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Don’t Just Think Outside of the Box, Get a New Box!
By Kris Moore, Director, Palm Desert Offices

We have all heard that you are only as good as your competition; however I don’t think this could be further from the truth. Don’t get me wrong, I do think it is good to know what your competition is doing but I would advise against comparing yourself to them.  Many times we look to see what others around us are doing and offering, but we fail to see what we are doing and how we are setting ourselves apart from the competition, rather than making ourselves more like them. Your business has a very unique attribute that your competition doesn’t have—YOU! Simply by being unique, true to yourself and your brand, you already have an advantage over your competition.

When looking for inspiration, I challenge you not to just look outside your box, rather to get a new box! There is inspiration everywhere and it is yours for the taking. I am fortunate in Arizona to be amidst many luxury resorts, restaurants, spas and sporting venues. In my free time I like to go spend time in these types of places soaking up the environment and trying to deconstruct how they get people to spend millions of dollars without even batting an eye. Many people assume that there is not a lot of thought behind it, but I assure you they couldn’t be more wrong. Hundreds of hours of planning, plotting and brainstorming goes into making these places seem effortless.

No matter where you live, there is somewhere that you love to go on special occasions and celebrations. What about that place makes you willing to spend more money than you would on any other night? Does it smell great when you first enter the building? Is the lighting just right? Perhaps it is the décor or do they have truly fantastic music playing? Whatever it may be, think about it, put your own spin on it, and infuse it into your business center. By creating a space that isn’t like any other in your market, you are instantly setting yourself ahead of the competition, and your future prospects will notice and remember you.

I must say, in our business we come up with the best ideas after one of us has been traveling. Upon our return, we spend time discussing our favorite experiences from our getaway and how we can improve our business because of that experience. Many of our tenants think that we are just talking about our trip, but little do they know we are actually improving upon their experience in our office, and thus our brand!

At Palm Desert Offices we have done just this by taking our “Office by the Hour” to the next level for our virtual tenants.  We have created what we call our “Office in a Box.”

Here's how it works:

• Our virtual tenants rent our beautifully appointed office by the hour for the entire day. 
• We actually decorate the office for their day with their own personal items that they give us to keep here in our office storage when not in use.  (This clear plastic box usually contains family photos, awards, business cards, letterhead, and name plates.)
• Upon booking the office for the day, we stage the office for them with the items provided.
• We even go as far as putting their name plate outside the door to give it the finishing personal touches of that particular client.

What are the benefits for the business center?

• We charge a premium for them to book the space for the day.
• It brings in additional revenue by the photocopies, long distance and other amenities that they use while in the office.
• It leaves a favorable impression on the visitors of our virtual client because the tasteful way in which the office is appointed.
• It is a great way to introduce our existing virtual tenants to the idea of how easy it is to have a full time physical office to work in all day, and how much they can accomplish.

In the daily operations of running Palm Desert Offices, the best compliment that we can receive is when a person walks into our lobby and says, “This doesn’t feel like any office I have been to before”.   I must say our entire team lights up because we are proud of the unique environment that we have created.  

Kris Moore is the Director of Palm Desert Offices located in Avondale, Arizona. Kris@palmdesertoffices.com.

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Executive Suite Success Archive:

Volume I, Issue 1 (Feb 2010)
Volume I, Issue 2 (May/June 2010)
Volume I, Issue 3 (Sept 2010)
Volume I, Issue 4 (Dec/Jan 2011)
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