Why, in marketing planning, should we dwell so much on property maintenance as well as marketing? Because marketing is more than advertising, promotional flyers, community contacts, telephone follow-up, proper handling of the prospect and closing the sale. Marketing is everything we do that affects the customer (tenant) and helps to determine whether or not she or he continues officing at our property and what type of word-of-mouth advertising results.

In our business, maintenance IS marketing. The way we handle tenant service requests determines to a great extent whether they will renew their lease, how much of a rent increase they will accept, what type of word-of-mouth advertising they will provide and whether they will refer others to us. Every time we prevent a move-out through good maintenance, it makes one less office suite that we need to market. It is much better to prevent the move-out than to locate a prospect, rent the suite, clean the suite and move in another tenant.

If every person in the organization does not have a marketing attitude and does not see the relationship between what we do and our marketing effort, then we will not be operating as effectively as we could. We will have to do more of the "normal' marketing activities to compensate and offset the damage caused by a lack of marketing orientation in all day-to-day activities. We will have to advertise more, close more, provide more concessions, do more direct mail, etc. All of which increases overhead costs and reduces net returns.

If a tenant should call to discuss their messages and is treated as if the call is an interruption, feels they are being talked down to, or is left hanging on the phone, it is damaging the marketing effort. In fact, when anyone in the organization is discourteous to anybody, not just prospects, visitors and tenants, it is adversely affecting marketing.

Why pay thousands of dollars to get prospects and tenants in the front door, only to lose them through the back door?

There are positive, "non-marketing" actions that can be taken to enhance the marketing effort, such as each of us going out of our way to assist or be courteous to tenants.

This also applies to all staff personnel whose function is to serve the line who, in effect, are their customers. By providing information and assistance on a timely basis and with a helpful attitude, the staff person will be assisting the line person (Marketing Manager, Property Manager, etc.) in serving the tenants. When cooperation and team spirit are present throughout the organization, from internal staff to vendor support positions (janitorial and landscape care professionals), the tenants will benefit. When our tenants are best served, so is marketing.

As J.C. Penny said, "There are two types of people in this organization: Those who produce the income and those who damn well better help those that produce the income." Everyone is there to assist the marketing effort.

You maintain a competitive edge when the entire organization takes on a sales-marketing orientation. It reflects itself in everything the office suite does and, therefore, how the tenants feel about officing in the suites. And a positive service-minded attitude doesn't cost additional marketing dollars, whereas the traditional marketing activities require the expenditure of money for advertising, concessions, etc.

Maintenance is the number one marketing aid for the office leasing function. This includes not only promptly handling service requests but also maintaining the condition and appearance of the property so tenants enjoy officing there and delight in having their clients and friends visit their office suite. It costs nothing more because the maintenance personnel's job is to maintain the curb appeal. By doing their job with a positive attitude and in accord with professional standards, they will be accomplishing their important part of the overall marketing effort.

It is interesting to note the average person forms a judgment of a company or property through their contact with one individual! This means anyone in the organization can either enhance or undermine the entire marketing effort. Therefore it is essential that every employee, no matter what position she or he occupies, present a favorable impression, both in the quality of work and their behavior. After all, marketing is not a department--- it is an attitude!

This article is provided as a service to those in the executive suite office industry by the Execuplan Executive Suite Office Centers, Irvine, CA. Inquiries may be directed to Execuplan by FAX at (949) 261-8697.