There are businesses you can start from home but anyone would tell you that renting office space would give your business the right boost along the path of success. The cost of renting a place can be discouraging. This is why looking for ways to secure a short-term lease is something that should not be passed up by anyone.

DEFINITION

Short-term leasing of your rent is the renting of a place for a shorter period than what is normally expected. In Nigeria, paying for two to three years upfront is usually the norm although you may be able to find somewhere you can rent paying just one year upfront. Short-term in this case would then mean you get a place for less than one year, something like 6 months.

TYPES OF BUSINESSES THAT CAN USE THE SHORT-TERM STRATEGY

Now before you quickly say it would be impossible to get a place for 6 months in Nigeria, let us look at the kind of businesses that can apply the strategy. The first thing is that almost anyone looking for an office space to rent would want find ways of doing without coughing up two to three years advance payment. I am not saying this strategy will not work for anyone but there are those who it seems slightly more tailored for than others are. However, someone looking to set up a study center, seminar/workshop package or anything that has to do with gathering people for a specific period can use this strategy.

THE STRATEGY

Imagine having skilled people who are willing to pay for to learn from you. Imagine 10 to 50 people are willing to pay you to teach them that skill. You would definitely need a place, a venue you can use. There are free options (we will not talk about the free options i.e. places you can use to as venues without charge in this article), but you want something that will boost your brand. In fact, if it is something people are going to be paying four or five figures for, you might feel using the free option may not just speak well for you. The trick to getting a short-term lease on a rented place is in targeting and presentation.

Targeting

Targeting involves finding the right property. The right property includes the look, but the most important thing when targeting a property is to find the one that has been on the market for quite a while. In fact, it must be one that looks like it will continue to be in the market after you are done with the place.
The second type of property to look out for are those that are still under construction. By under construction, I mean the structure has been built and functional but may be things like painting and general finishing is yet to be done. Another trick to finding the right property is getting one that has looked uncompleted i.e. under construction for a while or to the point where it looks like things have been put on a hold.

Presentation

You have to understand the psyche of such a property owner i.e. a property that has been on the market for so long or one that seems to have paused in the construction process. Understanding the psyche of the property owner will help with your presentation.

Sell the Sense of Urgency

Selling the sense of urgency involves making the property owner/manager realize what you are presenting to them is something that has been signed, sealed and delivered. What you should consider in the presentation is that you have the money to pay for the short-term lease once an agreement has been reached. That is, you are not talking about payment after use but payment before use.

Sell the Sense Assistance

Make your presentation sound as if you are seeking their assistance even when you are offering to pay for the period you want to use the place. This gives them another position of strength to consider even when they are eyeing the cash you have in your hands. You are making it look like they will be doing you a great favor.

The Biggest Sell: Over Pay

Over pay for the period you want to use the place. For instance, if the annual rent is fifty thousand, offer to pay thirty-five to forty thousand for the six months. One thing you should realize is that if you want to go the traditional way, you would not only pay for 3 years but it would include commission and agreement.

FINAL TIP

If you want to use the place for 2 months, rent it for three. Create room for yourself.