The natural formation of the country is the soldier’s best ally; but a power of estimating the adversary,of controlling the forces of victory, and of shrewdly calculating difficulties, dangers and distances, constitutes the test of a great general.
How do we discover the ‘natural formation of the country’? How do we visualize the battleground of neighborhoods we have never seen?
Google Maps Street View
If every great general throughout time had the advantage of satellite imagery what future would we be living in? What a grand time you live in, my generals, that you can see the land prior to the combat. Let Street View be your guide. If the block looks hostile during the day do not engage the enemy at night. If there are a number of people kids hanging out in front of the building, show the apartment before the kids get out of school.
He who knows these things, and in fighting puts his knowledge into practice, will win his battles. He who knows them not, nor practices them, will surely be defeated.
If you are a general then who are your soldiers? The spaces you are trying to lease are your soldiers. An able general has the ability to insulate his soldiers from defeat by understanding when and how to utilize his inventory. An under-market value apartment may not look the best. It may be lacking in critical features. It may not be in the best neighborhood. But there is great value in saving the tenant money. Sell that value. Forget about what it lacks and sell the savings. Paint pictures of what the client would be able to buy with the money.
If we know that the enemy is open to attack, but are unaware that our own men are not in a condition to attack, we have gone only halfway towards victory.
Even if we have sold the client on the value we may still not win the battle. If you tell the client to meet you on the corner near the building and further down the block someone is getting arrested for drug possession, the deal is most likely dead. If your client gets a bad report from other tenants in the building, the deal is most likely dead.
If we know that the enemy is open to attack, and also know that our men are in a condition to attack, but are unaware that the nature of the ground makes fighting impracticable, we have still gone only halfway towards victory.
Give your soldiers the best chance of victory by making them appear more formidable than they are. If you do not know the terrain avoid conflict at all costs. It is better to avoid the potential for profit at the cost of being spendthrift with your good name and reputation. If you engage the enemy in a hostile situation, when you are unsure about the strength of your soldiers you will be defeated. But the real sting of the defeat will not be felt in your wallet; it will be felt on the bad reviews you receive over the Internet and word-of-mouth.
