National Apartment Association
Education Institute
Telephone
Presentations
December 2013
1
Telephone Presentations Objectives
• Implement good telephone etiquette in the
workplace.
• Apply effective speaking and listening
skills to telephone presentations.
• List preparations a Leasing Professional
should make for a telephone presentation.
December 2013
2
Telephone Presentations Objectives
• Describe the basic objectives of a
telephone contact.
• Develop a process for working with current
residents.
• Handle an irate caller.
December 2013
3
Telephone Skills Self-Evaluation
• In all telephone conversations:
• When speaking to a prospective resident:
• When accepting a service request:
December 2013
4
Today’s Agenda
December 2013
5
Importance of the Telephone
• 9 of 10 future residents call first
• 4 times more likely to lease
December 2013
6
Preparing for a Telephone Presentation
1. Pens and pencils
2.
Telephone message pads,
blank guest cards
3. A calendar
4. An up-to-date list of apartments available
to lease
December 2013
7
Preparing for a Telephone Presentation
5.
Written directions to the
community from North, South, East and
West for ease in providing directions
6. Blank service request forms
7. Frequently called numbers
8. A positive attitude
December 2013
8
Projecting your Professional Image
1. Smile and be enthusiastic
2. Speak clearly and at an appropriate pace
3. Not place your fingers or hand over
the mouthpiece
4. Keep your personal calls to a minimum
5. Be sincere and courteous to your callers
December 2013
9
Telephone Etiquette
1. Answer the call promptly
2. Add warmth to your response by smiling
when greeting the caller
3. Keep the greeting clean and simple
4. Identify yourself
December 2013
10
Telephone Etiquette
5.
STOP
What you are doing and give the caller
your undivided attention
6. Slow down and take control of the conversation
7. Do not carry on additional conversations with others
in the office while you are on the telephone
8. Do not handle the call while trying to process
paperwork, etc
9. Do not eat, drink or chew gum while on the
telephone
December 2013
11
Telephone Etiquette
10. Put people on hold only after asking them to hold
and waiting for their response
11. Do not leave the caller on hold for
longer than thirty seconds
12. Always say “thank you”
13. Wait for the caller to hang up
before you hang up the telephone
14. Do not use industry jargon or slang
December 2013
12
Improve your Speaking Skills…
Improve your Performance.
• Communication is a two-way street
• Never assume
• Think before you speak
• Vocabulary
• Speaking
• Voice Inflection
December 2013
13
Voice Inflection
7%
Spoken word
93%
Non-Verbal
Communication
“I didn’t tell Tom you were stupid.”
December 2013
14
Voice Inflection
“I didn’t tell Tom
you were stupid.”
December 2013
15
Voice Inflection
“I didn’t tell Tom
you were stupid.”
December 2013
16
Voice Inflection
“I didn’t tell Tom
you were stupid.”
December 2013
17
Voice Inflection
“I didn’t tell Tom
you were stupid.”
December 2013
18
Voice Inflection
“I didn’t tell Tom
you were stupid.”
December 2013
19
Voice Inflection
“I didn’t tell Tom
you were stupid.”
December 2013
20
“Empathic Listening”
ACTIVITY
December 2013
21
Top 10 Ways to Improve Listening
1. Work to understand the other person.
2. Pay attention to the substance of the
speaker's requests.
3. Make it a habit to listen first and respond
second.
4. Be attentive.
5. Listen carefully for the main idea.
December 2013
22
Top 10 Ways to Improve Listening
6. Concentrate on the facts.
7. Ask good questions without overly
interrupting the caller.
8. Do not allow positive or negative reactions
to the speaker change your behavior.
9. Concentrate all your energy on the
speaker.
10. Jot down more detailed notes.
December 2013
23
According to Research
• Prospects call an average of nine
communities
December 2013
24
Types of Callers
• Time Saving Caller
• I Don’t Trust you Caller
• Geographical Caller
December 2013
25
Basic Objectives
• Who?
• What?
• When?
• Where?
• Why?
• How much?
• An appointment?
December 2013
26
Keep These in Mind
1. Make sure you guide the conversation
2. As you respond to questions, make sure you ask
some of your own
3. Talk about a specific apartment. It is more
personable
4. Elaborate on the benefits of this apartment before
quoting rental rates
5. Speak positively about the rates. Build value!
6. Always remain pleasant even if you cannot schedule
an appointment
7. Leave the prospect with a positive feeling
December 2013
27
INITIAL LEASING QUESTIONS
• “How much are…”
• “Do you have any…”
• “Can you tell me about…”
December 2013
28
Why Use Q/A/Q?
1. It deflects the price issue momentarily.
2. It places the Leasing Professional in control of
the call.
3. It helps qualify the caller by asking when they
need their apartment home.
4. It begins the closing process with use of the
“Assumptive Close”.
December 2013
29
What’s wrong with this Telephone Call?
• Leasing Professional
• Prospective Resident
December 2013
30
Key Elements of a Successful Presentation
The leasing presentation
begins the moment the
telephone is answered.
“People buy from
people they like.”
December 2013
31
3 Key Elements
Persuade
Inform
Enthuse
December 2013
32
Closing Begins with the Telephone
1. Establishes a relationship
2. Gathers information
3. Describes the community
4. Looks for opportunities to
"close"
December 2013
33
Tracking Weekly Traffic
December 2013
34
Taking Requests for Service
1. What are the three most frequent requests for
services from existing residents at your community?
2. Which requests are easiest to address?
•
•
Which are hardest?
Why?
3. Do you notice any difference in your manner when
talking with prospective residents than with existing
residents? If so, how do you account for it?
December 2013
35
Identifying Caller Needs
December 2013
36
Identifying Caller Needs
Information that should be obtained from the resident
generally includes the following:
• Resident's name
• Pet?
• Apartment number
• Intrusion alarm code
• Telephone number
• Specific nature of the
problem
• The date(incl. year) and
time of the call
• Specific location of the
problem
• Permission to enter the
apartment
December 2013
37
Resolving Problems
Follow-up to Ensure the
Resident is Satisfied
December 2013
38
Handling Irate Callers
December 2013
39
The Most Frequent Causes of Irate
Calls
1. Previous service request was ignored.
2. Previous service request is still not completed.
3. Increase in rent or decrease in amenities/
resource facilities.
4. Personal problems of the caller unrelated to the
service request.
5. Problems with neighbors.
December 2013
40
Dealing with Irate Phone Calls from
Residents
• Remain calm.
• Use the caller's name once or twice during the
conversation.
• Listen to everything the caller says without
interruption.
• Identify the problems.
• Probe for additional information.
December 2013
41
Dealing with Irate Phone Calls from
Residents
• Apologize for any inconvenience, real or imagined.
• Keep the voice low.
• Reassure the caller that everything possible will be
done to solve the problem.
• Follow up to make sure the resident is satisfied with
the results.
• Take thorough notes throughout the conversation.
December 2013
42
Fair Housing Implications
• Arranging
appointments
• Availability of
properties presented
• Making callbacks
• Location of
properties
presented
• Acts of courtesy
• Follow up procedures
• Personal information
required
December 2013
43
Telephone
Presentations
December 2013
44