August 22, 2024 • 23 mins
What if overcoming a personal challenge could ignite a passion for transforming an entire industry? Sarah Saglam, VP of Sales and Marketing at LeaseHawk, joins us with her incredible story of how her son's rare genetic disorder introduced her to the power of technology. Sarah's journey led her to LeaseHawk, where she has spent nearly 13 years driving innovation and success in the multifamily sector. Her firsthand experience with the life-changing impact of tech solutions infuses her work with purpose and dedication.
Tune in as Sarah unveils the groundbreaking tools LeaseHawk offers, such as their virtual leasing assistant and the upcoming ACE insights. These AI-driven solutions are designed to enhance the leasing team's efficiency and ensure consistent and effective engagement with potential residents. With ACE insights, managers can now analyze traffic and team performance, providing valuable metrics and training opportunities. This episode highlights how a well-supported leasing team can make a stellar first impression and deliver exceptional resident experiences, proving that the right technology can indeed make life easier and more productive.
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Carrie Antrim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrieantrim/
Multifamily Women® Summit: https://multifamilywomen.com/
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Multifamily Women® Leadership Series: https://apps.multifamilywomen.com/join
Multifamily Innovation® Council: https://multifamilyinnovation.com/council/
Multifamily Innovation® Summit: https://multifamilyinnovation.com/
Best Places to Work Multifamily®: https://bestplacestoworkmultifamily.com/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for tuning in to another episode of the
Multifamily Women's Podcast.
We have a wonderful guest foryou today.
Her name is Sarah Suklam.
She is the VP of Sales andMarketing at LeaseHawk.
Sarah, we're so happy you'rehere today.
Thanks for having me here,absolutely.
And so what was your journeyinto multifamily?
What got you started and howdid you end up at LeaseHawk?
(00:22):
What got you?
Speaker 2 (00:23):
started and how did you end up at LeaseHawk?
Well, in 2012, I got an offerout of the blue to learn more
about a company that providestechnology solutions to the
multifamily industry.
So, stepping back a little bit,two years before that, my son
(00:48):
lost his sight to a rare geneticdisorder when he was in high
school.
So, after getting over thegrief and stress and everything,
we pretty much had to jump intogear and find solutions for him
to be successful, andtechnology played a huge role in
really helping him not onlythrive but really excel in a lot
of areas, and that's kind ofwhat got me really excited about
(01:10):
working for a company thatoffers technology solutions.
So my background was primarilysales and marketing.
I worked in nonprofit, and sowhen the opportunity came up, I
was really intrigued and excitedbecause I wanted to learn more
about how technology can makeyour life easier, make you more
(01:32):
productive and offer solutionsto really take the next level
and drive success within anorganization or just our day to
day lives.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Absolutely.
That's wow.
That's a really incrediblestory, and I love how technology
has played such an importantrole in your life.
That is really impactful.
And so what was your path intofinding LeaseHawk?
And you've been there foralmost 13 years now yes, wow.
So what makes you stay there aslong as you have as well?
Speaker 2 (02:03):
So what makes you stay there as long as you have
as well?
So it was kind of a funny thing.
Mike Mueller, the CEO andfounder of Leesock, who's an
industry icon and quintessentialinnovator, knew a friend of
mine and said, hey, come talk tome.
And it ended up kind of being ajob interview and the more I
heard his vision and kind ofwhat he wanted to do for
(02:26):
multifamily companies, I wasjust hooked because I saw the
applications in technology andhow it can really drive success
and how it can help us be moreproductive, but leveraging AI
and understanding itsapplications and not to be
afraid of it but use it in a waythat can help us be more
(02:49):
successful and efficient.
And really the reason I've beenthere so long is I'm constantly
learning and I'm surrounded bypeople that we have a culture of
innovation and trust andintegrity and that really
creates an amazing.
You know, work, family.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Wow, that's really amazing.
I love women in tech.
I feel like this is such agreat opportunity for women to
have representation intechnology, and so I love that
you're embracing that.
I'm right there with you.
I'm trying to learn as much asI can about AI, and so that has
grown into a number of othersolutions.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
So we offer virtual leasing assistant through voice
chat and text for multifamilycompanies to leverage.
That really acts as anextension of the leasing team.
So when the team is doing youknow higher value activities,
this is your backup, this isyour BFF, a member of the
leasing team that can respond ina consistent way, qualify leads
(04:12):
, drive appointments to theleasing team, and that really
evolved into what we're nowworking on and getting ready to
launch is our ACE insights, andwhat that does is it really
analyzes all of your traffic aswell as your leasing team.
So we record, transcribe andscore calls of the agents and
(04:40):
give them basically metricsagainst an industry standard
scorecard so we can give themtraining opportunities, we can
identify top performers formanagement companies and give
them those metrics to.
Hey, what areas do we need tofocus on?
Where does my team need alittle extra help to be more
(05:01):
productive or to ask for theappointment or you know things
that make them a high poweredleasing machine?
Wow.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
And we talk so much on this podcast about the
importance of that team and howthat especially that they're the
first line right Of the sale,the resident experience so that
team.
To have eyes like this on thatteam and be able to just kind of
automate and keep, keep kind ofa pulse on what's happening on
(05:32):
site, is pretty incredible.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Yeah, and you really only have one chance to make a
first impression.
You know good first impression.
So we know mystery shops don'tusually cut it because it's not
at the rate of frequency that itshould be.
It's like they might do oneshop a quarter.
Well, this is every qualifiedcall.
(05:58):
So we can give them metrics onhey, here's the areas where you
really nailed it and here'sareas where you might want to
tweak.
And then they feel like they'rebeing empowered to perform at
their best because it's going tohelp them.
You know, be better at handlingprospect inquiries as well as
resident inquiries.
So we're also going to scoreevery call, categorize it.
(06:21):
You know, was that a residentcall?
Was it a prospect call and whatwere they asking about?
So, having those insights intomy ad source effectiveness, are
these ad sources giving mequalified traffic?
And then, what are theseprospects asking for?
So, say, I'm getting a lot ofrequests for people looking for
(06:43):
a one bedroom, but I know I havea surplus of two bedrooms.
Maybe it's time to run aspecial on those units and get
them moved through so we canfill the units faster.
And, you know, focus on fillingour vacancies as quickly as
possible.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
That's incredible insight to have as an owner
operator Just invaluable.
So tell me more, too, aboutadditional services that
LeaseHawk does provide, becauseI know we're doing really
innovative things as well.
So what else do you offer andwhat do you provide your
customers?
What services do you providethem with?
Speaker 2 (07:21):
So I'd say we are the leader in an AI platform, so we
offer insights into how welltheir marketing performs, as
well as their leasing team andthen filling those areas that
they have gaps with technology.
So some management companiesthey're not sure what are my
(07:43):
high times for traffic where Ireally need to staff up and then
what are my low times wheremaybe I can reduce office hours
or even close on a Sunday.
We have some clients where,after analyzing their traffic,
they realize Sundays we reallydidn't have a lot of you know,
walk-ins or even phone traffic,so we can close the leasing
(08:04):
office on that day and thenoffer a QR code, maybe on the
you know the door of the leasingoffice that people can, you
know, communicate with an AIassistant and fill that gap and
also give the team a break, youknow, to not have to work every
Sunday and an efficient,consistent way to answer any
(08:25):
prospect requests or residentrequests.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Wow, that's really innovative.
I like that a lot.
So, being a woman inmultifamily and on the side of
technology which again I thinkthere's a lot of representation
there that's needed what advicedo you have for women in our
industry that are trying tobecome vice presidents and
(08:48):
elevate their career?
Speaker 2 (08:50):
So I think it's really be curious, you know, and
form meaningful connections.
You know, sometimes a lot ofpeople feel like, oh, networking
, I don't want to network, butjust asking people about tell me
about your job, tell me aboutyour day to day.
What's a day in the life ofLauren?
I want to learn more about whatyou're doing and then it
(09:11):
doesn't seem as untouchable.
Or, you know, be open tolistening to people's
experiences and trying to makeconnections, because that's the
only way you're going to growand learn.
You know, I have a saying it'slike grow through it, don't go
through it, because you can'tgrow without learning and
(09:34):
understanding people's differentviews and where they're coming
from.
And you can't do that withoutasking questions and being
curious.
And you know research.
So much data is availableonline through blogs, through
podcasts I mean, I listen to alot of different podcasts about
AI and technology as it relatesto our day-to-day where AI is
(09:59):
taking us and the pros and consand understanding that.
But I think just being open tofind out about, you know,
different person's roles in anorganization, because then
that'll help you understand oh,I really want to go into this
area and seek out a mentor, youknow.
Seek out someone that is inthat type of role that you can
(10:22):
learn from, and most people arevery happy to share their
experience and you know the prosand cons and pitfalls of of
what they've done and if theycould have done something
differently.
You know that kind of thing.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Yeah, absolutely.
I hear the mentorship answerquite a bit.
It's it's very important inthis industry to have mentors.
We all have had them and that'swhy we are where we are today.
So I think that's a greatinsight.
And you I saw in your title arein both sales and marketing,
which I love that you'rethinking about that holistically
.
I feel like a lot of timesthat's kind of segmented.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Tell us about how that journey works and how you
view that whole businessessentially Well, if you think
about it, marketing kind of acts, as they're the group that
supports the entire organization.
So understanding what salesneeds from an operational
standpoint and from a marketingstandpoint is so important that
(11:20):
we're all on the same page andyou know what do they need as a
resource that we can supportthem with.
Is it collateral, is it a video, is it messaging or a story?
And really digging into whatthey're experiencing on a
day-to-day basis and whatthey're hearing from our clients
.
Because that's so important toreally be the voice of the
(11:43):
customer and understand.
You know their pain points andhow we're solving them.
Because that helps us build outour product roadmap and making
sure we hit the mark byconstantly being locked in with
the voice of the customer andthen being aligned internally.
So sales and marketing workslockstep to ensure the success
(12:06):
of our clients.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
I love that you see it that way too, because I, like
I said, I feel like a lot oftimes they're seen kind of
separately and we each have ourduties in this process.
Right, and it's so.
We are a company that very muchbelieves in brand and as the
driver of all things so andcontent, obviously.
So I very strongly resonatewith what you're doing, so big
kudos there.
So you've been an attendee ofthe Women's Summit a few years
(12:32):
now.
Tell us about your experiencethere and some of the
connections you've formed.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
Well, I have to say, I love the focus that it's women
in the industry, becausesometimes it's very hard to make
connections with people.
So it's kind of like a reallyamazing platform where all of us
get together and share whatwe're experiencing A great
opportunity to network and makemeaningful connections with
(12:58):
people you wouldn't normally be.
You know, face-to-face withbecause there is something to be
said about having an in-personexperience versus just a virtual
experience.
You know you can experienceseeing the person's smile on
their face, the excitement thatthey're getting by learning
(13:19):
something or meeting someone new.
I try to I laugh about this andpeople laugh at me for doing
this but I try to talk to threestrangers every day and at the
conference I found that when Iwent, nobody felt like a
stranger.
It's like we all have somethingin common.
We're all from this industry,we're all women, we're all
(13:43):
trying to, you know, grow andlearn and excel in whatever our
role is.
And it's such a diverse groupof people you can't help but
make meaningful connections and,you know, take away some
amazing experiences and growthfrom you know, attending
(14:03):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
Yeah, I'm I'm really excited.
This will be my first year, butfrom everything I've seen,
you're going to love it.
I'm so excited.
I I've heard nothing but greatstories and reviews, so again,
I'm we're super excited to haveyou as a sponsor this year and
as an attendee.
So tell me more about some ofthe opportunities that are
happening with LeaseHawk, whatthe culture is like and why
(14:28):
again, why you like workingthere.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Okay, so I've been there, like you said, almost 13
years.
That, to me, says a lot.
You know, I am a pack animal.
I'm the youngest of six kids,so if you think about all the
time you spend at work, it needsto be in a place that fuels
trust and innovation, and weoperate like an amazing group of
(14:57):
individuals that we'reconstantly challenging each
other.
We're setting goals for eachother.
Everybody pretty much has anopen door policy.
So you want to come work withme for a bit?
Let's talk about your growthopportunity and where you want
(15:18):
to be, and I think that being asmall company has its advantages
because you have access toeverybody.
You know, when we're all in theoffice, we have a hybrid work
environment, but you know, wehave a few days where
everybody's in the office and itjust is bustling with energy
and positivity, and you can gotalk to the guy that runs the
(15:41):
product team.
You can go talk to our head offinance.
You can talk to our president,mike's often in the office, and
just having access to a CEO andthe person that's driving our
innovation is you just can't getthat at any other company.
And then the fact that we'resmaller we have the ability to
(16:02):
pivot and do things quicker than, say, larger companies.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
And do you find, being a smaller company, that
you're able to really obsess onthe customer a little bit more
and really offer that customerexperience?
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Yes, and I think that's one of the things that we
have an incredible reputationfor.
We have a great customersuccess team that is so
customer-centric and focused onlistening to what our customer
is looking for and what theyvalue, as you know what they
(16:38):
need to measure success with,and then constantly interviewing
them and listening to them,because you really can't
understand where they're comingfrom if you're not having those
conversations.
Where tell us everything thatyou're dealing with?
You know what are youstruggling with, what are your
pain points as an organizationand where do you want to be.
(17:00):
You know a year from now, so wecan identify what technology
solution fits in with solvingthose pain points and helping
them operate more effectively.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
I think having that level of customization and
customer-centric you know,active listening is going to be
incredibly impactful movingforward, because I think a lot
of people like to try to makethat one-size-fits-all solution
and not allow for thatcustomization, because you
really want to try to get themasses as much as you can, right
.
But I think that cateredexperience is going to become
more and more beneficial tocompanies, especially PMCs and
(17:39):
all of these different companies.
So I love that you guys arethinking that way.
Are there other innovationsthat you're very excited about
at LeaseHawk that are on thehorizon?
Speaker 2 (17:49):
I'd say the ACE Insights.
You know the piece about reallyhelping supercharge the leasing
team because there are, youknow, there's so many, there's
so much noise in the industry.
How do you filter through thatnoise and identify the best
solution that's going to helpyour team excel?
Because you know, if you lookat every website, there's a lot
(18:13):
of promises that are made or youknow we'll help you get to this
point.
But having you know the the, wehave the reputation of you know
tracking and analyzing over 150million calls for the industry,
so we know what people arecalling about.
We know industry best practicesfor how those calls should be
(18:35):
handled to really ace every calland excel as a leasing team and
then offer a solution that canhelp them not only work more
efficiently but smarter, becausewe know that resources are
stretched.
The industry is constantlychanging, you know, and so you
(18:57):
have to pivot and leveragesolutions that are going to help
your team be efficient andproductive.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
And I like that you're staying very in tune with
what sounds like AI news andwhat's.
You know what's happening.
Because one of the things Ireally like that it sounds like
ACE is designed to workalongside your associates or the
on-site associates, right.
It's supposed to be kind oflike a right-hand man to help
out.
And I think that's how a lot ofpeople should be thinking about
(19:25):
AI right now is how do we useit to just amplify our teams,
right, and so this is theperfect use of AI to amplify a
team, and it's kind of like adial.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
you know, depending on how little or how much you
want to turn that dial to haveit pick up the slack that's the
beauty about it.
You know you can ring theleasing office and give your
teams a crack at answering thephone.
But if they're not able toanswer the phone, you know you
have the next best thing thatcan offer the best customer
(19:57):
experience to the prospect andthe runners that are looking for
a place to stay, which is soimportant in such a personal
decision people are making.
You want that first interactionto be the best interaction it
can possibly be, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
And this is such a good example of leaning into the
human element alongside AI,alongside the use of technology.
Where does that fit in thisprocess?
And giving the customer controlof that process right and I
think that we've talked aboutthat a lot is that I think
people's fear with AI is how doI control how much of it we're
using?
And this sounds like it's verycontrollable, it's very
manageable on their end.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
And we work with clients to really understand you
know what are you wanting tosolve.
Because as a telephony platform, you know that's what we
started off.
As we can route the call, wecan decide how many rings you
know happen before someone picksup and do all of that back end
without them worrying about whatif it doesn't answer or what if
(20:59):
you know it's after hours.
We can give them all of thosesolutions and map it out for
them.
So we really act as a partnerfor them to understand you know
what are they trying to solvefor and then create the best
technology to solve that issue.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
Wow, I really like that, the customer-centric
thinking.
I love that you're thinkingabout the resident.
The resident experience is kindof that driving force, that
North Star, as we say inmarketing.
So amazing.
Is there anything else that youwant our listeners to know
about Lease?
Speaker 2 (21:31):
Talk.
No, I just I would love forthem to visit our website and
learn more about what we'redoing in multifamily to
supercharge the leasing team andhelp the entire management
company be more efficient andeffective, and giving them
insights to make decisions on.
Where do I need to tweak tooffer the best customer
(21:54):
experience that can ultimately,you know, fill units quicker and
have our team work moreproductively and efficiently.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
Wonderful.
Well, again, you can visit.
Is it leesockcom?
Yes, To learn more anddefinitely reach out to Sarah.
I'm sure you're available totake calls mentorships, all the
things that we talked abouttoday, and thank you so much for
coming on the show today andthanks for everybody for
listening and tuning in.
Don't forget to grab yourtickets on multifamilywomencom.
Thanks for tuning in to another episode of the
Multifamily Women's Podcast.
We have a wonderful guest foryou today.
Her name is Sarah Suklam.
She is the VP of Sales andMarketing at LeaseHawk.
Sarah, we're so happy you'rehere today.
Thanks for having me here,absolutely.
And so what was your journeyinto multifamily?
What got you started and howdid you end up at LeaseHawk?
(00:22):
What got you?
Speaker 2 (00:23):
started and how did you end up at LeaseHawk?
Well, in 2012, I got an offerout of the blue to learn more
about a company that providestechnology solutions to the
multifamily industry.
So, stepping back a little bit,two years before that, my son
(00:48):
lost his sight to a rare geneticdisorder when he was in high
school.
So, after getting over thegrief and stress and everything,
we pretty much had to jump intogear and find solutions for him
to be successful, andtechnology played a huge role in
really helping him not onlythrive but really excel in a lot
of areas, and that's kind ofwhat got me really excited about
(01:10):
working for a company thatoffers technology solutions.
So my background was primarilysales and marketing.
I worked in nonprofit, and sowhen the opportunity came up, I
was really intrigued and excitedbecause I wanted to learn more
about how technology can makeyour life easier, make you more
(01:32):
productive and offer solutionsto really take the next level
and drive success within anorganization or just our day to
day lives.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Absolutely.
That's wow.
That's a really incrediblestory, and I love how technology
has played such an importantrole in your life.
That is really impactful.
And so what was your path intofinding LeaseHawk?
And you've been there foralmost 13 years now yes, wow.
So what makes you stay there aslong as you have as well?
Speaker 2 (02:03):
So what makes you stay there as long as you have
as well?
So it was kind of a funny thing.
Mike Mueller, the CEO andfounder of Leesock, who's an
industry icon and quintessentialinnovator, knew a friend of
mine and said, hey, come talk tome.
And it ended up kind of being ajob interview and the more I
heard his vision and kind ofwhat he wanted to do for
(02:26):
multifamily companies, I wasjust hooked because I saw the
applications in technology andhow it can really drive success
and how it can help us be moreproductive, but leveraging AI
and understanding itsapplications and not to be
afraid of it but use it in a waythat can help us be more
(02:49):
successful and efficient.
And really the reason I've beenthere so long is I'm constantly
learning and I'm surrounded bypeople that we have a culture of
innovation and trust andintegrity and that really
creates an amazing.
You know, work, family.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Wow, that's really amazing.
I love women in tech.
I feel like this is such agreat opportunity for women to
have representation intechnology, and so I love that
you're embracing that.
I'm right there with you.
I'm trying to learn as much asI can about AI, and so that has
grown into a number of othersolutions.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
So we offer virtual leasing assistant through voice
chat and text for multifamilycompanies to leverage.
That really acts as anextension of the leasing team.
So when the team is doing youknow higher value activities,
this is your backup, this isyour BFF, a member of the
leasing team that can respond ina consistent way, qualify leads
(04:12):
, drive appointments to theleasing team, and that really
evolved into what we're nowworking on and getting ready to
launch is our ACE insights, andwhat that does is it really
analyzes all of your traffic aswell as your leasing team.
So we record, transcribe andscore calls of the agents and
(04:40):
give them basically metricsagainst an industry standard
scorecard so we can give themtraining opportunities, we can
identify top performers formanagement companies and give
them those metrics to.
Hey, what areas do we need tofocus on?
Where does my team need alittle extra help to be more
(05:01):
productive or to ask for theappointment or you know things
that make them a high poweredleasing machine?
Wow.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
And we talk so much on this podcast about the
importance of that team and howthat especially that they're the
first line right Of the sale,the resident experience so that
team.
To have eyes like this on thatteam and be able to just kind of
automate and keep, keep kind ofa pulse on what's happening on
(05:32):
site, is pretty incredible.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Yeah, and you really only have one chance to make a
first impression.
You know good first impression.
So we know mystery shops don'tusually cut it because it's not
at the rate of frequency that itshould be.
It's like they might do oneshop a quarter.
Well, this is every qualifiedcall.
(05:58):
So we can give them metrics onhey, here's the areas where you
really nailed it and here'sareas where you might want to
tweak.
And then they feel like they'rebeing empowered to perform at
their best because it's going tohelp them.
You know, be better at handlingprospect inquiries as well as
resident inquiries.
So we're also going to scoreevery call, categorize it.
(06:21):
You know, was that a residentcall?
Was it a prospect call and whatwere they asking about?
So, having those insights intomy ad source effectiveness, are
these ad sources giving mequalified traffic?
And then, what are theseprospects asking for?
So, say, I'm getting a lot ofrequests for people looking for
(06:43):
a one bedroom, but I know I havea surplus of two bedrooms.
Maybe it's time to run aspecial on those units and get
them moved through so we canfill the units faster.
And, you know, focus on fillingour vacancies as quickly as
possible.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
That's incredible insight to have as an owner
operator Just invaluable.
So tell me more, too, aboutadditional services that
LeaseHawk does provide, becauseI know we're doing really
innovative things as well.
So what else do you offer andwhat do you provide your
customers?
What services do you providethem with?
Speaker 2 (07:21):
So I'd say we are the leader in an AI platform, so we
offer insights into how welltheir marketing performs, as
well as their leasing team andthen filling those areas that
they have gaps with technology.
So some management companiesthey're not sure what are my
(07:43):
high times for traffic where Ireally need to staff up and then
what are my low times wheremaybe I can reduce office hours
or even close on a Sunday.
We have some clients where,after analyzing their traffic,
they realize Sundays we reallydidn't have a lot of you know,
walk-ins or even phone traffic,so we can close the leasing
(08:04):
office on that day and thenoffer a QR code, maybe on the
you know the door of the leasingoffice that people can, you
know, communicate with an AIassistant and fill that gap and
also give the team a break, youknow, to not have to work every
Sunday and an efficient,consistent way to answer any
(08:25):
prospect requests or residentrequests.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Wow, that's really innovative.
I like that a lot.
So, being a woman inmultifamily and on the side of
technology which again I thinkthere's a lot of representation
there that's needed what advicedo you have for women in our
industry that are trying tobecome vice presidents and
(08:48):
elevate their career?
Speaker 2 (08:50):
So I think it's really be curious, you know, and
form meaningful connections.
You know, sometimes a lot ofpeople feel like, oh, networking
, I don't want to network, butjust asking people about tell me
about your job, tell me aboutyour day to day.
What's a day in the life ofLauren?
I want to learn more about whatyou're doing and then it
(09:11):
doesn't seem as untouchable.
Or, you know, be open tolistening to people's
experiences and trying to makeconnections, because that's the
only way you're going to growand learn.
You know, I have a saying it'slike grow through it, don't go
through it, because you can'tgrow without learning and
(09:34):
understanding people's differentviews and where they're coming
from.
And you can't do that withoutasking questions and being
curious.
And you know research.
So much data is availableonline through blogs, through
podcasts I mean, I listen to alot of different podcasts about
AI and technology as it relatesto our day-to-day where AI is
(09:59):
taking us and the pros and consand understanding that.
But I think just being open tofind out about, you know,
different person's roles in anorganization, because then
that'll help you understand oh,I really want to go into this
area and seek out a mentor, youknow.
Seek out someone that is inthat type of role that you can
(10:22):
learn from, and most people arevery happy to share their
experience and you know the prosand cons and pitfalls of of
what they've done and if theycould have done something
differently.
You know that kind of thing.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Yeah, absolutely.
I hear the mentorship answerquite a bit.
It's it's very important inthis industry to have mentors.
We all have had them and that'swhy we are where we are today.
So I think that's a greatinsight.
And you I saw in your title arein both sales and marketing,
which I love that you'rethinking about that holistically
.
I feel like a lot of timesthat's kind of segmented.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Tell us about how that journey works and how you
view that whole businessessentially Well, if you think
about it, marketing kind of acts, as they're the group that
supports the entire organization.
So understanding what salesneeds from an operational
standpoint and from a marketingstandpoint is so important that
(11:20):
we're all on the same page andyou know what do they need as a
resource that we can supportthem with.
Is it collateral, is it a video, is it messaging or a story?
And really digging into whatthey're experiencing on a
day-to-day basis and whatthey're hearing from our clients
.
Because that's so important toreally be the voice of the
(11:43):
customer and understand.
You know their pain points andhow we're solving them.
Because that helps us build outour product roadmap and making
sure we hit the mark byconstantly being locked in with
the voice of the customer andthen being aligned internally.
So sales and marketing workslockstep to ensure the success
(12:06):
of our clients.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
I love that you see it that way too, because I, like
I said, I feel like a lot oftimes they're seen kind of
separately and we each have ourduties in this process.
Right, and it's so.
We are a company that very muchbelieves in brand and as the
driver of all things so andcontent, obviously.
So I very strongly resonatewith what you're doing, so big
kudos there.
So you've been an attendee ofthe Women's Summit a few years
(12:32):
now.
Tell us about your experiencethere and some of the
connections you've formed.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
Well, I have to say, I love the focus that it's women
in the industry, becausesometimes it's very hard to make
connections with people.
So it's kind of like a reallyamazing platform where all of us
get together and share whatwe're experiencing A great
opportunity to network and makemeaningful connections with
(12:58):
people you wouldn't normally be.
You know, face-to-face withbecause there is something to be
said about having an in-personexperience versus just a virtual
experience.
You know you can experienceseeing the person's smile on
their face, the excitement thatthey're getting by learning
(13:19):
something or meeting someone new.
I try to I laugh about this andpeople laugh at me for doing
this but I try to talk to threestrangers every day and at the
conference I found that when Iwent, nobody felt like a
stranger.
It's like we all have somethingin common.
We're all from this industry,we're all women, we're all
(13:43):
trying to, you know, grow andlearn and excel in whatever our
role is.
And it's such a diverse groupof people you can't help but
make meaningful connections and,you know, take away some
amazing experiences and growthfrom you know, attending
(14:03):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (14:05):
Yeah, I'm I'm really excited.
This will be my first year, butfrom everything I've seen,
you're going to love it.
I'm so excited.
I I've heard nothing but greatstories and reviews, so again,
I'm we're super excited to haveyou as a sponsor this year and
as an attendee.
So tell me more about some ofthe opportunities that are
happening with LeaseHawk, whatthe culture is like and why
(14:28):
again, why you like workingthere.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Okay, so I've been there, like you said, almost 13
years.
That, to me, says a lot.
You know, I am a pack animal.
I'm the youngest of six kids,so if you think about all the
time you spend at work, it needsto be in a place that fuels
trust and innovation, and weoperate like an amazing group of
(14:57):
individuals that we'reconstantly challenging each
other.
We're setting goals for eachother.
Everybody pretty much has anopen door policy.
So you want to come work withme for a bit?
Let's talk about your growthopportunity and where you want
(15:18):
to be, and I think that being asmall company has its advantages
because you have access toeverybody.
You know, when we're all in theoffice, we have a hybrid work
environment, but you know, wehave a few days where
everybody's in the office and itjust is bustling with energy
and positivity, and you can gotalk to the guy that runs the
(15:41):
product team.
You can go talk to our head offinance.
You can talk to our president,mike's often in the office, and
just having access to a CEO andthe person that's driving our
innovation is you just can't getthat at any other company.
And then the fact that we'resmaller we have the ability to
(16:02):
pivot and do things quicker than, say, larger companies.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
And do you find, being a smaller company, that
you're able to really obsess onthe customer a little bit more
and really offer that customerexperience?
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Yes, and I think that's one of the things that we
have an incredible reputationfor.
We have a great customersuccess team that is so
customer-centric and focused onlistening to what our customer
is looking for and what theyvalue, as you know what they
(16:38):
need to measure success with,and then constantly interviewing
them and listening to them,because you really can't
understand where they're comingfrom if you're not having those
conversations.
Where tell us everything thatyou're dealing with?
You know what are youstruggling with, what are your
pain points as an organizationand where do you want to be.
(17:00):
You know a year from now, so wecan identify what technology
solution fits in with solvingthose pain points and helping
them operate more effectively.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
I think having that level of customization and
customer-centric you know,active listening is going to be
incredibly impactful movingforward, because I think a lot
of people like to try to makethat one-size-fits-all solution
and not allow for thatcustomization, because you
really want to try to get themasses as much as you can, right
.
But I think that cateredexperience is going to become
more and more beneficial tocompanies, especially PMCs and
(17:39):
all of these different companies.
So I love that you guys arethinking that way.
Are there other innovationsthat you're very excited about
at LeaseHawk that are on thehorizon?
Speaker 2 (17:49):
I'd say the ACE Insights.
You know the piece about reallyhelping supercharge the leasing
team because there are, youknow, there's so many, there's
so much noise in the industry.
How do you filter through thatnoise and identify the best
solution that's going to helpyour team excel?
Because you know, if you lookat every website, there's a lot
(18:13):
of promises that are made or youknow we'll help you get to this
point.
But having you know the the, wehave the reputation of you know
tracking and analyzing over 150million calls for the industry,
so we know what people arecalling about.
We know industry best practicesfor how those calls should be
(18:35):
handled to really ace every calland excel as a leasing team and
then offer a solution that canhelp them not only work more
efficiently but smarter, becausewe know that resources are
stretched.
The industry is constantlychanging, you know, and so you
(18:57):
have to pivot and leveragesolutions that are going to help
your team be efficient andproductive.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
And I like that you're staying very in tune with
what sounds like AI news andwhat's.
You know what's happening.
Because one of the things Ireally like that it sounds like
ACE is designed to workalongside your associates or the
on-site associates, right.
It's supposed to be kind oflike a right-hand man to help
out.
And I think that's how a lot ofpeople should be thinking about
(19:25):
AI right now is how do we useit to just amplify our teams,
right, and so this is theperfect use of AI to amplify a
team, and it's kind of like adial.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
you know, depending on how little or how much you
want to turn that dial to haveit pick up the slack that's the
beauty about it.
You know you can ring theleasing office and give your
teams a crack at answering thephone.
But if they're not able toanswer the phone, you know you
have the next best thing thatcan offer the best customer
(19:57):
experience to the prospect andthe runners that are looking for
a place to stay, which is soimportant in such a personal
decision people are making.
You want that first interactionto be the best interaction it
can possibly be, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
And this is such a good example of leaning into the
human element alongside AI,alongside the use of technology.
Where does that fit in thisprocess?
And giving the customer controlof that process right and I
think that we've talked aboutthat a lot is that I think
people's fear with AI is how doI control how much of it we're
using?
And this sounds like it's verycontrollable, it's very
manageable on their end.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
And we work with clients to really understand you
know what are you wanting tosolve.
Because as a telephony platform, you know that's what we
started off.
As we can route the call, wecan decide how many rings you
know happen before someone picksup and do all of that back end
without them worrying about whatif it doesn't answer or what if
(20:59):
you know it's after hours.
We can give them all of thosesolutions and map it out for
them.
So we really act as a partnerfor them to understand you know
what are they trying to solvefor and then create the best
technology to solve that issue.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
Wow, I really like that, the customer-centric
thinking.
I love that you're thinkingabout the resident.
The resident experience is kindof that driving force, that
North Star, as we say inmarketing.
So amazing.
Is there anything else that youwant our listeners to know
about Lease?
Speaker 2 (21:31):
Talk.
No, I just I would love forthem to visit our website and
learn more about what we'redoing in multifamily to
supercharge the leasing team andhelp the entire management
company be more efficient andeffective, and giving them
insights to make decisions on.
Where do I need to tweak tooffer the best customer
(21:54):
experience that can ultimately,you know, fill units quicker and
have our team work moreproductively and efficiently.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
Wonderful.
Well, again, you can visit.
Is it leesockcom?
Yes, To learn more anddefinitely reach out to Sarah.
I'm sure you're available totake calls mentorships, all the
things that we talked abouttoday, and thank you so much for
coming on the show today andthanks for everybody for
listening and tuning in.
Don't forget to grab yourtickets on multifamilywomencom.
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