind1. Make sure you guide the conversation2. As you respond to questions, make sure you ask

some of your own3. Talk about a specific apartment. It is more

personable4. 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 appointment7. Leave the prospect with a positive feeling

27December 2013

INITIAL LEASING QUESTIONSINITIAL LEASING QUESTIONS

• “How much are…”

• “Do you have any…”

• “Can you tell me about…”

28December 2013

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”.  

29December 2013

What’s wrong with this Telephone Call?What’s wrong with this Telephone Call?

• Leasing Professional

• Prospective Resident

30December 2013

Key Elements of a Successful Presentation

The leasing presentationbegins the moment thetelephone is answered.

“People buy from people they like.”

31December 2013

3 Key Elements

Persuade

Inform

Enthuse32December 2013

Closing Begins with the Telephone

1. Establishes a relationship

2. Gathers information

3. Describes the community

4. Looks for opportunities to "close"

33December 2013

Tracking Weekly Traffic

Resident R

eferra

ls

34December 2013

Taking Requests for Service

1. What are the three most frequent requests for services from existing residents at your community?

2. Which requests are easiest to address? • Which are hardest? • Why?

3. 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?

35December 2013

Identifying Caller Needs

36December 2013

Identifying Caller Needs

• 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

Information that should be obtained from the resident generally includes the following:

37December 2013

Resolving Problems

Follow‑up to Ensure the

Resident is Satisfied38December 2013

Handling Irate Callers

39December 2013

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.

40December 2013

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.

41December 2013

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.

42December 2013

Fair Housing Implications

• Arranging appointments

• Making callbacks

• Acts of courtesy

• Personal information required

• Availability of properties presented

• Location of properties presented

• Follow up procedures

43December 2013

TelephonePresentations

TelephonePresentations

44December 2013