How to Partner with the Apartment Community

How to Partner with the Apartment Community as a Supplier

Learning how to build strong relationships is essential to success and entering the multifamily industry as a supplier is very intimidating. Below are a few key members of GNAA who have volunteered to give to give their perspective and advice on how to partner with apartment communities. 

“My whole approach to partnerships as a supplier is interpersonal connections. Getting to know someone as an individual first, and being able to build up a relationship of camaraderie and trust is essential to being able to have a successful business relationship. That strong foundation allows for the highest levels of collaboration, optimization, and makes it a joy to do your work each and every day. My confidence on a personal level only enhances my confidence professionally, so I'm able to bring our building partners the best version of our product and the best version of myself.

-Lexi Johnson, Nashville Account Manager, Apt Amigo, Inc.

My whole approach to partnerships as a supplier is interpersonal connections. Getting to know someone as an individual first, and being able to build up a relationship of camaraderie and trust is essential to being able to have a successful business relationship. That strong foundation allows for the highest levels of collaboration, optimization, and makes it a joy to do your work each and every day. My confidence on a personal level only enhances my confidence professionally, so I'm able to bring our building partners the best version of our product and the best version of myself.”

-Maria Williams, Owner, Floors First Nashville

“There really isn't a secret recipe in my approach to partnering with property management personnel.  Personal industry experience, product supply, price, and a great supporting cast are all aspects that have helped me build relationships with customers. But focusing on the customer and the customer experience is genuinely how I approach every relationship. How can I serve them today? I try to put myself in their shoes, think about how we can best provide a solution, and help them in any way that I can. I understand that what I do to support the property staff, ultimately supports the residents. And if we can help keep residents happy, its much easier for everyone on site.”

-Shane Gates, Territory Sales Manager, Chadwell Supply

Partnering with apartment communities is very important to your business. Sponsoring luncheons, budget camps, resident events, assisting with charity drives etc. shows that you care about the community and it is not just about profit. It also shows that you value them as a partner and they are not just a customer. I recommend all suppliers to partner with apartment communities as much as possible. 

-DJ Arbogast, Account Manager, Artisent Floors

Southwest Utility Solutions exists for a simple reason; we exist to bring value to our clients.  The multifamily industry is built and sustained by the value that owners, investors, and property management teams bring to the table.  We are focused on taking apartment communities to the next level so they can focus on building the best, most sustainable, and most profitable community. To do this, we first build a relationship with the community/management company to learn more about current solutions, pain points, and utility management goals.  We then review the current billing setup (if any) to ensure all recoverable utilities are being billed and are using the best methods for recovery, including often overlooked line items on utility bills that can be billed back to the resident.  We review all scheduled billing charges and fees being billed to residents to see if any improvements can be made to aid recovery and increase the ancillary income.  We will also review how the communities are processing and paying utility bills, as we can not only do this for them, but we audit each bill to look for any billing irregularities and work with the local utility on the community’s behalf to have bills corrected. We stand out from our competition by keeping our clients and their needs at the forefront of everything we do, including custom reporting as needed and taking sustainability a step further with conservation reviews and implementation of water-reducing measures.  We limit the internal contacts our clients have to one or two people and always return phone calls and emails within 24 hours, most of the time within just a few hours. We have also worked hard to eliminate the most significant pain point for many clients switching to Southwest Utility Solutions by eliminating arrears billing and having the ability to have a new property billing within days of closing.  We believe authentic relationships are the most crucial part of the supplier/client relationship and use this belief to drive all aspects of our business.

-Christina Race, Vice President of Solutions, Southwest Utility Solutions

Another great way to receive even more help is by participating in our GNAA Mentorship Program. Fill out the submission form on  GNAA Mentorship Program - Greater Nashville Apartment Association and a GNAA member will get in touch with you!