Don’t CLOSE Your Prospect… Instead “Commence!”

Leasing toward a long-term relationship…

“I’m gonna close you!” Sounds like a threat, doesn’t it? CLOSE YOU! Yikes, I don’t wanna be “closed”! Who would? The concept of closing signifies an ending or finality of something or someone. We close this chapter of life. I close myself off from relationships. He is closed to making that change. They closed the casket.

This sales idea of “closing a prospect” has its roots in the manipulative sales techniques of the past. In many industries, the sales cycle focused on hammering the potential buyer with a bunch of slippery and unscrupulous hard closes. This deceived the customer into making a decision that might be more in the salesperson’s best interest than theirs. Not a good strategy for a long-term relationship!

Prospects come to your community looking for a connection. When they buy from us they don’t take their purchase and go home. Rather, when they lease an apartment, they move in with us and stay. They are your new neighbors. They don’t want to get “closed”. They don’t want to feel manipulated. They want to feel welcomed and part of the neighborhood.

“Commencing” Your Rental Prospect

We don’t really “close” our rental prospects; we commence! When we lease to a new customer that is not the ending. We are just getting started. It is a fresh, new beginning. We commence! We commence what will hopefully be a long-term manager/resident relationship.

Stop closing and start COMMENCING. With a new neighbor and a future renewal as the end goal, imagine how that will impact your leasing presentation. Create a new resident, not just a lease…or your next commission. The result will be people who move in and stay.