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Property managers need help just like anyone else. Most of the time it is just one manager per facilityi with maybe a relief manager to assist them. They have many responsibilities they need to take care of and a business to run. So many Owners think that is it is a great idea to hire an after hours call center to help their managers out. The self storage owners are not just hiring the after hours call center to assist them with their rentals, they also know that most customers just want to hear and talk to a live person. So what can that live person do after hours? It is up to the owner, but they can do anything the owner will allow them to do.

For instance the after hour call center can help the facility manager by taking payments for them. A rep was speaking with a dad of a college student who was renting a unit, he seemed a bit perturbed. Apparently the rent wasn’t paid and dad was called to the rescue. The payment on the rental had fallen a few weeks behind. Dad was worried about losing the unit and didn’t want to risk mailing off the payment since he was out of state, he wanted to take care of it ASAP.

In this situation the store had already closed an hour prior and he thought for sure that he wasn’t going to be able to take care of that payment that night. He was relieved to find out that the after hours call center rep could take the payment over the phone.  Otherwise the student might not have had a unit to rent in and there could have been more problems to follow. Having a back up to the property manager is in the interest of every self storage owner.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

Self storage owners have a pretty difficult job. Contrary to popular belief they are not just sitting on their yachts working on their tan, they are racking their brain trying to ensure that their business is running smoothly and efficiently. They have many things on their plate such as, staying within their budgets, making stock holders happy, ensuring that their facilities are being run correctly just to name a few. In regards to ensuring their facilities are being run correctly and making a profit, owners have to really take time out to find the right kind of person to run their facilities. That is not as easy in the self storage industry.

Owners make it a point to try to find managers to run their facilities that have the mindset to juggle many responsibilities. Owners have to feel comfortable leaving one of their facilities in the hands of a person that will be running the day to day business so they can focus their attention to other matters. There are some owners who would say they have found managers who are able to do it all without complaint and without flaw. It is assured that owners would love to clone such managers and spread them throughout their company. Unfortunately not all property managers are created equal.

There will be properties that are out there that are begin run by managers who talked a good talk during the interview process that are failing now. In the self storage industry you can just hire a warm body and expect that warm body to do all that is required to run a successful business. Owners need to take the time to do their research, recruit and do extensive background checks to make sure that are putting the best candidate in the position as possible. They are putting someone in charge of potential cash cow. Owners should make finding the right property manager on the top of their priority list.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

There will be times in which the owners of particular self storage companies will have to hire new managers or a new staff to their facilities. No one wants to hire someone and then in a month or two turn around and hire another person due to the previous person not working out. Owners have to ensure that they are doing the best they can do when hiring the right person for the job. How do they do that? How can they ensure they hire the right person?

Unfortunately it is not for sure that the person that you believe is the best person for the job will actually work out. Even thought the person that you are hiring has the best interview, experience, and the skills you are looking for, they still have to accept the job and begin to work it. Sometimes people will be offered a job, it is accepted and then not show up to work. That is just how it is on occasion. Don’t let that discourage you, still stay strong with what you looking out of a self storage manager and do you due diligence in finding that right person. Make sure that you ask a lot of probing questions so that you can truly try to understand what they are all about. Of course there will be some people who know how to sell their self very well even though what they are telling you might not be a true statement.

What kind of probing questions can you ask? The best questions to ask are about their previous work and ask them how they handled particular situations. Make sure that you ask open ended questions that make the person that you are interviewing have to give you a answer that takes a couple of sentences. Ask such questions like, at your previous job how did you react when a fellow coworker did not pull their own weight? What would you do if you have a dispute with a manager? There are many questions that you can ask a prospective manager, but there are also questions that you are not supposed to ask. Make sure understand what those questions are because you do not want to risk a lawsuit while trying to build your business.

Finding a self storage manager is hard on self storage owners, but it has to be done. In the grand scheme of things ensuring that a self storage owner finds the right manager for their store is very important to the overall business. An owner does not want spend their time running the individual store when they have to make decision for the whole company. They are relieved once they find the right manager that can relieve some of their stress.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

It takes a particular kind of person to work in the self storage business. Every day there are managers of self storage facilities that deal with the issues of the customers that they serve and attempt to find a solution for them. Sometimes you have to handle multiple issues in a day and that can be very taxing on an individual then they would need someone to help them with their stress. What are some qualities that self storage owners look for when they are trying to select the type of management they need for their store locations. They do not have the easiest task ahead of them.

In some retail environments the owner will just hire warm bodies that can smile and greet anyone that comes into their store or location. Then those warm bodies will hopefully keep the person interested enough until someone can come by to actually offer them some assistance. In some retail environments the responsibility of the manager is just to ensure that everyone entering the store has a person to help them. Well in a self storage environment, the manager could be the only one that is in the store that can help each person coming in. The self storage managers have to wear different hats in order to help their customers.

A self storage manager has to be patient and a good listener. They have to be able to get through stressful situations to find a solution for the customers. Being able to multitask as a self storage manager is a must. Sometimes you will have to find a way to walk a customer to their unit to ensure it’s ready to move and also try to get to phone when it rings. You have to ensure that the facility is clean while making sure that everyone is greeted. No one wants to shake your hand when you have trash juice all over it. A manager has to be able to treat each customer as they have spoken to them before and they are an old friend. Customers want to feel welcome and fell as if the manager is able to assist them.

The self storage manager will have many different things they need to do and not everyone has the skill set in order to do this. Self storage owners need to ensure they ask the right questions and seek individuals with the right background that can help the company move toward achieving their goals. Selecting the wrong kind of person could set that facility which will in turn set back the company.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

Why is getting a name so important? What is the purpose of asking a person what their name is and why is it so important to use their name in the conversation? A name is important because it is polite and respectful. The reality of asking for the name of a person is because no one really wants to be call “hey you” or “bud” or “sonny”, they want to be called by the name their parents gave them. When you ask for a person’s name that lets the other person know that you wish to build some sort of relationship with them, which not many people shy away from.

Most people like their names and actually want to be called by those names. If they don’t like their names the person will most likely tell you a nickname they are called instead. Whatever the case, being on a first name bases will usually gain you a friend. When you make friends with a person, most likely they will believe and listen to everything you say. They don’t feel as if they would steer you wrong.

If you are a great sales person or at least a good one, you know that if you can get a customer to trust and believe everything you say, or at least listen, you are almost guaranteed a sale. In the self storage world, it is the same way. When a customer actually trusts what you say, and you do your part by telling them the truth, everything goes off without a hitch. At that point the customer knows that you are trying to sell them something, but they realize you are trying to sell them something that fits their needs.

Using a person name is not what everyone likes to do, but in most cases it can build rapport and really help a person out. There is nothing like making a customer content with their decision to get their storage needs taken care of. In most cases a conversation can start with a handshake in order it starts with a simple introduction. Sometimes the art of conversation is lost because no one wants to introduce their selves with their names. What is in a name? Potentially a friend made and a new renter.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

It is widely known that in these days that when a person calls into a particular company that they very well could be speaking with someone not in that particular office. With that said there are some people who are a bit put off with the idea that someone in a remote location Is trying to help them and they have no idea about the company they are calling about. This cannot be further from the truth. Many people do not realize how much time and effort companies take when trying to train people from outside their company to know pertinent information to help their clients.

Companies spend many man hours trying to ensure that there is a seamless transition from the moment the customer calls to the moment they speak to a live person. The customer on the other end sometimes realizes that the person they are speaking to is not actually there. Believe it or not these people could tell you more things about the company they are answering for than you ever believed. Sometimes the company has trained these individuals so well that the customer never even realizes they are not at the location.

In the experience of most reps who take off site phone calls, they do their best to appear that they are at the property. Now they will of course not completely lie to the customer if they ask but they don’t want the customer to treat them differently if they find out they are off site. What sometimes happens is that everything is going well until the customer finds out the representative is not at the site then they immediately wish to speak to someone that is actually on site. This defeats the purpose of the offsite rep because they are in place to capture all phone calls when the person on site is not available.

Off site reps typically know the location of the facility, general information and they are able to make reservations and or appointments for prospective customers. It is good for the on site manager in self storage to really get to know their offsite personnel so if there is an issue, the two sides can work together to make it right for the customer. It is even good for the onsite manager to treat the offsite reps as part of their staff.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

Moving is a time that can have a lot of different emotions come out in you. You can be happy that you are moving, sad that you are moving and also frustrated that you are moving. In fact you might find that all these emotions could come out all at the same time or definitely during the same move. There is not a lot of ways to prevent the different moving emotions you could encounter but you could do your best to make sure that a couple of simple things are thought about so you can have a good move.

One thing to not do a week before your move; do not buy a lot of food so you don’t have to waste food because food is hard to keep good in a move. Many people try to live their life the same way all the way up until moving day, they are foolish to think so. Your home should be free of all debris and your refrigerator should be clear of anything that is perishable. The reason for getting rid of all your parishable items is to ensure that nothing goes bad in the event that something goes wrong during your move. You don’t want your food to go bad when your moving truck has mechanical issues.

One of the last things you should do before you leave your old place is a walk through to make sure you have not forgotten anything. There are not a lot of people that really want to re buy something they already have. In fact a final walk through can ensure that priceless items are not left behind. So check each door, closet, and underneath the oven to ensure that nothing is left behind when moving. It is very assured that you will go through all three emotions as you are moving, but maybe these tips could help you go through each emotion quickly and smoothly.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

Small businesses don’t usually think about storage when it comes to needing warehouse space.  However, self storage can actually be more economical for the small business these days.  Most locations are easily accessible, with wide aisles for trucks.  It would seem that the self storage owners were actually thinking about all business owners when they initially set up their facilities. They know they wanted to cater to everyone who would need storage.

In many cases, climate controlled units are available as well as regular storage that could help the small business owners.  Businesses from snack food companies to pharmaceuticals reps have used self storage to house their industry.  It may not be the best decision if you have large inventory, however, so look into it first.  You could never know what the self storage industry has to offer your small business unless you call and ask.

Small business owners do not always know what options they have in different industries. You will find that some business are set up to where they will help a business out if they will help them. It is one of those, if you scratch my back, I will scratch yours kind of set ups. There is nothing wrong with that because the small business owners can look to a company like self storage and find a good partnership that could last for years.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

There could be many different reasons why people are looking to need vehicle storage. First you have to figure out if you have called the right facility that will need vehicle storage from. With that said, hopefully you have a facility in your local area that has the room you need for car storage. Now make sure that you think about and ask the property manager about all the options they have for car storage.

I get a call every once in a while in which someone wants to store a vehicle.  Many of them don’t realize that there are multiple options.  The cheapest is obviously outside parking, due to its lack of protection from the elements.  However, just because it’s the cheapest, doesn’t mean don’t go with it.  Most people store cars they use on a regular basis.  These cars often sit outside anyway.

Now of course storage owners have some restrictions on parking as a whole. Not all facilities will allow you to park inside. So the only choice you have at the time is to park outside or to find a facility that has inside parking. Other restrictions outside of having parking at all, is you are not allowed to work on your car, you have to have the least amount of gas in the car and you have to have the car registered and licensed in your name. Now every facility and owner will have their own set of restrictions. Make sure you ask your local self storage manager what their restrictions are.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.

Why are you deciding to store you belongings? Most of the time you will hear that the answer is that they want to keep those particular items but they do not want to get rid of but do not have room in their house for. Since this is the reason you need storage, don’t you want to make sure that you keep your belonging safe. Is keeping your belongings out on the curb and not in your house keeping them safe? The answer should be no. Since no is the answer then why do you find storage facilities that do not have any sort of security features?

You will find that there are some facilities that will not have anything in terms of security features. They are almost inviting people to come in and to take your belongings. Do you really believe that a lock can keep your things safe from someone who really wants to break in? It will not take much for a person to cut your lock and to start hauling away your stuff. The problem is that not a lot of people know what to look for or ask for when they are asking is the facility safe. Being in a safe neighborhood is not the only thing you need to think about when it comes to safety. You need to ask for security features.

What are good security features to look for when getting a storage unit?  I often suggest the facility be in a good location.  Also, it helps if the property manager lives on site, and/or there are video cameras throughout.  Good properties have strong doors, door alarms, gates, and motion sensor lighting.  While not all of these things are necessary, they do play a big part in making sure you belongings are safe while you’re paying for storage.

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Disclamer: This entry is intended to promote our partner StorageMart and some or all participants received compensation.