Make Your BalkingRelationship
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GO GREEN page 32

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X

"I was really impressed with
the whole Village Green corn-
pany," Ms. Kuschmann said. "I
think management in retail
downsizes your role so much,
but here they make you feel im-
portant. I can see a future with
the company."
In fact, boosting employee
confidence and morale is one of
the main goals of UVG.
"I think there's nothing
worse than setting someone up
for failure," Ms. Steeg said. "I
think you set them up for fail-
ure if you don't train them."
At the University of Village
Green, classes last a week, af-
ter which graduates receive a
framed diploma. During class-
es, students learn — through
hands-on training — the pa-
perwork and operational poli-
cies their job demands.
Role-playing activities teach
students marketing techniques
and the sales process. One of
the best tools to use when try-
ing to lease an apartment is in-
formation. UVG professors
stress the importance of know-
ing grandiose and mundane
facts about the residences and
surrounding areas.
'What's the temperature in
January? Where are the
schools? Who asphalted your
driveway? Can I bring my rep-
tile? You need to know these
things because people ask the
strangest questions," Ms. Steeg
told her class.
The students also learn that
Village Green is a market-dri-
ven company. That means that
employees must always be
aware of their local competitors
and the economy at large.
Leasing consultants and
managers are strongly encour-
aged to stay well-apprised of
the news: Know when the real
estate market is foundering;
know when the apartment
complex down the road has a
one-month-free deal going; vis-
it them disguised as an apart-
ment hunter and cue in on their

going rates and marketing tech-
niques.
And, most important, treat
potential Village Green resi-
dents with respect and enthu-
siasm.
"We want to sell a lifestyle to
everyone who walks in our
doors," Ms. Steeg said. "All
apartment buildings have ba-
sically the same four walls.
Why are we different?
"Presentation. The way we
clean it. Everything that makes
what's inside those four walls
different — including you. We
want you to be upbeat. Energy
{does} sell apartments."
UVG Chief Executive Officer
Terry Schwartz says the school
helps to teach workers the com-
pany's philosophy. He says it
also creates consistency in man-
agement and service through-
out its properties in the nine
states.

Christina Steeg

"Since our programs have
gotten more extensive, em-
ployee turnover has gone
down," he said. "First of all, peo-
ple want to stay in this busi-
ness. Secondly, people realize
we're making a commitment to
them and they make a com-
mitment to us."
All right. So UVG doesn't
have a football team. No mas-
cot. No fight song. That doesn't
mean there's any dearth of
school spirit.
"I have faith in the compa-
ny," said student Katherine
Kuschmann. [i]