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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.

People often call in looking for prices on storage units.  Many are disappointed when the unit is more than they were expecting to pay.  For those who are looking for self storage for the first time, they are pleasantly surprised when they hear the price for the first time. Many believe self storage to be a very cheap solution to storing their things. This is still true, but depending on the area and what you are looking for, a self storage unit could be higher in price than you are expecting. Be very careful though as you are looking around because just because you find a facility that is very cheap does not always mean that facility is the best for you.

Sometimes a customer would call into a self storage facility wanting to know the price of the self storage unit. Naturally, the customer wants to spend a less as possible. Every now and then the manager on site is very surprised to learn that the customer actually wants a higher price. They claimed to have paid less at their other storage facility, but their previous unit had been broken into.  They were actually willing to pay a bit more for added security.  This is rare, as most people call in looking for the lowest possible price. The self storage manager was very pleased about this because they felt confident they could help them and their needs.

It is very pleasing to the self storage industry to have customers who are looking for security over the price. Facilities put a lot of time and effort into figuring out what is best for the customer and to help their situation the best. Self storage owners work vigorously crunching numbers, looking at competition, researching the community and more to determine what features will best fit their storage facility. They do all this research only to find that a vast majority of customers are looking for a very low price, but also demand their belongings to be safe.

What self storage owners have to do is find the right employees to work for them that are able to inform the customer on why they need these security features and to create some value around them. The customer wants the best for what they have and the owners know their facilities can deliver. With all the hard work these owners put in finding the right combination of value and security, the love to hear that customers want great security over anything else.

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

What do you do when all of your closets are full of stuff?  You get a storage unit of course!  Today, more than ever, people need a place to put all of the things they acquire.  There are some people that do not know when to quit and they just keep piling and piling things they pick up in their homes. In the eyes of many this is not healthy. In fact there are people who have been diagnosed with a bit of mental issue because they seem to hoard things until they have no more room to move. For everyone else that realizes their space is getting crowd they should look into a storage space.

Because we live in a consumer culture, storage has been able to flourish for the past several decades.  Early in the storage industry’s history, businesses were small, locally owned properties.  With the advances in technology, storage has grown into several decent sized corporations.  This actually helps customers, as a corporation can provide better quality and service than a mom and pop store. You do see many self storage companies that are larger than ever to accommodate this change in culture.

So, the next time you need a storage unit, look for a larger company which operates several stores.  You will get a better value for your money. They can offer the discounts you need. They could potentially have stores that are not really making a lot of money and keep those stores open because they want to be a fixture in that neighborhood. They feel they can break even by another store in a different location picking up the slack.

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

What are the things you should look for when making sure a facility cares about its’ tenants?  Not everyone believes that customer service will win you customers in the long run. There are many self storage owners that believe that you can win the business of many people just by offering a very low price. That can not be so far from the truth. Owners need to realize that there is more to keeping customers around to store with them. Below are a few things which will help you determine if a storage facility is right for you now and for your long term storage needs.

Convenience: Does the property make it easy to store?  Unfortunately not many owners think about their location. For the owners that do, they should ensure that the customers can get to their facility well. Sometimes a customer will be able to see the facility from the street but they are not able to get in due to how the facility entrance is. Having a way into the facility off the main street can really help with making the location convenient for them.

Are there a lot of hidden charges you were not told about? There are some facilities that will actually wait until the customer comes into the storage facility in order to tell them what the extra costs there are to store. Some customers will still decide to rent where other customers will decide to go ahead and walk out. No one wants to feel that they are being lied to.

Do you have to sign contracts or give a deposit? Most companies inform customers that they can store month to month. So why sign a contract to stay for six months or more if you just are not planning to store that long? There are many facilities that just say pay for the storage as long as you need it. When you do not need it anymore go ahead and move out.

Helpfulness:  Does the property take extra steps to help you move?  Having a property manager that will help you get all of your belongings moved safely is a property manager worth being around. Now of course there are some managers that will physically help you move, where others will simply instruct you on where to go. Either way they are being helpful to you. Are there dollies, carts, elevators, and loading docks? These are all good questions to know about the facility. If you are storing on the second floor, you do not want to haul things up the stairs. Having a dolly to get your couch from your truck to your self storage unit is very helpful.

Owners need to keep these things in mind when either running or building a new self storage facility. Yes they can have very low prices but will those low prices keep them their or make the customer happy. If the customer has an issue they want to know that their self storage manager will take care of them. Otherwise they will go somewhere else to a facility where the manager made them feel at ease.

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

There is much need for a self storage facility to have a call center that is answering their calls for them when they are not able to. You will hear different self storage facilities rave about how well their business has increased since they decided to use a call center. Many business owners will tell you that they had no idea they were missing out on so much business before they had some one answering their phones for them.  Facilities could be missing 2 to 10 calls a day which could translate into 2 missed rentals if they did not have a call center in place.

It would seem that a call center is essential to the business of a self storage company. Many business owners have discussed having a call center in place that could grab their missed calls. The debate has been whether or not they should hire more people in the office to answer the phones, have a call center their self or to have a third party service answer the phones for them. After careful debate, mulling over some financials, and long thought, it was perceived that having a third party call center was the best idea.

For the business owners that believe they can run their own call center they have to think about a couple of things. They have to think about where their call center will be, how many agents they need to answer the phones, what systems they need in place and so forth. Companies just believe they can hire people route calls to their call center and they are up and running. Having a call center is a complicated idea and there has to be much thought contributed to the thought of running one.  Sometimes the thought of having an internal call center is dismissed by the idea of having to run the everyday.

Call centers are very valuable to the self storage industry but self storage owners have to really think about the idea of trying to run one their selves. They should truly consider an outside call center who has the knowledge an know how in order to run an efficient business. Let them worry about the everyday business while you train your employees on how to turn the leads that come in from your call center in to renters.

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