In down market, brokers sweeten services.

In this weak leasing market, many commercial brokers are sweetening their attitudes, lowering their voices and improving their manners. At Adams & Co., we have found that attentive customer service and a devotion to cultivating relationships are not only more important than ever, they're crucial to closing deals. Thanks to a steady stream of referrals that result from customer loyalty, our deal flow continues to rise while other brokerages are facing a downturn.

During the hot market, even the best brokers had little time for pleasantries. It was "show me the money." Now, space seekers have the upper hand, and they are taking full advantage of the new balance of power. The shift of power from brokers to tenants also means that the leasing process, that took four to six weeks in recent years, can now take six to 12 months to complete. This expanded timeframe means plenty of opportunities for even the best deal to fall through, and makes it imperative that brokers be sensitive enough to preempt possible problems before they arise.

Our brokers are among the most successful at this, and close more deals than all but five other New York City firms. Part of that success stems from our intense regimen of professional training programs. These workshops are designed to focus our brokers' efforts on hand-holding a potential tenant during the complicated showing and negotiating process. Further, we are deepening the skills that allow our brokers to maintain the long-lasting relationships that result in repeat business.

Competition for tenants is fierce right now, and the best way to expand a potential client base is to work the phones and pound the pavement. As part of our ongoing professional development program that focuses on customer service, our management team contracts outside consultants to refocus and expand our approach to developing new business and refining client management.

For example, in a newer initiative, we bring in experts to conduct cold-calling workshops in which brokers hone their talents and apply innovations that improve their telephone canvassing. This renewed effort was a crucial element in boosting our deal flow far higher than past years -- despite a sluggish economy.

To help tenants identify their business needs and make the best location decision possible, our brokers also offer free services that are normally charged for by outside consultants. In addition to showing space, our brokers are trained to arrange for architectural and space planning services, complex financial analysis and transition management.

In a recent example highlighting this strategy, Adams & Company broker David Menaged and I arranged for a 17,700-SF duplex penthouse lease for Longstreet Holding Company at 20 West 33rd St. A referral from another Adams & company customer, the tenant, a childrenswear manufacturer, was lured to the sprawling office space from its old high-profile address at Herald Square thanks to our team going far beyond a broker's normal scope of work.

Offering a package of supplementary services, we first provided a fair, complex analysis of the three buildings that were competing for the client. Once the client had settled on the 20 West 33rd St. penthouse, David and I arranged for space management studies and architectural planning services to help the tenant maximize their new office's space potential with an attractive build-out. Such comprehensive service instilled in the tenant confidence in our team and allowed us to close an important deal.

We recognize our market position as a mid-size player, far smaller than some of our multinational competitors. Despite playing David to their Goliath, our market focus allows us to dedicate more resources to long-term strategic goals that will widen our competitive advantage, such as improving customer service.

Unlike most of the bigger firms, we have no unwritten rules about the minimum-size deal we will work on. Larger brokerage firms have stagnated, suffering from corporate timidity and personnel defections, while huge chunks of space sit vacant and with no tenants materializing to lease them.

Yet, our deal flow is better than ever. We signed more than 250 deals in 2002, and turned what could have been a bust into a boom year.