Posted by D.Bronson-McGrath on Mar 28, 2009 in
DTN News 
Our Alliance Partner, SatisFacts Research has two new (FREE) resources:
Check out Jen Piccotti’s new blog post on: Resident Retention Low-Cost / No-Cost Solutions
Join our new LinkedIn Resident Retention Group for retention tips, articles and best practices.
Additionally, we love Grace Hill
After you login to their site, check out the internet transcript on Customer Relationship Management: - it provides you with tips and techniques from four multifamily experts.
Tags: Discover True North Alliance Partner, Gracehill, Jen Piccotti, SatisFacts, SatisFacts Research
Posted by D.Bronson-McGrath on Mar 28, 2009 in
DTN News,
Training 
Property Management professionals agree that recruiting qualified candidates is key to building a successful team. They also agree that finding qualified candidates is one of their biggest challenges. In fact, most companies spend substantial resources including time, money and man power on recruiting. For many companies these expenses can consume Read more…
Tags: property management, Recruiting on a Shoestring Budget, Recruitment, Vendout.com
Posted by D.Bronson-McGrath on Mar 28, 2009 in
DTN News 
One of our newest workshops -
There are far more people than just Mick Jagger out there wailing, “Can’t get no sat-is-fact-shun”, especially as it relates to having customer service expectations met.
Read more…
Tags: Can't get no satisfaction, Discover True North, resident retention, workshops
Posted by D.Bronson-McGrath on Mar 28, 2009 in
DTN News 
Let’s face it, you need more traffic but don’t have the extra cash flow to throw at new advertising sources. Today, more than ever, smart marketing is a must! Here are some tips to help jumpstart your outreach marketing program.
Read more…
Tags: Discover True North, effective marketing, low-cost marketing, outreach marketing, Survival Guide for the Multifamily Professional, vistaprint.com
Posted by D.Bronson-McGrath on Mar 28, 2009 in
DTN News
Operating in difficult economic times is… well, difficult. But as some aspects become more challenging, it also opens up different opportunities, as well. The biggest opportunity lies in knowing that other individuals and groups are struggling, as well!
Read more…
Tags: Adding Value, Brent Williams, Low Cost ways to add value, multifamily insiders
Posted by D.Bronson-McGrath on Mar 28, 2009 in
DTN News
Do any of these scenarios ring a bell? If so, we have some practical solutions for your consideration.
- You are counting on staying profitable during tough times through primarily cutting expenses.
- You recognize a growth opportunity within a specific market and/or have started a new business, but are hesitant to invest in various marketing/sales tools (website, brochures, etc.).
- You have analyzed current performance trends and realize that a core issue is that your leasing staff is not equipped to handle the new shifts in customer value perceptions whether leasing a new apartment or when renewing their lease.
Read more…
Tags: 0% Financing, Discover True North, Economic Stimulus Response, Pricing Options, Tradewinds
Posted by D.Bronson-McGrath on Mar 28, 2009 in
Branding,
Consulting,
Creative,
DTN News,
Marketing,
Training
Press Release -
Discover True North Announces Launch of “100K Extreme Corporate Makeover”
Most Deserving Multifamily Firm Will Win a Corporate Makeover
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - March 31, 2009 - Discover True North, in association with its Alliance Partners, some of the finest service companies in America, will be launching the 100K Extreme Corporate Makeover, in which the most deserving multifamily firm will receive a corporate makeover including creative, training, consulting and performance improvement services valued at $100,000 from DTN and its alliance partners. Some of DTN’s Alliance Partners include Brook Furniture Rental, Inc., Ellis Partners in Mystery Shopping, Multifamily Insiders, MultifamilyPro, SatisFacts Research, and Vendout.com.
“We have been moved by inspiring stories from various business professionals across the nation,” says Deb Bronson-McGrath, CEO of Discover True North. “We’ve heard impressive accounts of companies that continue to demonstrate strong values in these tough economic times, whether its keeping customer service at the forefront of business, developing work cultures that align performance with their corporate values and professionals, who, while cutting back on expenses, have not sacrificed excellence.”
“We hope to inspire people and showcase worthwhile endeavors from company teams that have been feeling low as a result of the economy. It will hopefully be fun and produce refreshing boosts in morale,” says Giovanni Cruz, Senior VP of Creative Services.
“The winning company will receive an entire refreshment of their brand,” says Sam Cabebe, Director of New Media. “This includes a new or refined logo, new website, key brand messages, customer loyalty program, an interactive training class, leadership retreat, customer service benchmarking, public relations, employee performance benchmarking, and a design makeover of the corporate office greeting area and much, much more!”
A variety of other personal, community, and corporate improvement opportunities will be incorporated into the program; one of the most outstanding initiatives is led by Multifamilypro. They have recently launched a best-of-breed mentoring program that taps the expertise of seasoned mentors and pairs them with mentees industry-wide. Details of this exciting “give-back” program are available at www.howitzdunnmanagement.com.
Veronica Dickerson, COO shares additional details, “The 100K Extreme Corporate Makeover event will commence on April 30, 2009, at which time DTN will begin accepting nominations, and will close at midnight on July 7, 2009. Semifinalists and the winner will be announced in August by an Advisory Board made up of multifamily experts and executives. Categories that will be evaluated include: Cutting Back on Expenses without Cutting Back on Excellence, Sustaining an Outstanding Motivational Culture for Their Employees and Social Responsibility.”
Nomination forms will be available soon at www.100KRefresh.com. Additional information on the program can be found on our Blog & Newsletter and as well on our social networking pages on FaceBook & Twitter. You can also visit the websites of Multifamily Insiders, Howitz-Dunn Property Management, other DTN Alliance Partners and members of the advisory board.
Tags: "100K Extreme Corporate Makeover, 100KRefresh.com, Brook Furniture Rental, Deb Bronson-McGrath, Discover True North, DTN, Ellis Mystery Property Shops, Giovanni Cruz, Howitz-Dunn Property Management, multifamily insiders, Multifamily Pro, Sam Cabebe, SatisFacts, Tradewinds, Vendout, Veronica Dickerson
Posted by G.Cruz on Mar 20, 2009 in
Creative,
Marketing,
New Media 
Since the early days of the interwebs, Flash and SEO have always had a tenious relationship to say the least. Flash was just as invisible to search engines as Wonder Woman’s plane. Search engines have continued to work to try to get Flash pages better indexed and perform better in search results. A big step towards that goal was reached last Summer when Adobe provided it Flash technology to Google & Yahoo so their respective team of evil geniuses can figure out a better indexed search results for Flash websites.
Read more…
Tags: Adobe, Flash, google, RIA, SEO, Yahoo
Posted by D.Bronson-McGrath on Mar 16, 2009 in
Branding,
Consulting,
DTN News,
Newsletter 
Doug Miller’s recent interview on the radio show, “Income Property Investment Talk” is insightful and informative.
Click on the link to listen to the archived talk show
He breaks down “need-to-know” info (in typical SatisFacts style), practical, refreshing and no-nonsense.
Kudos, Doug!
Tags: customer service, NOI, Reducing Resident Turnover, Research, resident retention, SatisFacts
Posted by D.Bronson-McGrath on Mar 12, 2009 in
Creative,
DTN News,
New Media 
Akoha - sample mission card
Loved this concept, noted in the March 9 edition of Springwise (a savvy group of trendspotters):
Akoha is a new, reality-based game that uses mobile, web and real-world challenges to ask the question, “What if playing a game could make the world a better place?”
“Launched into public beta in December, Akoha challenges players to carry out missions that involve performing small acts of kindness for others. Each player gets equipped with a deck of 24 mission cards—priced at $5. Each card describes a challenge to be carried out.
Read more…
Tags: akoha, reality-based game, social causes, Springwise
