A lot of office tenants find themselves with more than a few empty offices that they want to sublease to offset their rent obligations. This is a good idea if your lease allows it (most do.) But there is a bit of flair involved if you want to get a response to your ad.
The first is, understand your competition. That is a pretty standard rule for any type of sales, of course. So who is your competition? Well other office tenants in your trade area that are trying to find someone to fill a few offices, of course. But the real competition is the executive suite and coworking operators. Think Regus, Premier, Barrister, and WeWork.
The key therefore to getting people to call on your offering is to differentiate yourself from the executive suites. Appeal to the small independent professional who doesn’t need all of the ancillary services that executive suites offer, like mail sorting, phone answering, and a corporate environment with a big, elegant lobby.
I helped a client of mine create their ad. I coached them to price the private window offices and the furnished workstations they had available significantly below the executive suite operators in the area. I also told them to emphasize the small, friendly atmosphere of their office and several of its features, one of which was a small kitchen. I had one suggestion: after “Small kitchen” I suggested they add “FREE COFFEE!!!” Being charged for every cup of coffee at many of the executive suites is a major complaint from people that rent space at those facilities. With a little bit of friendly humor and a wink, they addressed – and answered – that complaint.
If your audience has a beef, make sure you get to the meat of the matter.