Not too long ago, The Urbane Way Founder Eric Brown wrote about the benefits of an apartment leasing office opening early in the day and staying open late. The fact is, people don’t do their business from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., when most apartment community offices are open, anymore. We do our banking, our movie rentals, our grocery shopping around the clock, and sometimes at the touch of a finger.
Now, there’s even more argument for the benefits of having your apartment community — or whatever business you run — open early. As this story explains, some experts agree, and research supports, that if you want to get more done, you need to get to the office on the early side.
Confession: I’m an early bird, and I always have been. I’m the one who’s waiting for the lifeguard to open the pool at 6 a.m. Growing up, my dad and I would share a big pot of oatmeal before school, while my mother and sister continued to hit their snooze buttons. I love the feeling that accomplishing things early in the morning gives me — knowing that’s it’s only 9 a.m., for example, and I’ve already exercised, tidied up the kitchen, taken the dogs for a walk, and prepped dinner for later that day.
As the story explains, that’s a good thing — getting the momentum going early. More likely than not, it will lead to more successes as the day goes on.
But, enough about my schedule. How does this affect business? Well, first of all, there’s more to leasing than just giving people tours. There’s an incredible amount of work that goes on behind the scenes, such as lining up contractors, updating web sites, and the like. If you get your office to a good start early on, that productivity will likely be contagious.
Plus, if you’re open at, say, 8 a.m., you’ll take advantage of all those other morning people who may need to schedule a meeting before work. I’m always thrilled when I can schedule a doctor’s appointment before work — my orthopedist takes patients as early as 7 a.m. once a week! Think about the rental possibilities from opening early. Even in our case, we do get the occasional person coming in at 8 a.m. in their office clothes.
What do you think? Do early hours benefit your employees, your clients, and your business?
The Urbane Way specializes in social media marketing and PR and lifestyle branding. Follow writer Kristin Lukowski on Twitter.
Image courtesy of Eric Kilby via Flickr
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