The solution could be as simple as looking at building tours in a different way in order to maximize their full potential.   There is no overstating the importance of an on-point, customized building tour.   Charts and graphs, facts and figures are one-dimensional.  A building tour is a living, breathing, three-dimensional visual aid complete with sound, sights, textures, smells, and if you’ve provided refreshments, even a taste of its own – it’s a brief but memorable sample of what it would be like to be a client in that building.

Preparing for a “Quantum” Property Tour

Site visits and building tours are often a prospect’s first experience at the property, and they should have a lasting impression. From the moment the prospect enters the building, the culture of service, quality, and attention to detail must be experienced in order to produce quantum results.

On the following pages we will discuss specific strategies for giving the most effective tour under the most beneficial of circumstances.   First, here are some questions to consider before giving the tour:

•    When is the best time of day to tour the building? When is traffic the lightest, the light the best, and the ebb and flow of current tenants less likely to affect your tour?

•    Can prospects safely tour your facility?  For example, are tenants moving in or out -  is there construction under way? Remember, safety is your responsibility, not the prospect’s!

•    Is your property clean and in good repair?

•    Are you prepared to answer probing questions about your best practices, traffic flow, and area resources? Remember, the best building tours speak directly to the unique requirements of the prospect and require thorough preparation, hard work and forethought before a prospect even enters the building.

•    Will your tour be interactive and engaging? For instance, if there is a new feature such as hands-free water fountains will you simply present the feature by rote, or ask someone to volunteer to test it for you?

•    How many people can you comfortably accommodate in a group and still conduct an effective tour? Practice the tour with other staff who will also be leading groups.

•    Practice the tour program with a person who is not involved in your operation and get their feedback.   Ask  a colleague from another department and ask for specific feedback to ensure the most beneficial results.

•    Have a dress rehearsal first. Walk your tour before a prospect arrives, perhaps even days before. If time is critical, check off how long it takes to get from Point A to Point B. Make sure all your keys work, the air intake system isn’t too loud, etc.

Expecting the Unexpected

No building tour, quantum or otherwise, would be complete without the unexpected snafu, but the key to the unexpected is … expecting it. Proper planning and a myriad of back-up contingency plans can delete the word “unexpected” from your tour.

Here are four for starters:

1.    Flexible First. First and foremost, remember that you are the tour facilitator. A good plan is invaluable; a rigid plan spells disaster. Often, prospects want to linger twice as long in one area than you thought they would in another, or vice versa. Be flexible and cater to the needs of the prospect.

2.    Preparing for Problems. The only certainty about a building tour is that they are, at heart, uncertain. Clients may arrive late, leave early, or only ask one question – usually being the only one you didn’t prepare for. When problems do occur, honesty is always the best policy.  It will be clear to any prospect whether you’ve prepared well for the building tour, so admitting you don’t have the answer to an unanticipated question, or apologizing because a certain floor is inaccessible due to construction, is perfectly acceptable if you follow through by making alternative arrangements to the prospect’s satisfaction.  It’s the next best thing to solving the problem.

3.    Learning from Experience. Every building tour is a valuable one, especially those that don’t quite go as planned. Learning from your mistakes is often the best teacher, but only if the lessons are applied to the next tour or become part of the best practice.

4.    Accidents and Illness. There is a way to prepare for accidents and/or illness, but the best offense is a good defense. Knowing where the first-aid kit, hazardous spill station, or even local hospital is one way to reduce panic in a stressful situation such as an unexpected accident or surprise illness.

The Property Tour Schedule

A thorough needs analysis will determine the type of tour you have arranged for your client which should include those key individuals who will form the service team for the customer, i.e., the Property Manager, Engineer, Receptionist, Concierge, etc.

A quick personal introduction to these members will help establish rapport, and if the prospective customer has any questions, these service team members should be encouraged to speak freely and to be as helpful as possible.

Here are several other tips to assure that your “tour team” works together, and not at cross purposes:

•    The Quantum Building Tour always begins with someone in the Lobby who greets the customer.   A welcome sign should be posted in the Lobby, such as “ABC Building Welcomes XYZ Corporation!”

•    Create an agenda. Print it, distribute it, and as much as possible, stick to it. Clients expect you to guide them through the appropriate areas of the building ensuring that the tour is both sufficient and efficient   Prospects will appreciate your guidance, not to mention brevity.

•    Post signs that clearly outline safety requirements. If hard hats are necessary, provide them. Likewise for safety goggles, lab coats, etc.

•    Walk a mile in their moccasins. Point out the obvious and explain the reasons behind specific operations, such as alarm codes, passkeys, ID badges, etc.

•    Emphasize a consistent theme throughout the building tour. For instance, if the property’s key selling feature is location, don’t emphasize its history. Hammer home its location by providing takeaway maps, ample parking, or even a press kit containing menu samplings from local restaurants, services of local business centers, mileage to the airport, FedEx drop boxes, etc.

•    Choose four to six points of emphasis that you want to reinforce throughout the tour.  These should be features and benefits you have researched based on identified needs and requirements of the client.

•    Whenever possible, make it a hands-on, interactive, tour. For instance, if automatic doors are a feature you want to emphasize, slow down and let the prospect take the lead as you near them. The effect of watching the doors open will have much more impact than just hearing about it.

Briefing the Prospect

•    “My name is …” If possible, obtain the names of all prospective clients who will be in attendance on the day of the tour. Make nametags for each to pass out upon their arrival.

•    Seasonal considerations. Be aware of the season, and act – even dress – accordingly. Such subtle nuances as poinsettias in the building lobby in winter or Easter goody baskets in the spring will go a long way toward making a big impact.

•    Hand out … agendas, visors, hardhats, refreshments, ID badges, security clearance, etc., at the outset so that once the tour is under way there are no distractions.

•    Establish control. Prospects are looking for a leader, both on a building tour and with a potential lease agreement. Establish both by conducting a firm, pleasant, and comprehensive tour starting with your greeting in the lobby. First impressions are everything, particularly on a building tour.

Conducting the Tour

The tour is conducted at this stage with emphasis on the features and benefits critical to the comfort of the customer, as determined by their needs analysis. Key aspects of the tenant’s needs should be fresh in the mind of the agent conducting the tour so he/she can discuss them intimately at this time. This will impress upon the prospect that this is not a “tour by rote,” but instead a personalized demonstration of how life at the building can meet their needs.

Consider providing on-site CADD (Computer Aided Drafting and Design) services. While this is a labor-intensive process, it will ultimately provide the leasing agents with a state-of-the-art marketing/letting tool that can result in earlier commitment. For instance, at this stage of the building tour, with on-site CADD, it will be possible to visually demonstrate to the customer flexibility of design, rapid development of partition plans, furniture layout, etc.

In addition to the service and benefits of CADD to both the customer and the leasing team, this graphically impressive marketing tool entices prospective customers to emotionally commit to the project on the fist tour. Other aspects to remember throughout the building tour include:

•    Stroll at a pace appropriate to the group’s size and age. If senior partners are present, be respectful of their advanced stature … and age. If fresh young prospects are pre-scouting the building, move at a brisker pace so they are not overeager to move forward.
•    Rear admiral. If possible, always have a colleague at the rear of the group to assist with keeping it together. The larger the group, the harder to handle. It’s a good idea to work in pairs so that someone in the back cannot only corral wayward prospects but also tell you, through various hand signals, when you’re talking too fast or slow, loud or soft, etc.

•    Discuss what the group will see before entering a new area. Assume nothing on a building tour, especially that your prospects know as much as you do about the property. Emphasizing the area you are about to enter is a good way to reacquaint guests with the property and/or refocus their energies on the task at hand.

•    Always explain any industry/property terms that may be foreign to your guests. Discuss the technology of new features in words your prospects can understand, and demonstrate features that may be complicated at first.

•    Just the facts. It is a good idea to answer only questions about what you know and limit your comments to the property itself. Avoid ideological or philosophical debates with guests.

Concluding the Tour

Once the tour has concluded, most customers (and agents) expect a summary presentation of the property. At this time, provide the prospective customer or agent with a Features and Benefit Sheet of the building, a Directory of Services, along with the names of key people providing them, and a tasteful gift/memento.

An appropriate gift/memento supports the marketing and institutional positioning of the building. It implies high quality standard, reinforces awareness, and keeps the property in the mind of the customer/agent.

Here are some other great ideas:

•    Allow plenty of time for questions. This is vital to a successful building tour. No matter what the level of preparation, there is no way to anticipate every question, nor is there any excuse for allowing a prospect to walk away from the tour without having satisfied him or her fully.

•    Review the main features of the building. For reinforcement, conclude the tour with a list of features and benefits you’d like the prospect to remember. This can be a printed hand-out and/or verbal presentation.

•    Samples of the property always make for a great ending. Provide information on the most popular aspects of the property in a manner that is as attractive as possible.
•    Escort the group to the parking area. Thank them for their visit, conclude on a positive note, and provide final contact information and/or terms. Encourage them to return as many times as necessary, within reason, and make return visits and or follow-up phone calls/Emails convenient for them.

Post-tour Review

Follow up contact with each and every customer after the tour. Thank the customer for taking the time to tour the building; provide a package of information that summarizes the customer’s needs, the features and benefits of the building, and any other aspect of tenant occupancy discussed during the tour. Take this opportunity to address any unanswered questions and to seek feedback.