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Blogs - BobMcMahon's blog / Self Storage - Posts
3 December, 20093 December, 2009 1 comments Self Storage Self Storage

When people look at investing their money in to something, it is very rare that they will invest simply by word of mouth or after listening to advertising. Everyone wants to do their homework before they get rid of their hard earned money and the self storage industry is no different. Any potential storage customer will shop self storage before they spend a penny at any store, and many people often take a day or two out of their busy schedule to call around and go and tour storage facilities before deciding to go with them for sure. By calling in to a store, a potential storage customer can get prices from the facility and find out about the amenities that they have to offer their customers, but they really cannot get and idea of the service and the reputation that the company has unless they go down and meet them for themselves. When a customer does shop self storage, more often than not they are not talking to the manager directly there at the store. When managers are busy they forward their calls to sales representatives in a call center who help take reservations and sell the store. When a customer goes to the store, they can see who is there on a daily basis, and how they handle their customers on a daily basis. They can also look at the facility, see a unit, and see what kind of service the company provides. There are always moving and storage supplies in the office that a customer can check out as well to make sure the store has everything they need as a customer.

25 November, 200925 November, 2009 1 comments Self Storage Self Storage

I would reconsider the idea of placing your furniture in the garage for long term storage. The garage is a great place for boxes and things that you do not think would get damaged with the change of climate. You can always go down to the garage and make sure that your belongings are safe and undamaged. At the same time finding a local furniture storage facility would be a smart choice for some good reasons.

 

When people are putting their furniture into a local furniture storage facility , they are trusting that they will not have to worry about their property. Of course many people decide to search for the best value as well as the best area. Sometimes those two things are not the same facility. What people need to look for which is important is a climate controlled space. With the climate controlled space, it will not matter, how long the customer decides to keep their furniture in storage. They can keep their belongings in there for years or just months. But no matter what the temperature is outside, it will not affect the temperature inside of the storage unit.

 

Make sure when you are looking for that storage space this is going to house your furniture for an incertainable amount of time, that you use a climate controlled space. You should use this space especially if you live in an area that the climate changes outdoors from extreme to the extreme such as the Midwest. Protect your investments and take care of your furniture.

8 September, 20098 September, 2009 0 comments Self Storage Self Storage

Secret shopping services are not only used to see if your employees are doing their work properly or not, they are more about making sure that you refine your operations to ensure loyal customers. Many people opt for the job of an anonymous shopper. Some may want to do it full time. There are others who do it as a side business. The only flip side of hiring mystery shopping services is that you would have to believe the report the shoppers submit. There is no way you can validate it. You may send one more shopper for the same job, but it will be a complete waste of money. Also the report will have the shopper personal biases. But if you can overlook these minor details, then this is one of the best ways to evaluate your services and benchmark them against competitors. This concept is fast gaining popularity. So jump into the bandwagon before it gets saturated. Treat the investment as a marketing cost. You will be happy to calculate the ROI on this investment. In the long run, the information collected will prove to be extremely beneficial.

 

For example, a business document storage company could use secret shopping services to audit their indexing and warehousing operations, ensuring that all documents they store are filed correctly and easy to relocate.

8 September, 20098 September, 2009 0 comments Self Storage Self Storage

Mystery shopping services are also used to gather competitive intelligence. At a very basic level, the quality check shoppers can help you compare your own service standards with your competitors. But taking it further one step, you can use it as competitive intelligence. For instance, you have placed your product in a multi brand store. You can send shoppers to check out if the sales personnel of the store are pushing your competitor product or not. There have been cases, when the sales people have vested interest in obliging your competitor. If it is true, then you need to immediately escalate the observation.

If you are a new entrant in the market, then you can gather information about your competitors with the help of mystery shoppers. You can make them pose as genuine customers and call up your competitors for relevant details. Again if you are trying to launch a new product in the market, then you can use the shoppers to visit similar companies and find out their product details. Once they come back with their report, you can implement the positives and weed out the negatives.

8 September, 20098 September, 2009 0 comments Self Storage Self Storage

Mystery shopping services are becoming one of the most financially viable businesses in America. It is most commonly used for clothing, jewellery, restaurant and similar business. Many companies are coming forward to hire the companies offering mystery shopping services . This way they can evaluate their customer service standard from the perspective of an outsider. Anonymous shopping is also a great way to make a little extra money, enjoy eating out at a variety of restaurants and get some free stuff. Here, the shopper poses as a regular customer and in the process rates the shop on a variety of criteria. Then he prepares a report of the entire shopping experience. Some companies might also require a video snippet of the experience. This tool is not only used to evaluate your service standards but it also helps in analysing what your competitor service quality is. You can send a quality check shopper to one of your competitor outlets to find out how they run their business. This way you can do a comparison and find out your strong as well as weak points.

7 September, 20097 September, 2009 0 comments Self Storage Self Storage


Though families utilizing apartment rentals may not seem like the most domestic and inclusive way to raise their children, it stands to reason that when the family dynamics are strong and the love between family members runs deep, it really does not matter what kind of domicile we live in. Many complexes are becoming veritable neighborhoods, offering all kinds of family friendly options for the tenants who choose to live there with their children. Apartment rentals are more than just temporary residences. They are home, to millions of families who understand that the flow of life requires that we be able to adapt and change.

 

Living within some communities that offer apartment rentals, one finds playground equipment, party rooms, and even bowling alleys popping up in clubhouses across the country. It is as if the people who own and manage these complexes are coming to the understanding that the more comfortable they can make their tenants, and the more they can create a sense of community for the residents who live there, the happier everyone involved will be and the less vacancies a complex will have. Child care facilities are not uncommon at some complexes, giving working parents a convenient, community centric means of caring for their children.

 

Some complexes also offer self storage areas on the premises for the extra furniture or seasonal items that may not fit into the apartment.

19 June, 200919 June, 2009 1 comments Self Storage Self Storage

Many people today enjoy collecting cars. From the amateur car hobbyist to the serious vintage automobile collector, they all have similar storing needs for their collections. Though the size of the need may differ there are still many parallels found in both situations. Storing cars takes space. With most modern homes being built with two to three car garages this means even the smallest auto enthusiast mat need more garage space than that provided by their residence. The self storage companies provide many options for storing automobiles. A person can rent a standard drive up garage type unit to park their vehicle. Or they may need the space and amenities offered by a drive up temperature controlled warehouse storage unit. Of course, Calgary storage is always going to be easy to find if you give yourself enough time to look around.


Depending on the value, sentimental and monetary, a car owner may or may not want to pay the extra money required to rent a temperature controlled garage unit from one of the storage companies . If a person is simple looking to store an extra commuter car for a short period of time, they would save money by simply keeping it parked in a standard drive up unit. The size of the drive up unit required is usually going to be the ten feet wide by twenty feet deep unit. This size should sound familiar to most car enthusiasts. A ten feet by twenty feet size unit is the size of a standard one car garage.


When storing valuable classic or exotic automobiles, with one of the storage companies , a collector should consider a temperature controlled drive up garage. These temperature controlled garage units will keep irreplaceable original leather upholstery and tops from cracking, rotting, or other damage. The need to winterize the vehicle is a non issue with the use of a unit with a controlled temperature. Tire pressure and fluid levels can be maintained at a drivable level without the concern for extreme heat or cold weather conditions. The price for storing in this environment is more than that of a standard garage unit, but much less than the cost of replacing original manufacturer upholstery and other car parts. Many antique car parts cannot be obtained through regular supply channels and must be costumed manufactured.


For short term parking of commuter vehicles and business utility vehicles, many of the storage companies offer outside parking as a less costly alternative to inside parking. Outside parking spaces may be covered or uncovered. The parking may be on a paved lot or simple marked gravel lot. The price for outside parking will be generally higher for a covered and paved parking spot versus an uncovered gravel spot. Regardless of which you choose, it will be less than a garage sized drive up rental unit. So if you do not need inside parking, take a look at outside parking as another option. Never forget, here, that Calgary storage is always going to help you finish those pesky household chores.


The rules for storing a vehicle at one of the storage companies are going to differ from company to company, but there are some basic rules that seem to be the same at most places. The vehicles being stored must be licensed in the name of the renter and the registration must be current and valid. Insurance must be carried for the stored auto and meet the minimum insurance requirements indicated in the rental contract. The vehicle should be in running condition. Most facilities will not allow towed vehicles to be stored in their units. These rules may or may not be enforced at all facilities.

15 June, 200915 June, 2009 2 comments Self Storage Self Storage

With the tax cuts that the new Obama campaign has offered in the United States of America to first time home buyers, many lifelong renters have decided to take advantage of the current market and have decided to take the proverbial plunge and begin buying real estate. In this difficult time for many, the economy has definitely been in a slump. Houses have been flooding the market as many people try to escape foreclosure and even bankruptcy. Why not help someone in need while helping yourself to have something to be proud of? Many more fortunate people have decided that the time is now. For many, no matter what the situation may be that is causing you to enter the real estate market, the timing for buying real estate could not be better. Of course, if you are looking into this sort of buying, you are not going to want to forget about Quebec City storage .

With such a plethora of units of all sizes currently on the market, in all locations, it seems ridiculous not to at least consider the perks of buying real estate in the current economic situation. Though many people have lost their jobs and are selling their larger homes as they no longer require the space or wish to downgrade for financial reasons, many other people have yet to do so and are in a situation where they may need to get out of their rental property and should perhaps consider purchasing a home, even a larger home to suit the needs of their families, rather than entering into yet another rental agreement or lease with a landlord. Down payments of multiple months of rent are hard, and breed and pet restrictions are often unfair to completely mentally sound, beloved family pets. For just a bit more down, and with a decent credit score, you could be beginning a new life with your own house instead. Never forget that Quebec City storage is going to come in rather handy if you are looking into this sort of buying./

Thousands of homes are on the market in this topsy turvy time. You can find apartments, condos, lofts, smaller homes, larger homes, homes with pools, homes with lots of square footage, even the mansion of your destiny, for sale in a desirable location. Homes in all varieties of styles can be found on the market, in your area, today. Realtors are simply waiting for your call. You can even find a lot of commercial property on the market, if you have a desire to start your own business, or whether you are simply interested in expanding your ownership portfolio or even creating or expanding your own property empire. Rental properties are extremely lucrative, especially in this market, when interest and down payments have decreased to an extremely desirable and achievable level. Many people have discovered that it is more affordable than ever to obtain a home, or a commercial property, at payments that they can afford, and that they can have the home of their dreams because now is the time, more than ever before, for buying real estate.

People have made themselves a lot happier in their new home than ever before. Experience the feeling of pride and contentment when you begin investing your hard earned money in buying real estate, rather than tossing it away every month to pay someone elses mortgage. Why do that? Pay your own mortgage instead. Start saving that money. You will not want to miss out on the ownership opportunities that are happening this very moment any more than you already have.

11 June, 200911 June, 2009 2 comments Self Storage Self Storage

It is important when you open up your own business that you are aware of the vast amount of mystery shopping scams that are going on in the world today. It can be a scary experience to open up your own business without being ripped off, so it may be best to do a little research on any company that you plan to work with. You may find that there is a lot of info about companies available to you on the internet if you would only do the proper amount of research. There are plenty of mystery shopping scams to go around, especially with Innisfil storage , so make sure that you are not the next victim waiting in line. A good amount of research should prevent you from having this happen to you. There are also a couple of other good rules to follow to make sure that your money is going where you want it to go.


There are a lot of people on the internet that are just waiting to steal your money. There are a couple of things that you will definitely want to watch out for. Never accept an offer that someone sends to your email. There is a good chance that this is not a legit company and you will want to do a little research on the company to see if their have been any complaints filed against them. If there have been any complaints about the company, you should be able to find that information out very quickly and will be better off for knowing. You will want to be careful because every company will probably have complaints against their company that you will be able to find somewhere. Even the best company in the history of time will have people that will have filed complaints against them, so you will not want to jump to conclusion when assuming mystery shopping scams are going to be for real. Always protect yourself when it comes to Innisfil storage .


You will want to do a little follow up to determine what types of complaints are being filed. Another good thing to do is to demand a face to face meeting with someone from the company before you agree to do business with them. A lot of times you will have to pay upfront for some of the services that you will get. This is how a lot of mystery shopping scams will tend to work. They will promise you the world, demand payment, and then you will never see them again in your life. They are then on to the next business to do the same thing.


It is important to have a company that will evaluate how your employees are representing your company. This is how you develop a good brand name in your area. You do that by having a great place to visit where people know that they will be treated kindly when they walk in the door. If you provide them that, you can be sure that they will be visiting again very soon. If they leave feeling like they were not treated very well, they will probably not give you a second chance. Be leary of mystery shopping scams because you cannot afford to waste any money when you are just starting up. You will be a lot better off if you follow a plan of action.

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BobMcMahon
Posts: 26
Comments: 19
The captivating thoughts of Bob McMahon, as they pertain to the vast industry of Self Storage .
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