national apartment association education institute telephone presentations 1december 2013
TRANSCRIPT
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