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  • How Do They Shop
    By joel on May 23, 2012 | 85 Comments85 Comments  Comments

    There are many ways that a customer could have the upper hand when it comes to renting a storage space. You might be thinking why does anyone particularly have the upper hand when dealing with storage? There is a little game that is played between customer and business when it comes to getting that customer to buy from that one business. The business could try to do many things in their power that could make their business more appealing to the customer. But of course the caller is looking around for the bigger, better deal. How are they doing that? They are shopping around and no storage facility likes that idea.

    This is the age of technology and of course you can compare and contrast anything these days. You can look online and see most of the information about a facility that you need so you really do not need to call them. You maybe don’t even need to drop by and say hello. Of course it is recommended you stop by any facility you are looking to rent from to ensure that is on the screen matches what is in person. No one wants to be sneak attacked and lied to or the wool pulled over their eyes. Some facilities do not put a lot of their information online so that the customer has to call or drop by to see them. They have lured the customer into their storage trap.

    There are some websites now that compare and contrast multiple storage facilities at a time. That cuts down the searching around option they were doing before. On one website they put everything about the storage facilities in one area. The customer can look at prices and see what makes one facility’s prices higher than another facility. So if a storage facility does not make a strong online presence, the customer could just pass them up which would leave the storage facility high and dry. They would then have to find other methods to get the customer to come into their doors.

    Having everything about the storage facilities you are looking at in one places has revolutionized the self storage world because most of those sites allow you to reserve a space. Not only will you be able to see all there is about the facility, you can also hold a space on the site until you are able to go down. That is a great feature so that you have a chance to compare if all the website was saying about the facility is true. If it is not, you have held the space under no obligation so you are free to go back to your site and search around again. Some of these sites have the option to call them and they have someone do the searching for you as you relax. Shopping around for self storage has come a long way and it only seems to be changing by the moment. In no particular way are self storage facilities looking to not increase their profits year to year. Joining sights that make their facilities visible to the customers that shop around online is very valuable.

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  • Keeping an Open Mind While Shopping
    By joel on January 9, 2012 | Comments Off  Comments
    When you are going out shopping for self storage, what kind of mindset do are you shopping around with? Are you out there thinking that you need to find something today or can it wait until later in the month? Are you thinking you will find the perfect solution right now and that all your needs will be taken care of? Or do you just think that you will be disappointed out there and nothing will be as you are looking for? Whatever your mentality is going out there shopping for self storage will carry into how well you succeed.
    It is quite natural to think that you will not find exactly what you are looking for and sometimes you won’t. If you are going to a self storage facility thinking that you will find the best location at the right price, with all the security options you can imagine, that does happen, but it is not likely. The only problem with that is that people get this thought process that the price will be in a certain area and that is not always the case. If you have not shopped around for self storage you should definitely keep an open mind about what you find out there.
    Everyone wants a cheap price, but they do not always consider all the things that go into the price such as location, security and the competitors around them. If their competitors are offering a high price for the space you are looking for then do not expect for the facility that you are trying to rent for to have the price in the basement of the list. Keep an open mind when you are looking around for self storage and you will not be disappointed. You will find the facility that works the best for you and you can move in right away.

    When you are going out shopping for self storage, what kind of mindset do are you shopping around with? Are you out there thinking that you need to find something today or can it wait until later in the month? Are you thinking you will find the perfect solution right now and that all your needs will be taken care of? Or do you just think that you will be disappointed out there and nothing will be as you are looking for? Whatever your mentality is going out there shopping for self storage will carry into how well you succeed.

    It is quite natural to think that you will not find exactly what you are looking for and sometimes you won’t. If you are going to a self storage facility thinking that you will find the best location at the right price, with all the security options you can imagine, that does happen, but it is not likely. The only problem with that is that people get this thought process that the price will be in a certain area and that is not always the case. If you have not shopped around for self storage you should definitely keep an open mind about what you find out there.

    Everyone wants a cheap price, but they do not always consider all the things that go into the price such as location, security and the competitors around them. If their competitors are offering a high price for the space you are looking for then do not expect for the facility that you are trying to rent for to have the price in the basement of the list. Keep an open mind when you are looking around for self storage and you will not be disappointed. You will find the facility that works the best for you and you can move in right away.

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  • The Right Self Storage Decisions
    By joel on November 27, 2011 | 1 Comment1 Comment  Comments

    The best thing to do if you are in doubt is to not make any decisions about getting a storage space. It is wise to think things over until you are one hundred percent confident that you are making the right decision. When you are looking for a storage space, there are many things that you will have to consider so you want to make sure that you make the right decision.

    There are people who just believe self storage is an empty space on a lot that you just put a lock on it. That is very true in some cases, but in most cases there is a lot more to consider. The main things that people look for are security, location, price, and customer service. If a person is looking for self storage then they should really consider that there is more than just price. You expect your belongings to be safe while they are away from you. So since that is the case, the price cannot protect your belongings. Security cameras, door alarms and security gates protect your belongings. If you didn’t know about these things while you are shopping around, make sure you ask about them now.

    Shopping for self storage can be a very tedious time for some where others are very organized and they know that they want. Making the right decision for you and your belongings can be tough but you have to be confident in your decision. The great thing is that you only have a month to month lease on your self storage unit. So if you thought the self storage facility you were currently storing with is not who you thought they were, you can move on to the next one.

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  • Self Storage Experience
    By joel on November 25, 2011 | Comments Off  Comments

    The best advice you can get when looking for storage is to be patient. Patience is the name of the game if you are looking for the best. Sure, you can just call a site or two and just go with what they have. However, you may be missing out on a great storage experience. And you may be spending too much for it. Believe it or not shopping for self storage can be a very interesting experience, there are a lot of different experiences out there.

    You can get a lot of value out of shopping for a self storage facility. Some facilities really pull out all the stops when it comes to the self storage experience. There are facilities that will give you the top of the line service along with complimentary items. They will have you get on their golf carts, and take you to your potential self storage unit. Some facilities will stop whatever they are doing and wait on you hand and foot. Facilities will allow you to use their free wi-fi, conference rooms, dumpsters and many other items. So if you are just thinking all self storage is created equally you are definitely incorrect.

    There are many facilities out there with managers that are ready to give the full self storage experience when you walk through their doors and some are not quite prepared or care enough. At the end of the day when shopping around for self storage, the decision is yours. You have to really know what you want and what you really require from self storage.

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  • Football Fans Rent Self Storage Units
    By jeff on March 2, 2011 | 1 Comment1 Comment  Comments

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    Aurora self storage places in Illinois has seen a lot of football fans come through these parts.  These is a very big place to eat here and it is named after one not only one of the greatest Chicago bear players of all time, but one of the greatest football players of all time, Walter Payton.  Walter Payton for a long time was the leading rusher of all time in football.

    Now people to come to Aurora, Illinois to gamble at the local casinos, but those football fans come here to honor and eat at the roadhouse.  There is another room in the place that has the history of the great Chicago Bear running back done in photos and pictures and written word.  For those people who have lived in Chicago for any length of time, Walter is a hero.  He ran the football with toughness and speed.  He could run you over or run past you.  He could straight arm you or slip through a tackle.  He could block and catch a football and even ran back kick offs and punts.  Because he did all the facets of the game so well, and was in a super bowl, he is considered one of the greatest football players of all time.  He was also a decent man in his personal life and he died very young.

    Aurora self storage places can boast about this of course.  The roadhouse brings in lots of business from all the football fans in the world.  The roadhouse is a huge place and the Sunday that we went, a young couple got married in the outside room dressed with many flowers.  The place was packed everywhere we went in the building and we ordered the barbecue plates.  Afterwards, we visited the history room than glanced at the wedding too.  Going through the history room almost brought a tear to the eye.  Walter was known as a great practical joker and a great teammate.  When he was diagnosed with a kidney problem and needed a transplant, he did not go to the head of the line because of his fame.  He waited like everyone else.  He died and the city and football world mourned his death.  He was recently passed up in total yards rushing by Emmett Smith of Dallas Cowboy and Florida fame.  Smith was very humble and very nice to Walter Payton’s fame.  Walter’s wife sat with the Smith family on the day Smith broke the record.  It was a great day for all football fans.

    Aurora self storage places in Illinois have a lot of football in them.  Aurora is not too far from Chicago itself, home of the Chicago bears.  Every Sunday in the winter month’s fans pack into the new Soldier field to watch their heroes play.  The Bears have a great tradition of football and they have been playing the game as long as any team has.  George Halas is often called the father of football, and he coached the Chicago bears a long time.  Mike Ditka won the 1985 Super Bowl with Walter Payton running the ball.  The game was a rout, the Bears won by many points and they are still called one of the greatest teams in football history.  Walter Payton will always be a hero in Chicago and Aurora, Illinois.

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  • Why Self Storage is the Answer for You
    By jeff on February 28, 2011 | 2 Comments2 Comments  Comments

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    There are many types of Downtown Miami storage units for callers in Florida to choose from. No matter what the caller is looking to store, there are many Downtown Miami storage units that will work for them. Not every facility will have what you are looking for, but you will find what you need if you call enough places. The best thing to do is look in the phonebook or on the internet to see what facilities are close to where you live. This article will review what types of storage units are available.

    The most common type of storage is just for household furniture and boxes. Callers in Florida will need to get storage because they are selling their home. They will need to de-clutter their home in order to stage in when they are selling their home. This will require Downtown Miami storage units for a lot of people because they do not have any other place to put it. A great thing about most storage units is that they just go on a month to month basis with no type of long term commitment necessary. This is great because you do not know when your home might sell. It could sell next week or it might take a little while. Make sure to get a unit that is on a month to month lease so that you can stop paying rent when you no longer need the space.

    A lot of customers will need Downtown Miami storage units because they are losing their home or are being forced out of a rental property. If you are going through this type of situation, storage may be your number one best option. You should really focus on getting a move in special to save money on the initial move in cost. Once again, make sure that you are renting on a month to month basis when you agree to the special. Some facilities will require a commitment to stay a certain number of months when they offer certain specials.

    College students will require Downtown Miami storage units when they go home for the summer. If a student lives close to their school, then it might make more sense for them to just haul their items back home for the summer. A lot of students live far away and maybe even all the way across the country. A storage unit is the best option for them because it would cost a lot of money to just keep moving everything back and forth each year. The rent for a storage unit for the summer would be a lot cheaper for them.

    Some people will need to get storage when they are cleaning out their garage to clear out their space. They will not have anywhere for all of these things to go, so a storage unit will be the best option. For all of these examples, customers will be storing household items and boxes. It is pretty easy to pick out a size in most cases. Five by ten or ten by ten spaces would probably be the most popular choice for an average amount of household items. A five by ten can hold about one and a half room of furniture while the ten by ten can hold about three rooms of furniture.

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  • Keep Old Stuff Looking New with a Storage Unit
    By jeff on February 10, 2011 | Comments Off  Comments

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    With the growing popularity of shows like “American Pickers” and “Pawn Stars”, antiquing has left the relatively small circle of museums and grandmothers and entered the mainstream.  Displaying as much of your collection as possible is fun, but sometimes space can be a limiting factor.  You might also feel like your current home isn’t suited for your treasures, but you don’t want to wait to start forming your collection.  Basalt, Colorado storage is an affordable and convenient option for housing your antiques until they’re ready for display.

    However, antiques are more often than not very delicate.  Physical damage can certainly decrease their monetary value.  If a particular item is a family heirloom or has other sentimental value attached to it, physical damage can also be a heartbreaking experience.  There are a few things you can do when storing your antiques to help keep them well protected.

    • Renting a climate controlled Basalt storage unit would be the best option.  Inconsistent temperatures and levels of humidity can cause havoc for anything made of wood or cloth.  Warping, mildew and rotting are unpleasant results of too much (or too little) moisture in the air.  A climate controlled storage unit will ensure a steady, modest temperature and level of humidity no matter what the external weather conditions may be.
    • If you’re not comfortable moving something yourself, hire movers.  The added cost will provide peace of mind.
    • Anything wooden or leather should be treated with the appropriate protectant.
    • Use chemical free materials when wrapping and packing your antiques.  Some tissue paper can contain acids which can be harmful to your treasures.
    • Furniture should be covered or wrapped to prevent dirt and dust from building up.  Any piece of furniture should be stored standing alone, with nothing stacked on it or brushing against it.  Upholstered items and/or mattresses should be kept in plastic bags.  Your Basalt storage facility should have these bags available for purchase.
    • If you have any large, heavy antiques that can be taken apart, you should do so.  This will prevent any unnecessary stress on the items while they are in storage.  Each piece should be individually wrapped and all pieces should be stored in proximity to one another to make reassembly more convenient.
    • Breakable items (dishes and other glassware for example) should be store in rigid plastic crates rather than cardboard boxes.  Cardboard boxes are more likely to collapse under their own weight, potentially breaking anything inside.  Use the same brand and size of plastic crate every time will make stacking easier and safer.
    • Quilts, dresses and anything made of cloth should be laid out flat while in storage.  Folding can cause stress to the materials along the folds and creases.  Any cloth items should be covered with a tarp or sheet to prevent dust build-up.
    • Mirrors and framed artwork should never be stored flat.  Over time they can collapse under their own weight.  Securely wrap each item, using foam padding or bubble wrap to protect frames and glass.
    • Consider purchasing insurance for your items.

    Following these guidelines will go a long way toward ensure your heirlooms and other antiques will remain in precisely the same condition as when you stored them, leaving each item ready to go when you are ready to create your own little museum.

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  • Set Sales Goals for Your Storage Company’s Staff
    By jeff on January 24, 2011 | 1 Comment1 Comment  Comments

    In order to run a successful West New York self storage operation your employees need to have clear goals. You should have everyone set targets and goals for every month, quarter, and year. This will make sure that they always have something to shoot for and give them extra motivation to get more rentals. Many West New York self storage sites in New Jersey do not set goals for their employees and they are worse for it.

    You should have clear sales goals that your employees should strive for. Make it real and do not just leave it to be an abstract thought. Write it down on something. You could even post their goals in the office so that they are always aware of what they are trying to do. You should get together with your West New York self storage to make sure that everybody has a goal and has clear steps that they will make to try to achieve their goals.

    Competition is a good way to boost storage sales in your West New York self storage office. If you have several sites in New Jersey you should post the stats for all of your offices. You could use email as an effective to let everyone know how they stack up compared to others. If you know what each office is doing in term of reservations, you will know where to put your resources. You may be able to help an office that is struggling by visiting and helping out for a few days. A lot of times all an office needs is a little attitude adjustment. Offices can become filled with negativity and you can get in there and show them how it is done. Once the office is in good spirits, you should see the reservations and rentals improve very quickly. Employees can become stale, which is fine and completely normal, but you need to go in and help out from time to time.

    Another great way to boost reservations is to set up bonuses for your West New York self storage employees. This does not work if you just have the same bonus month in and month out. You need to mix it up a little bit. Some managers feel that it is not fair to just reward individuals who get the most rentals, but you may want to reconsider if this is your attitude. A company wide bonus is great, but there are some downsides. First of all, there will be people who get a bonus that will not have earned it as much as others. This could bring about resentment. Also, you will not be able to offer that big of an incentive if you have to give every employee a bonus. The playing field needs to be equal if you are going to give bonuses to your top performers so the contest is fair. You could really give out some great things if you did it this way and it could be something tangible. You could offer a weekend stay at a resort for the best salesperson and their family. You could also offer a flat screen TV. These are bonuses that you could not give everybody so this would only work if you gave the bonus to the top performers in your company.

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  • Maintain a Well Trained Storage Facility Staff
    By jeff on January 21, 2011 | Comments Off  Comments

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    If you own a Union City self storage property, you probably desire to be the best. You know the competition in New Jersey is pretty tough, so it is necessary to always be at the top of your game. You need to have the best employees to be the best. There are many ways to ensure that you have the best employees that you possibly can. Having a great pay structure and benefit package is the best way to attract the best candidates. You should also have a great training program in place for all of your new Union City self storage employees. This will ensure that they get off on the right path.

    Most Union City self storage companies will have a great initial training program in place, but usually the training is pretty lacking once they are at the job for a month or two. It is important to continue to educate your employees because the business is always changing. If you are one of better storage companies that New Jersey has to offer, then you should have employees that have been with you for many years. The market is much different than it was a few years ago, so the sales approach should be a little bit different to ensure that you are selling your facility to the public.

    When the economy was good your sales staff should have been really pushing the quality of your storage units. You would also want to really sell the customer on how secure your Union City self storage property was by listing all of the great security features on site. Customers may have also been interested in a lot of extra amenities. Now that the market has shifted and is in a down cycle, it may not be wise to sell the facility like that. You definitely want to offer quality to the customers, but you may scare them off if you push quality upfront. When an employee is on the phone they should set a goal of getting the customer to the property to rent in the best way possible.

    The best sales approach for many Union City self storage companies is to focus on the value of their sites. Really push the great rates and how they compare to other sites in the area. This will attract customers to your site more than anything else. You should be offering a move in service to new customers to get them to commit to your company. After that, you can exceed their expectations by giving them a great storage experience. This will help with customer retention, which is vital to your long term success.

    Continue to educate your employees on how you would like your facility to be sold to the customer on the other end of the phone. You can continue training in a few different ways. You can make them do mandatory worksheets and quizzes to ensure that they are up to date on all the things about your facility. You should also spend some one on one time going over new developments in the storage industry. This will ensure that your employees are the best in the area. If you have the best employees, you will be that much closer to being the best Union City self storage facility in your area.

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  • Storage Sales for Beginners
    By jeff on January 14, 2011 | 1 Comment1 Comment  Comments

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    It takes a lot to be a great storage salesperson. To be the best in the Sunset Park Brooklyn self storage industry, you will first need to develop the right attitude. The best salespeople in New York know that learning how to sell can be a process. You will have ups and downs, but you will be able to achieve your goals if you have the right attitude. There is so much information about Sunset Park Brooklyn self storage that it is hard to know when to start. The key is to just start somewhere and try to keep learning each and every day. Just because you have a good month does not mean that you have learned everything that you need to about the industry. Storage professionals that have been in the business for years still try to learn more about the storage industry everyday.

    The basics of the Sunset Park Brooklyn self storage properties are a great place to start. You will want to learn about all of the different types of units that are offered so that you can recommend the best spaces for your callers. There are drive up spaces and units inside the building. There are standard spaces and units that are climate controlled. You should check out every type of unit available in New York and do this right away. This will let callers know that you know what you are talking about and will make them more comfortable with renting a storage unit from you.

    After you have the basic types of units down, it is time to learn how to effectively sell over the phone. You should have a basic sales process that you follow for all of your Sunset Park Brooklyn self storage callers. This will help you structure the call so that you can close more storage rentals. It all starts with the greeting. This is your only chance to let your customer know how happy you are to help them with their storage needs. Keep a positive tone throughout the phone call. You should probably stay away from an over the top approach like late night TV infomercial salespeople. This is not the right environment for that type of sales.

    Ask a lot of questions. This will keep the Sunset Park Brooklyn self storage caller participating in the call and will increase the likelihood that they will do business with your company. There are two types of question, discovery and buying questions. Discovery questions will allow you find out what needs the caller has and what is important to them when storing. Examples of discovery questions would include asking the caller what they are storing and how long they will be storing for. These questions would help you recommend a size and unit type as well as finding out what specials and discounts they may qualify for. Buying questions are a little bit more direct. You may ask them if they feel that your site is secure or if the location is good for them. Always remember to ask a question and then let the caller respond. Let them talk and do not interrupt. This is a very important part of the sales call. A lot of storage salespeople talk too much and do not listen enough. You may need to practice listening to improve your skills.

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