We were lucky to catch up with Shana Hill recently and have shared our conversation below.

Shana, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Taking care of customers isn’t just good business – it is often one of the main reasons folks went into business in the first place. So, we’d love to get a conversation going around how to best help clients feel appreciated – maybe you can share something you’ve done or seen someone do that’s been really effective at helping a customer feel valued?
Our customers make our business and we are in a service industry. Every year we make it a point to send a hand written Christmas card in the mail to our clients and vendors with a photograph of our family with the inscription “from our real estate family to yours.” We want our clients to know the other members of our family and who they are supporting when they choose us to represent them in a transaction. In our digital world, it a treat to receive a handwritten card in the mail – especially from your asset manager!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Evan Howell and Shana Hill represent Evan Howell Properties and we provide portfolio management for residential and commercial property owners in the Greater Houston area. Evan and Shana are a father daughter team and this is what makes us distinctly different than other companies. As family, we are in constant communication about what is beneficial for the properties we manage and how we can solve a problem. Everything established in their daily real estate tasks has also been practiced in their own real estate portfolios. For instance, with the quick onset of the 2021 freeze and in an valiant effort to protect the largest amount of assets properly the company reached out to the tenants of 250 units managed and provided a $25 rent credit for everyone that successfully insulated their exterior water spigots. To provide proof of the completed tasks, residents were then encourage to share their pictures on Evan Howell Properties facebook page. This action resulted far fewer damaged pipes and instilled a level of competition and ownership among residents!

How do you keep your team’s morale high?
Write everything down. Whether your team is one, two or three people documented procedures and written communication help everyone. If you establish something verbally on the phone, ensure that a text message or email is also sent so that other team members in the discussion.

Consider regular lunches or socials with your team where you discuss topics that are not work related so your team has the opportunity to get to know you better. This helps with morale and helps team members feel valued.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Facebook, google and yelp our the main platforms we utilize in our business, Reach out to anyone that you have provided a service for, past and present. Ask them if they had a positive experience and encourage them to complete a review for you so that others can also connect with you. Let them know how important it is to have reviews as a small business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://evanhowell.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EvanHowellProperties/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/evan-howell-properties-houston-3