- The Pitch: Currently, tower companies are dangling the proverbial carrot to commercial property owners by promising the addition of a wireless carrier, such as AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, or Sprint, on their land, building, or other structures. This sales pitch is exactly that—a sales pitch without any documented evidence supporting their claim. In hopes of persuading property owners to agree to a new cell tower installation on their property, tower companies are promoting inaccurate information and misrepresenting the facts.
They Can’t. A wireless carrier is the ONLY company who can dictate the location where a tower is placed.
- The “Special Relationship”: Marketing companies intentionally misrepresent a fictitious partnership with the wireless carriers; therefore, convincing property owners that their property will be marketed successfully—if they hire the marketing company.
They Don’t. A wireless carrier evaluates the opportunities for network expansions and selects the tower location that will provide the best return on their investment. Marketing companies inaccurately state their marketing efforts can determine a cell site location rather than the very particular needs of the wireless carrier.
- The “Guarantees”: Some cell site marketing companies entice landowners with projected income they will receive. Many times, these projections are inflated and grossly exaggerated.
These projections have no value. A marketing company cannot control the location of a cell site or predict the individual wireless carrier’s forecasted budgets in certain regions, so how can they predict the number of sites that will be built?? They cannot!
- The “Brotherhood”: Often times, cell site marketing companies create a family-like atmosphere so that property owners develop a false sense of security and blindly trust that the deal will be negotiated for everyone’s best interest. Property owners must research cell site marketing companies before signing an agreement. Believing in this façade can result in loss of income and susceptibility to potential hazards in the future.
They are not your partner. A cell site marketing company will ask for exclusive rights to your property and shared revenue. In addition, property owners will be prevented from negotiating independent opportunities that would have materialized on their own. The worst-case scenario is that you not only give up revenue, but you lose control of the future development of your property.
Ask yourself, how can a tower company/marketing company simultaneously advocate for you while relying on wireless carriers to generate revenue for them on their towers? Will they really fight for you and your property?
- The “Real Reason”: Cell site marketing companies capitalize on property owners’ desires to increase revenue. The primary objective for cell site marketing companies is to “sweeten the pot,” promising lucrative results. Therefore, these companies get their piece of the pie while the property owner had exclusive rights to all of the revenue from the beginning.
This scenario is comparable to the lottery. Your property is a lottery ticket-the marketing company wants to collect as many tickets as possible. So, when more tickets, or properties, are acquired, the marketing company will always win the lottery. The deck is stacked against property owners who will be losing, not only today, but also for the lifetime of their lease.
