They are dedicated, driven and deserving: the five winners of the Inside Self-Storage scholarship program for 2005. This annual competition encourages the educational pursuits of students affiliated with the self-storage industry. It awards $2,000 to each chosen candidate to apply toward tuition at any accredited college or university. Recipients must work directly in the industry or have immediate family members employed by self-storage companies.

This years winners have an outstanding commitment to higher studies and a determination to succeed:

• Aunya BrownAAA RV & Mini Storage of Hutchinson, Kan.
• Jennie GordonThe Rabco Corp. of Ocoee, Fla.
• Meghan MarmorBest Little Warehouse of Glendale and Tempe, Ariz.
• Sandee MillerLock It Up Self Storage Centers of Layton, Ogden and North Ogden, Utah
• Kristin RossCutting Edge Self Storage Management & Consulting of Salt Lake City

Aunya Brown

Age:

18
Major/Field of Study: Pre-Medicine
College/University: The University of Kansas

During high school, Aunya has been involved in multiple clubs, athletics teams and community-service projects in keeping with her goal of being a positive leader and role model for peers. She participates in various organizations including the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), where she has served as an officer for the past two years and worked as part of the clean-up committee, which tidies the high school bleachers after home games. In addition, she works with a local thrift store, a youth group, Reigns of Hope and Adopt-a-Family. Aunya also supports D.A.R.E. and Youth Friends, where she serves as a role model for a young student in need.

Involvement in so many activities has not prevented Aunya from maintaining a 4.0 GPA, placing her in the top 10 percent of her class. Because she has always admired the work of doctors and other healthcare providers, her dream is to become a physician. Her devotion will help her persevere through four years of college and prepare for medical school.

Jennie Gordon

Age:

20
Major/Field of Study: Undeclared
College/University: Florida Southern College

A sophomore at Florida Southern College (FSC), Jennie graduated in the top 15 percent of her class at Apopka High School, where she was continually enrolled in honors and advanced-placement/dual-enrollment courses. During high school, she participated in varsity softball, cross-country and track. She was also a member of Mu Alpha Theta, Beta Club, National Honor Society, National Art Honor Society and Senior Class Council. Her involvement in academic societies continues in college, where she is a member of Phi Eta Sigma (the freshman honor society), Sigma Rho Epsilon (a Christian service organization), Kappa Delta sorority and Best Buddies.

While in high school, Jennie participated in several community efforts including her fathers Rotary Club, Adopt-A-Road and Daily Bread. She has continued this involvement at FSC, working as a volunteer for Central Florida Human Services, a nonprofit organization that assists children with emotional and behavioral disorders. Through Kappa Delta, she is involved with the local Girl Scout troop, Healthy Families of Polk County, the Childrens Hospital of Richmond, Va., Prevent Child Abuse America and the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons Research Award.

Although Jennie has yet to declare her major, she wants a career that will challenge her and allow her to reach her full potential. Her interests are history, genetics, English and business. While working at Rabco Corp., she developed communication techniques and people skills that added to her educational foundation.

Meghan Marmor

Age:

18
Major/Field of Study: Mathematics
College/University: University of Arizona

Meghan is a senior at Sunnyslope High School in Phoenix, where she maintains a 4.0 GPA and takes several college-level classes through Rio Salado College and Phoenix Community College. Meghan aspires to become a teacher. Her interest in a career in education led her to begin a two-year, college-level program called Aspire to Teach. The program, of which she is now president, will allow her to intern at various elementary schools, helping under-privileged and special-needs children.

While on a foreign-exchange program to the Czech Republic last summer, Meghan met with students from a school for the blind. She gave a presentation on the U.S. public-school system to the director, students and administrators of the Secondary Technical School of the City of Prague.

Meghan has many other notable achievements. She helped arrange a local drive to provide diapers to poverty-stricken families. She also took first place in a competition at a national Future Teachers of Americas conference with a speech regarding recent education legislation. In 2004, she was a semi-finalist for Most Outstanding Young Woman in Phoenix, based on her academic performance. And she was one of only five students in the United States to appear before Hon. Susan Sclafani, U.S. assistant of education, to present a students perspective on reform in high school education.

Sandee Miller

Age:

19
Major/Field of Study: Nursing
College/University: Weber State University

Sandee was born missing her left hand and forearm. She got her first prosthetic when she was 8 months old and, as she grew, she frequently visited the Shriners Hospital in Salt Lake City to be fitted with new arms. Seeing other children with disabilities and illnesses, and witnessing how nurses and doctors helped them, Sandee was inspired to become a nurse. She chose Weber State University in Utah for its excellent nursing college.

When she was 14, Sandee served as a counselor at a childrens diabetes camp. In high school, she was a member of the senior council, participating in a nationwide organization called Take Ten that registers people to vote. During her time working in self-storage, she noticed many similarities between that industry and nursing. Her work experience taught her how to work well with the public, a skill she will need in the medical field. Never one to let her disability limit her activities, she likes to do crafts, cook, travel and read. Spending time with family and friends is also important to Sandee.

Kristin Ross

Age:

22
Major/Field of Study: Apparel and Merchandising
College/University: Colorado State University

The fashion industry calls Kristin, a junior at Colorado State University, where she is studying apparel and merchandising. She intends to pursue a career based in customer service.

Apart from her studies, campus and community life keeps her busy. She is involved with Pi Beta Phi sorority and assists with its various community-service projects and philanthropic programs, including Champions are Readers (CAR). As part of CAR, Kristin works with local under-privileged children, motivating them to read, and their parents as well. She volunteers in a campus-wide program to raise money for St. Judes Childrens Hospital and is working part-time at a local elementary school where she tutors second- to fifth-grade children.

Kristins parents worked their way up from being managers of self-storage facilities to owning their own management company. She has spent her entire life in the industry, and her experience gave her an early introduction to the value of customer service. She has managed and worked at her own storage facility, honing skills that will be invaluable in her career.

Two columns ago, I addressed ways to communicate the value of records storage lite (RS-lite) to self-storage customers. Last month, we looked at how to market the service to prospects. This month, youll learn how to develop a sales strategy for RS-lite in a self-storage environment.

To begin, youll need to identify the who, what, where, when, why and how of offering records storage at your facility. Once these questions are answered, determining the tools youll need to proceed is easy. Lets take a peek at how RS-lite works in an uninformed and unsuspecting marketplace:

Who is a prospect for RS-lite?

First, youre already in the self-storage business, and you already have business customers. This is a great place to start, especially since you experience reasonable turnover and have new sales opportunities every day. Second, unless youre in an unusual market, there should be many small businesses in your area, and they all have records to store. So the answer is: existing customers, new customers and your local community of small businesses. Dont rule out your competitors existing customers!

What are you selling?

Just as in your self-storage business, youre selling spacebut with a twist: Youre selling cubic instead of square feet. In short, selling records storage is just a little askew from what you already do.

Where do you sell your service?

Everywhere you can, at every opportunity. You can choose to sell over the counter in your office, via telemarketing, at community events and venues, etc. You can even hire inside or outside, part-time or full-time sales agents. The choice is yours.

When do you sell RS-lite?

Only when the opportunity is just right. Asking prospects appropriate questions is important in any sale. Its also key to predict (and have the answers to) any questions they might ask you. This presumes you have a product to sell and a trained salesperson, and understand the value of the service to the customer.

Why sell RS-lite?

It differentiates you from competitors, adds value to your business, and increases revenue with little effort. Of course, you must have the proper tools and skills to employ the service.

How do you sell RS-lite?

Using guerilla marketing tactics, which puts all of your resourcesnot just your moneyto work, including existing staff, computers, software, marketing strategies, space, security equipment, etc. By using creativity, you can generate marketing techniques that drive your business at a reduced cost.

Skills, Tools and Resources

Whats left to know? You need to learn the right tactics and skills to reach your records-storage goals. RS-lite is a business opportunity, but it doesnt just happen. You must understand the nature of the beast. In medieval times, when cartographers drew maps, they wrote the following along the perimeters to designate the unknown: Beyond here, there be dragons. When it comes to RS-lite, you must know your dragons, or you have no chance for victory.

In your quest, youll need three things: tools, plus the two fair sisters, skills and resources. A tool is a device used to do work. A skill is the ability to do something well. A resource is a source of supply or support. In RS-lite, your tools, skills and resources include:

1. Business PackagesThese packages can vary, but the RS-lite model generally includes: the Economy Package, the Small- Business Package and the Professional Package. Packages include storage and a modicum of services. They are designed to be attractive and inexpensive to the client and provide high yield to the owner.
2. Simple TrainingRepetitive training reinforces the art of the sale and simplifies the work of the RS-lite owner or management company.
3. Compensation PlanningNothing drives results in sales like compensation. Bonuses are the key to motivating employees to sell RS-lite. Your salespeople must be attracted to the sale and rewarded for completing itsimple as that.
4. Fool-Proof MethodsWork processes must be limited and concise with very few steps. They should be as automated as possible to minimize mistakes and maximize control.
5. Modeled AutomationChoose a software product with structured limitations. It should make complex tasks easy via a minimal working model.
6. Outsourced WorkAll tasks can be outsourced to companies or individuals with zero overhead. Work is driven by activities, which have four inherent components: cost, margin, compensation and profit.

When it comes to RS-litea vanilla servicesimplicity is key. Its components must be simple to understand and use for the customer, salesperson and business owner. That being said, simple is not necessarily easy. As my father used to say, Son, if it was easy, everyone would be doing it. RS-lite may not be effortless, but it is very straightforward and can be highly profitable.

Cary F. McGovern is the principal of FileMan Records Management, which offers full-service assistance for commercial records-storage startups and sales training in commercial records-management operations. For help with feasibility determination, operational implementation or marketing support, call 877.FILEMAN; e-mail [email protected]; visit www.fileman.com.

Hispanic Marketplace is dedicated to educating self-storage professionals about the possibilities of the burgeoning Latino market. The U.S. Hispanic populationand its buying poweris growing at an astounding rate, making it an attractive target for businesses that appreciate Latinos loyalty to brands and reliance on word-of-mouth for making purchasing decisions.

The U.S. Hispanic population totals 35 million, with purchasing power exceeding $700 billion. Even though Hispanics represent 13 percent of the U.S. population and account for 7 percent of all consumer revenue, the market only receives about 3 percent of measured advertising spending. Is your media plan on target? Specific information on the Latino explosion can help you define the direction you should be taking with your self-storage business.

What does mainstream really mean? Just ask Coca-Cola. Its new global marketing campaign, Real, features well-known Hispanic celebrities enjoying their heritagein English! The crown jewel of the campaign is a TV commercial in which actress Selma Hayek sneaks away from a dinner meeting at a fancy restaurant to have tacos and a cold Coke with the Mexican staff. The phenomenon is interesting since it demonstrates the rapid absorption of Hispanic culture into the general market.

NASCAR kicked off 2005 by signing its first Hispanic driver, Michael Jourdain Jr. of Mexico, to beef up its Hispanic fan base and increase corporate sponsorship dollars destined for Latinos.

Hispanic religious icons are resurfacing as fashion items. For example, handbags and shopping bags now bear the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe; this touch-stone of Mexican-American identity and a spiritual link to the homeland is now a super-hip accessory. T-shirts featuring the Mexican Madonna are also hot-ticket items for famous rock stars. Because the icon represents a cultural connection, commercial reproductions of La Guadalupe are considered very cool.

Latino parents concerned their children will forget their mother tongue need worry no more. Since 2003, Hallmark has offered Sinceramente Hallmark, a line of Spanish-language greeting cards that, according to the companys website, mirror the values and perspectives of Latinos in the United States, Mexico and Puerto Rico. And fear not, mamis and papis: Hallmark offers an English-language version of the greeting on the back of the card.

Last year, Sears, Roebuck & Co. announced the redesign of approximately 100 of its stores for greater Hispanic appeal. According to Sandra Diaz, the conglomerates multicultural marketing director, Fifteen percent of growth in total U.S. buying power next year will be Hispanic, compared to 9 percent African- American and 7 percent Asian.

Home Depot Inc., the nations largest home-improvement chain, is launching a partnership with four national Hispanic organizations to recruit more Spanish-speaking employees.

Jeannette Kaplan and her friends couldnt find online information in Spanish about getting pregnant, having a baby and being a parent. The void inspired her to co-create TodoBebe.com, a website that has evolved into a network of radio programs, newsletters, a network television show, and partnerships with major retailers and baby fairs across the country.

The steady growth of Houstons Hispanic population, now at about 1.4 million, coupled with the Hispanic medias strong revenue gains, has forced mainstream media companies to take noticeand action.

Clear Channel Communications rocked the Houston radio market this past November when it unexpectedly flipped its legendary Rock station KLOL-FM to Spanish top 40. The bilingual Spanglish format is a blend of Latin hip-hop, Reggaeton and pop/dance fare targeting young adults.

The PBS documentary series American Experience, which has produced biographies on such notable figures as Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter and Ulysses S. Grant, dedicated its Jan. 31 time slot to showcasing an influential 20th-century non-American: Fidel Castro. Mark Samuels, executive producer, hopes to use the documentary as a launching point to learn more about the viewing habits of Hispanics.

Faced with flat attendance rates in its traditional fan base, the National Basketball Association took to heart results of the 2000 census and decided to make U.S. Latinos a key piece of NBA marketing strategy. Merchandising efforts focus on selling player jerseys beyond an athletes team market. For example, Utah Jazz player Carlos Arroyos jersey sells well not only out West, but also in Florida and New York. Arroyo is Puerto Rican.

Nickelodeons Dora the Explorer is the No. 1 preschool show on TV, and sales of Dora merchandise have grossed more than $3 billion worldwide. The likes of Procter & Gamble, General Mills and Dodge have paid millions to participate in live Dora events. Her success has opened the door for new products, shows and licensed characters, all poised to take advantage of the surging U.S. Hispanic population.

And so it goes. Hasta pronto.

Myrna Sonora is the director of Hispanic business for The Michaels/Wilder Group, a specialized advertising agency incorporating three divisions: Yellow Pages, Internet and Recruitment Advertising. Based in Phoenix, the award-winning firm is celebrating its 15th year of business thanks to a loyal client base that includes hundreds of self-storage owners and managers. For more information, call 800.423.6468; visit www.michaelswilder.com.

Remember the days of Dick Tracy and his magical wrist device? With it, he could talk to people, receive information, and see what was going on anywhere at anytime. As kids, we marveled at this gadget, thinking how great it would be if we could have something like it. Well, guess what? That day has come. And for the self-storage industry, it has opened a whole new era in site security. Not only is it possible to monitor storage facilities remotely with off-the-shelf equipment, its even cost-effective.

When using remote management options, there are three types of information you want to access: data, voice transmission and video. While its great to have all three, it may not be feasible, depending on the way you connect to your satellite sites. Will you use a standard dial-up, high-speed cable or DSL, or microwave transmission? Each has its own set of rules and not all options may be available in your area. While transmission costs dont vary significantly, performance does.

Dial-Up

Dial-up is the most limited type of connection method. It uses a modem and phone line to transfer data. While its possible to transmit data and voice from your home office to your remote site via a dial-up connection, unfortunately, theres no workable solution for video. Dial-up also limits you to one type of transmission at a time. For example, if youre sending data to your remote access system, you cant simultaneously send a voice transmission to an intercom. On the other hand, because dial-up operates through a phone line, theres no need to have a computer at both ends, just at home base.

To avoid conflicts, give all voice transmissions precedence by installing a call box or other phone device at your gate entrance. A call box, which uses your phone line to dial a preset number, such as your office or cell phone, will allow tenants to reach you. It will limit your ability to transmit data when the box is in use, but your tenants will always be able to contact a person when necessary.

Keep in mind a call box is different from an emergency phone, which is used solely for 9-1-1 calls. You can have a call box or emergency phone share the same phone line as your access system, but before you install either, check local codes for life-safety requirements.

Cable or DSL Line

A DSL line or high-speed cable transmits data, voice and video via the Internet. While DSL is the most commonly used device, high-speed cable offers a larger bandwidththe measure of how much data can be transmitted and at what speed. Simply put, the larger the bandwidth, the more information you can transfer and the faster the communication will be. This is an important consideration when you need to send different types of information at the same time, especially if one of the transmissions is video.

A cable connection, like dial-up, uses a modem, but one capable of sending information at a much higher speed. In this situation, you are setting up a network between the home office and remote site via the Internet. While this means you need to have a computer at both ends, it also means you can operate both sites as one. Think of it this way: With a dial-up connection, its like having two separate security systems independent of each other: one at your home site and another at the remote facility. With a cable connection, one system is split between locations.

With cable, data is sent from the home computer to the remote computer to manage all security functions. While the remote computer runs the security and access system locally, you can still watch everything it does from the home computer as if it were right in front of you. This gives you real-time control over the security at your remote site, which is particularly useful in the event of an alarm.

VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) allows you to make voice transmissions via the Internet. You have used VoIP if you have ever spoken to someone on the web through a microphone connected to your computer. In self-storage, we use the same technology to talk to a remote site from our home-base facility. The only difference is we use an intercom system with VoIP capability. (One small note: Some intercoms integrated with entrance keypads are not configured for VoIP and will need to be replaced.)

When using a cable connection, video is transmitted via a DVR (digital video recorder) or an IP (Internet protocol) camera. IP cameras connect directly to a network hub attached to the remote computer. They should only be used if you dont plan to have many cameras or to record their data. While its possible to record the events of IP cameras, it uses a lot of your computers resources and diminishes its ability to complete other tasks.

A DVR allows you to have up to 16 cameras on site and record the data from all of them simultaneously. Not only does it allow you to view all the camera views remotely, it frees your computer to focus on other things. DVRs allow you to view, record and play video simultaneously, and they can even be set to call you in the event of an alarm. All of the DVRs sold today are Internet-or network-ready and loaded with features such as motion-sensor recording and alarm output.

When it comes to a cable connection, keep in mind the quality of your transmissions are only as good as your bandwidth and will be dictated by the slower of the two: the connection speed at your home computer vs. the remote site. To get a sense for what your video and data will look like on either end, view any video through your Internet browser. While your equipment might be equipped for streaming video, your bandwidth may not be suitable to handle it.

Investigate the connection speed available in your area before designing your remote system. If you have a slow connection, you might want to avoid VoIP or IP cameras. Its better to determine your limitations before you get in too deep. Slower connection speeds do not mean you have to rule out remote management options, but they may restrict your choice of features.

Microwave Connection

A microwave connection provides the fastest data transmission by far. It allows you to extend your local network and data lines to your remote site without using phone lines or modems. By using a microwave system, youalso get increased bandwidth, which allows you to make use of true data transmission, VoIP and streaming video. You can even use IP cameras with this option, though a DVR is still recommended. Just keep in mind that bandwidth is finite, so its possible to overload the system by adding too many features.

With a microwave connection, you dont need a computer at the remote site. All data is housed on the home computer, which lets you streamline your operation. However, for microwave to work, the systems two transmitters must have line-of-site communication, meaning they must be able to see each other. They must also be affixed to a stationary structure. You might be able to mount them on a building, or you might have to install a small tower. In a typical microwave installation, information is put into the data stream via a device called an injector, which is kind of like a modem.

The real advantage to microwave is it allows you to transmit data to the access and security systems of the remote site as quickly and efficiently as if they were at your home location. It also lets you receive information from the satellite facility in real time, such as who just used the entry keypad and whose unit door is open. With a microwave connection, you actually have one system, not two separate systems as with dial-up, and not a split system as with cable. It provides the ultimate control.

Dick Tracy Has Arrived

We live in a wonderful age of technology. Our grandparents could only imagine it. Our parents are in awe of it. We struggle to grasp it. And our children take it for granted. What does all the above-mentioned technology get you? Pretty much anything you can do from your chair at your main office, you canaccomplish from a remote location. By having your home and remote storage sites linked by an Internet or microwave connection, you can access your systems from an outside source, such as another computer, a laptop, a PDA or even a mobile phone.

The best part is it can all be done right now using off-the-shelf equipment. Whatever remote options you choose to exploit, do your homework first. Not all vendors offer all things, and not all equipment plays well with others.

Chester A. Gilliam works for Centennial, Colo.-based Wizard Works Security Systems Inc. and has been involved with self-storage security systems for the past 19 years. For more information, call 303.798.5337; e-mail [email protected].

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Resources

For more information on connectivity equipment, visit the following websites:

Viking Electronics

Call boxes and telephone equipment
www.vikingelectronics.com

Digital Acoustics Corp.
VoIP intercoms
www.digitalacoustics.com

Microtek Electronics
Microwave equipment
www.microtekelectronics.com

Arc Electronics
Data converters and injectors
www.arcelect.com

The media bombards us with stories that relate to personal, business and homeland security: stolen identities, acts of terrorism, computer hacking, misappropriated funds, theft, employee dishonesty, false claims, vandalism, etc. And while there are all manner of systems and practices to keep ourselves and our businesses safe, Id like to address a different kind of securitythe kind that results from good communication and trust, particularly in a business relationship.

From birth, most of us are taught to negotiate, facilitate and compromise on some level. But as business owners and managers, we are taught to diffuse and avoid conflict whenever possible. Consider the lengths to which we go to avoid unpleasant situations with customers, co-workers and employees. Does our eagerness to pacify make us vulnerable? What does it mean to our personal and business security? I dont have answers, but I cant help but think about the ramifications.

After all, in todays world, we are forced to invest more and more in security systems to protect ourselves and our livelihoods. Its unfortunate that we must constantly look over our shoulders and spend more to preserve what is rightly ours, but its a reality we must faceespecially in a business like car-washing that deals mostly in cash.

In the car-wash industry, inventories and receivables are minimal, but we deal with a lot of currency. And depending on the type of wash site, the owner or other management is scarcely present. The result? Lots of opportunities for loss.

How do you minimize your risk? You discourage undesirable behavior, such as theft or vandalism, by letting people know you have taken security to heart. You install electronic devices to monitor on-site activity. You implement security systems and software. You create an environment that makes people feel safe and supervised at the same time. Essentially, you protect employees and customers from themselves while safeguarding your business. But how might this dynamic change if we learned to communicate and trust?

The Role of Communication

Good or bad, thanks to historical events, we now see more security tools entering the business and private sectors. At tradeshows across the country, car-wash vendors show us how to monitor our cash registers, wash bays, driveways and the mechanical fitness of our equipment. This is some very cool stuff. But sadly, all this software and hardware is minimizing the role of trust and communication in our business relationships.

As facility owners and managers, we use the word trust every day. If we dont actually speak it, we imply it:

• I trust you will lock up.
• I trust you will make that deposit.
• I trust you will do the right thing.
• I trust you and, as a result, count on you to manage my business.

We want to believe we trust those closest to us, and obviously have to move forward with that assumption. But sometimes its hard not to feel were kidding ourselves. All you have to do is take one look at the daily newspaper or count the escalating number of attorneys and police to know one persons definition of trust is often different from anothers.

Which brings us back to the issue of communication. I believe the answer to the growing concern over safety and security lies in this one simple concept: talking openly to each other. Im not saying that if we improve our communication skills, no one will ever try to take advantage of us, but we have to vastly improve what and how we communicate in our business and personal environments. For example, its critical that employees understand what we expect of them and know the rules to which they must adhereor face the consequences. And we must be clear about what those consequences are.

The truth is security has largely replaced trust in the business relationship, just as automated systems have replaced the human element. But mechanized security isnt and shouldnt be enough. To be truly safe and in control of our financial destiny, the answer just might be communicating more effectively. Granted, Im not sure exactly how to do it. But my hope is, as we learn to commune at higher levels, our customers will feel more secure, our employees will meet our expectations and, just maybe, our dependence on hardware and software will diminish. The first step is to try.

Fred Grauer is the vice president, distributor network, for Mark VII Equipment LLC, a car-wash equipment manufacturer in Arvada, Colo. He has made a lifelong career of designing, selling, building and operating car washes. He can be reached at [email protected].

Do you believe that to attract more tenants and justify your rents you have to offer ancillary services and other amenities? If so, security is likely high on the list of items you market to customers.

Most storage-use surveys show that safety and security are among the top factors tenants consider when choosing a storage site. Yet, you cant promise these things for fear of liability, as your lawyer will tell you. While you cant guarantee a tenants safety or the security of his belongings on your premises, you can create the perception of these things. In short, you want to sell safety and security as features of your facility without making implied or actual promises about their existence.

This may sound like an impossible task, but consider television commercials for any type of medicine. They often show a happy couple dancing or cuddling on a beach somewhere, with a voiceover about how much happier and fulfilled they are thanks to whatever miraculous drug theyre taking. Then come the disclaimers: The cost of this happiness is one potentially horrible side effect or another. Yet companies campaign the dickens out of these products, and people demand them from their doctors.

In a past column, I addressed the practice of selling your facilitys worst feature first (Inside Self-Storage, February 2005). In a sense, potential danger or damage to your tenants person or his belongings is the worst feature of your site. By the same token, your access gates, surveillance cameras, unit alarms, etc., are some of its best facets. So how do you sell your worst and best characteristicswithout making any assurances that could lead to trouble down the road?

Fancy Mouthwork

Here are some ways to sell the safety and security features of your storage facility without making or implying a guarantee:

1. When explaining your sites security features, use phrases like so that and which means to couple features with benefits.

For example, We have an easy-to-use access-control gate, which means only our tenants can come and go with their pass codes, or Here at ABC Storage, we have surveillance cameras stationed at regular intervals, so that our managers can keep a better eye on the property. Coupling features with benefits by using these phrases helps tenants visualize how things work and understand what your features mean to them. They make it easier for you to paint a picture of your facility during the sales presentation.

2. Refer to security features as elements of convenience, not safety.

The picture we painted above of the access-control gate focused on its ease of use. It also happened to mention limited access, but didnt sell the feature on that principle. Similarly, the comment about cameras said they made surveillance easier for managers. It may suggested security without belaboring the point.

3. Talk about peace of mind over security.

For example, you might say something like, We offer individual unit alarms to give you extra peace of mind. What youre selling here is a good feeling, not a promise. You offer certain features to put tenants more at ease, but youre not guaranteeing an end result.

4. Ask a closing question that allows the prospect to think about your security features without you drawing his conclusions.

For instance, after saying, We offer individual unit alarms to give you extra peace of mind, follow up by asking, How does that sound? You could also try a less open-ended question, like You can see weve invested in making this a great place to store, right? or Does that sound good to you?

If your prospect agrees the feature is appealing, not only is he thinking about it, but hes likely bought into your suggestion of security. In soliciting positive reinforcement regarding the safety of your site, youve allowed the prospect to justify the cost of rent in his mind and believe you offer something more than empty space. And you never promised a thing!

Dont be shy about selling your security features. You can paint them as a convenience. You can market the peace of mind they create. In either case, leverage the emotional power they createwith nary a guarantee.

Tron Jordheim is the director of PhoneSmart, an off-site sales force that helps storage owners rent to more people through its call center, secret-shopping service, sales-training programs, and Want2Store.com facility locator. You can read what he is up to at www.selfstorageblog.com. For more information, e-mail him at [email protected].

Self-storage is a simple business, but its not an easy one. To be successful, you need to follow four basic steps: 1) Get people to pick up the phone and call you. 2) Get those who call to visit your facility. 3) Get those who visit to rent with you. 4) Get those who rent with you to stay forever and tell all their friends about you. These steps are essential, but more important, you need to track your progress in each of these areas to measure the success of your marketing program.

Step 1: Get Them to Call

Not only do you need to get your phone to ring, you need to track the number of calls you receive and the source of those calls. This number will give you key information about your marketing efforts. Dont concern yourself with the total calls; instead, focus on trends over time. If you get 120 calls per month and another storage operator gets 250, it doesnt mean hes doing a better job at marketing. His may be a much larger facility, or he may be in a more populated area.

How do you accurately track your numbers? First, dont manage them manually. You have better things to do than make tick marks on paper, and tracking figures by hand opens the door to inaccuracy. So monitor your calls automatically in one of three ways:

1. Have your phone-service provider track incoming calls for youif it is willing to do so, which is rare.
2. Have all of your calls automatically forwarded to another number. Your employees and customers never know the second number exists, as the forward occurs automatically. Though this will involve additional expense, it will help you trap some of the data you need. At the end of the month, youll get a report on your phone bill that shows you exactly how many calls got forwarded. Youll also get other info, such as the time and duration of each call.
3. Buy a device that attaches to your phone and traps the data you seek. This will cost you more up front but less in the long term than the previous two options.

How do you account for non-business calls, such as personal calls and wrong numbers? Unless something unusual occurs, the number of these calls should remain fairly consistent from month to month. While they affect your overall call count, they do not change the overall trend, which is what youre looking to discover. Watching patterns in call behavior will help you quickly identify if something out of the ordinary is occurring.

For example, one operator kept very meticulous call data. At one point, he noticed a 15 percent spike in the number of calls he received over a three-month period, even though he hadnt modified his marketing tactics. After some investigating, he discovered that his manager had gotten involved with a person who called him at the facility five to six times a day, obviously skewing the call numbers.

There is one element of call data that will need to be kept manually, and that is the source of all your calls. As you or your staff answer the phone, youll want to ask callers how they found out about you: the Yellow Pages, a flier, a friend, etc. This is critical marketing information. If you have trouble enforcing this policy with employees, try this method of incentive: Tape a $20 bill to the phone to remind them of the value of every phone call. In some marketsand depending on which marketing methods you useone call may actually be worth much more; but the method should still drive the point home.

Step 2: Get Them to Visit

After youve gotten prospects to call your site, the aim is to get them to visit the facility, and youll want to track the number of visits, too. Again, its best to automate the tracking process. An easy way to do this is to hook up a counter to your office door. How do you account for existing customers, employees, deliveries, etc.? Keep in mind youre not looking for a total number but a trend. The counts related to these visits should remain constant over time and should not affect your overall data.

After youve collected your monthly call and door counts, focus on the ratio of calls to visits. Assuming everything else is equal, an increase in the ratio of door openings to phone calls will indicate youre doing a better job converting callers to visitors. If your ratio stays constant or decreases over time, youll know you need to improve your phone-sales skills. Keeping track of the numbers allows you to pinpoint your problem areas.

Step 3: Get Them to Rent

The third step in the storage-marketing process is getting those who visit your facility to rent with you. This number is easily tracked by counting how many signed rental agreements you have at the end of every month. Thanks to your management software, tracking should be effortless.

Again, look at the ratio between the number of visits and rentals. It will tell you the effectiveness of your face-to-face marketing techniques. Look at the overall trend: If your ratio of visits to sales stays the same over time or goes down, you need to concentrate on developing your in-house sales presentation. Nine times out of 10, theres room for improvement.

Step 4: Get Them to Stay Forever and Tell Their Friends

The repeat or referral customer is very inexpensive to obtain. Therefore, your profitability will be enhanced if you win more customers through word-of-mouth or repeat business. The average storage operator gets somewhere around 20 percent of his customers through referrals and about an equal percentage of business from past tenants. How do they manage this? By providing superior customer service.

Its easy to track the number of customers youve earned through these means if you make a conscientious effort to learn the source of your business. Ask everyone who calls or comes through your door how they found out about you. If they indicate they have rented with you before or learned of you through someone they know, make note of this in your marketing data. To know whether youre providing the type of customer service that is likely to win you repeat or referral business, consider giving people a postcard survey to complete when they move out.

Not only is it important to understand the four steps to self-storage success, its crucial to track the numbers related to these stages. Work on improving your numbers in each area, and you will greatly improve your profitability.

Fred Gleeck is a consultant who helps self-storage owners and operators during all phases of the business, from the feasibility study to the creation of an ongoing marketing plan. He is also an expert in the field of information and seminar marketing, the author of more than 10 books, an accomplished business coach, and the producer of professional training videos on self-storage marketing. To receive his regular insights via e-mail, send a blank message to [email protected]. For more information, call 800. FGLEECK; e-mail [email protected]; visit www.FredGleeck.com.

 Douglasville, Ga.-based DBCI (Doors & Building Components Inc.), a manufacturer of steel roll-up curtain doors and building components for the self-storage industry, honored JB Mathews Co. of Apopka, Fla., as the first recipient of its Hanging Tough Award for 2004. The award recognizes special business partners that best display the critical values of a sound business relationship: honesty, integrity, responsibility and friendship. JB Mathews has furnished and installed a complete line of doors and related products for commercial, aviation, industrial, residential and other market segments since 1978. For more information, visit www.dbci.com or www.jbmathews.com.

Inside Self-Storage (ISS), a monthly trade magazine for the self-storage industry and sponsor of the annual ISS Expo in Las Vegas, the industrys largest convention and tradeshow, has made arrangements to relocate its event to the Mandalay Bay hotel in 2006. After several years of hosting the February expo at the Las Vegas Hilton, the company found it necessary to seek out larger accommodations for its exhibits and educational seminars, which have grown significantly. The new venue will not only offer more space, it will provide superior lodging and dining choices for expo attendees and exhibitors.

ISS has produced expos for the industry for more than a decade, providing quality education and networking opportunities. In addition to the Las Vegas show, it holds a regional event every fall. This year, it will host its Miami expo at the Hyatt Regency, Oct. 27-29. For more information, including agendas, lists of participating sponsors and suppliers, and registration information, watch for updates at www.insideselfstorage.com/expo.

 

Private Mini Storage Ventures LLC retained Flint Creek Partners LLC to identify an institutional partner for a $50 million programmatic joint venture. With a significant pipeline of investment opportunities already reserved, the proposed partnership will focus on self-storage acquisition, expansion, development and conversion. The equity and company funds will be used to finance more than $183 million in investment activity in growing metropolitan markets in the South and Southeast.

Private Mini Storage owns or has an interest in 80 properties totaling 5.7 million square feet that operate under its brand name. It has been involved in the acquisition, development, construction, management and ownership of more than 130 properties containing more than 9.5 million square feet of self-storage throughout the United States. The company ranks among the top 10 self-storage operators in the country and has an executive management with more than 100 years of combined industry experience.

Chicago-based Flint Creek Partners LLC provides financial advisory and investment banking services to private and public real estate firms. For more information, contact Mark Momongan, vice president, at 847.462.5930; visit www.flintcreekpartners.com.