Staff training is a good investment.
It can increase staff motivation and improve productivity. It goes without saying that if your team has great customer service, sales, and marketing skills, it will positively impact your profits. Staff is also more likely to have a long-term commitment to your organisation, thus future proofing your business.
The Association has a long history of delivering member training on key topics such as operations, sales, marketing, and UK legal for self storage. While training was originally offered exclusively in-person, most sessions are now available online, providing greater convenience and minimising disruption to your business.
Our training portfolio has expanded significantly over time, incorporating sessions led not only by SSA UK but also by industry experts, business leaders, and speakers from outside the sector. These sessions offer staff valuable opportunities to engage with industry colleagues, exchange knowledge, and share experiences. Training typically combines small group interactions with other delegates online and lecture-style presentations, ensuring a comprehensive and collaborative learning experience.
Many members have expressed the value of a formalised and accredited training programme for their staff. In response, we are proud to offer our Accredited Training Programme, designed exclusively for operator members to enhance staff development and industry expertise.
The training program is divided into three sections:
If you have already completed any of these modules in the past, then these can be used as credits, but all training must be completed within a three year window.
Final endorsement requires completion of an online, timed assessment of key competencies.
If successful, you will be awarded a Certificate of Completion and be listed on our Certified Self Storage Managers list.
Course Completion Requirements
| Section | Total Modules | Modules Required |
|---|---|---|
|
2 | 2 |
|
3 | 2 |
|
7 | 3 |
Modules by Section
Click on the images below to switch between sections or tap a module name for its description.
Mandatory Modules
- UK Legal
Familiarise yourself with the key areas of risk for your self storage business. Delivered by Lindsey Hemingway, there is no better authority on UK self storage law. The session also offers practical suggestions on mitigating and managing those risks through correct documents and operational processes.
- Operations Management
Delivered by SSA UK CEO Rennie Schafer and industry guru Dave Davies, this comprehensive session covers the key elements of store operations and management, from readiness to handling enquiries, managing customers and debtors, and pricing, including price increases. It is suitable for new staff or as a refresher for existing team members.
Required Modules
- Effective Sales Skills for Self Storage
Brought to you by one of the leading sales coaches within self storage, Christel Land, the training is designed as a useful foundation for those new to the industry. It is equally relevant to staff who already have experience selling self storage but want to up their skills to the next level. The session combines the foundations of sales with some cutting-edge insights into how to sell self storage successfully.
- Self Storage Marketing, including Social Media Marketing
This comprehensive training session is relevant for anyone who works with marketing in self storage, both marketing managers and smaller operators or site managers, who balance marketing duties alongside running the day-to-day business and serving customers. It may also be beneficial to owners who want an ‘executive summary’ of the field. The training is not tailored for a specific business size as the topics and exercises are equally relevant for both larger and single-store operators.
- Selling Self Storage Online
Mystery shopping has shown that web-based sales enquiries are often handled poorly compared to phone and in-person enquiries. This training session focuses on improving your online sales skills and demonstrating how best to handle these types of enquiries to improve your online conversion rates. Led by Rennie Schafer, the session is customised specifically for the industry
Short Modules
- Modern Pricing for Self Storage (including Dynamic Pricing)
You can improve your revenue by simply changing the way your product is priced. No longer setting prices based on the competition or having permanent discounting, modern pricing is driven by data and focused on maximising revenue from every customer. Rennie Schafer will introduce you to some of the new ways self storage is being priced and how it can work for you and your business.
- Managing Online Reviews
Online reviews are a crucial part of your marketing strategy. They give potential customers comfort and confidence in storing their belongings with you and improve your Google ranking. They can also be an effective marketing strategy to attract new customers and provide a point of difference from your competitors. This session will discuss creating an effective strategy to manage your reviews: What to do if you get a negative review and how to respond, as well as how you can turn a negative review into a positive marketing message. We will show you how to manage negative reviews using genuine reviews and responses.
- Disaster & Incident Management
Self storage is not immune to disasters and incidents that can cripple your business. Whether a fire, flood or a customer storing illegal or dangerous items, you must be prepared for the worst. We will cover what you can do to prepare for incidents in self storage, the systems you should have in place in case of an issue, and what to do if one occurs. We will also discuss member case studies covering significant incidents at their stores and what they have learned.
- Navigating PPC
If you’re scratching your head wondering what Google Ads is about, or it’s already a big chunk of your marketing budget, but you’re not convinced it’s working as well as it could, this session is for you. Laura Moxham, YBA, will share her Google Ads secrets, which have been proven to boost enquiries and transform your sales with Google Ads.
- Proactive Security
Security is always a hot topic, but with so many security issues to consider and manage, from store to cyber and staff to customers, how can you remain fully protected from all potential threats? Delivered by industry experts, this training covers all you need to know about being proactive with your security, following a comprehensive checklist to ensure you have the most robust procedures in place at your facility.
- Improving your Revenue through Add-on-Sales
Potential income exists for your business, not just from space but also from ancillary products such as packing materials, insurance, office services, deliveries, out-of-hours access, and much more. Learn how to improve your bottom line and sell more add-on sales from two industry professionals who devote their time to supporting self storage businesses’ expansion and exploit every opportunity to increase sales.
- Customer Service Excellence
Designed specifically for self storage, this training will provide you with the tools and skills needed to ensure your organisation delivers not just good but excellent customer service all the time, even in the most difficult and demanding situations. Combining her engaging style with an enormous amount of industry knowledge, Christel Land will show you how to deliver first-class customer service in your business.
Track Your Certification Progress
While we don’t currently have an online system for participants to track their certification progress, our team is here to assist you. If you’d like to check which modules you’ve completed or confirm your remaining requirements, please don’t hesitate to contact the SSA UK team directly.
We’re happy to provide updates and ensure you stay on track to complete the Accredited Training Programme within the required timeframe. Contact Bryony at [email protected] or call 01270 623150, and we’ll be delighted to help.
Upcoming Accredited Training Events
Note: Accredited training modules and schedules are updated and published throughout the year. Any training sessions that are currently available to book will be displayed below.
If a module you’re interested in isn’t currently available, don’t worry—our modules are repeated year on year, giving you plenty of opportunities to work towards your certification.
Be sure to check back soon for the latest dates and times.
Accredited Training Programme Brochure
If you would like to download a copy of the Accredited Training Programme Brochure, you can find this below.
Reviews From Previous Training Sessions
“A brilliant session that’s incredibly helpful for anyone new to the industry. Great job!”
“These courses are outstanding, even if the topics have been covered before. Refresher sessions gave me fresh insights and are a great way to boost team performance.”
"A superb event featuring incredibly knowledgeable speakers!”
“It was excellent! I picked up plenty of new tips to enhance my sales techniques and better identify customer needs. The training session was engaging and enjoyable.”