As I was driving home from work yesterday I noticed a sign in someone’s yard advertising the home for rent. But it was a pathetic-looking sign.
Rather than purchase a “For Rent” sign from a home-improvement store, the homeowner chose to create his own. He cut a 2-by-4 in half, then nailed a short piece of white-painted plywood to the front. The homeowner then spray pained For Rent sloppily on the plywood with a phone number underneath. My first thought was, if the sign is this bad, I can only imagine what it looks like inside the house.
Like or not, first impressions matter. When people drive by your facility they make assumptions. If you have weeds, a broken or faded sign, dull paint or even cracks in the asphalt parking lot, it will be noted, even if that person is not in the market for self-storage at that time. With more facilities and fewer customers, it’s critical your curb appeal is top-notch.
“Your tenants and prospects look at your facility with a critical eye, and if they don’t like what they see, it will surely affect your bottom line,” writes Matt Doyle, national sales manager for BETCO Inc., in an ISS article on self-storage refurbishing.
And he’s right, because there is always another facility around the corner. You could have the best rates, superior security and an amazing staff, but if the customer perceives your facility isn’t the best from the outside, he’ll simply keep driving and the another facility will earn his money.
I could be totally wrong about the rental house with the homemade sign. Perhaps it has hardwood floors, the kitchen is beautiful, and it's priced right. But the sign says otherwise. What does your curb say about your facility?
For a plethora of fantastic articles on making the most of your curb appeal, check out the facility refurbishing section of the ISS archives. Also, look for the July issue, which focuses on curb appeal, green remodeling, day-to-day maintenance for managers and more.