Disappointed after many years of dedicated service.....
Pros
Job Security, the storage industry is very sound. People will always need storage. Storage is rarely something that someone just wants, it's a requirement during different circumstances of almost every person's life. This is a position where rapport building individuals can shine!!! Being as it's a need, this makes each customer interaction more personal than in any other sales environment I've worked in. It's sometimes wonderful to hear the situations, and at other times heart breaking, but in either situation a unique bond is developed with all of your customers if you possess any customer service skills at all. You have the opportunity to work both in the office and outside in the beautiful outdoors. This is a rare find. Property Managers do it all here. We are the field manager, liaison for corporate management, admin, sales associate, bill collector, security, police liaison, janitor, maintenance associate, grounds keeper, plus a few other titles. You are exposed to all Rental Real Estate legalities. This is valuable information that can aid you as you advance your career in similar industries. In summary this position is a great job to prepare you to be very versatile in whatever career path you may choose when your time here is done.
Cons
The "Pros", create the "Cons". Odd as it sounds, all of the "Pros" I've listed, I've enjoyed. I've excelled within the company and rose to every occasion presented to me. I've been promoted as far as they allow field management to promote, and still pressed forward trying to give 110%. It's never enough. They always want more for less. In recent years the local/regional corporate management has constantly changed. I understand the strategy in change management, but in an industry such as this, regional management that is familiar with the property managers, company policies, and state laws are all but a necessity. These changes demonstrate a need for fresh hunger in corporate management at the entry level, the District Manager position. Without hunger, it must be difficult to feed the constantly growing corporate greed. During the hunt for starving DM's, I've watched the perquisites for the District Manager position appear to lower with each new DM hired. All are required to have had district management experience, a minimum of a 4 year degree, cannot promote from interior field management, and must successfully complete a series of interviews. Of course, a referral from within gives a great leg up, practically a guarantee.....I talk about this because our goals are all designed to ensure that from the District Manager on up, they receive maximum bonuses, incentives, stocks, etc. While all of our field benefits, HOURS, Sick Pay, PTO, Bonuses, etc, have year by year been cut to the bone. The hours being cut more than doubles the workload on each property manager and either causes your property appearance to fall, your office duties to lack, your maintenance to go unattended, your security to fail, and/or customers to be left pulling up to a locked office, which results in missed business opportunities or poor customer service....We may as well say all of the above. The property managers are held accountable for all of this graded on it, and documented with "Action Plans" regularly. Now this would concern most that this would affect your raise or bonus. I have not received a formal review in 2 years because the company felt a mass percentage increase was fair to all. 2.4% this year, whether you did your job, went over and beyond, or played Words with Friends, we all received the same increase for the past 2 years. The yearly top bonus (the ONLY field bonus for qualifying property managers only) was said to be earned for the top 10% of the company. I found it to be quite amusing how many of the "favorites" earned the top 10%. I may have been none the wiser had I not been told that I was the one for my district, but other people in my district chose to boast that they were chosen, some were even funny enough to complain about the taxes that came out.... The company is then constantly raising rent on existing customers, providing them very little customer service, no incentives, and zero promotions for additional spaces, nor referrals. They leave the property manager's hands tied because we can do nothing to help except suggest they move to smaller spaces and tell them it's due to property maintenance. It's more than apparent to existing customers that properties in this area are going with very little maintenance, they laugh when we provide this explanation. Then corporate wonders when we lose customers or obtain negative online reviews.
