New leasing cunsultant a little frustrated

I just became a new leasing cunsultant about 2 months ago. I was trained at a very nice property full of amenities. Then after training was over I got shipped to a, will call it "affordable", property. When I got there I find that the property is in deperate need of renivations that are not in the budget. Also, logos and pics of the property are certaintly not up to par. So being the creative guy that I am. I clean up the logo, make some pretty craigslist ads and things like that.

Now since collage turn season is over, traffic at this property is almost nill. I might give maybe 3 tours a week. Since turn has been over I have only been able to close 1 prospect.

I get a phone call Monday or Tuesday (I forget which)saying that I'm going to be floating. I also get a visit from the reginal manager asking me what we are doing to try and get more traffic. I show him my Craigslist ads and the logo and all of that. He tells me to start calling back prospects from last year and that he needs to put "heads on beds". So I do that.

So today is my first full day as a floater. Wanting to get prospects in the door I was gonna post and ad on Craigslist while the manager was on vacaion and I'm here covering as the floater (It's a one person property). So, I call my manager to ask him what they are doing as far as marketing and that I would really like to get these units leased for him (there are only 2 left). So he tells me that he doesn't need me to be "a marketing guru". He needs a "body in the office" while the manager is on vacation. He tells me that he needs me to answer phones and put in work orders mainly. If I get a call or someone comes in sure I can tour them and hopefully close them.

It was very discourging be reffered to as "a body in an office". I thought the goal was to lease apartments. I'm certainly not trying to step on any market toes but I want to do everything I can to get prospects through the door. Perhaps I'm overstepping my bounds as a Leasing Consultant.

I'm very interested in the marketing aspect of apartment leasing and finding out a target market and other things like that. I just feel like I was shot down today for wanting to be the best Leasing Consultant I can be.

Thanks everybody for letting me vent. What do you all think about all of this?

Where to start on this answer???? First of all, I think the good news is you were given a back-handed compliment when you were assigned to the floater position. To me, this means they see value in you and want to keep you. When the traffic died down on your student property they wanted to put you somewhere to keep you. Otherwise, they could have just said, "See ya!"

Greg, I want you to think about your training. Specifically, what are trained to do? Are you trained in marketing or are you trained to lease apartments? There is a difference. You were probably taught how to answer the phone using a company greeting, how to check for emails and return them, how to greet clients, how to show a Make-Ready or a model (and shame on them if they only trained you with a Model) and how to follow up a Prospect's visit with a thank you note, card, and email. They MAY have also shown you how to post ads on Craigslist, etc. but creating other marketing materials was most likely not part of your training.

You were of course trained on your software and how to imput traffic, work orders, and get your new move ins posted. You might not have been taught yet how to complete a move out and post the charges. You were most likely shown how to collect and post rents but may not have been told to reconcile account issues.

The one thing I think your company would like to see from you is getting your closing ratios up there. They want you to be able to follow up with current and past traffic and they need you to do this not for the sake of being busy but to teach you HOW to do it. Practice will never make you perfect but it sure will increase your closing ratios! Their goal is to lease apartments but you need to know that in order to do that, someone has to answer the phone.

It is discouraging for you - especially when you know you can add more to the team. This is where it gets sticky, in my opinion. You may feel that you are wasting your time and talents by being "the body" and trust me, I get that. Patience is a virtue. You also have the right to ask how long your company sees you in this particular role. Obviously, you cannot see yourself doing this forever. Perhaps the company is looking at you to get them through the slow season until spring. Only you can decide if that is what is right for you. I would just encourage you to hang in there and develop as much knowledge of the industry as possible - then you can hunt for some other company where you may be better utilized and you feel better about your contribution to the team.

I'm sorry for the frustrations, it sounds like you are trying to be proactive and find ways to improve the situation. That is great and will be noticed.

I had a few thoughts, not sure that they will exactly answer your question but just some perspective.

First, don't think of yourself as a 'body in the office' but more as a 'body on the property'. Office time is important...to a point. I would also spend time walking the property. While it is good to get to know a property, you can also use this time to pick up trash, say hi to tenants, see who is around (tenants, guests), inspect the landscaping, look for maintenance issues, locate the 'services' of the building (elec panels, garbage, water heaters, laundry rooms - every nook & cranny). I know that no one said trash pick up was in your job description but what you are really doing is building community: if the tenants see you (a rep of the company), they will feel better about the property. You will learn people schedules and you may notice potential 'problem' tenants. Even if you are going to be there for a short time, you will gain a lot just from the interactions with the people and property.

Regarding the luxury property vs the affordable property: I always remind myself that every property is a move-up for somebody. Don't be embarrassed that this propety isn't The Ritz. The tenant/prospective tenant knew that coming in. They are looking for a safe & clean home that they can be proud of. That has very little do with amenities and everything to do with respect.

Don't let this time get you down, take this time to learn the property and tenants. Keep yourself moving. If you show appreciation for property and people, it will pay off in numerous ways: tenant issues, meeting new tenants, dealing with maintenance issues, reporting to your manager/supervisor.

I hope this helps in some way. Best of luck!

As someone who successfully made the transition from conventional to affordable (of the 30+ properties I had been on, only the last 2 were affordable, and between 2003 and 2008 I had only done conventional) I would ask if you were offered the training needed to DO the affordable properties correctly so that the property maintains compliance with any and all the programs the owner agreed to. If not, is this training available to you?

Running a conventional property is easier than running an affordable one. Yes, a vacant unit is still a vacant unit and it must be marketed, rent is still rent and it must be collected (although there may be differences in procedures and requirements for rent collection and marketing at an affordable property); a clogged toilet is still a clogged toilet and it must be fixed.

You need to ask how the company intends to develop and use your talents going forward. I would also ask for additional responsibilities and keep my eyes and ears open for new opportunities to grow within the company.

Thank you so much for the encouragement! Coming from my last job which was washing dishes at a retirement community and being in the resturaunt industry for about 15 years I feel like this is my opportunity to actully start a career so I want to do the very best I can. I have been taking Grace Hill classes and skimming the Internet trying to soak up as much as I can. I'm trying to keep in mind that I'm only I couple of months old and still have lots to learn.

It is good that you are taking charge of your own development.

Something my dad advised me YEARS ago is for me to review and revise my resume every 3 months regardless of my employment status, especially if I had received an award, a promotion, or some other significant achievement. It is easier to recreate a 3 month interval when you do not need to, than to recreate a 12 month interval when you do for whatever reason (hopefully someone you encounter will ask you for it because there might be a new opportunity for you).