This week we have a guest column from Stacy Bouchard, D2 Demand Solutions Marketing Manager.

Recently, I found myself in the market for a new laptop. Based on my experience, I had a general idea of what I wanted but hadn’t done any research for a while. So I started my process there…with research. I sat down with my friend Google and we searched and found many reviews from third parties, user stories and a lot of information on the specifications available for the models on my short list.

While I felt confident in my research, I decided to visit my local Best Buy to talk to an actual person before making my final decision. From my research, I knew that they carried every laptop I was considering. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to talk to a knowledgeable sales person but wanted to give it a try and I’m so glad that I did.

I’m not sure if it was my lucky day or if Best Buy has just improved their sales process and training that much. The sales rep I talked to was so helpful. He asked me questions that I hadn’t considered – questions that were all about me including how I worked, what my job is, where I work, my expectations of a laptop, the other hardware that I use or intend to use, etc. He offered suggestions based on my answers – some that had nothing to do with a laptop and in the end, I came to a decision that I would not have reached without talking with him.

By now, I’m sure you’re wondering what my laptop shopping experience has to do with multifamily operators. The answer is nothing, really…and yet actually everything. It’s a great, positive example of a prospect-centered sales approach that left me – the customer – feeling as though the salesperson cared about me and my needs and like he wanted me to be comfortable with my decision.

I’m telling you the story because most companies’ sales process aren’t as prospect-centered and don’t leave potential residents feeling like I did.

In my experience, most multifamily sales approaches look fundamentally the same. I don’t doubt the intended sincerity of operators who say they want to be prospect-centered, but their approaches are actually oriented to what they want, not what the prospect needs. They focus on what they want from first contact, how they want to tour, how and when to ask for the business and how to move residents in. It puts the result they want front and center with prospects relegated to the role of actors going through their process. This is just not prospect-centered.

A contemporary, prospect-centered approach truly and authentically aligns with the prospect and focuses on their decision process. It delivers exactly what the prospect needs at each stage of the leasing process—Discovery, Inquiry, Advocacy and Implementation. Doing so puts the prospect at the center of everything instead of putting management’s desires in the center.

The graphic below demonstrates a prospect-centered approach to the sales process. It allows (I would even say requires) leasing agents to help the prospect make a good decision rather than “sell” them on anything.

A sales process that is prospect-centered allows the leasing associate to gain a more thorough understanding of the prospect’s needs and in turn, helps the prospect make the best leasing decision. This process is defined by the following stages:

• In today’s Zero Moment of Truth (or ZMOT) world, most of a prospect’s discovery work is done online before they ever talk to a salesperson. The job in Discovery is often to catch up to the prospect as quickly as possible.
  
  
• The most important segment is Inquiry. This is where leasing associates learn about their prospect’s needs and wants—and more importantly the difference between the two.
  
  
• Advocacy is a salesperson’s chance to shine. This is when they can connect their products and service to the prospect’s needs and wants.
  
  
• Implementation starts with asking for the lease and is also the segment where leasing associates deal with any decision reluctance.

An added benefit of putting the customer at the center of the process is that it allows associates to project a “service” mindset versus a “selling” mindset. Since multifamily housing tends to hire people who are more service than sales-oriented (if for no other reason than typical pay scales for leasing), this approach plays into these associates’ natural strengths rather than making them feel like they have to be someone they’re not.

Think about your approach and be honest. Is it centered around the prospect or the result you want from the process? If your answer is the result, it’s time to change. After all, finding an apartment home should be just as positive an experience for a potential resident as buying a new laptop. Do you agree?