Millan Enterprises is excited to announce our new Tenant Portal!
We are excited to offer this new technology to our tenants in order to have better ease of access to their rental account. This portal provides the ability to submit maintenance requests, check account balances, submit payments, set up automatic payments, and more.
Check out these videos, which share tenant portal instructions to help get you started!
https://youtu.be/ipSpBE6ERIU
Step-By-Step Guide to Sign Up for Your Tenant Portal
https://youtu.be/cspL3uqZCf8
Step-By-Step Guide on How to Submit A Payment Through Your Tenant Portal
https://youtu.be/T06eBhN78vM
Step-By-Step Guide on How to Set Up Automatic Payments Through Your Tenant Portal
https://youtu.be/VJnxiZSrKV4
Step-By-Step Guide on How to Submit A Maintenance Request Through Your Tenant Portal
Having issues? Please call our office to talk with someone about your portal.
Let us know how the portal is working for you by leaving a comment down below!
How to Attract your Customers By First Appearances
“You don’t get a second first impression, so make it count.” Many have heard this saying time and time again. A series of experiments by Princeton psychologists Janine Willis and Alexander Todorov reveal that it takes a tenth of a second to form an impression of a stranger from their face. Now, we are not trying to scare you with this experiment but open your eyes to how to enhance your business’s chance of attracting customers. After all, there is no “Second Impression”.
Photo by Canva
Curb Appeal Before customers come inside your commercial building, they have the opportunity to window shop before deciding if they want to go in. Giving your business anuplift on your curb appeal is a must. This can spark a person’s impression for a good first appearance.
Here are four ways to help increase your curb appeal:
Creative window displays.
Signage - Make sure it is easy for your customers to locate you in a sea of businesses.
Building maintenance - Stay on top of your building’s regular maintenance; no one wants to walk in with dirty windows and paint peeling off the walls.
Millan Enterprises Front LobbyClarksville Regions Building Lobby
The Interaction Now that your customers have made it into your business, the next step is the interaction. Developing a relationship with your customers will be valuable in the development of your business. Customers value five things: reliability, assurance, empathy, and responsiveness. Customers want to know that the business is dependable, has trustworthy services, and upholds what has been promised. Customers want to know they have made the right choice to do business with the company. They want to be understood and shown attentiveness. Being a business that exemplifies these five things to their customers will be sure to leave them with a good impression.
Staying Connected You got them into the building, you lived up to their expectations, and now you need to give the option for them to stay connected with you. Staying connected with your customers helps to keep your customers and potentially get new ones.
Here are four ways to stay connected with your customers:
Offer a newsletter for your business.
Create a blog for your business - Provide insight to your customers on services and topics relevant to your business.
Be present on social media.
Offer customer feedback surveys - Customers like to know their opinions matter and are heard.
How would you increase your business’ chances in attracting customers on first appearance? Let us know by leaving a comment!
We all know apartment hunting can be both stressful and tedious. To make sure you find your perfect home, Millan Enterprises leasing department has compiled a list of questions to ask when viewing a house.
Photo by: Canva
Are utilities included?
Utilities may or may not be included in the cost of rent, depending on the building or company. It is common for water to be factored in with the monthly rent charge, but, the tenant may be responsible for electricity and gas. If you have questions regarding monthly billing for utilities not included, it is best to contact your local provider for an estimate.
2. How much will it cost to move in?
The process to move in differs from company to company. Be sure to ask:
Do you require a security deposit? If so, how much?
Is there an application fee or administrative fee?
Are there any additional fees to be paid before the lease is signed?
3. What is the surrounding area like?
Photo by: Canva
The best way to ensure you rent a property that you feel safe in, is to check the crime statistics and scope out the surrounding neighborhoods. Prior to your showing, Millan Enterprises suggest you research the neighborhood and surrounding areas for crime rates, school zones, and community location. During your showing, your leasing agent should be able to speak more on the closest parks and recreation for your convenience.
“We recommend driving by the property during the day and night to get a better idea of how the neighborhood functions and the way traffic flows .”
Christina Hayes, Millan Enterprises, Office Manager
4. What is the parking like?
Understanding the parking situation is important, especially if you share a parking lot with other tenants. Some areas require parking fees or permits while other locations allow you to park wherever you like.
5. Can I make any changes to the property?
It is understandable that you may want to add a personal touch to your potential new home. But, before you start choosing paint colors or deciding where to hang your favorite painting make sure to speak with the landlord or property management company about the policies regarding decorating.
6. Are there any penalties for breaking the lease ?
Sometimes, life happens and you find yourself needing to break your lease contract. It's best to ask what the policy is for terminating your lease. While most landlords allow early termination from your lease, you need to be prepared for any financial obligations.
7. Do you allow pets? If so, are there any breed restrictions or pet fees required?
Photo by: Canva
We understand that your pets are family too, so it is important to find out what the policy is. If the rental home or apartment does allow pets, find out if there is a pet deposit, restrictions on the number of pets, as well as any breed restrictions.
8. Do you offer renewal options?
Some landlords or property management companies have certain guidelines regarding their renewal process. Unfortunately, some may or may not notify of your lease expiration date, so its best to know your options early. In many instances, its common for the tenant to have the option to sign another long term contract or choose to go month to month.
9. How are repairs and maintenance managed?
Some properties will have an on-site maintenance staff manager or provide you with a number to call for maintenance issues. Make sure to ask how and when an emergency should be reported.
“Here, at Millan Enterprises , we strive to complete any work order issue within 24-48 hours. If we are unable to do so, we make sure to stay in contact with the tenant and provide all possible updates."
Sarah Perry, Millan Enterprises, Maintenance Coordinator
10. How often will my rent increase ?
It is common for rent to increase each year you renew your lease contract. This is in majority due to, inflation. If you plan to stay long-term, figure out how often the rent will increase and by how much.
Check out this great article we shared with tenants in 2019 regarding rent increases to find out more.
These are just a few of the many questions you can ask during a showing. Check out our Pinterest Board for a great rental tips, including an apartment checklist to bring with you during apartment tours. This can help make sure you find the perfect home that checks all of your priority boxes!
Executing and maintaining a business team goal can prove to be a difficult task for many reasons. We, at Millan Enterprises, have begun to understand the process of obtaining Wildly Important Goals (W.I.G.) within our company and have taken on new year business resolutions as a team!
As a team, we have all read and worked through the book “The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals” by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling. By diving into this book as a team, we have established a company W.I.G. and department W.I.G’s to help us grow and progress the future of Millan Enterprises.
The 4 Disciplines of Execution by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, & Jim Hulling
In this book, the authors explain the 4 Disciplines of Execution (4DX) as:
Discipline 1: The Discipline of Focus. Focus on the wildly important. Bringing a team’s attention to one or two specific W.I.G.’s can enhance their progress and drive their attention to maintaining that specific goal.
Discipline 2 - The Discipline of Leverage. Act on the lead measures. Producing and accomplishing tasks at hand can be overwhelming. By using the existing leverage from team members, skills and the tools at hand, anything is attainable.
Discipline 3: The Discipline of Engagement. Keep a scoreboard. Really working together and having each team member contribute to a goal can be a difficult task to manage. Through weekly check-ins and the team’s encouragement, this can really help to bring the team together - pain free.
Discipline 4: The Discipline of Accountability. Create a cadence of accountability. Working together with discipline 3, the power behind success is, the team. By assessing accountability and maintaining consistent action towards the W.I.G., the company can continuously drive momentum forward, even through the normal chaos of every-day work loads.
Every Friday morning, our team gathers together to discuss our company and department W.I.G.’s. During our team meetings, we hold each other accountable for the goals we are trying to reach. Each goal building our brand and business forward to better serve tenants, clients, the community surrounding us, and even co-workers. This is a great way to stick to our new year resolutions as a company and can even roll over and impact our personal resolutions.
Millan Enterprises Friday W.I.G. Meeting
With this model in place, our team rallies together, as a unified front, to grow and excel towards our W.I.G. and the future of Millan Enterprises.
How does your company pursue goals and what business practices do they implement to accomplish these?
How to protect your home and save money during the winter season!
The winter season is upon middle Tennessee. With electric bills higher than usual, and the cold drafts coming in - here is a winterize home checklist to help lower your energy bill while maintaining the heat in your home.
WINTERIZE HOME CHECKLIST
Check the gutters. If you have gutters alongside your building, to help prevent ice build up, be sure to clean all debris. This will allow the ice to melt and water to flow more freely. If possible, look into installing gutter guards to help aid preventive care in the future.
Protect the pipes. Protect against frozen pipes by keeping a steady drip of water running in a few faucets - focus on the pipes in outer edge rooms. If possible, try to insulate those that could be susceptible to freezing to guard from freezing and bursting. Renting a home and notice exposed pipes that aren’t insulated? Contact your management company and let them know so they can address the issue.
Clean your dryer hose. Perform your annual dryer hose inspection and cleaning. This will help prevent fires, carbon monoxide poisoning, and help save energy. Check out our pinterest for tips on how to do this.
Utilize the power of the sun. Keep your blinds and curtains open during the day. This allows the sun to stream in and provide natural heating. Be sure to close them at night to help retain that heat!
Adjust your thermostat. Adjusting your thermostat dependent on the time of day will help you save! Set your thermostat for an optimum 68 degrees and turn it down while away or asleep.
Have your heating serviced. Furnaces, boilers and chimneys should be serviced at least once a year. This is the perfect time to do so to help keep them running efficiently and prevent any buildup. If you rent a home, make sure to change house air filters quarterly and let your management company know of any issues as soon as they arise.
Test your smoke detectors. Residential fires are more common in the winter season. Check your smoke detectors monthly and replace the batteries as needed. Need help? Check out this article for more tips from firefighters!
Reverse your fan direction. Reverse your ceiling fan direction to help move warm air downwards. This should be done seasonally to help circulate air appropriately.
Winterizing your home can take some time, but can ultimately help prevent house damages and save money on utilities/energy! By being proactive with the season, you can have ease of mind while spending those chilly nights snuggled up in your home.
