I have said it a million times, but I am going to bang the drum again, communicating with your owners is essential to building and nurturing your relationships.
It is funny, you ask the kids of today (yes, I am 35 and just said “the kids of today”) to pick up a pen and write a letter and they seem to look at you like you are from another world. Picking up the phone and calling someone, that is “so old school” I have been told by my teenage stepdaughters. Which brings me to the title of this article, let’s bring back the old school way of communicating, it worked then and guess what it still works now.
I want you to think of your local coffee shop, restaurant, or any other establishment that you are a regular client. How would you feel if one day, on your usual visit, the owner came out and gave you a handwritten card that said, “thank you for your loyalty and for being a customer?” I don’t know about you, but they would have to start making pretty bad coffee for me to ever think about leaving them and going to a competitor. The second beautiful thing to come from such a small gesture is that is something I would tell my friend, family, colleagues and anyone that would listen. I understand that the business of management rights is on a much larger scale than a café, but it is all about how the operator makes you feel at the end of the day, regardless of the monetary factor.
Phone calls are another great way to connect, why not spend an afternoon calling your investors to see how they are going both mentally and (without being too invasive) financially. Times are tough now, and it might be a great opportunity to just touch base, show you care and see if there is anything you could be doing to help ease the stress of owning an investment property. I understand rental prices are hitting extraordinary highs but as the interest rates slowly creeps up, as does the cost of living, I am sure it has got some of our investors a little bit anxious.
A small gesture of gratitude thanking them for continuing to choose you to look after their investment, a phone call to see how they are and offer assistance will take your business, and possible personal relationships with your clients to a whole new level.
Let’s kick it old school and take time to ensure that the relationships we build in our business are strong and healthy. Not only is it good for business, but it is also good for the soul.