Journal of Property Management - September/October 2010

MARKETING SOLUTIONS

LEAD BY ExAMPLE Passion and Positive energy can
help Market a company vision to employees

SHANNON ALTER (SHannon@ alterconSulting group.com), CPM®, IS A REAL ESTATE CONSULTANT WITH ALTER CONSULTING GROUP ( alter-conSulting-group.com) IN SANTA ANA, CALIF.

stOck Market crashes. BankruPt
cOuntries. vOlcanOes. there’s
always sOMethinG new tO catch
Our attentiOn. With layoffs and unem-
ployment at unprecedented highs, our work-
force is understandably wary.

Today’s business challenges are seemingly endless. How can we market our properties and our companies when there’s little money, and often less time?

Here’s the secret: It’s all about your employees. In the words of Walt Disney, customer satisfaction is directly related to positive interaction with employees. Period. We’re often so consumed by just trying to keep our properties filled and rents collected that sometimes we miss the obvious: Happy employees directly impact our bottom line. They are our own best return on investment.

done. In my first job as a management trainee for Westin Hotels, my boss made a point of saying “thank you” to each team member, every day. Acknowledgement by people at the top really does make a difference, and people will remember how you treat them when times are tough.

Don’t be short sighted. Paint the picture for your team and show them where you want them to go. When all is said and done, there’s no better way to foster loyalty than investing in your employees. They’ll pay it back to you in spades. You’ll build your brand and market your company at the same time.

PURCHASE A COPY OF SHANNON’S PUBLICATION, Sa Y IT WITH SuCCeSS: FoolPRooF Wa YS To IMPRove YouR PReSeNTaTIoN SKIllS, AT www. irembookS.org.

future sense

All too often leadership resembles a covert
operation. We don’t tell employees where the
company is going, and we expect them to not
be concerned. Employees are smart. As a col-
league says, they can sense if the ship is on the
rocks. From their employers, employees want
integrity, credibility, a sense of the future and
someone to follow. Jack Welch ( www.welchway.
com) suggests the best way for leaders to gain
buy-in and beat skepticism is to “invent the
future now.”
And it’s easy to start. Begin with the small
things, like offering recognition for a job well

POwer in PurPOse

Think about it: Who do you want to work for?

I used to work for someone who informed me in no uncertain terms that it’s impossible to motivate people. Singularly uninspiring, right? By contrast, I was also fortunate enough to work for someone else who was quietly able to galvanize his team.

He was passionate about the company, his work and his employees. He took pains to explain what was necessary for the company to succeed, and what our part was in that vision. The result? Collectively, we were able to translate the company’s vision into a concrete purpose we could achieve.