Real estate experts speaking at a marketing conference in California told Mutli-Housing News that making prospect phone calls is a vital method to getting people to sign rental lease agreements at apartments.

Patty Morgan Seager, principal of Seager Marketing, told MHN that while statistics have proven prospect calls have had a positive impact on turning leads into tenants, the real key to doing so isn't the call itself, but rather personalizing each call.

"If I have a great phone interaction with you, I'm four times more likely to lease with you if I show up as a result of setting a specific time to visit," she explained to the source. "You made me feel like I mattered to you."

However, while making these calls can be a good way to get people to rent apartments, some analysts told the source that hiring the right people to make those calls is important.

Tina Makssour, vice president of performance for Alliance Residential, told the source sales associates should listen as much as they talk during prospect calls.