Thoughts From the Road

By Jim Chiswell

Bythe time you read this, most of you will have escaped winter's cold grip. Beingheadquartered in Buffalo, we are forced to bear the brunt of annualwinter-weather jokes. I guess with having suffered more than 96 inches of totalsnowfall in December alone, we have it coming.

Reflecting on this year's record-setting Buffalo snow, and that in otherparts of the Northeast, has reminded me of a critical lesson: When you build aself-storage facility in these climatic zones, you must consider where the plowswill push the snow. These designated outlets will determine whether you'll beable to keep your facility open for customers during inclement weather.

The placement of your trash dumpster presents a similar design consideration.You must take into account the route the garbage truck will take each time itcomes. Paving will need to be reinforced in the area of the dumpster. Mostcommunities require that the dumpster is separately fenced. I have even heard ofan instance where a building commissioner required the pad for the dumpster befully curbed on all sides and equipped with an oil/containment drier trap tocapture liquids draining out of the dumpster.

Oh well--sometimes we will do anything to get our projects approved. Iencourage you to consider these things as you work on the design and buildinglayout of your facility.

Let Them Communicate

The technology of communication continues to expand. Whether it be moreadvanced telephone systems or the world-shrinking Internet, our collectiveability to talk and send messages to each other has never been greater. Yet Isee many managers across the country being cut off from the advantages andopportunities these two developments provide.

First, having a 900 MHz or 2.4 GHz portable telephone managers can take withthem anywhere on the property avoids the disadvantage of missed calls. This alsomeans avoiding missed opportunities to encourage a prospective customer to makean appointment. Owners explain they are reluctant to free managers from theoffice phone because of a suspicion that they will instead spend all day intheir apartments or outside sunbathing. My response to their concern is a simpleone: If you have a manager who is doing that, he will do it with or without aportable. At least with a quality portable, he will still be answering the phonewhen it rings.

The same is true about giving Internet access to managers. I understand anowner's concern about possible goofing off on the Internet or the possibledownloading of less-than-desirable images from the web. However, an owner caninstall blocking and monitoring software that will track employee wanderings onthe Internet. Yes, it smacks of George Orwell's "Big Brother," but itprovides a compromise for both sides. I urge every owner to consider getting aquality portable phone for his managers, and to step out in faith by offeringemployees Internet access.

Census Data Provides New Insights

The release of the 2000 Census data will have a very telling effect on morethan just the number of congressional seats in each state. Nationwide growth of13.2 percent masks the real trends that are unmistakable at the regional andcommunity levels. Every state increased its population. Nevada recorded thelargest percentage of growth at a staggering 66.3 percent, and West Virginia thesmallest at just 0.8 percent. Washington, D.C., had the distinction of being theonly political jurisdiction to suffer a net population loss of 5.7 percent.

These figures confirmed a decade-long trend of a population shift from theNorth and Midwest to the South and West. What happened in your county? Yourneighborhood? The facts, figures and trends will continue to be announcedthroughout the year. I urge you to make it your business to dig into thisinformation to better understand the new demographic reality Census 2000 willreveal.

The Montgomery Ward Lesson

The year-end demise of Montgomery Ward in 2000 should serve as a lesson toevery one of us in self-storage. It is not enough in today's marketplace to havestarted your business in 1872. It's not enough that you have 250 stores, 10major distribution centers and more than 30,000 employees. None of these factorsare sufficient if you lose touch with your current and prospective customerbase. And that has been the mistake of Wards' management for many years. Thecompany's product selection, store appearance and even marketing style have beenout of step with other retailers like Wal-Mart, which are, conversely, doingvery well.

Have you been listening to your customers? Do you honestly feel you aremeeting their needs? Have you kept your facility looking clean and sharp? Areyou watching industry trends within your market? It is not enough to just showup each day and open your door. The final chapter in the Montgomery Ward bookshould be an admonition to never stop looking for new ways to satisfy yourexisting and prospective customers.

What's Your Charity?

Do you have a favorite charity you support with activities at your facility?This might be offering a "Toys for Tots" drop-off center, or providingdiscounted or no-cost space to the Boy Scouts paper drive or the Girl Scoutscookie sale. Involvement in charitable activities can produce countlessbenefits. It gives your facility the positive, word-of-mouth praise that canresult in additional rentals. Not only that, it creates an instant marketingcampaign for your facility.

You could easily provide brochures/ discounts to the participants in thecharity event. This enables your managers to participate directly in thecommunity with prospective customers in a non-sales setting. If you have notadopted one or more community charities for your corporate participation, I urgeyou to discuss it with your manager. Everyone wins when your facility getsinvolved in charitable activities.

Jim Chiswell is president of Chiswell & Associates. Since 1990, hisfirm has provided feasibility studies, acquisition due diligence, experttestimony and customized manager training for the self-storage industry. Inaddition to contributing regularly to Inside Self-Storage, Mr. Chiswell is afrequent speaker at Inside Self-Storage Expos and various association meetings.He can be reached at 716.634.2428; e-mail [email protected];www.selfstorageconsulting.com.