When you inherit your grandmother’s dining room set and your great uncle’s toy car collection, you might need additional storage to house your newly acquired belongings. But where should they go? You may think that all self-storage facilities are created equal, but that’s just not the case, according to Chris Poholek of Space Max Storage, a secure storage facility in Atlanta. In fact, there are enough product updates in the industry that educating yourself on what’s out there and what’s available will help you make a knowledgeable decision about your storage options.
For instance, door alarms are an up and coming trend. These can be installed on the door to your storage unit. If you try to push the door open without punching in the pre-determined code, the alarm will sound. An alternate option for that, which Space Max Storage has, is an advanced camera system, which is recommended for any storage facility.
Another product on the market is a kiosk which functions like an ATM. You can go to a self-storage facility and nobody has to be behind the desk to service you in-person. Customers can go up to the kiosk and come out with rental contracts. The potential downside of this is that the company employees aren’t able to see the customers face-to-face, which means that they can’t be legitimized or validated as customers. This can be a potential risk, as you don’t want to rent to people who are going to pose a threat to the other tenants.
Another trend that’s changed across industries and markets is the way in which business is advertised. When Poholek and his colleagues initially entered the storage industry, one of the main routes by which companies found customers was through the phone book. Believe it or not, the other way in which companies flagged down customers was a matter of chance when people drove by on their way to work or home. Now, the answer to all advertising questions is the Internet (well, almost all questions).
But storage can’t be advertised like other products. Self-storage in Atlanta is a matter of fact; either you need storage or you don’t. You can’t entice someone to use storage if he doesn’t really need it, Poholek insists. That’s why the luck-of-the-draw drive by consideration still is so important. Because unless you’re experiencing a major life change – like a relative passing away, a significant inheritance, or a move - you likely don’t need storage. But then, when you do need it, you may jog your memory and ask yourself, “Where is that storage place? Oh right, I can picture it now.”