Sight, Sound and Smell

Have you ever walked into a leasing office and it’s dark and quiet? No one is around to greet you. You wonder if you’re in the right place. You look around and suddenly hear a voice from a back office asking if they can help you. Sound familiar? I like to make my office welcoming and inviting. I spoke about decorating your office using a holiday theme to keep things bright, cheery and welcoming however some offices are not able to do this. You may be working on a brand new community or a community where it is against policy to decorate with themes. There are other alternatives. First make sure when you open up in the morning turn all the lights on and open the blinds and let the sun in! Purchase a small radio for the office and tune it to a jazz or classical music station. Keep it low so that you always have back ground music. Make sure your air conditioner or heater is set at a temperature that is comfortable. Some communities have Otis Spunkmeyer cookies that you can bake in the morning. This is usually to make the office smell good. If you do not have Otis Spunkmeyer or you want the office to smell great all day purchase a candle warmer. These are only around $15.00 and the wax is around $3.00. Use Vanilla as the scent. It will make your guests feel comfortable. When the office smells good and has a comfortable feel to it your guests will want to stay. They will feel at home and will want to make your community their home as well. Add a mini frig to your leasing area and keep it stocked with bottled water (with your label on them of course) to offer to future residents after touring. This goes along with offering cookies or any other treats as well. Last but not least if you are working alone try not to work in the back office if it’s in an area where someone walking in cannot see you. Try and stay up front so that you can greet your guests right away. They will love to see your smiling face!