---
title: "What should a self-storage manager measure besides standard KPIs?"
description: "**Short answer:** Mark still tracks the standard KPIs, such as occupancy and delinquency ratio. In today’s market he also measures how well an owner or manager shows up in the local community: referrals from local businesses, event attendance, reviews from…"
url: "https://creatingwealththroughselfstorage.com/docs/community-measures-beyond-kpis/"
updated: "2026-10-16"
category: "Operations & Management"
---

# What should a self-storage manager measure besides standard KPIs?

**Short answer:** Mark still tracks the standard KPIs, such as occupancy and delinquency ratio. In today’s market he also measures how well an owner or manager shows up in the local community: referrals from local businesses, event attendance, reviews from business partners, repeat business and referrals from existing customers.

## Why measure community involvement

Self-storage is hyper-local. Mark sees partnerships with local businesses and a visible presence in the trade area as one of the ways a smaller operator stands apart from REITs and larger players. Measuring it turns that effort into something a manager can be held to and improve.

## Five measures Mark suggests

- Referrals from businesses in the area
- Event attendance
- Reviews from business partners in the trade area
- Repeat business
- Referrals from existing customers

These aren’t fixed. Mark encourages owners to choose any measure they feel would move the needle for a particular trade area and a particular manager.

## Putting it into practice

Mark’s free [Community Scorecard](/community-scorecard/) is a one-page worksheet with these five measures, a row for your own, monthly and quarterly columns, and a log of partners and events. Review it alongside the monthly numbers.

## Related answers

- [What metrics should a self-storage owner track every month?](/docs/four-metrics-every-self-storage-owner-should-track/)
- [How can a smaller self-storage operator compete with REITs for customers?](/docs/compete-with-reits-for-customers/)
- [What is a self-storage delinquency ratio and how do you calculate it?](/docs/self-storage-delinquency-ratio/)

**Source:** Mark’s post [Three Ways a Smaller Operator Can Win the Customer Game Against REITs](/three-ways-a-smaller-operator-can-win-the-customer-game-against-reits/)

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