Many people say that you are what you eat. What do they mean by this? Many people who eat poorly are usually out of shape, lethargic, and not meeting their personal health goals. If they ate healthy, their whole lives would be different. So if a person eats things that will hurt their body, their body will reflect their eating habits. Do you think a storage owner resembles what their facilities look like? Let’s examine this thought.

Many owners put their heart, soul and sweat into their storage facilities and hope to get the maximum gain from this. Well that is the description of most owners. Unfortunately there are some who do not do anything to help their company put their best foot forward. The self storage owners that come into work daily looking to find ways to increase business are the same owners that have and own beautifully well kept facilities. The owners that just try to sit back and collect a paycheck are typically the ones with not so great looking facilities. Little do those managers know that how a facility looks can dramatically affect how a customer feels about renting there. If a owner knew that they were losing business because of how their facilities looked, would they make an effort to change their appearance?

Not everyone will have the capital to make the changes they want to their facilities, so they do the best they can do. Some owners have put their selves into debt just to make their facilities brighter, cleaner and more sophisticated than those around them only to get minimal return out of it. Of course it takes more than just a clean and well kept facility to make customers come through the door to rent, but it does help. There are many run down facilities out there where the owner is very satisfied with the income that is coming in so they do not do much with their facilities. They are fine just getting by. Does this make them bad storage owners?

No it does not. Ultimately it is up to the self storage customer on where they want to store. They have to make the right decision for their storage needs. They have to be the one to decide if you want to store there. The owners hope that they do decide to rent from their facility anyway and hope that the customer sees they are trying to keep costs down by just making sure they have a place to store. Some people are just looking for somewhere to put their belongings and not really needing anything extravagant. If that is the case, the customer doesn’t really need a well kept facility. They just need to have a place where they can put their belongings for now. A clean facility is great for the majority of those people who want to store, but it is not the only thing they are looking for.

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

As most self storage owners, owning storage is not what most owners wanted to do when they were growing up. If you ask some of them, they might tell you that they grew up wanting to be successful and own their own business. They might tell you that they wanted to be business man of some sort, but they were not sure at the time what they wanted to be. Something in their life influenced their decision to become self storage owners.

There are self storage trade shows after trade show throughout the year, where you will find many self storage owners who have either been in the game for a long time or they are just itching to do so. With that said, no matter where they are in their self storage owner progress, they own self storage. They have accomplished their first step of their goal. Of course as time goes along they will get the experience they need in order to make a great owner.

People see self storage facilities all over the place and some often wonder what the idea behind owning self storage is. The reality of it is that people who are just staring out are told that self storage is a cash cow so they look more into it. That could have peaked their interest to get into self storage. They could have had a family member that worked for self storage or owned self storage in the past. There are many reasons people have decide to own self storage. As it stands, the self storage industry has a lot of owners, all wanting to be an owner for different reasons. What ever your reason to be an owner, make sure that you ready to get involved in a very competitive industry.

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

Everyday I am privileged to see some self storage owners in action. I get to see some of their daily routines and hear some of their discussions. Sometimes I am very curious and envious of what they do, while at other times I am very happy I am not in their position. There are times in which they are sitting their relaxed and reading a newspaper wondering about world events while other times they have people in their office discussing some pressing business. I could see myself in either situation trying to be the best owner I can be, but then I think about it for a moment. What makes a great self storage owner?

Of course since I am not a self storage owner, everything I type after this point will just be my opinion, but I observe a lot. A self storage owner is really not much different than any owner of any business. Yes the products might be different but in the long run you are still running a company and you are the one who will have to make decisions. Whatever those decisions may be, they are your decisions. Owners have struggled from time to time trying to stay afloat in the self storage industry and many have succeeded. There are many that did not make it but they are chopping at the bit to try again and get back out there.

We could go on for a long period of time trying to look at what makes a good self storage owner. Let’s just stick to the basics. A self storage owner, or any owner as a whole, needs to be able to listen. What I mean by needs to be able to listen means that they need to be able to hear about the different changes in the self storage, listen to their customers and listen to their managers. The worst thing that a owner can do is just make decisions without really listening to the those that are close to the customers are in the trenches daily. If they do not talk to these people then they have to live with the decisions that they make. If a manager tells you that something is not working and they have been trying out for weeks with no progress then think about how to make it right for that manager. Maybe that manager has ideas that need to be discussed. But unfortunately some owners think they know it all and will live with the results. You will also see that some owners have a panel of advisors that are around them when trying to decide something major. These are the owners that are successful.

A self storage owner has to be very patient. If you are patient as an owner, you will succeed. There will be many times that you have to make that quick decision and other times where you have to take some time. Many times owners try to be patient but they are in a competitive market. They are in this position to make snap decisions and they are alright. When it comes to major decisions, hopefully the owner has time to think about it and weight the different options. If they can do that they will be in good shape. Will a patient owner make the wrong choice? Yes they will, but that same manager will see what error they made. Patience does not always give you success, but it would seem as though the patient owners, will let a deal or two go by and be ok with it only to have another come along that was better than before. Patience will win the race.

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

As a self storage owner, there is always a list of things for you to do or you might hire someone else to do your list for you. Whatever the case, you have a lot on your plate that you have to figure out how to do it all in a timely fashion. There are many owners who like to fly by the seat of their pants while others want to ensure that ever little detail has been covered before moving on. Sometimes the littlest detail missed could mean a bigger issue later.

On a day to day basis, what does an owner think about? I am not a self storage owner, so I can only speculate. Most owners think about the next car they are going to buy because of how their self storage facility is flourishing. Ok that is not the case. Even if it was, no one would admit it. It is assured that the self storage owners are thinking about such things as potentially acquiring more facilities, ensuring their facilities are being managed correctly and other things like limiting operational costs. The owners do not just sit back and twiddle their thumbs. They have serious work to do. Most of their work is mental.

You will see how different owners work depending on how much they want them wants to be involved in the process. Some will get right in there behind a counter and work at a store from time to time, while others will get together with their managers and brain storm. Those brain storming sessions can be a very good thing because that is where all the new ideas in self storage come from. Great ideas do not just happen, they are thought of and then implemented. It takes a team coming together in order to make some things happen. It also takes a lot of patience.

Not a lot of people give owners the respect they are due. Honestly they are some hard working people. If they are not in the trenches with their people, at least they are behind the scenes making sure bills get paid, the business grows, and the doors stay open. If they are not doing this for the company, then that would be a problem, but they are. If you are getting a pay check as a manager or an associate, things are going well. It would take some work for owners to get the credit they are due since they are the big boss. There is always a negative thought about bosses to where no one thinks they do anything. But people do strive to be a boss on day.

It is true that it takes a whole team effort to run a self storage business. It takes more than just the owner barking orders and managers doing as they are told. It takes a partnership. It takes a level of respect. Managers have to know that the owners are doing what they need to do in order to assist them in the stores. Owners have to know that the managers are doing all they can to take care of the customers. Managers see all that is going on in their level of the job, so they might have some ideas to make positive changes to the company. The owners just have to listen and make that tough decision on whether or not it can be done or it is best for the customer. Each part of the process is putting in some hard work.

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

Even though self storage is a very lucrative business that does not mean that everyone is able to do it. Not everyone should just invest all of their hard earned money or their borrowed money into self storage. Why you may ask? There are several reasons that we will discuss in this blog, some of which are just opinions while others are fact. You can always take your pick. When thinking about investing into self storage you really have to do your homework.

First of all, why are you investing into self storage? Do you think that it is ubercool to sell people and empty space? Do you believe that you are able to help people satisfy their needs and come to their rescue when they are evicted out of their homes? Whatever your reason to want to invest and be a part of the self storage world, make sure that is a sound one. You do not want to invest that much money into the brand only to flake out on it later. When you get in to self storage you have to put your whole effort into it and not get discouraged if you are not making the money that you sought after right away.

Self storage is not something that you can just dump a bunch of money into and hope for a happy result. Self storage planning and owning is hard work and your time is money when you are an owner in self storage. If you are just getting into the business, many will tell you that you are too late. What they mean by that is many feel that the market is saturated and there are to  many hands in the pot. So if you put a self storage facility out there, you might not hit all of your occupancy goals because the self storage facility down the street is trying to capture the same market you are. This is business is just like any other business when it comes down to trying to capture the market share.

If you do not know anything about self storage or even real estate, you better make sure you have someone on your team that does. The moment that you purchase land and begin to build and you have not chosen the right cost for the real estate in conjunction with what the projected profit will be, you will be in a hole financially quickly. Just like a house, if you do not make a payment, you house will eventually be taken away. The first couple of months might not be what you expected and could very well be slow. Make sure that you think about the area in which you want to put a self storage facility on before you break ground. Some people found it a very good idea to purchase a facility that is already established and ready to go. They feel they can restore that store to its former glory. At least they feel they can turn a profit.

Be smart. If you really believe that you can open up a shoe store in a mall that has ten other shoe stores on the same wing and make money, you are mistaken. The same goes for self storage. If you are looking to put your facility in a market that has so many other facilities, think again. You are going to put so much effort into lowering prices, shopping your competition, making upgrades to your facility that might not be needed if you were in a different area of town. You can literally drive yourself crazy if you are trying to figure out how to close the doors of your competition. Be smart, they are trying to do the same to you. If you are going to invest in a self storage facility, do your homework. Really think about it. Many believe there are too many storage facilities out there, maybe they are right.

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

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.

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.