You have chosen a career in property management and you are passionate about what you do. You’d like to be recognised by the community and the industry. Where to next? Here are 15 ways to build your profile from Loretta Morgan.
- GET A TRACK RECORD. GET EXPERIENCE.
Be eager to learn and learn from the best. Research your leading property managers; what do they do, and how do they do it? What have they done to get where they are today? I have had a career in property management stemming some 17 years; I started my career in reception and now I own my own business. I have become a leading property manager through experience in the industry, watching and learning from leaders in my field. So here’s my first tip: keep journals of everything you learn. - GO ABOVE THE CALL OF DUTY – DO MORE
I believe one of the things you can do is to do more than what is asked or expected of you. Your clients will love you for it and your employer will see you as a shining star, and as a result will give you more responsibility. I’ve found that by giving more you gain more. Sometimes that has meant not getting paid for additional hours or more responsibility. - BECOME AN AUTHORITY IN YOUR FIELD
How do you do this? Attend industry forums and meetings. Become involved in industry bodies and groups. This is a way to network, build respect, get to know leaders in your field and develop your skills and knowledge. You need to be seen; you need to be amongst the action. Be patient and consistent to earn your stripes. This stuff doesn’t happen overnight! - READ, RESEARCH, WATCH AND BECOME
A big part of my week involves researching online publications, industry magazines, videos, blogs and industry information, but it also involves looking outside my field for new ideas and material. Often what others are doing outside our industry can give you ideas to bring into your business, and this also helps with your role as a property manager.Don’t be afraid to do things a little differently and bring in new ways of doing things, as this will also grab the attention of others and push you to the top of your industry. - SOCIAL MEDIA
I love all of the social media tools we have at the moment: Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and so many more. Use them all, and use them regularly. Put your name to it. Start writing about what matters to you in your industry and what you believe your target market and ideal client would want to know. Make sure you are adding value here also.Post often, but don’t post the same things on all of the sites. You need to post the same message but in a way that suits the site you’re posting for. Comment on other posts from leading property managers or sites regularly too. This will get your name out there and if you are commenting accurately others in your industry will notice.Start to brand your name. Get a domain name and put a website to it – wordpress. com is a great start and it’s free. You can get domain names cheaply as well. Blog regularly about your experiences; what you love, how you do things. This will get attention and also position you as a trusted and knowledgeable property manager.
- CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION
Don’t be afraid to be creative. In this competitive world you need to be creative and innovative. As I mentioned before, it’s great to look to other industries or even other countries to see what you can bring into your industry. Be careful here not to be seen as incompetent, though. I have seen people do some silly stuff and it doesn’t work. It might temporarily have interest and traction, but you want people to trust you and respect what you are doing, not to think you’re just seeking attention. - GIVE MORE TO YOUR CLIENTS AND THE COMMUNITY
Something that I have found to give me great leverage is providing free information to my community on topics they may not know about. Why not write a regular column or blog giving free information on property management topics? There are plenty of property management educators out there blogging and posting for other brokers and property managers, but there aren’t many who post for the public.Most of my blogs are on topics such as water usage, lease renewals, inspections, the list goes on. Try to see it from the public’s eyes. What would they want or need to know to make informed decisions? You will then become the go-to agent because you gave them the knowledge they needed. So my second tip is you can use the information you have collected in your journals to write these. - MENTORS OR MASTERMIND TEAM
Surround yourself with great mentors and create your mastermind team. I have five mentors at the moment; two are in the industry and the rest are not. These people are all highly regarded in their fields and push me, keep me focused and give me awesome ideas. All of them have a different skill set that they bring to develop my skills. If you set yourself a goal and get the right mentors around you who will push you and who are also locked in on your vision there’ll be no stopping you! Don’t cut on the costs; you get what you pay for, and you will need to invest in your career. - AWARDS
Enter all the awards you can, even if they are not industry awards. Look to enter business awards and industry awards as well. Make sure you spend the time on writing the submissions though, and scrub up on your interview skills. Most awards are judged by both written application and interview, so make sure you are great at both. If not, get some help. You could even go to previous winners and finalists to get some tips and ideas.Being chosen as a finalist is a fantastic opportunity to get your name out there, but it’s also a great networking opportunity and a chance for some free publicity too. Whether or not you get chosen, get the feedback; this will help you grow and learn. - NETWORKING
Every occasion, social, work or anywhere else, is a chance to network and be seen. Be sure to be your authentic self, however, while also being on your best behaviour. If you’re not great at networking, find someone who is and get them to help you. You want to be seen as someone who is open, friendly, willing to help, always available and knowledgeable in your field. People are automatically drawn to positivity. - SHARE
Share your knowledge and information with others in your industry. Don’t be afraid to talk with other agents; ask about their experiences, listen and learn from them. You will be surprised at what you learn from listening to others in your industry. - CREATE ALLIANCES
Work with other property managers in other areas whom you respect and who also have great careers. It’s always good to have them around for troubleshooting and ideas. Why not create a social group where you can all meet once a month and hang out to talk about property management matters and how you can overcome obstacles or grow? - BLOGGING, WRITING AND COMMENTING FOR INDUSTRY
Once you start blogging regularly you will find if your information is great that companies will start contacting you to blog for them. Grab every opportunity to do this. Other property managers and industry people will read these and it’s great for career advancement and building your profile. You could also approach these companies to see if they are interested in you blogging for them.Writing for different publications is a great way to build your profile too. Contribute to industry magazines and local property publications. You will also find if you start doing this journalists will start to contact you for comment in their articles, which gives you great traction as well as being free publicity. And don’t be afraid to send media releases on topics you feel will be really beneficial for readers to various journalists; they are always looking for great stories. - THINK LIKE A BROKER
Why not learn from a top broker – or a few? There is a certain element of sales and negotiation involved in property management and I believe my experience in sales has helped me become a great property manager. Awesome brokers have great skills in building their profiles and negotiating. Bring this stuff into your role. Follow great brokers, learn from them, pull out what you can and implement it into your role as a property manager. This will help you to develop your skills, build your profile and become a good prospector and closer. Prospecting is a huge part of a property manager’s role. What do the brokers do? Why can’t property managers do it too? - DO SOMETHING FOR YOUR COMMUNITY: GIVE TO A CHARITY OR CAUSE
I help out with Rosie’s Friends on the Street. It’s an organisation that gives friendship to people on the street or who are homeless. I love the sense of fulfilment that this gives me, and also because I am a property manager it gives me an understanding of what is happening in my community with the housing shortage. This also shows that I am really involved in my community and have a giving and caring attitude.If you love what you do then it’s not a chore, it’s passion; it’s not work, it’s play every day. When things get hard it’s the love and passion for what you do and wanting to make a difference that keeps you going. Property management for me is not a job – it’s my life.