This thread is for JulieA. What types of things are you doing in your office when business is extremely slow and the phones are not ringing?

Rumor has it there has been an explosion of injuries in the self storage industry; carpal tunnel syndrome from thumb twiddling, and eyes bugging out from staring at non-ringing telephones.

Please share your productive alternatives to playing solitaire here.

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Gina 6k
CochraneStorage dot com
Morgan Hill, California
You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough!

I was out cleaning units and spraying weeds today. Anything to escape the doldrums of the office! I'm going to have to step it up and be the maintenance person at our property for the next little while anyway--poor hubby got creamed at an intersection by a 90-yr. old driver yesterday and is very sore.

And when all else fails, I never play solitaire. Free cell is my game!

as I just stated in the other thread -- I am using this time to work on our office remodel.

If not for that I would probably be getting hooked on video games.


Here is wishing everyone a lot of rentals this week!!!!


Tex -- glad to hear that hubby is OK!! Hope he is feeling better soon.

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Wayne
All American Self Storage
Palmdale, CA.


All arguments can be resolved ... with high explosives and Humor!!!

I actually look forward to the mail, UPS, FED EX. Yesterday the Schwan man came-- I bought some ice cream sandwiches!!! I even was excited to take a calls from sales people-- insurance, magazines etc!

On Monday I had a very nice long chat with a tenant who lives out of town and was here visiting!

Let me get some coffee and I will share some of my more productive ideas!!

Now when you start getting exited about having sales people call, it's really bad.

Hope it picks up soon.

My activities these days:

#5 - cleaning out files and checking all customer records (running out of records to check)

#4 - working on the remodel (when funding and energy are available)

#3 - playing video games and watching the clock

#2 - watching TV (Movies - I love NETFLIX)


And my #1 activity during these dry times --- (drum roll please)


hanging out on SST hoping someone will post a subject I can help with

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Wayne
All American Self Storage
Palmdale, CA.


All arguments can be resolved ... with high explosives and Humor!!!

I have emptied out a few file cabinets- and sorted through some piles of really old accumulated "stuff".

1. I have worked on follow up contacts with prospects
2. Marketed to contractors
3. Working on my referral program
4. Graphics for my car
5. Name badge to wear to community events
6. Thinking about Tshirts for my family members- for walks/bike rides/community events
7. Taken an online course- Marketing Your Business on the Internet
8. Starting another course- Web design
9. Making lists for my website upgrade
10. Redoing my brochure
11. Creating a price quote estimate & ordering a price guarantee stamp!
Much much more-- but that is enough for now!!

ah, you are feeling our pain. Few things are as fun as calling on owners, managers, installers, fellow vendors, and knowing what the answer is going to be even before the question is asked. On the other hand, my followups are all caught, the busy work gets done, and I've gained some insight by reading about things from the perspective of the other SST participants.

The best news is reality - every slow time has been followed by improvement. The mystery is in figuring when that improvement will come.

I stay busy with the computer. With the weather getting warmer, I will have plenty to do outside at our storage facility. I am the owner, so I do have more things to do than just answer the phones and wait for customers. During the winter it did get a little boring and we are new, so it was getting a little scary not seeing many customers. We have picked up quite a bit, but I wish it were quite a bit more.

Well obviously I've had plenty of time to check in here of late.

Doing all of the obvious things you all listed above, plus

1. Revamping our policies & procedure manual
2. Reworking our employee contract
3. Ordering more and different marketing items
4. Just finished stocking up supplies for probably the next 2-3 months
5. Looking for a greener alternative to the hi-pressure sodium wall pack lights.
6. Doing website updates,
7. Devising more marketing stuff, just mailed out 1000 newsletters to our tenants and chamber members.
8. Researching & reading everything storage related.
9. Jumped into the Twitter world, still learning.
10. Thinking about jumping into the deep end of the pool and joining Facebook.

It's bad, we've already cleared files, cleaned everything 50x, weeded out the supply unit, washed down the buildings, got bids for new landscaping service, designed new flower planting, everything I can think of to do we've covered.

Tex - best wishes to your hubby for a speedy recovery from the aches & pains, glad he wasn't seriously injured. I concur with Freecell!

__________________
Gina 6k
CochraneStorage dot com
Morgan Hill, California
You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough!