Expert On: Marketing Operations & Recommendations, Special Problem Consulting

About Rick Ellis, CPM:
Rick Ellis is a noted consultant and speaker who has served the apartment industry for more than 19 years. His property management career began as an on-site assistant manager/leasing consultant with additional responsibilities as groundskeeper on the weekends! By the age of 28, Rick directed a portfolio of 5,000 apartment units located primarily in the southwest. As vice president of property management, he took the fast-growing management division of a major 1980s syndication group from its infancy to a mature, effective management company.

Seeing a need for “executive-level” property management operations and marketing consulting, Rick formed Ellis Property Management Services in 1984. For more than 15 years, EPMS has provided an array of services to all the apartment industry including special problem consulting, market comparable studies, feasibility studies, and his company’s unique “Marketing Observations and Recommendations” reports. The company also specializes is “off-site property management,” with a portfolio of more than 200 single family homes, duplexes, condos, and small clusters of residential units. EPMS is one of the first off-site management companies to earn the prestigious AMO designations from the Institute of Real Estate Management.

Speaking and training come natural to Rick. Not only does he always have plenty to say, his “first” career as a minister for the Church of Christ allowed him the opportunity to develop his unique, personable, and warm speaking style. His fundamental approach to property management training is simple and straightforward… “People are Important! Once the people are ready and properly prepared, everything else fall into place.” You will see Rick’s articles in a number of industry publications throughout the country.

Leasing, Training, and Customer Services Include:

TOPIC DESCRIPTIONS

"LEASEMAKERS©" - Basic Leasing Seminar

This six to seven-hour presentation is jam-packed full of the leasing fundamentals that will make your on-site leasing professionals successful. From telephone to closing, LEASEMAKERS highlights the critical components of an effective and productive leasing presentation. Best of all, the seminar promotes "Relationship Leasing," a sales style that respects each rental prospect as a person with unique needs and wants, not simply a "piece of traffic" or the next leasing commission. LEASEMAKERS works! We're so sure of its effectiveness, we offer a money-back guarantee!

"POWERFUL TELEPHONE TECHNIQUES"

Thousands of shopping reports have proven that the telephone is by far the weakest part of most leasing presentations. Yet our study indicated that on-site professionals with outstanding telephone skills had a 90% chance of having equally effective on-site leasing skills. POWERFUL TELEPHONE TECHNIQUES is a four-hour presentation that focuses on both beginner and advanced telephone leasing skills. Participants will learn how to turn the telephone into their most powerful leasing tool. And you will see significant improvements in the on-site leasing, too, simply because of the increased awareness of these POWERFUL TELEPHONE TECHNIQUES. Considering the cost of advertising and making the telephone ring, can you afford to have on-site people with weak telephone skills?

"REALLY REVOLUTIONARY LEASE RENEWAL STRATEGIES"

With the cost of an average Resident turnover as high as $3,000, the concept of Resident service must be more than "lip service." This four to six-hour presentation explains the factors that make apartment Residents want to STAY LONGER. Rather than community newsletters, Resident parties, Resident appreciation day, and other money wasters, REALLY REVOLUTIONARY LEASE RENEWAL STRATEGIES focuses on the four fundamental items that our Residents really want! The seminar begins with the economics and financial justification for a solid Resident retention program.

This is followed by an extensive discussion of how to use the entire term of a Resident's lease to cultivate the lease renewal. We end with some concrete lease renewal strategies, including two specific lease renewal programs. These strategies are effective even with aggressive rental increases! REALLY REVOLUTIONARY LEASE RENEWAL STRATEGIES will challenge the traditional lease renewal efforts and procedures of the apartment industry and introduce a number of new renewal strategies that focus on flexibility and solid economics. The foundation of the seminar is simple: whatever renewal strategy can most enhance the value of the property is the RIGHT strategy. This one will stretch the brains of your on-site folks!

"THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN AS LEASING AND RENEWAL CONSULTANT"

Not a seminar to teach your service technicians how to lease apartments, THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN AS LEASING AND RENEWAL CONSULTANT is a half-day presentation that focuses on creating a "team effort" involving all on-site employees in the marketing and re-marketing (retention!) efforts of the apartment community. This presentation instills new pride in the maintenance person's importance and contribution to the leasing and Resident retention efforts of the property. This is one of our most popular presentations! Topics include: The high cost of a Resident turnover, What Residents REALLY want and how the maintenance department is the primary deliverer of these wants. The service tech's contribution to the leasing effort. Basic fair housing for service technicians. Every apartment community's Resident retention "Secret Weapon" (Yes, you guessed it!) Maintenance etiquette on the property and in an occupied apartment. How to Do Right . . . even when you don't feel right. Communication basics - getting what you need as a maintenance professional.

"SUCCESS THROUGH TEAMWORK"

Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together as a TEAM is SUCCESS. This four-hour presentation teaches effective team leadership and membership concepts. The focus is communication, conflict resolution, team diversity and team motivation as they relate to a group of human beings working toward a common objective, goal, or "mission." This is not just a leadership Seminar; rather, it is a seminar for all members of a team. You might call it a "Team Membership" presentation. It ends with a section on decision making from a personal standpoint; that is, how do I "decide" to be an effective team member or leader?

"THE RESIDENT IS NOT THE PROBLEM"

How to Handle Resident Problems and Problem Residents Sure, the customer is always right . . . but what about when the customer is not right? The interaction with Residents is one of the biggest stress inducers of many apartment personnel. Demanding Residents cause much grief and sometimes burnout of our on-site folks. This three to four-hour presentation teaches the property management professional how to identify Resident "problems" and "problem" Residents and provides creative and effective techniques for dealing with both. Proper response to all Residents not only increases Resident retention but enhances the on-site person's effectiveness while reducing employee turnover due to so called "Resident abuse."

"BIG LEAGUE MARKETING ON A LITTLE LEAGUE BUDGET"

More than just as a collage of trendy ideas, this presentation teaches the "concepts" of impactful and effective apartment marketing: "People, Product, Price, and Promotion." The focus is not simply on "advertising" but rather getting all other aspects of good marketing in place before spending those advertising dollars. People selection and development, product preparation, establishing competitive rental rates and incentives, and determining your best target market are discussed as they relate to producing the highest possible Net Operating Income for the community. The fundamental message of BIG LEAGUE MARKETING ON A LITTLE LEAGUE BUDGET is that if you understand and apply the apartment marketing basics, it is not necessary to spend Big League Bucks to make a Big League Impact.

"APARTMENT DOLLARS AND SENSE

Apartment Economics for the On-site Employee A basic (and very interesting) overview of apartment economics, this presentation includes information on current apartment economic and development trends and what to expect in the future. The seminar looks at the apartment industry from the owner/investor's point of view, helping the on-site personnel understand why an owner may make certain decisions and policies that, on a surface level, do not seem to be in the property's best interest.

"Don't FREAK OUT About Fair Housing"

Avoiding Costly Discrimination Complaints in Apartment Management and Leasing and Still have Fun! Not just another fair-housing seminar! This presentation "celebrates" the federal fair housing laws and demonstrates how to use these to your benefit in the marketing and leasing efforts. Fair housing issues that impact lease renewals, Resident services, and maintenance personnel are also addressed. A very informative, comprehensive, and enjoyable seminar that will equip the entire on-site team to be fully in compliant with fair housing. Who says fair housing seminars can't be fun?

EPMS has presented hundreds of custom seminars designed for a company's particular needs, procedures, and management philosophy. If the topic you're looking for does not appear above, ask us about creating a custom seminar for your on-site and middle management personnel.

Rick holds the CPM designation and earned a BS in 1977 and a MA in 1979 from Abilene Christian University. He holds a Texas Real Estate Broker License and is an Eagle Scout.