Being Personable Goes A Long Way
November 7, 2012

Last week I was in beautiful Colorado Springs helping a consulting client with his new self-storage project.  I had the opportunity to mystery shop all of his competitors in the primary market area.  

It amazed me how most of the competition did not greet me when I walked in the door. There was no introduction and it made it quite awkward when talking with the manager.  It's important to always make sure you stand up and greet your customer, as well as welcome them into your store as you introduce yourself.  This is a nice touch and will set you apart from most of your competition. 

In addition, most of the competition did not ask for my name and phone number.  They had no way of connecting with me at a future date.  It is vital that you always ask for a name so that you can use it throughout your sales presentation.  This will make the conversation more "personable" and will help to build a rapport with the customer.  Moreover, always make sure you ask for a phone number so you can "reconnect" with the customer if they are not ready to rent a storage unit.  This is part of lead generation and will help you to create more appointments and rent more storage over time!