It may sound odd to be asking a new customer if hed like ice, but if you follow up on this suggestion, I know it will bring you benefits. Let me explain. An organization by the name of In Case Of Emergency (ICE) was launched in May 2005. This alliance is the brainchild of Bob Brotchie, a paramedic serving the East Anglican Ambulance Service in England. His plan was a simple and effective method to help rescue workers or any first responder use a victims cell phone to gather vital contact information. Brotchies idea prompted the formation of an American adjunct of the group, which has produced trademarked, red ICE stickers for cell phones.

The idea is incredibly simple. Registration with ICE requires an entry in which you list the person who should be contacted in an emergency, making the information readily available when needed. This retrieval of info is far quicker, for example, than the police following a drivers license number to an address and then searching a phone-number database in attempt to reach someone. Even the American College of Emergency Physicians has issued a statement encouraging doctors to advise patients to start using the ICE idea.

Self-storage owners might benefit by becoming actively involved in this effort. As a part of our leasing dialogue with customers, we are always asking for emergency contact names, addresses and phone numbers as part of their personal contact information. Wouldnt it be easy to hand people a simple brochure and ICE stickers for their cell phones during the rental process? This is a value-added service that helps build a We Care About Our Customers attitude from the beginning.

Invite tenants to share ICE stickers with family members, friends and co-workers. Attach ICE stickers to a promotional brochure featuring your self-storage location. Encourage renters to take a handful of these and pass them around. Theyll be doing a community service and marketing your facility simultaneously. I see this as a real win-win situation. Let me know if youre interested in implementing this idea at your facilityI can help you take advantage of a discount Ive negotiated for self-storage facilities.

Tis Time for Political Contributions

As we head into the election season this fall, many of us will be asked, encouraged and maybe even forced to buy tickets to various candidates fundraising events. This gets expensive if youre targeted as a visible small-business owner in town.

Consider a different type of donation to ease the hit on your wallet while providing your selected candidates with real support at the same time. First, offer them use of a unit to store campaign signage and other materials. Allow their sign crews extended hours of access, along with a place to park cars while volunteers are out placing signs around the community.

Second, if you have a contact at a local lumberyard, buy and donate a quantity of sign stakes or some 4-by-8 sheets of plywood. Maybe supply volunteers with quality staple guns for posting the signs. Getting these types of supplies collected and transported can be hard for many candidates. Your services would be greatly appreciated, perhaps more than a financial donation.

If you really back a specific candidate and want to go the extra mile, offer the use of your storage truck during non-peak times for sign crews to use. Remember to go through your normal rental procedure with all drivers to ensure insurance coverage; but when the truck is returned in good condition, cover the bill yourself.

Squeaky-clean campaign managers will ask you to submit a letter estimating the value of the in-kind products and services you provide. In my experience, most candidates dont follow campaign disclosure laws closely, meaning your services may go unreported. This is not your problem; the responsibility for reporting falls to the candidate and committees, so you may still claim it as a charitable tax donation.

Finally, because many facilities are on high-traffic highways, you may be approached by candidates requesting permission to erect their signs on your highly visible property. Before you say yes, think about the persons opponent (like the incumbent mayor or county sheriff ). Ask yourself if youre comfortable publicly acknowledging support for the rival.

Always make sure anyone posting signs on your property has been granted permission, whether you support the candidate or not. If an overzealous campaign worker has posted a sign on your land, you may not even get credit from the candidate if your name doesnt appear on the lawn-sign list.

I dont want to imply that donating money, lumber or a spare rental unit will put you into a candidates good graces. But if youre going to get involved anyway, at least make sure youll get invited to the celebration party on election night.

Request for Research Help

Every year, I get numerous requests from owners and developers about parking issues. Some owners discover that when they return to city hall for building permits to expand their facilities, the communitys parking regulations may have changed.

Many planners revert to the Trip Generation Handbook 7th Edition, prepared by The Institute of Transportation Engineers, for answers. I honestly have never been confident in the limited database compiled here for self-storage trip estimates. On the other hand, we have an entire industry operating today with computercontrolled, gate-access systems. The software running these gates generates detailed data on the ins and outs at every facility 24/7.

Back in April 2000, I wrote about informal research I conducted on this topic. My results revealed the average facility attracted 6.5 daily visits per 100 rented units. Therefore, at a facility with 600 total units and 85 percent occupancy (510 units), youd expect approximately 33 trips per day through the gate.

Owners and managers recognize an increase in average daily visits even by residential customers. As people have integrated self-storage use into their lifestyles, they appear to visit their units more frequently. With your help, Id like to update my research by asking managers and owners (on a totally anonymous basisyou have my personal promise on that) to e-mail, fax or snail mail me the following information:

1. Total number of units at your facility/facilities 

2. Percentage or number of units rented 

3. Average number of vehicles entering the facilityeither the total for a two-week period or, if you are willing, the daily inbound traffic counts for a two-week period 

All participants will be entitled to complete detailed results collected through my research. I will also use the data in a future ISS feature article so the data can be used by the entire industry. Thanks in advance for your help.

In the meantime, I look forward to seeing everyone at the Venetian Hotel Resort Casino in Las Vegas, Feb. 5-8, for the annual ISS Expo. Register early and save. Be there and learn more about this growing, fascinating industry. 

Jim Chiswell is the owner of Chiswell & Associates LLC. Since 1990, his firm has provided feasibility studies, acquisition due diligence and customized manager training for the self-storage industry. He has served for a number of years as a member of the Inside Self-Storage Editorial Advisory Board and is co-founder of the new Self Storage Education Network (www.selfstorageeducation.net) providing online-based manager and owner education. Mr. Chiswell can be reached at 434.589.4446, or visit www.selfstorageconsulting.com.