Managers/ Assistant Managers Are Now Bartenders - Self-Storage Talk

Crystle408 · #1 (**permalink**) 22nd July 2010, 04:20 PM

Lately I have been having soooo many customers'/ new tenants' coming in a telling me there WHOLE life story and all their problems. I feel like a bartender lol.

Had a new tenant come in today and was in my office for 1 hr and 10 mins telling me his whole life story, ect. By the time they left my mind was exhausted

What can you do except sit, listen, empathize, and smile

JamestownStorage#8 · #2 (**permalink**) 22nd July 2010, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crystle408

Lately I have been having soooo many customers'/ new tenants' coming in a telling me there WHOLE life story and all their problems. I feel like a bartender lol.

Had a new tenant come in today and was in my office for 1 hr and 10 mins telling me his whole life story, ect. By the time they left my mind was exhausted

What can you do except sit, listen, empathize, and smile

That's how you can tell a GOOD manager.....they must feel very comfortable with you...and need someone to talk to....But sometimes, I know, you're like thinking of all the things you need to be doing!!! What beats everything, is when one of the tenants who spends almost an hour of your time talking says, "boy, I'd be bored if I had to sit in here behind a desk all day"...you want to reply...."if you weren't here, believe me I wouldn't have been sitting behind this desk SOOO long!"

Like you say, sit, listen, empathize & above all SMILE...you've made a new friend!

Pat
High Point, NC

Crystle408 · #3 (**permalink**) 22nd July 2010, 04:39 PM

I find it extremely funny that some people come in and say" Oh what an easy job you have all you do is sit behind a desk" If they only knew the issues that we deal with. Dealing with the public is not easy

Gina6k · #4 (**permalink**) 22nd July 2010, 04:43 PM

I applied for a liquor license, but they turned me down because we didn't have enough bar stools!

First, the sneaky tricks, why? Because they're more fun to giggle about!

One thing I have done is walk over to the fax machine, paper in hand of course and dial while they're chatting. Wouldn't you know it... just as I'm about to press "send" the office line rings (Duh! Because I dialed it!) and I have to answer the phone!

Ring, ring! Insert spiel here, "Oh, hi boss!" while waving bye-bye frantically, loosely covering the mouthpiece and apologizing to the customer that I HAVE to take the call.

Or I answer the fax machine call with; "Sure I'd be happy to help you determine which size you need, would you please give me an idea of what you be storing...?"

Even if it takes a minute or so of listening to a dial tone, and maybe rolling your eyes once or twice, the long-winded will usually leave.

The boring solution - For those that don't leave on their own even if you are shuffling papers around, typing into a blank word document or whatever; you can always just say;

"I'd so love to chat the rest of the day away, but I do have work I have to have done in X amount of time for the boss, or it's my hide." Smile graciously and hope they get the not so subtle hint.

It's hard sometimes, but when you realize you do have things to get done it's a little easier to take leave of someone who stays too long. Just remember to smile & be gracious.