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Why Choose Storage Mart as Your Preferred Self Storage Provider

Sun, 09 Sep 2007 15:38:49 GMT

Why Choose Storage Mart as Your Preferred Self Storage Provider

Self storage is a rapidly growing and very competitive industry. You need only look into the yellow pages in any community to see how many people have taken self storage as an income venture. Driving through the smallest towns in the most out of the way places will uncover a huge small town mom and pop self storage industry. You will also notice a significant difference in the construction, security, amenities, maintenance, and overall desirability of these facilitates.

It takes just a few acres of land and a shell much like a farm machine shed to create a self storage facility. In some out of the way areas in fact, the overall appearance of self storage is very much like a rude farm building with a dirt driveway and parking lot, gravel floors in units divided by chain link fencing or simple chicken wire. No wonder that when StorageMart comes to the area people will choose StorageMart as a preferred self storage provider.

StorageMart has small town roots in the Midwestern community of Columbia, Missouri. Columbia is a central location in Missouri and home to a University and 2 small colleges. Gordon Burnam, member of the Self Storage Association Hall of Fame was a very successful businessman in this community. Real estate and rental properties are big business in this area that is temporary home to more than 35,0000 students during the academic year. The Burnam family takes pride in the properties they own and manage and are always improving the condition of buildings and landscape.

On a family vacation Gordon Burnam saw an astonishing thing, a building, like a motel, where people would store their belongings. He and his family have turned that astonishing idea into a nationwide corporation with assets of more than 400 million dollars and operating 52 storage facilities...

StorageMart may be a nationwide corporation but it is operated with the attention to detail, the standard of excellence, and the “small town” idealism that is grounded in sound customer service ideals and integrity. Starting in his home town Mr. Burnam created first the StorageTrust that later grew to StorageMart . A look around at the storage facilities in Columbia it is easy to see why college students and people on the move in this town choose StorageMart as their preferred self storage facility. Each StorageMart facility in town has had a recent facelift and, with managers living on each site, upkeep and maintenance are workable priorities. New facilities in many areas have carpeted floors and lighting in the individual units.

One yardstick measure that would determine the choice of StorageMart as the preferred self storage provider is cleanliness. This includes, of course, pest control, trash pickup, and tidy parking lots and offices. It only takes a quick tour of the area to assess the dedication to excellence that each self storage company exhibits. There are some that have a well painted façade but behind the gate the roofs are dented, there are holes in the exterior walls, broken glass and trash on the lot and, at one facility, piles of discarded scrap and trash on the very back of the lot. The competitor facility in question had a considerable stack of old tires which are ready breeding grounds for vermin and mosquitoes. StorageMart holds facility managers to a higher standard. The business offices are stocked with an extensive line of moving and storage supplies but they are tidy, well lighted and clean.

Another reason to choose StorageMart as your preferred self storage provider is our people. Training is an essential tool for a successful StorageMart facility manager. A manager must be a seasoned customer service professional and a skilled salesperson. It only takes a few calls to competitors, a few conversations with untrained, bored, under motivated personnel to appreciate the friendly, skilled, customer service professionals in any StorageMart office. Call a StorageMart office and you will find a knowledgeable professional who wants to help you with your storage experience. They want you to choose StorageMart as your preferred self storage facility.

When choosing a self storage facility a primary concern is security. This is a compelling reason to choose StorageMart as your self storage provider. Having a manager living on the site is not only an advantage for upkeep but also for security. StorageMart facilities in our town are surrounded by a high security fence with an access controlled gate. This means that only tenants with a gate code can enter the property area at the storage unit doors. The lots are well lighted with motion sensor lighting. In urban areas they are high rise buildings with all of the units inside and accessed by a pin code entry system. Security is a plus not only for the belongings being stored but for the safety of tenants visiting the facility.

StorageMart gives careful consideration to the convenience of locations for facilities. In the corporation’s home town facilities are located in each area of the town. When everything sold out near Memorial Day of this year the corporation found an excellent opportunity to open another facility in an area of town that brought added convenience to another consumer base. Many customers have stated that one of the primary reasons they chose StorageMart as their self storage provider was that the store was conveniently located. In this age of time poverty and costly transportation consumers need to give careful consideration to savings in time and costs. StorageMart gives careful consideration when expanding into new markets as to location. Backed by sound financial principles StorageMart is not forced to snatch up any old thing that comes available but is able to do feasibility studies and carefully considered planning so that consumers will have ample reason to consider StorageMart as their self storage provider.

To aid potential tenants in searching for a self storage facility StorageMart offers a web site with a zip code search function to find facilities in given locations. The web site not only displays address and telephone numbers but also pictures of the store with the familiar and prominent yellow and a black signage. Details of size and availability for storage units are easy to locate and understand to help newcomers and people on the move determine the best location and a size self storage unit that will best meet their needs. Existing tenants are able to quickly and easily make payments.

StorageMart offers U-haul truck rentals and UPS service, mailboxes, wine storage, as well as offering an extensive line of moving and storage supplies. Boxes are a hot item and there are many specialty boxes such as wardrobe boxes with a hanging rod and boxes for many sizes of lamps. Bubble wrap, tape and many other useful items to add benefit to the self storage needs of consumers.

StorageMart also offers the additional convenience of an off site sales force call center. After using the services of another call center it was decided to start their own. PhoneSmart was created based on the experiences and successes of StorageTrust. It was first utilized for StorageMart stores but soon expanded to taking after hours and overflow calls for other self storage companies in markets that stretch from Hawaii to the Atlantic Coast, from the Southern United States to Canada. The PhoneSmart Call Center located in the Corporate office complex in Columbia Missouri, with a redundant call center in place a ready if needed, began with 2 phone representatives and has grown to ******** reservations specialists, ******* administrative personnel, an outbound call department and secret shopping.

Under the direction of Tron Jordheim, Director of Operations, this highly skilled sales force is rapidly approaching the 400,000th call. Individual operators in the center take as many as 1,000 plus calls per month from existing self storage tenants and people seeking pricing and information about self storage. These professionals are there to assist callers with office and gate access hours, features and benefits, services offered, pricing information and to help callers determine what size storage unit would best meet the need. PhoneSmart reservations specialists receive excellent training to enable them to assist callers in choosing StorageMart as their self storage facility. They work just as diligently for the other self storage companies employing them. Questions in a given hour can be about anything and everything, “When does the gate /office close?” “Do you have a space for my RV/car/motorcycle/boat?”, “How much would it cost to store my whole household belongings?”, “How much to store my TV and futon?” “Can I pay my bill by phone/online?” “I am stuck inside the gate how can I get out?”

The PhoneSmart call center is now servicing ****** self storage facilities. It is a perplexing problem in the self storage industry for managers who are often working on the property showing storage units or on the phone already. While customers seeking a free quote on a local self storage facility are tracking down through the yellow pages. If the store does not answer or if the caller is directed to voice mail he or she will move on and probably not try again. This missed call is lost profit opportunity and missing that call can help fill a unit for a competitor. Most people will call first before coming to the store.

PhoneSmart, Storage Mart’s off site sales force call center turns these missed calls into profit for the storage facility by serving as a rollover call center. StorageMart has made a huge investment in the latest telephone technology to assist callers in choosing StorageMart as the self storage provider... Our system determines the exact location the caller dialed and brings the current information for that facility up on the computer screen in front of the sales person answering the phone at PhoneSmart.

The caller seeking a free local quote on from that self storage facility does not realize that the person who answered is not on location. The PhoneSmart sales professional can then walk the caller through a consultive selection process that is designed to answer all questions and can then even reserve a storage unit for the caller on a major credit card. In addition, if the caller is a current tenant that call can be forwarded to the manager’s voice mail so that the manager can retrieve the message or PhoneSmart’s trained personnel can also assist the current tenant with answers for basic question. While other call centers employ “operators” or “customer service reps” Phone Smart hires sales professionals and invests in their training. The purpose is not to clear calls but to send people to the store.

With PhoneSmart and the successful StorageMart have both made a commitment to be leaders in the self storage industry. Do we have the numbers to back up the verbiage? Yes we do. Storage Mart compared total occupancy rates in June of 2000 with total occupancy rates for their own mature stores. There was a 7 percent increase. The only operational difference was PhoneSmart. In 2002 PhoneSmart was credited with 16 percent of total rentals for 34 StorageMart store, totaling over 2500 rentals. If PhoneSmart can talk to people about your site we can rent units. This far seeing innovation is one more reason to choose StorageMart as you self storage provider.

For many first time self storage customers finding a self storage facility seems a complex and unsettling experience. First of all there is prospect of placing valued possessions in the hands of total strangers. There is the worry that they will be tampered with, damaged by water leaks though poorly maintained roofs or that they will be infested with vermin or other pests. A first timer may also worry that they are not getting a fair price or that there will be the same struggle to retrieve belongings and be no longer under obligation to the storage facility. Many facilities offer loss leader savings on a first month but require a long term lease obligation. As it is not always possible to forecast how long a tenant would need to be in storage a long term contract can become a considerable financial burden if the tenant is no longer in need of storage but locked into a long term lease and paying for self storage when they no longer need it. StorageMart is a month to month company. Put things in storage when you need to, stay as long as you need to, and leave when you are ready. These are more good reasons to choose StorageMart as your preferred self storage provider.

When you are looking for a self storage unit look first to the company that is setting the standard for excellence in the industry. Look for a professionally run corporation with a down home feel, a company working by the old fashioned principles of fair value and honesty. StorageMart, a family business, has grown to a position of prominence in the self storage industry guided by the business savvy of Gordon Burnam and his family. Check out all of the rest and then come to StorageMart . You will want StorageMart to be your preferred self storage provider .

Telephone Sales Fundamentals

Sat, 13 Oct 2007 20:50:24 GMT

Telephone Sales Fundamentals

From:

the PhoneSmart Off Site Sales Force

Being Properly Prepared, BEFORE your shift starts:

Clear Your Mind of any unrelated issues. Set aside personal concerns and issues.

Get Comfortable and adjustyour chair, keyboard, volume, etc. to suit your needs.

Organize your work area. Have pen, scrap paper, scripts, work materials, thoughts and a drink readily available.

Concentrate on the purpose of the situation at hand, whether it is training, role playing, monitoring or taking calls.

Telephone Sales Requires You to Always Be In Control

Techniques Used:

Pace Yourself to your caller. Are they following your lead?

Develop A Rhythm. A call will flow much smoother if you stick to the same guidelines for each and every call.

Voice Volume Level should be comfortable for the caller.

Direct and To the Point. Avoid conversations that are going nowhere.

Avoid Lengthy Conversations.

Be Accurate. Professionalism shows.

Be an Active Listener and take notes throughout the call, so you don’t have to ask the caller to repeat themselves.

Treat the Caller With Respect and Courtesy. Show genuine interest.

Paraphrase to Confirm what you thought you heard.

Get Personal and share a laugh. Find something in common. HAVE FUN

Always Keep The END In Mind. Get back to the reason for the call. (This stresses importance and urgency)

Get Agreement and Close often throughout the entire call (trial closes). Does the caller feel good about the interaction?

Follow Up with required information and confirmation of end results.

Thank the Caller for calling and let them know to please call if there are any other questions.

Control = leading the customer and direction them throughout the call.

Close= questions that you ask the customer that lead them to answer with “Ok” or “Yes”.

The “I Don’t Know Close”

Don’t be afraid to use the “I Don’t Know close” to answer a caller’s question when you do not have the answer to or are not 100% sure that you have the correct answer. It is always better to be honest and sincere with your callers.

Scenario:

Caller: “Do you have pallets that we can use to put our things on while storing with you?”

You: try something like: “You know, I’m not sure BUT I can certainly find out for you and have the manager get back with you on that. What’s your first name?”

*** This will let the caller know you were listening to them, that you are telling them the truth and that you are confirming with them that you think it is an important enough question that you will check with the manager and have the manager follow up with them. This also gets you a Hot Lead. (one step closer to the close)

You never want to leave it at that. After you get their name and number for a follow up, a good way to continue to the close would be something like:

You: “I know you are wanting to know if we have the pallets for you to use, and while you are waiting on that answer, what I can do for you is go ahead and put the unit on hold so no one else can grab it before the manager calls you back. Ok?”

***Remember, it is always a great idea to close as much as you can through the phone call until it leads you to the end close- “Which credit card would you like to use to reserve the unit?”

The more closes and yeses you get during the call, the more likely the caller will feel comfortable, as they have established trust that you will handle the final touches.

Questions to Help You

If you feel like you are losing the person on the phone, you can get the conversation back on track by asking:

ü“Are you moving or do you just need to get some things out of the way?

ü“How did you find out about us?”

ü“Do you know where we are located?” followed by “and is that a convenient location for you?

ü“Have you ever stored with us before?”

ü“Can you give me an idea of what you were planning on storing with us?”

All of these questions will allow the person to fill you in on his or her plans and state of mind. This will help you rent units.

Save all of the policy information until the end of the call. After you have agreed on a time for the person to come down to the store, decide how much info you need to give. Lock, insurance and admin fees can be a great way to wrap up a call and help the person figure out exactly what needs to be done to get into your facility.

Go For the Hold

If the caller doesn’t need it for a while or can’t decide now:

“I understand you may not be ready. Why don’t you come down to see our facility? When you get there, tell them you talked to (your name)…. And if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call me.”

Close the Site Visit

“Is during the week a good time to come down or is the weekend better for you?

Quick Phrases:

It’s hard sometimes to make those oldies but goodies sound fresh. So try something new.

Here’s a few to get you started: (they will help you qualify your callers and build a rapport with them.)

“Have you ever rented with us before on Smith Street?”

“Have you ever rented storage before?”

“It sounds like you’ve rented storage before, have you?”

“Great, then you know how it all pretty much works.”

“As you know, a lot goes into storage. Here we have some great features like..”

“Will you need to rent a truck or do you already have transportation?”

“You know I’m not sure BUT I can find out and have the manager let you know.”

“Unfortunately, we don’t have any climate controlled units but if you can’t find any climate controlled units elsewhere, would you be willing to go with a standard unit?”

“Do you definitely need storage?”

“Do you think you may need storage in say a week or 2 weeks?”

“Have we ever had any break-ins? Not that I’m aware of. We do have excellent security to help prevent that from happening, but I can certainly double check with the store manager.”

“You need a 10x10? (yes) Well, a 10x10 stores the equivalent to the furnishings of a 1 bedroom apartment with major appliances. Does that sound like the 10x10 will work for you?”

“Most people tend to find that the 6am-9pm access is pretty flexible and works for them. Do you definitely need 24 hours access

Try some of these acknowledging phrases:

“No, unfortunately I do not but what I can do…”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear about that.”

“It must be really hectic for you right now.”

“Let’s see if I can make this a little easier for you.”

Control the call: How soon, What size…

Let me ask you 2 questions so I can give you the best price…

“How soon do you need storage so I can see if it is available?”

and

“Do you know what size you need, or can I help you figure that out?”

(If they give you a size – give them a visualization of size) – cc or standard if applicable

(If they don’t know – then ask what they’re storing and give 2 choices).

Go For the Hold:

“The best way I can be of service to us is to go ahead and place this on hold, what’s your first name?”

“And what’s your phone number so I can let the manager know I offered you the xyz special…?”

Go For the Reservation:

“Typically, we take a $___prepayment….”

Or Go For the Site Visit If No Credit Card Rez:

“I would suggest to come stop by and visit our store so you can get a better idea of sizes. Can you come in today or tomorrow? Morning or afternoon?”

“Sure I can help you with that”

The best little phrase you could ever master!

If you have a difficult caller

Ask yourself this…Did the caller have a bad day already before calling you?

§ Listen to their concerns and try to help them to the best of your ability.

§ Don’t take it personally.

§ Remain professional and ask open ended questions.

§ Take notes during the call so you can re-iterate to them later, what you thought you heard.

§ Try to understand their needs or anger by telling them you’ll see what you can do.

§ Show them that the company they are calling cares.

§ Do not be combative. Be concerned.

§ Ask probing questions so they can vent it out and lessen their concerns or anger.

§ Re-confirm what you thought they said so they know you’re listening.

§ Try to answer all of their questions to the best of your ability without hesitation.

§ If there are questions you cannot answer refer them to the store manager for a call back.

§ Sincerely apologize for inconveniences even if it is not your fault.

Keep in mind:

§ It probably wasn’t you if they were already mad when they called.

§ You may be just the person that they need to vent it out to.

§ Let them vent and then try to help them.

If all else fails:

§ Ask them, “If I get your name and number, I’d be happy for someone to give you a call back to answer your questions.”

§ Let them know that you don’t want to give them the wrong information and can certainly have a manger call them back.

If the caller is persistent to keep you on the phone and you have tried absolutely everything:

§ Ask them this… CAREFULLY … SINCERELY …. and with the appropriate TONE INFLECITON…“What would you like me to do for you?”

If at any point they say they want to speak to your supervisor or manager (and you have tried all of the above):

§ Tell them… CAREFULLY … SINCERELY …. And with the appropriate TONE INFLECITON…“Absolutely…. If you can hold on a minute, I’d be more than happy to.”

Do’s:

vBe prepared

vKnow your product

vThink Positive

vDevelop a rhythm-stick to it

vHave your own style

vUse the callers name throughout the call.

vTake brief notes of caller’s info.

vBuild a rapport thru acknowledgement

vSmile, be friendly and share a laugh

vBe sincere

vLead your caller and keep control of call

vBe direct and to the point

vMaintain control of the call

vCover one area at a time

vGet agreement in each area

vHelp them decide what’s best for them

vOffer choices and follow through

vBe confident and stay focused

vSell, sell, and sell some more

vRe-confirm what you thought they said

vOpenly give info in a positive manner

vAsk if there are any other questions

vThank them for calling

vAttract more bees with honey.

Don’ts:

vTry to match the speed of your caller

vGive too much information

vLet the caller lead you

vRush your caller

vTalk in circles

vBe pushy.

vMulti-task while on the phone

vInterrupt your caller

vMake the decisions yourself

vHesitate, especially when asking for hold

vLet the caller get you off track

vIgnore a caller’s concern

vLeave room for dead air

vBe confrontational

vMake assumptions

vBe afraid to apologize to your caller

vLet the caller off the phone without asking for a hold on a unit.

vGive up.

PhoneSmart is an off site sales force that supports self storage companies through its call center, secret shopping and sales training services. PhoneSmart’s parent company is StorageMart. StorageMart operates more than 55 self storage facilities in North America in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Illinois, Minnesota, Kansas, California and Alberta, Canada.

Door to Door- Company History

Sat, 20 Oct 2007 11:42:28 GMT

Door to Door- Company History

Founded in 1996 by Tim Riley, a first time entrepreneur Door to Door Storage and Moving containers were a hit from the start. Tim was a former Director of Marketing for Shurgard Self Storage, who saw a need for a change. The first Door to Door operations were and are based in Kent, Washington. Kent, Washington is located centrally between Seattle (north 18 miles) and Tacoma (south 18 miles). Door to Door Storage and Moving isn’t the only thriving business in Kent. Other corporations include, the Boeing Company, Starbucks Roasting Plant, Oberto Sausage Company, Flow International and more. In just 2 years, Door to Door had expanded to 4 other large cities and they currently have 22 service areas that serve major metropolitan areas. Door to Door is presently located in the states of; Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Denver, Orlando, Miami, Chicago and Dallas. These states combine to serve 3,600+ cities and neighborhoods. In 2001, Inc. Magazine rated Door to Door the 54th Fastest Growing Private Company in America. Door to Door Storage and Moving has the tag line, “You pack it up. We pick it up!” Door to Door Storage and Moving has about 280 employees across the country, with sales reaching over $40 million dollars. CEO is John Rogers, and VP of operations is Bill Simonson. Door to Door Storage and Moving currently holds 8 US Trademarks and 2 Canadian Trademarks.

Door to Door Storage and Moving claims to make the self storage industry different by making it less of a bother to folks who need storage. The idea of the Door to Door Storage and Moving business was to combine storage, moving, truck rental, and delivery into one. By providing containers that are delivered to the customers, the customer pack the container (up to a week at your residence) and then Door to Door picks the container up and stores it at a secure warehouse facility. This service from Door to Door Storage and Moving is great for the home or office setting when storage and moving is needed.

In 1999 Door to Door Moving Services was created to fill the need for a reliable long distance moving and full service moving businesses. Oftentimes in the larger cities, people rely on public transportation and don’t have personal vehicles, and many have never driven, let alone a large moving truck. Door to Door Storage and Moving recognized this need and structured its expansion to include the larger metropolitan areas of the country. Door to Door Moving services states they offer hassle free moving services to fit your needs. It compliments the original idea of the Door to Door Storage and Moving business and holds its own on growing.

Top competitors for Door to Door Storage and Moving are; Mobile Mini, PODS (portable on demand storage), Big Box Storage, and Smart Move. PODS is probably the most recognized name, founded in 1998 with 120,000 steal framed containers in use in the US, Canada and Australia. Smart Move uses hard plastic “vaults” called Smart Vaults and they each contain their own GPS system so tracking is not an issue. Smart Move is in about 35 states and 60 major metropolitan areas. Door to Door Storage and Moving states that compared to PODS and Mobile Mini they are the only ones who offer container covers and a breathable container. There was more competition within a year of the company being founded, companies like Shurgard Storage Centers and Public Storage jumped on the mobile storage container bandwagon. Currently, Shurgard and Public Storage are not in the mobile storage container business. Rather they scrapped the idea of mobile storage to concentrate on the traditional idea of self storage.

Door to Door Storage and Moving prides themselves on treating their employees with respect. This in turn, allows the Door to Door Storage and Moving employees to be proud associates of a business that they admire. Door to Door Storage and Moving employees are recruited from the best of the best and trained to exact specification of the Door to Door Storage and Moving principles. A “team” environment is very much encouraged to maintain the standards for Door to Door Storage and Moving.

Employment with Door to Door Storage and Moving involves being associated with other employees that want to make the business successful. It all boils down to training, educating, and providing each employee with the desire to thrive in a very competitive industry. Medical, dental, vision, long term disability, life insurance and a 401k plan are available for full time employees of Door to Door Storage and Moving. Also available are retirement plans, paid time off (vacation, holidays and sick time), and flexible spending accounts. Additional benefits for employees of Door to Door Storage and Moving include direct deposit, employee referral program and corporate discounts like; Lasik eye surgery, home ownership/refinancing, pet wellness plans and Nextel.

On the Door to Door Storage and Moving website you can find a lot of information about the company, storage, moving, boxes and supplies and more. Door to Door Storage and Moving in depth employment and career section is very positive and paints a nice picture of the Door to Door Storage and Moving Company.

As listed on the Door to Door Storage and Moving website, the company has many “statements” which are:

• Mission Statement- “Deliver smarter storage and moving solutions to homes and businesses.”

• Values Statement- “Serve others with integrity, care, reliability, and knowledge.”

• Vision Statement- “Become America’s #1 portable storage and moving provider.”

• Employee Statement- “Create a work environment built on support, professional growth and excellence.”

• Customer Statement- “Provide quality customer service worth recommending to friends.”

• Investor Statement- “Create value by building a great long-term company.”

Door to Door Storage and Moving and Door to Door Moving Services have proven to satisfy the niche that in the self storage industry that only mobile storage could fill. By constantly reviewing their systems and keeping their employees happy and trained, Door to Door Storage and Moving has a bright future in the self storage business.

While all this seems to paint a rosy picture of Door to Door Storage and Moving Services, please check with your local (if available) or statewide office to see if Door to Door Storage and Moving can transport your goods. Some disgruntled past Door to Door Storage and Moving customers expressed displeasure in Door to Door Storage and Moving not being able to deliver the packed storage containers to the customer’s new home address. In some areas, Door to Door Storage and Moving is also known as City to City Moving, which is a little funny if they can’t deliver to your city but claim to.

Door to Door Storage and Moving seems to have their act together as a whole but seem to lack in the availability of states and cities that can actually move to. By working on this, Door to Door Storage and Moving could make their business even better by growing out and not up. Technology may play into Door to Door Storage and Moving current business plan by adopting GPS tracking systems and scheduling procedures.

Natalie Thomas

Disclosure: All the respective names and trademarks belong to their respective owners. This website is in no way directly or indirectly associated with the respective owners of those trademarks. This website is not responsible for any potential inaccuracies. The articles and information found on our website are intended for informational and educational purposes only. Please consult all appropriate and applicable laws before making a decision.

Door to Door -- Locations

Sat, 20 Oct 2007 11:44:45 GMT

Door to Door Locations

Door to Door Storage and Moving services are listed on their fairly user friendly website. One of the first things I noticed when looking at the map of states available that have a Door to Door Storage and Moving business in that state was the randomness of states. It’s not like Door to Door Storage and Moving serves the North East or the Midwest, just random states throughout the country. “Here and there but not everywhere” should be Door to Door Storage and Moving new motto for availability of services that are currently offered in the United States.

Door to Door Storage and Moving services are NOT available in these states:

1. Nevada
2. New Mexico
3. Utah
4. Idaho
5. Montana
6. Wyoming
7. North Dakota
8. South Dakota
9. Rhode Island
10. Nebraska
11. Oklahoma
12. Iowa
13. Arkansas
14. Louisiana
15. Mississippi
16. Alabama
17. Tennessee
18. Connecticut
19. South Carolina
20. North Carolina
21. Kentucky
22. Indiana
23. Michigan
24. Wisconsin
25. West Virginia
26. New York
27. Maine
28. Vermont

Door to Door Storage and Moving IS available in these states (and Cities):

1. New Jersey- South Jersey (only city listed)
2. Ohio- Cincinnati (only city listed)
3. Pennsylvania- Philadelphia (only city listed)
4. New Hampshire (no cities specifically listed)
5. Alaska- Anchorage (only city listed)
6. Arizona- Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe
7. Delaware- Wilmington and Newark
8. Georgia- Atlanta (only city listed)
9. Massachusetts- Boston and New England
10. Missouri (no cities specifically listed)
11. Washington- Seattle (Puget Sound Area), Everett and Tacoma
12. California- Los Angeles (S. California and LA County), San Diego, San Francisco (Bay Area), Sacramento, San Jose, Palm Springs, San Bernardino, and Riverside
13. Colorado- Denver, Boulder, and Colorado Springs
14. Florida- Orlando, Miami, Ft Lauderdale, and Palm Beach
15. Illinois- Chicago and Central Illinois
16. Texas- Dallas, Ft Worth and Houston

If your city is not listed (which is highly likely) then the transportation company sometimes cannot deliver your containers directly to your home or business. Apparently, there are only certain “hubs” that can be delivered to and you will need to contact the company prior to making any concrete plans for your moving needs. These areas are called “black zones”, by Door to Door Storage and Moving and seem to be fairly prevalent. Currently 28 states do not have Door to Door Storage and Moving services as opposed to the 16 states that offer limited city services.

After compiling this list, it just doesn’t make much sense. Why just pick and choose random states, so of the states don’t connect. Having a general area of the country or states that connect would make the transportation part of Door to Door Storage and Moving easier. A few former customers brought up issues with Door to Door Storage and Moving not being able to bring the containers to the new location. Sometimes, not even close to the new location. One former customer had to travel about 100 miles to retrieve their containers. Be sure to do your homework when deciding to use Door to Door Storage and Moving so you know upfront whether or not they will be able to service your new area. Another issue brought up was that whatever the website claimed as “convenient” for the customer was really only convenient for Door to Door Storage and Moving, in this case, the actual placement of the storage containers in the customers driveway. It was easy for Door to Door Storage and Moving but became a problem for the customer. In this huge world it is hard to please all the people all of the time but statements made are just that, and a company that makes said statement should try and live up to them. One former Door to Door Storage and Moving customer claims that the shipping of the containers for their home was over $1000 dollars and while they didn’t have to rent a truck, they would have saved a lot of money by moving the more traditional way. Again, do your homework.

You can request a quote online at the Door to Door Storage and Moving website and it seemed easy enough to follow. There is even advertising for a 25% coupon off of your first month if you request a quote online. I put in my local zip code and the site let me know that service was not currently available in my area but to check back soon. Even though Missouri is listed on the site as states that have Door to Door Storage and Moving services they are not available in my city. (This happens to be centrally located between St Louis and Kansas City on the major interstate of I-70) Our town is not considered a large metropolitan area; it has been a major thoroughfare for trucking, shipping, and traveling across the state of Missouri. Maybe Door to Door Storage and Moving should consider putting one of their businesses here in Columbia, Missouri. With all the college students moving here and back every year Door to Door Storage and Moving could stand to gain some business in this part of the state. Many of the college students come from the state and more specifically St. Louis and Kansas City, which already have Door to Door Storage and Moving in their cities. Parents and kids could load a container and have it delivered to college without Dad having to rent a truck and tow it behind the family mini van.

In future growth for Door to Door Storage and Moving, it would be recommended that they establish themselves and saturate the market first in local areas of a city (just pick one to start) and then expand to include the rest of the state. By doing this, Door to Door Storage and Moving will be able to provide more customers with more options when it comes to moving, storage and business moving and storage needs. There are hardly any inaccessible areas populated by people in the US and Door to Door Storage and Moving needs to take advantage of this. If Door to Door Storage and Moving current transportation companies that they hire out cannot meet the needs of delivering containers to smaller cities, outlying areas and sometimes remote locations then perhaps Door to Door Storage and Moving should start their own transportation company to allow all people to use their services. There is a small trend of those folks who are taking the less traveled path and not relocating to the bigger cities. The internet has made it possible for many occupations to set up offices at home, and sometimes that home can be outside a major city. Being flexible and open to new ideas will help Door to Door Storage and Moving improve their services and offerings to allow more people to discover what a good alternative to the traditional storage dilemma is. Offering people choices that are dependable, flexible and cost effective goes a long way in any business. But by remaining inflexible Door to Door Storage and Moving will not be able to grow and get their name out their in the big world of storage and moving.

Natalie Thomas

Door to Door-- Specialties

Sat, 20 Oct 2007 11:47:11 GMT

Door to Door Storage and Moving is taking the self storage world by the horns with the introduction of mobile storage containers and offering a moving service. If you have never heard of “mobile storage” don’t fret, it is a simple idea that involves Door to Door Storage and Moving Company bringing a storage container to your home or place of business. The plywood containers measure about 8x5x7 (inside dimensions are 58” x 92” x 77”) and are easy for Door to Door Storage and Moving to store them in their secure warehouse. The containers sit about 4 inches above the ground allowing air to circulate around the container. The Door to Door Storage containers are capable of holding about 2,000 lbs and are made with materials that allow the container to breath and not collect moisture inside the container. By reducing the chance for moisture to accumulate inside the containers, your items stay mold free and odor free. High standards of pest control in all of the Door to Door Storage and Moving warehouses insure pest free containers delivered back to you.

Mobile Storage containers while not a new idea for self storage have still proven a valuable option to those who do not think traditional self storage will work for them. There are several reasons you might choose Door to Door Storage mobile storage containers for your self storage needs, they are:

• Reasonably priced, No truck rental and your time is saved also.
• Handle your items only once, you pack the container and unpack it when you are ready. No packing the car, packing the storage unit, packing the car, unpacking the car to get you items back to your home or office.
• All containers conveniently picked up at your home or office.
• Rental Truck hassle is gone. You don’t have to worry about renting a truck, driving the truck, filling the truck with a lot of gas, parking and storing a truck packing and unpacking the truck, returning the truck in the original condition.
• After you are done packing your containers you lock them, keeping the key and no one else has access to them. As an added security measure, Door to Door Storage and Moving place a tamper proof seal on each one of the containers so you know your items are safe.
• All of our Door to Door Storage containers are stored in our secure, commercial manned warehouse, reducing the events of theft and damage to your personal belongings. We have never had an issue with break ins or fire at any of our warehouses in the history of our business.
• Our Door to Door Storage containers may stay at your home or office for up to a week allowing you to take your time packing and securing your items.

Door to Door Moving Services is a service that Door to Door Storage and Moving started to help with the problematic moving businesses that were already established. Each one of the Door to Door Storage and Moving containers described above can hold about 1 to 1 ½ rooms of stuff. Because it is sometimes hard to gauge how many containers you will need, Door to Door Storage and Moving recommends that you over order on the containers being delivered to you and then you are only charged with the containers you actually use. Because people need to store their sofas, beds, washer and dryers and everything else that comes in a house, it’s important to be able to get these items arranged and stored properly. Door to Door Storage and Moving uses common carriers to move your containers long distance. Because these carriers already run on scheduled routes, your items can be tracked and delivered to you when you need them Here are some reasons why you should let Door to Door Storage and Moving, move your items instead of renting a moving truck;

• The travel alone can be expensive and many families do not want to pack the whole gang in a moving truck and haul it across the country. Hotel stays, eating on the road and time off from work are just a few items Door to Door Storage and Moving can save you.
• Once you decide to use Door to Door Storage and Moving you will not have to worry about getting all your friends and relatives over to help you pack a large and sometimes cumbersome moving truck.
• Possible repairs, accidents and breakdowns of the rental truck that could run you into extra unneeded expenses for your family or business.
• Cost of Gasoline for a moving truck. Need I say more? It’s hard enough to fill the family car with gas let alone a huge moving truck that doesn’t get great gas mileage and has a huge gas tank.
• The total cost of your move is given to you upfront, that way you can plan you budget accordingly. No hidden costs or last minute adjustments made. Door to Door Storage and Moving gives you your moving estimate before anything is moved.

Door to Door Storage and Moving can even provide a 3 hour window of delivery for your containers to your new long distance address. This statement has been challenged more than once on the internet. Statements that state Door to Door Storage and Moving isn’t very flexible and drops the containers where it is convenient for them. Door to Door Storage and Moving also had moving solutions for businesses in the need of transportation of their offices.

Another service Door to Door Storage and Moving offers is the ordering of moving and packing supplies and boxes. Door to Door Storage and Moving uses www.allboxes.com to help their customers with their packing and box needs. www.allboxes.com sells the basic moving and packing supplies and even offers package deals to accommodate households of all sizes. Accessories include; tape, labels, tape guns, markers, mattress bags, locks and more. Protective packing materials include; bubble wrap, newsprint, dish kits, stretch wrap, blankets and more. All sizes and types of boxes needed for packing and moving are available on the www.allboxes.com website. Their boxes can be purchased individually or by the bunch. Buying by the bunch will save you a few extra dollars.

Door to Door Storage and Moving can be a great alternative for those businesses needing document storage. The large breathable containers can hold about 60 file boxes and like their other services, can drop off containers to your business for loading. The containers are stored in the same manner as the regular storage containers, in a large secured, pest free warehouse. Door to Door Storage and Moving service seems ideal for small to medium businesses but not for those businesses that need regular access to their files. While Door to Door Storage and Moving can schedule regular access, it’s not just available like a traditional self storage site would be. A two hour notice is needed for unscheduled access to Door to Door Storage and Moving containers. This option may not work for all businesses needing immediate access to important legal, medical or personal documentation that must be immediately accessed.

Natalie Thomas

Move, Inc. Company

Sat, 20 Oct 2007 12:45:07 GMT

Move, Inc. formally known as Homestore, Inc (or RENTNET and HomeBuilder.com) claims to provide clients with help concerning moving, real estate, home planning, finance and more throughout the complete moving process. President Allan Dalton heads up the Move, Inc Company based out of Westlake Village, California. Chairman, Joe F. Hanauer and CEO and Director W. Michael Long are the other key players for the Move, Inc. team. The Move, Inc. website claims to helping Internet consumers for the last ten years by being the “official site of the National Association of REALTORS. The Move, Inc website is very involved and very busy. It is east to get sidetracked when moving about the site. There is much information on the Move, Inc.site that is available to look at. Move, Inc website offers quite a few press release stories to browse and while I didn’t browse all of them they painted a very positive picture of the Move, Inc. The flashy site for Move, Inc would take days to navigate so be aware of what you want to search for so you don’t get lost in the abyss. Money is definitely a backer on the Move, Inc. site, with many large corporations dealing in the above-mentioned categories posting large banner ads and click-on ads. The Move, Inc boasts 3 million listings in the home and rental categories. Annual sales are listed at about 292.2 million and employ close to 1,700 people. Currently Move, Inc holds about 33 US Trademarks, 25 Canadian Trademarks and 7 Canadian Patents. Move, Inc has about 6.5 million users in one months time.

At the first page of the Move, Inc. site you can click on the topics: Homes, New Homes, Rentals, Home Finance, Moving and Home and Garden. The three tabs of Homes, New Homes and Rentals pull down a brief information about what type of home or rental you are looking for including area and your spending price. The Home Finance tab takes you to a new page where you can find information about credit reports, financing, mortgages and home equity. There are a couple of “calculators’ to help you figure out what price range home you might be able to afford. Along with tips, tools and articles, Move, Inc rounds out this section with the same large amount of information. The moving tab has a snazzy video of lady introducing the Move, Inc services. Information on this page includes car moving, self storage, moving trucks, insurance, home security, moving and storage supplies and more. Lastly, the Home and Garden section is something straight off of HGTV. Gardening, organizing, painting, home maintenance, decorating are just some of the information that is area provides. The Home and Garden part of the Move, Inc. was very interesting and offered some great ideas for free. It had current, trendy, traditional and helpful information to use.

The Move, Inc website is jammed packed with more information than the average person needs when inquiring about home buying, senior living, gardening or home insurance. But can a website be too complicated? Move, Inc aims to be your one stop web site for all things moving, storage, home buying and more. If Move, Inc. can have all your Internet attention, then they hope you won’t go to another website. Move, Inc. even has a section for professionals and real estate agents to go to, along with advertising opportunities within the site.

Move, Inc has a strong Alexa ranking at 13,128 but remains on a slow steady decline of hits in the last 6 months. Most of Move, Inc users were accessing this site from the United States. The biggest competition I could find is a company called Zillow. When doing a search about Zillow, many sites have something to say and it wasn’t all good. Zillow says that they are “Your edge in Real Estate.” They blow Move, Inc out of the water with an Alexa ranking of 2,525.

The Move, Inc. site map is a complex page of information containing these titles, sub titles and helpful hints and tips:

Property Listings Search
Homes For Sale (4sub categories, 2 tips)
Apartments and Rentals (6 sub categories, 9 tips)
Senior Housing (5 sub categories, 5 tips)
Home and Garden (4 sub categories)
Corporate Information (15 sub categories)
New Homes (6 sub categories, 8 tips)
Browse Property Listings
Home Finance (5 sub categories, 7 tips)
Moving and Storage (5 sub categories, 8 tips)
Move Network (11 sub categories, 2 tips)

Additional websites on Move, Inc. :

REALTOR.com- has the same general feel that the Move, Inc. website had. The information is trimmed down and not as overwhelming as the Move, Inc. website. Information for the new home, apartment, condo and the real estate agent are here. This is the official site for National Association for Realtors.

WelcomeWagon.com- I remember the “Welcome Wagon” from when I was a kid, a lady would come to your new home with a basket full of stuff from your new town or city. Now, a crisp website directs you information about your new community and surrounding areas. Dining, school and your new city information are available in a few clicks.

Moving.com- again a “mini-me” of the Move, Inc. website that offers moving, home information and more, not as involved or busy as the Move, Inc. website.

SeniorHousingNet.com- specializes in senior housing, assisted living, basic health information, estate planning and more. There is some good information on the SeniorHousingNet.com sight for seniors looking for housing and homes in a community or supervised settings. Not to mention some basic health tips and information seniors should know about growing older.

HomePlans.com- has information about home building and planning. Special topics include kitchen plans and small house plans. The HomePlans.com shares some of its favorite housing plans whether you are building new, adding on, remodeling or just dreaming about a new home.

FactoryBuiltHousing.com- contains information about the manufactured housing industry and guides uses to find the appropriate pre-made or manufactured home to fit your needs. The FactoryBuiltHousing.com site can help with a new home or manufactured homes for sale in your area or a new area that you might be moving to.

Move, Inc. definitely has the money to spend on websites, and the more websites and more keywords you have the more people that will come to your various sites and perhaps use your business. Move, Inc. also can spend the money on technology and their web site because of the large amount of advertisers on each of their sites. By spreading out a lot of information over one large and several smaller websites Move, Inc is casting a net across the Internet to draw in visitors and hopefully potential customers to their sites. Add in some outside banner ads and other high dollar advertisers who gladly pay for the face time on a website that has a lot of traffic and the sites are more than paying for themselves. Now if Move, Inc could borrow a little of Zillow’s magic (whatever that is) and business sense, they could improve their numbers even more, Internet numbers that is. Seems both Move, Inc. and Zillow are pretty proud of their businesses and it shows.

Natalie Thomas