Anne Ballard, president and founder of Universal Management Co. and a renowned expert in the self-storage industry, is offering a series of online workshops in 2012 to provide self-storage operators with tips, insights and tools for facility operation. "The Hat Lady Speaks: Master Class Series" will include four live two-hour sessions, each featuring active training opportunities.

Each registrant will receive a copy of Ballard's book, "The Hat Lady Speaks: Marketing Self-Storage," and its companion product, "The Hat Lady Speaks: Forms & Checklists." They will also receive a class workbook and participate in in-class polling.

The sessions are:

The cost to attend is $149.95 for each class or $499 for the complete series. Group discounts are available. Registration can be completed through MiniStorageMessenger.com.

The first session on Jan. 25 will focus on ways for self-storage operators to create more profit in their business. Using the class workbook and store-specific information, each participant will create an action plan for the coming year. Areas of focus will include target income types, box sales per lease, insurance sales, fees, discounts, yield management, budgeting, goal-setting and more.

Ballard trains hundreds of self-storage professionals each year and regularly presents at industry conferences and tradeshows. She will be a featured speaker of the Inside Self-Storage World Expo in Las Vegas, March 14-16, where she will present a seminar titled, "Great Customer Service in Self-Storage: How to Quit Discounting and Greatly Improve Profit."

The ISS Expo, the self-storage industry's largest annual conference and tradeshow, will take place at the Paris Hotel & Resort. It provides three full days of industry education, product and service exhibits, networking events, workshops and more. Universal Management Co. will be participating as an exhibitor at the show. Event details are available at www.insideselfstorageworldexpo.com.