talking business
Saddle Up for Sales
by Emily Landes
For 10 years, SFAA has hosted an annual trade show to connect regular members with vendors specific to the apartment industry and to allow associate members an opportunity to market their services to apartment owners and property managers. This year’s “Wild, Wild West” Trade Show was no exception, though it appeared the down rental market brought in a higher than average number of owners hoping for tools and services to make their businesses grow, as well as several new associate members looking to make an impression on the membership.
Technology companies in particular had a renewed interest in reaching out to members. Several tech firms, both local and national, sent representatives to the trade show for the first time this year. “We’re always trying to find something different to do to grow the business as quickly as we can. These kinds of local meetings can be really effective,” explained Will Reynolds, manager of client accounts for AppFolio, which had its first trade show booth this year. The property management software company is based in Santa Barbara, but Reynolds said the company is very popular in the tech-friendly Bay Area and actually joined the SFAA after several of his clients mentioned the organization.
Another tech company, On-Site.com, also joined the association at the behest of one of its clients. Regional Sales Manager Kathy Arsenault said that the national company has been involved with the CAA Tri-County Apartment Association for most of On-Site’s nearly nine years, but only joined SFAA this year when a client advised them to do so. She felt that On-Site’s resident screening and leasing services (including online applications with electronic signature capabilities) would be a boon to the city’s smaller owners who “don’t always know where to turn.”
She said one trade show attendee told her that he always rented based on a feeling about the prospective renter rather than a thorough background check, but that he’d recently been burned by a bad tenant and was looking for a solution. Since On-Site gives advice as well as credit checks, she felt the company could help the owner avoid these problems in the future.
Yet another technology company was also hoping to make an impression on owners at the trade show, starting with its name, RentalFreak.com. “Rental Freak sticks in your mind,” relayed West Coast Operations Director Kerry Riess. “We figured San Francisco is an interesting place; it’s good to have an interesting name.” The rental listings’ site, which just launched this fall, hoped to draw in members at the tradeshow with the name (not to mention three months of free service for SFAA members and a drawing for six free months of service) and keep them hooked with superior search filters, easy navigation and the opportunity to upload up to 20 high-resolution images for each listing.
There were more than just websites among the newest associate members at the event. Some local tradesmen, like contractors and plumbers, also joined the association for the first time this year. There were also national companies like Shaw Industries, a longtime flooring manufacturer and first-year member, who used the trade show as a venue to launch its latest carpeting innovations. Its interactive display showcased the company’s new stain-resistant carpet, which has a chemical coating that keeps liquids beaded up on the surface of the rugs so stains can’t sink in.
But not all of the businesses at this year’s trade show were new to the event. Some have long-established relationships with the association and look forward to the opportunity to meet with members and reconnect with old clients. Attorney Saul Ferster said he’s been coming to the trade show for all 10 years and that he enjoys having the opportunity to “see people and talk to them on a casual basis.” Although this year’s festival had a Western theme, Ferster felt more comfortable chatting with members in a traditional suit and tie, rather than a cowboy hat and spurs. “I’m in contemporary Western attire,” he quipped.
Across the trade show floor, another longtime trade show attendee took the Wild West theme more seriously. Wiegel and Fried created a wooden “saloon” with the role of barkeeper being played by the attorneys themselves, who served up bottles of root beer in full old West regalia. “It’s only once a year, so we try to make some effort,” explained Clifford Fried. He added that typically the attraction at their trade show booth is more food oriented, but this year the firm decided to emphasize the actual structure of the booth instead. “We do a lot of eviction work, so we figured that the next time we go to court and the tenant says, ‘I need some extra time because I don’t have anywhere to live’ we’ll let them know that we have this structure available,” he joked. “We can put a tarp over it and they can move right in. We’re always looking for creative solutions.”
Fried was happy to provide not just laughs but also advice for trade show attendees. He said the firm’s attendance at the trade show allowed him to offer answers to landlords that stopped by the “saloon” with their legal questions. “If they don’t like my answer, I actually tell them to go around and ask the other attorneys. If we all say the same thing, we’re probably giving you the right answer. And if we say five different things, that’s the way the law is: you might get five different answers,” he relayed.
Also hoping to educate members at the event were a number of city agencies, like the San Francisco Department of Public Health, which taught a well-attended bedbug class. Sunset Scavenger not only taught a composting class, but also had a booth on the trade show floor, where Program Manager Margaret Callaway said that by far the most questions were about the city’s new green cart requirements.
PG&E also had environmental education as its trade show goal, according to Customer and Community Relations Manager David Gutierrez. He said that many people were interested in PG&E rebates for energy-efficient appliances. “We want people to apply for rebates,” he relayed. “It’s a program that we’re proud of and it’s a program that’s going to help, ultimately, every one. We want people to take advantage of as many of our programs as they can.”
“Take advantage” was the message echoed by SFAA Deputy Director Vanessa Khaleel, who organized the event. She hoped that regular members would find the resources they need to better run their businesses and that associate members would have the opportunity to market directly to the owners who could use their products and services. “We know a lot of people are hurting this year, and the phones aren’t ringing without effort. This gives them access to the people who need the services that they provide and allows them to talk one on one with them,” she said.
Khaleel was particularly pleased to see all the new faces at this year’s event, as was SFAA Director Janan New. “We’re very happy to see all our newer members become engaged in the San Francisco Apartment Association,” New exclaimed. “The success of the association is dependent upon its business members as well as its regular members becoming engaged in the organization. So, if we have the businesses here supporting us, that’s great, but we also need the other members to support the businesses. It’s a reciprocal relationship, and it seems very successful today.”
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of the SFAA or the SF Apartment Magazine. Emily Landes is the managing editor of SF Apartment Magazine. Copyright © 2009 by Black Point Press. All rights reserved.