Holiday Party Tips!

Susan RoAne is known as the Nation's Savvy Networking Expert and Mingling Maven...as well a treasured client of PRANDI Property Management! Here, Susan provides us with her Holiday Party Do's and Don't s.

Brush up on your holiday party etiquette and enjoy the season with joy and class!

How to Work a Room:

HOLIDAY DOs and DON'Ts

DO...

• RSVP and say YES when the invitation arrives.

• Organize a potluck if the company has cancelled their annual party. People love the camaraderie.

• Focus Your Conversation on the Event: The season is the reason. If it's a company sponsored party, you already have a subject for conversation. So, bring your O.A.R.and start the small talk with the items you have in common.

Observe -- The venue, food or entertainment

"What wonderful ambiance! Didn't Pat and Joe do a great job planning this party and the food is fabulous."

Ask -- Other guests seasonally topical questions

"Do you have any special plans?" "Do you plan to travel for the holidays?"

Reveal -- Your ideas, thoughts, plans

"I plan to be on the slopes for the holidays."OR "For obvious reasons we've decided to stick closer to home rather than fight the crowds." Add something lighthearted: "I'm still trying to find a low calorie eggnog recipe."

• Act Like A Host: be interested; pay attention; listen and introduce people to each other.

• Treat Spouses/Guests (yours and theirs) With Respect: introduce them with enthusiasm and include them with eye contact, comments and questions.

• Remember That Holiday/Christmas Parties Are Still Business Networking Events: dress and act appropriately.

DON'T...

• Don't Drink Excessively: free drinks have a cost.

• Don't Assume Everyone Celebrates Christmas: and if you don't, be gracious about the error.

• Don't Touch Inappropriately: keep hands (and lips) to yourself; "handle" with care and caution.

• Don't indulge in foods with garlic or onions; bring breath mints.

• Don't forget to detach from the techie toys: smart phones, Bluetooth's and iPads) and refrain from text messaging, emailing and IM-ing when talking with others.

• Don't kvetch, whine, ridicule, compete, correct, interrogate or brag.

©2011 Susan RoAne

The Mingling Maven®.

New Year, New Ideas

In 2010 we updated our property management software to stay on the cutting edge of technology. In 2011 we revamped our website to refresh and strengthen our image.

This month, we have made sure the website changes were fully implemented so our clients can efficiently navigate to find the information they need. This week, we have added additional "face-lifts" by updating the site with a modern feel.

Today, our staff will continue to be involved with the Marketing Department, coming up with great ideas that will better our business here at PRANDI. We will continue to strengthen our presence in the areas we are already visible. We will make ourselves known in the places we are less likely seen. We are branding our name into recognition. We are hitting the ground running in 2011.

Who you gonna call?

Don’t call Ghostbusters! Call PRANDI!

As much as we love receiving referrals to increase our own business…we love giving referrals as well. Yesterday afternoon, I noticed my friend Pam posted a note on Facebook saying she had a roof leak and needed help before the two-day storm that was heading our way.

I responded to her post (along with 6 or 7 other friends) and she called me first! Pam knows I am in the property management industry and frequently solving problems of all kinds; large and small, simple and complicated, emergencies and of course, standard routine maintenance. PRANDI manages a constant flow of property related problems, which is why I think my friend immediately knew that she would get a not only a good reference, but a GREAT one! I gave Pam the number of Alternative Roofing Solutions, Inc (ARS) who answered the phone right away and said they would be at Pam’s house within an hour. ARS also said they’d be able to patch her roof to keep her dry over the next two days as well as follow up with a longer term solution. Pam was thrilled, ARS has new business and PRANDI is once again, proven to be a trusted name in property management! That’s what I call a win-win-win all the way around!

ARS’s response time is the same type of service we provide for all our properties (and our Facebook friends!) and we are proud to recommend our vendors at any time. Call PRANDI when you need a referral! We are knowledgeable and have a long list of trusted vendors we have worked with for many, many years. Part of our reputation rides on how responsive, clean, professional and cost effective our vendors are…and without a doubt…they are all of the above!

Need a roofer? A plumber? A mortgage broker? Insurance agent?
Call PRANDI!
A special mention and thanks to the ARS roofing team!

http://www.arsroofing.com/

Marketing, Marketing…Constant and Consistent Marketing!

I’m sitting at my desk – surrounded by names and email addresses, newspapers and marketing postcards, new ad ideas and layouts. This office is constantly on the go, and so am I – making sure that not only are we easily found on the internet through various SEO methods, but that we’re also in local newspaper print delivered to your home! We have a message for our clients, as much as for our friends and competitors in this field: we’re here, in plain sight, constantly reminding you that we’re a powerful force in the property management industry!

Part of the marketing routine includes updating our website (www.prandiprop.com), making sure our listings are posted correctly on Craigslist and the MLS. We inform our owners though monthly topics of self home care with their own newsletter: the PRANDI Press; and, our tenants receive a monthly newsletter as well: the PRANDI Journal. Once a quarter, a newsletter is sent out to past clients, or possible new clients, with helpful hints and tips of being their own landlord, and telling them more about our office and services – our intent is to remind them that PRANDI is here to help should they ever need us again. This week, I’m sending out a new PRANDI postcard to owners in southern Marin, to inform them of the new satellite office we recently opened on Bridgeway in Sausalito!

I’m always on the go, looking for the next great opportunity that will keep PRANDI’s name in people’s minds! The best trick, I’ve found, is to keep this constant task consistent enough, so when I mention PRANDI to someone in Marin they say “Oh, I’ve heard that name before”!