Self storage managers have to wear a lot of hats.
They’re expected to be a clerk, a groundskeeper, a janitor, an accountant, and, of course, a salesperson. There’s a lot to take care of and not a lot of time to do it.
The sales part can be particularly daunting. People remember their terrible sales experiences - whether working a summer job selling door-to-door or having unwanted “deals” thrust on them by pushy salespeople.
People don’t remember their good sales experiences, because those don’t feel like sales at all!
In this article, we’ll give self storage managers a few key tips to help make selling less scary and more beneficial for everyone involved!
I asked StoragePug’s sales team for some sales advice for beginners, and they all gave me the same answer - treat the guest like a person first, not a potential sale.
In self storage, all of your potential customers have a problem. Whether they’ve called your facility, filled out a form online, or stopped by your office, they have something that needs storage.
Nobody is stopping by just to window-shop in a storage facility! Even if you have no experience at all in sales, you can still do a great job in self storage sales for this simple reason:
Selling is helping!
The customer has a problem - your product solves their problem! You’re not trying to convince someone to upgrade their still-working phone to the newest model, and you’re not trying to sell them on how cool they’ll feel driving a brand-new car.
You’re trying to find them the best solution for their problem.
Your goal as a salesperson is not to make as many sales as you can. That might be the goal of some telemarketing firms or infomercial kitchen appliance hawkers, but in self storage you’re not looking to make a quick buck.
Happy customers are the only customers worth having.
Storage facilities won’t do well if you make your customers unhappy. If people don’t like your facility, don’t think you offer a fair price, or don’t get what they expected, they’ll move out! Storage facilities make their money over time - this is why you see so many offering discounted rates for the first month or first three months. They want to get the customer settled in and happy, then let the profit roll in later.
On top of that, you’re a local business! Unhappy customers will tell their friends, their family, and Google. This means you’re losing not just the unhappy customer, but tons of potential renters.
While you’re always going to get a few people that don’t like how you operate, one of the goals of self storage sales is finding the right fit for your customer.
Here are five quick tips to make doing that - helping your customer and helping your business - easier.
The first step in any sale should be understanding what they need. Ask the customer what they need to store, how much they’re storing, and how long they plan to store.
Keep in mind that your potential customers probably don’t know a lot about self storage! They may not have a clue how much storage space they need. They may not know whether or not they need climate control. They may not even know how self storage works!
You’re their guide to the industry. They’re trusting your knowledge to help them find the right solution. They may be afraid that you’re going to scam them, or at least sell them something they don’t need. Try to understand what they’re afraid of - whether that’s damage to their stored items, theft at the facility, or even you. That way you can find them the product or solution that alleviates their fears.
If you think of yourself as a guide rather than a salesperson, the customer will be able to feel it. Don’t start off trying to get them to upgrade to a premium unit - not until you understand what type of customer, with what type of need, you’re dealing with.
We’ve all run into over-eager salespeople - the ones who seem to be talking directly to our wallet, rather than to us. Once that feeling takes over, we don’t trust what the salesperson says about their product, about our problem, or anything else. We end up developing an adversarial relationship, trying to protect our money from someone trying to take it.
Instead of jumping right into the sale, start by listening. Find a way to relate to the guest’s problems. One great way a lot of our operators do this is by offering a bottle of water or some cookies in their office.
Packing and moving is hard work, and your guests will appreciate a snack and a cold drink! Plus, if you offer something for free, that’s a great indication that you’re not just here to wring every penny out of them.
You can also let them know about ways to save money! Tell them about the referral program if they have any friends or family who rent with you. Tell them about deals or discounts.
Whatever their problem, your answer should be “We can help you out with that!”
When you know a lot about something, it’s easy to forget that others don’t. People also love to share what they know! (Try asking the StoragePug marketing crew about The Lord of the Rings, if you dare.)
But your customers don’t know a ton about self storage, and odds are good they don’t want to learn on a hot summer day with half their stuff in the back of a U-Haul.
So, once you’ve found out your customers’ problems, focus on the solutions you can provide!
If they’re worried about their stuff molding during storage, offer them a unit with air conditioning. If they’re worried about the price, tell them about the discounts you can offer. If they’re worried, show them your security cameras and alarms.
Keep your solutions in terms they’ll recognize when possible.
Check out our Gabfocus Spotlight on sales here!
As much as you do want to offer solutions to your customer, don’t offer something you can’t do.
This comes back to the same point our sales team has been making the whole time. Sales is secondary to the person.
If you sell someone your storage facility on false pretenses, even slightly, that will hurt your business in the long run. Negative Google reviews could easily cost your business ten times the income you would make with one sale.
Remember that storage facilities make their money over time, not in a quick sale. If you promise that they’ll get 24/7 access, but your gate doesn’t open at 10pm, you’re going to lose their business anyways.
A happy customer that stays for three years makes you a lot more money than a string of unhappy customers!
A good sale finds the sweet spot between what your customer needs and what you offer.
If you can’t find that spot, thank them for their time and move on!
I hated the one sales job I ever had because my supervisor wanted me to push sales on people regardless of what they actually needed. I felt like my choice was between misleading people or doing a bad job - so I got out of sales.
But that’s not how a good salesperson works. You’re there to help your customer, and if you can’t, you should send them somewhere that can.
Quick sales make money, but good sales will help you build a business.
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At StoragePug, we build self storage websites that make it easy for new customers to find you and easy for them to rent from you.
