» Self Storage

The day has finally arrived. It is moving day, and you are about to say goodbye to one home and move into a brand new space. You have been dreaming of the new home for weeks now, imagining how you are going to set up the rooms, and as you packed away all of your items you knew exactly where they were going to go.

Since you planned ahead for the moving day to arrive you have just a few last minute boxes that contain the necessity items that you used this morning and the few items that will have to be unpacked immediately at your new home. You take one last look around, and head out the door for the last time.

Again, since you have planned ahead all of your boxes and furniture are safely stored away in a Scarborough storage locker that is near the new house. Your friends and family that are helping you move are meeting you there in just a few minutes to help you unload your storage unit, and head over to the new space. The excitement of the day is growing and you cannot wait.

Once all of your belongings are loaded into the moving truck and your Scarborough storage locker is cleared out you can finally head over to begin the exciting adventure of life in a new house, and thanks to your careful planning and preparation everything is in place to make all of this possible.

See it was not an accident that you had everything done on time, there was a lot of planning in place. Weeks ago you began the packing and moving process by creating a calendar of all of the events and deadlines that needed to happen before you moved. Utilities companies had to be informed of the switch, and the dates and times that the old house was to be turned off and the new home utilities were to be turned on were exactly happening on moving day. All of your bills and magazine subscription had received notifications about the change leaving you feeling prepared to move.

Since you rented a Scarborough storage locker to move all of your belongings are in one place, and there is no need to move anything else down the stairs to your driveway again. The packing process took the most amount of time and energy and you still dream about packing tape and bubble wrap, but it was all worth it to be done on time for moving day.

Once the last box is moved into your new home you can begin the first steps in the unpacking process. Find those boxes labeled “open first. “ These contain the essentials like toilet paper, phone chargers, a few towels and wash rags, and soap.

While there may be bumps in the road and unforeseen error s that happen during the packing, self storage, and moving process it is possible with planning and preparation to make it as smooth as it can be so that the process is more enjoyable for you and those who are helping you to move.

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When planning a move to Toronto, the most important word in that phrase is planning. Without a good plan in place for a move it can become overwhelming and at times seem like it is falling apart. To keep everything running smoothly and everything on point to be able to complete the process on the day you are moving having a schedule and a plan to get everything complete on time is the best and easiest way to move in or around the Toronto area.

When you first find out that you are moving and have a date set for the moving day start the planning process right away. One of the first things to consider is how much time it will take to pack all of your possessions and the packing supplies that will be needed to get all of your belongings from point A of the move to point B.

One thing that can make the moving process even easier is renting self storage in Toronto to help in the process. By having a space rented at the beginning of your moving process you will see an immediate benefit.

Once you have a set schedule to follow for moving and packing, and a good amount of packing supplies you can begin to utilize the self storage in Toronto space by packing up those seldom used items and getting them out of your way. The majority of these items will include things like seasonal clothing and holiday decorations, guest bedroom furniture, books, craft and hobby items. All of the seldom used items that are around your home can be packed up safely, labeled in boxes, and moved into a self storage unit.

By adding a self storage  unit to your moving process you will not be overwhelmed in your home by stacks and stacks of boxes. You will have room to move around your house to continue the packing process, and everything will be organized in your self storage unit already packed up when the day to move finally arrives.

Having a self storage unit can also be a life saver when the leases don’t match up. Often people experience anywhere from a few days time to even a month of time where they need to be out of their old place, but are still waiting to move into their new home or apartment. While you can not live in your self storage unit, it can be a great temporary home to your belongings while you are waiting to move in.

Once you get all moved in to your new home, you may find that there is just not enough space or the furniture you thought would fit does in fact not all fit. When space issues arise in your new home or apartment just remember that the benefits of self storage in Toronto can not only be a temporary solution in moving, but is a great long term solution as well to finding extra space for furniture and belongings.

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Getting a sale is just one big cat and mouse game between the sales person and the customer. The funny thing is that both sides knows what the other side is trying to do, but they are also trying to make sure that they maintain the upper hand in the game. The customer wants to make sure that they are not revealing too much information or making sure that they are not giving the sales person signs that they are wanting to make the purchase. The sales person is wanting to not be too pushy and let the customer believe that the sale that is about to happen is all their idea. Oh it is so fun playing this game.

In the self storage world the game is sometimes a very easy back and forth while other times the game can be very stressful. Most times when people are needing storage they have such a desperate need for it right now and there is not a game to be played. While other times the customer still needs the space and no matter what the sales person does, they will still get the sale. The customer in the latter situation just wants to make the sales person sweat. Sometimes the game is very direct while other times the sales person might come from many different approaches to close the sale. What kind of things does the sales person do in order to close the sale and win the game?

Again it is not a secret that the sales person is doing their best to close this deal. They want the customer to go ahead and rent the space. They want the customer to rent the space right now without a moment’s delay. They quickly have to find out what the customer’s situation is and take care of them. So the sales person will ask a bunch of questions in order to figure out the customer’s situation. They are trying to build rapport and be the friend of the customer. When you are friends with people, most likely you will do whatever they recommend. Well the sales person is trying to be their friend for two reasons. One to build rapport to understand the customer’s needs and also to close the sale. If the customer says no to the subtlety of rapport building then the sales person has to resort to plan b.

No one is trying to play games with the customer because the customer has a genuine problem, but the customer is not always trying to be helpful. They believe they can go from facility to facility and haggle prices to get it down to where they are comfortable. That is not needed. The sales person will do whatever they can to close the sale which could include special rates, discounts are even specials. As a customer, all you have to do is ask instead of making the sales person sweat. The sales person could be luring the customer the whole time with dreams of paying a great price for storage and grant their wish.

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What makes you as a customer stop and decide to rent from a self storage company? Is it the location of the facility, their pricing, their security or something else? That is a question that has self storage companies going crazy trying to figure out what they need to do in order to get more business. Do they need to relocate their facility or add door alarms to every unit? Being an owner is not easy, but customers do not always make it easy on them.
Many times when customer decides to rent, the property manager will ask them what made them decide to rent there. Many customers will choose not to do the survey or just say, it was a random decision. Something made that customer wants to go there and rent from that facility. This kind of response will drive a self storage company crazy. If a customer rents online, they might actually skip the survey. So when the owners get the survey questions answered, they have to think their selves if there is enough of a sample to get a true measurement.

Self storage is a very competitive industry. No one getting involved in self storage thinks they can come in and make money right off the back. It is tough. So when customers are asked questions like what was listed above it helps the owners in their competitive endeavors. When a customer does not give accurate responses, the owners are left scratching their heads.

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Why do customers decide to rent from a particular location? Well that is just it the main reason people decide to rent a storage space is because of the location. There of course are other factors involved, but no one really wants to drive further than they need to in order to get their storage belongings out. Now there are self storage customers who only store just to leave their belongings in there, but there are other people who feel they need to visit their storage unit often. They take it to heart to think that the storage unit is a just an extension of their home. This is a good thing for the most part.

Customers sometimes need to come by and to check on their belongings. If they do not come by to check on their units, they will at least drive by the facility to make sure that everything is in place and nothing unusual is going on. Can a customer do that if they are not close in location to the facility? No they can  not. Many people still like to use the location yellow pages or something or the sort to find self storage because they do not want to look at something outside of their local area. They want to ensure that they do not have to drive so far in order to get the storage they are looking for.

There are self storage facilities out there that are in rural places that have no security or anything. They might not have an office or a manager that works on site. If this is the case then you have to decide if this is the site that you want to rent from. Usually these places are pretty far away from your normal drive. For the most part, people want to rent from a location that is on their way back home or close to work. This way they do not have to drive so far out of the way to get to their belongings and then back home. Customers do not want to sit in traffic just to get to their self storage space.

We have to remember that customers are storing their things away from their homes for a reason. If they could storing their belongings at home they would, but they are not so they need to find somewhere in which they could rent close to their homes. Whether it is for long term storage or for short term it does not matter. Once the customer drives to the storage facility once, they are going to think about how far it was to get there. If it is close, then they will think about going back there if they need something. If is farther away than they realized, those belongings might stay there until they feel they really need it or it is time to move out.

It is said that over eight percent of people decided on a storage unit because of the location. Yes price is a factor, but they also know that gas is not cheap and they have to make sure they are not making any unnecessary trips back and forth. Typically a customer will just store things they do not need and do not plan on using again for a while. If they do need it, they know that if they pick the right location they can swing by and pick up their belongings. For most customers, it is all about the location.

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How many times do you think you breathe in a day? There are scientists out there that say they know that answer. Well I guess it is not hard to think about how you can find out. Just take breaths for 10 seconds are so and multiply that by how many seconds are in day. Unfortunately I do not have calculator handy so we will just say that you breathe a lot. It looks like we take breathing for granted. We just believe that we are and we do not give it a second thought. It does not take any effort to breathe or bodies naturally do it. That is just amazing really. There will be times in which you will and should take a breath before something bad comes out of your mouth.

There will be plenty of times in which a storage customer comes in already upset at something that affected them before they speak to you. They do not intentionally come into the office to give a piece of their mind to the self storage manager. They want to have something go right for them that day. So the manager really has to understand that they did not do anything to the customer and they are not the cause for their upset state. So many managers need to make sure that they are taking deep breathes before answering or help the customer. That will help them tremendously.

Many people do not realize that they can really just take a deep breath and that can do wonders for them. If you take a moment and take a deep breath, your mind will be clear and it gives you a second to think about what you want to say before you say something you will regret. That is the part that many people do not realize is that words can be hurtful and sometimes drive the customer away. The manager does not want to drive the customer away. In fact they want the customer to stay. So take a deep breath and you will find that you will have a clear head and be able to help the customer.

Breathing is a lost art that many before forget about. Now of course you might ask, how can you forget about breathing. Well you don’t forget about breathing, you just forget about being calm and patient. The breathing is just a tool to use to get you to relax and take a moment before you react. There have been many times in which a customer and a manager got into a unnecessary argument because both sides didn’t breath and were not patient.  Maybe the argument would not have stopped but you can do your part to understand how you can not be a part of it next time.

Do not forget to breathe at those times in which you need to. Take a moment to wait for the rational thoughts to come into your head. You never want to argue with a customer but you also do not want to be treated in a bad way. There has to be a middle ground. It is a good move to breathe and not to say anything for a while if the customer is going off on a tangent rant. If this is the case then the customer will eventually realize that you are not arguing and everyone will calm down. Then maybe after that point, you can continue on trying to find them a storage solution.

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It sometimes drive me crazy to hear when people who help self storage customer not sound like the have the best solution for the customer. I hear in their voice that they are not as confident as they should be and that the customer is just going to give some excuse and get off of the phone. That should not be the train of thought. You should have the mind frame that the customer is calling to talk to you and will eventually rent from you. Of course that is not the thought that every one has. Why? That is not understood in my thought process. Why would you answer the phone or say hello to the customer walking in to your store with any thought besides they are going to rent from me?

In the self storage industry it is tough to get the customer to decide to rent with them, because of all the competition. The competition can not be a thought in your brain as you are talking to the customer. What I mean by that is it is good to be conscious of the competition, but they should not make you feel inferior with that they have. You have to realize that they do not have what you have. You have the best solution for that customer. The customer just does not know that yet. How will they know that? You have to be the one to tell them. You have to be the one to wow them so they stay to rent with you. How do you do that?

One of the first things you can do to wow your customer is to be confident. Speak clearly, have you head up and speak to the customer as if everything is gold. Everything that comes out of your mouth should be something that draws the customer more and more into what your store can offer them. When you are listening to the customer, you should be also thinking what do you have to offer them that will take care of their needs. I guarantee if you are able to take care of their needs, they will rent from you. It does not help that you have great prices and you are in close proximity to their home.

What you have to realize is that your competition does not have you. They do not have someone at their location that is not willing to help the customer like you are nor are they able to satisfy the needs of the customer. There are many self storage facilities that will try to throw prices at the customer in hopes that they will rent based on that. Many owners have racked their brains trying to get the price just right for people to rent. Eventually many will realize that it is not about the price really. It is about the customer service and the confident mentality that they will rent from you. Don’t push the customer into something that is not going to work. Guide the customer to a solution. Have the thoughts in your head that the person will rent from you and trust me that everything else will follow.

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In the world today, not many people are looking to go from one place to another in order to get everything they are looking for. In fact they would love to go to one place where they can get all of their shopping out of the way. For this reason you are seeing places beginning to sell things that they would not normally sell. Sometimes when you are walking through the aisles of your favorite store, you could come across something that you have never seen there before. The company thought that they would go ahead and sell that product because there is a demand for it. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Customers do see the effort and will realize that store has the items in which they need.

When it comes to self storage, you could pretty much get everything in one store. What do you do if you are looking for a lock or moving supplies? The best thing to do if you are looking to store or move is to visit your local storage facility to get some items that you need. They should have everything that you need so that you do not have to run all over town just to get what you need. They should sell a variety of boxes that will come in handy in pretty much every situation. Also, you choose from a nice selection of locks for your storage unit. They should have bubble wrap and tape, as well. They are pretty much your one stop shot for self storage and moving supplies.

If your facility does not have these things, that does not necessarily mean that you shouldn’t rent from them, that just means that you if you need something, you have to go elsewhere. For some people that is not something they want to do and it is time consuming. Self storage managers will without a doubt, speak up about having that kind of facility that is basically a full service self storage facility. If managers have that kind of facility and they do not speak up, they will undoubtedly lose business.

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When you are looking for a storage space, it is not helpful to call up and just ask for price and get mad when the person on the phone does not just start shouting out prices. There are going to be other factors that you will want to consider. The price will only tell you how much your unit cost. Where as what you are getting for the price is far more important. You can look up prices online with some companies but people still call and talk to the manager. Subconsciously they are thinking in their heads that they want to hear what else they are getting for the price.

The size is the first thing that the manager will need to know in order to quote you a proper size. They will and should ask you what you are thinking about storing. If they do not ask you this question, you should bring it up. You can ask for the price all you want to, but you if you have narrowed down a size it does not matter. Let’s make it this simple. A price is associated with a size. No manager just wants to go down their price list and tell you everything they have. They want to narrow something down for the customer so they can find the right solution for them.

A small space may be around 50 dollars while a big space could be 300 dollars. You do not want to spend any more money than you need to. There are people that will call a property manager and say to them that they want the average space or the middle space. Some manager will just go right into them needing the 100 square foot space that is most common. Again they have to ask the customer questions to ensure that that is the right size for them. As a manager it is important for you to find the right solution for the customer, not just go whatever the customer says. The customer sometimes does not know what is right for them.

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What are the different types of locks you use?  Many people ask me this on a regular basis.  First of all let’s stop here and understand why you need a lock. You would think that this is a common sense kind of question, but not everyone knows that you need a lock for self storage. Self storage just gives you the space that you need, you are the one that needs to put a lock on it. If you want your belongings safe, then you should consider putting a lock on your unit.

There are many different types of locks, of course, the ones most commonly used for storage are of a larger variety than that of you diary lock.  The most common is a pad lock, which everyone has seen at least once.  This is a standard square lock with a key.  This type of lock is of course would be the least expensive to purchase so many people end up buying this lock. Conversely this lock is the most susceptible to being cut and your storage unit being broken into. That Is not something that you want to hear of course. Spend a little more and go with another lock that is listed below.

Disk locks are similar, except they are round, and the key hole is on the front instead of the bottom.  There is not a lot of room for someone to get a lock cutter in there so it is harder for someone to break into. There are also cylinder locks, which slide onto a steel teeth piece, and combination locks, which are not recommended for storage units.

There are many different kind of locks that you could use for your self storage unit. I guess it really depends on what you want to use for your unit and what you feel the most comfortable with. Your belongings are special to you for a reason, so why not put a lock on there that could keep them safe and in your possession.

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