A few last ideas...

Marketing

Do

• Approach local realtors with specials / brochures. (“A non cluttered home sells faster”)
• Try to get all of the temporary obnoxious signage the town will allow for the grand opening.
• Advertise in your Pennysaver or local free distribution newspaper.
• Put your name on a truck if you own one and park it near the road.
• Try to get a ribbon cutting ceremony scheduled with the local people that count.
• Stand up when a customer enters as you would expect to be treated when checking into a good hotel.
• Ensure that your facility is “feminine friendly” meaning female customers feel safe, welcome, and are not “spooked” by any poorly lit, poorly monitored areas.
• Consider ValPak coupons.

 

Don’t

• Waste money on radio or TV advertising. Even with huge economies of scale the results are bleak.

Business Rules

Do

• Review your contract for compliance with lien laws and your compliance with the way you want to run your business.
• Have two smaller late fees instead of one large one. A customer with a charge on the tenth needs an incentive to pay before the ninth of next month.
• Offer customers the ability to pay automatically. They’ll stay up to 40% longer when not writing a check or mailing a payment each month.
• Setup your software with credit cards two months before opening and take reservations with a small refundable deposit. Call them all the day the Certificate of Occupancy is granted and create a sense of urgency by offering their reserved unit if they move in today (via credit card).

Don’t

• Don’t get so creative with late fees that you need a law degree to read the contract.
• Don’t try to be the cheapest facility in the neighborhood – you won’t be for long.
• Don’t assume that you’re at war with the competition. Many competitors are cooperative with referrals for sizes they don’t have, etc.
• Don’t forget that inventory sales bring in non-storage customers who will eventually need storage and remember how nice you are.
• Don’t forget that many customers return several times as events in their life require your services again. (Parents moving or passing on, children returning from college, etc) Leave them with a great impression of your services!

Autopay

• Customers on Autopay (credit cards or check debit) stay up to 40% longer.
• Since self storage doesn't get the "swipe" rate except for moves in, it is important to correctly record the mailing address of the credit card and have software that supports AVS (address verification) to get the best merchant fees.