The Truth About Opt-Out

In this episode of The Crane Property Management Podcast, Peter Lohmann and Mark Brower tackle growth challenges, sales ethics, and fee transparency. Peter shares how his company recently hit 750 doors and entered what ProfitCoach calls the "trough of sorrow", a profitability dip that occurs between 750 and 1,000 doors. Mark reveals his company actually shrank from 620 to 540 doors while becoming more profitable, sparking a discussion about whether door count is the right metric for success.They discuss:Why hiring and managing managers requires a different skill set than managing frontline staff, and how A players pay for themselves through higher profits and better team structureCold calling tactics in the property management industry, including when persistence crosses into deception and how to approach peer-to-peer outreach ethicallyThe opt-in versus opt-out debate around resident benefit programs, inspired by a class action lawsuit against Entrata over mandatory rent reporting feesHow emotional momentum in the rental process affects consumer choice, and why disclosure timing matters more than most operators realizeThis episode offers practical insights for property managers navigating the tension between growth, profitability, and ethical business practices.Topics:(00:00:00) - Intro(00:01:40) - The trough of sorrow at 750 doors(00:04:06) - Hiring and managing managers(00:08:35) - Why A players are free(00:11:48) - Cold calling ethics and tactics(00:17:10) - Defining what counts as a lie(00:18:05) - Getting past gatekeepers peer to peer(00:21:00) - Opt-in versus opt-out resident fees(00:22:50) - Good profits versus bad profits(00:28:56) - The emotional momentum problemPeter Lohmann:• ⁠LinkedIn⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pslohmann/• ⁠Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/pslohmann• ⁠Website⁠: https://www.peterlohmann.com/• ⁠Crane⁠ – Private PM Owner Community: https://www.joincrane.co/Mark Brower: • ⁠LinkedIn⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markbrower/• ⁠Twitter / X: https://x.com/markbrower14