How to Strengthen New Connections Virtually & In-Person

Robert C. White & Company • Nov 17, 2020

Let's Get Stronger...We'll Do It Together

In the age of Covid, property management companies like ourselves are having to discover and invent new ways to connect and interact with leads and incoming tenants. A good property manager will always make timely communication with their client’s (the property owners), but a great property management company will also focus on building better relationships with the leads and tenants they interact with. Here are a few ways Robert C. White & Company is strengthening our connections both virtually and in-person with our rental prospects.

Make Things Easy: Offer Virtual Tours

The timeline for renters to make decisions these days seems faster than ever before! Here at Robert C. White & Company, our managed rentals have had an average list to deposit time of fewer than 17 days in 2020. With the pandemic limiting movement for most Americans, there is a low supply of rental housing but still a high demand. This means that searching for a rental has become extremely competitive for your prospects, and forces decisions to be made quickly. So how can we decrease the stress on our possible tenants? Offer them virtual tours!

Why make virtual touring a priority? To save yourself and your prospective tenant time, energy, money, and even travel! If you are renting out a studio apartment or a small condo, your best prospects are likely younger professionals... and these millennials will expect to be able to see things online! A virtual showing is certainly convenient and is no doubt a safer option during a global pandemic. And think about this, if you have leads who are inquiring from out of state or just a few hours away, they won’t want to travel to view a unit that may not fit their needs anyway.

Ways of hosting a virtual tour at your rental property:

Option 1 : Face-To-Face Virtual Tours: This type of virtual showing is conducted by an agent or the self-managing landlord. With this option, the prospect can walk through with the agent in live time and ask questions/point out concerns.

Option 2: Prerecorded, Self Guided Tours: Though less personal, a prerecorded walk-through can still be highly useful to your prospects. The agent or landlord should walk the property room by room, and give a brief but detailed description of the space.

Pro-Tip: Even if you’re offering face-to-face virtual, RCW recommends shooting a “self-guided” virtual tour anytime you prepare to remarket! Prerecorded video tours give prospects a ton of information upfront and help cut down on scheduling real showings for unqualified, less than serious leads.

Be Speedy in Response: Fast!

These days, consumers can gather information on a product and make the decision of whether or not to buy quicker than ever. With most answers being just a Google Search away, the consumer expects to get what they want easily...and fast! Making sure you’re replying to leads and prospects quickly will always give you the upper hand. Especially during this pandemic, where the supply of rental properties remains low, connecting with the best prospect promptly means they won’t have a chance to sign elsewhere.

Here are some ways to follow up effectively with any new prospects:

Use an automated lead management system like Tenant Turner or Appfolio to reply to leads immediately and schedule showings without the need for conversation.

Create customized, personalized responses for each individual or group.

Ask questions that can give you a competitive advantage. Example: For someone who you believe requires in-unit laundry access, you might ask if they own units already to focus the conversation around an important factor!

Try to determine their timeline... perhaps you can convince them to sign-on earlier and avoid vacancy, or start a week later to give you a window for upgrades and repairs.

Improving In-Person Connections with Prospects

So we’ve talked about virtual showings, but how do we improve our conversation with groups that still want the chance to view in-person? Not all that differently! Here are some helpful hints to lead a successful in-person showing with your new prospects:

Don’t Sell, Have a Conversation: Nobody wants to feel like they are being sold to, and a good product that fits the needs of the buyer, will usually sell itself! Keep things conversational and don’t focus on “the sale” with your prospects. Get to know them and find out what’s important to them.
Highlight Key Factors: Identifying what’s important to each prospect is critical to improving your connections as well. The chances of closing a lead increase dramatically when they feel that you’re giving them exactly what they want. Say you know that your prospect is into classic cars, wouldn’t it make sense to highlight the private driveway and 2 bay garage that comes with your rental?
Personalize Your Follow-Up: The last piece of advice here is regarding follow-up because there are plenty of agents and landlords out there that don’t care to get personal. If you’re going to touch base after showing a property, whether in-person or virtually, make sure that your follow-up includes a personal touch. Use first names when addressing people and thank them for coming out! You may even consider a handwritten thank you or small gift card if you’re looking to create a lasting connection.

A Final Word

During this pandemic, we have all faced uncertainties and had to reduce our face-to-face interactions, but at Robert C. White & Company, we have also found new ways to connect with our leads and prospects and maintain some of the personal touches we’re all missing out on. Whether you’re offering virtual or in-person showings, there are ways to improve your process and strengthen the connections you’re establishing. In the end, a stronger personal connection reduces the time and effort needed for marketing and leasing and leads to happier, more reliable tenancy.

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