One Chart, Three Roles: Why Marketing, Leasing, and Training Deserve Their Own Boxes

As I search for my next opportunity to make a meaningful impact in the multifamily space, I’ve noticed a trend that keeps popping up. It’s subtle at first, but once you see it, you can’t unsee it: marketing is becoming the catch-all department in our industry. Over the last several years, roles that were once distinct: leasing, training, operations, are slowly folding under the marketing umbrella. And while some overlap is natural and even beneficial, this shift raises a few important questions. Mainly: Are we losing sight of what makes each function truly effective?

It’s not unusual to see leasing and marketing bundled together these days. In fact, it mirrors what we often see in other industries where sales and marketing work closely. That part makes sense. But here’s where it starts to veer off course; marketing teams are now housing training departments too. That’s a lot of hats on one rack. I understand the desire to streamline, reduce overhead, and create leaner organizations. But are we actually solving problems, or just blurring the lines until everything becomes everyone’s job?

Let me be clear: I love leasing. I love everything about it. I love coaching teams on how to lease. I love connecting the dots between customer behavior and closing ratios. I love reading the story hidden in the data and then turning that insight into strategy. But that doesn’t mean I’m a marketing expert. I’m not a brand strategist or a website designer. I don’t speak fluent SEO or dabble in geo-fencing. Sure, I understand how marketing helps drive leads to the top of the funnel, but my true strength lies in helping teams convert those leads once they arrive.

And I know I’m not alone.

There are so many leasing professionals out there who are highly skilled at nurturing relationships, closing leases, and understanding the operational levers that impact NOI. Yet when I look around, I see titles like Director of Marketing, Marketing Manager, Digital Marketing Specialist… but where are the Directors of Leasing? Where are the voices at the table who know how to take a hundred leads and turn them into real results?

In a strong organization, marketing and leasing are partners—not one hidden inside the other. A dedicated leasing leader brings a deep understanding of conversion metrics, occupancy strategy, and the customer journey. They know how to ask the hard questions, like: What happened to the 60 leads who never toured? Why aren’t we converting the way we used to? Are we training people to ask the right questions, or just hoping they figure it out?

Leasing leaders serve as a critical bridge between marketing and operations. When occupancy drops, operations wants more leads. Marketing says the leads are there, look at the numbers. And then the ping-pong match begins. But what’s often missing in that conversation is someone who can connect both sides. Someone who understands the nuances of lead quality, leasing performance, and customer decision-making. That someone is your Director of Leasing.

Now let’s talk about training.

When training is housed within marketing, it often feels like style wins over substance. A beautiful LMS interface doesn’t mean the content is effective. A great-looking slide deck doesn’t guarantee behavior change. Training is not just about branding. It’s about building people.

Effective training takes more than design skills. It takes emotional intelligence, adaptability, storytelling, and the ability to make people care. A great trainer can read a room in real time. They can spark engagement, challenge thinking, and tailor delivery to the moment. That’s not something you tack on to a marketing role. That’s a craft and it deserves its own lane.

Sure, there are unicorns out there who can do it all, but they’re rare. And when we ask one person or department to juggle too much, something inevitably drops. Often, it’s the people, our teams, who suffer most.

We shouldn’t have to choose between good marketing and strong training. We shouldn’t have to compromise leasing expertise in order to boost brand aesthetics. There’s a better way. Let the experts do what they do best. Let marketing lead demand generation. Let leasing drive conversions. Let training develop the people who make it all happen.

Because when we stop forcing functions together and start investing in specialized leadership, we don’t just save money, we build stronger teams, better experiences, and more sustainable success.