Sound Bites and Snapshots

From left to right: Cushman & Wakefield's, former president Lou Mantia
and BOMA/NY Executive Director Bobbi McGowan, CAE bookend their
spouses, Jessica and Paul

Customer Loyalty Tips from Down Under

"Amazing" customer service is now the expectation, said Peter Merrett of JLL’s leader of customer experiences, who had just arrived from Australia. He recommended spending time with your team to "see how you’re setting them up for happiness." Channeling Walt Disney, he stated that happy crews make for happy customer experiences. And ask yourself key questions, he recommended, such as what are you doing to make customers feel truly appreciated? Do you thank your team personally? Questions like this will improve tenant satisfaction rates, higher rental rates and a better workplace environment, he concluded.

BOMA’s Energy Contracting Toolkit

Launched in 2008, the BOMA Energy Performance Contracting (BEPC) model was created to reflect new and emerging best practices by providing an overall, conceptual framework, and supporting template documents, to help owners and managers develop and execute investment-grade, energy efficiency retrofits that enhance asset value.

The BEPC model also works with funding sources, including Property Assessed Clean Energy programs.

Since the launch, BEPC has been put to work in 20 cities on five continents and their best practices are now included in the model. During the recession, top owners still made upgrades, but usually went for low cost items. Today they are making major capital investments in equipment upgrades.

The BEPC toolkit helps simplify investment decisions and is designed to provide transparency on pricing and performance expectations. Go towww.boma.org for more information.

Women Professionals Trade Secrets of Success

The organizers expected only about 30 women to show up for a breakfast session tailored for women in commercial real estate, but 200 packed the room to listen to and share best practices on issues affecting women in the industry today.

Much of the advice was solid business advice for any arena, and here is a sampling of some of the most resonant remarks:

Live and work your passion
Life is short; do what makes your heart sing

Promote and maintain a high level of inspired curiosity

Always aspire to do things better

Have a vision that brings value to your company and your career

Convey who you want to be -- make your "brand" consistent across all platforms
To help you formulate your ideas...think about your "elevator" pitch—who you are and how you can create value

Women-only advice? Being heard is still difficult in a male-dominated field. Advisers recommended that women speak in a strong confident voice -- but also listen and collaborate. Prepare well for meetings. And be aware that when women hear "no," they think, "never." Not necessarily, the coaches counseled. The "no" might relate to time, budget or some other variable at this particular time, but it doesn't mean you can't ask again.

BOMA/NY
http://www.bomany.org/