A Primer for New Operators… Some Tips on Finding Success


Who is the customer? An operator can’t just focus on the client, be that the owner


A


of the facility or the asset manager, or don’t forget, the compa- nies whose employees park with you.Youmust also focus on the daily customer. You need to keep them all happy. The Owner is the one that


pays the bills. They need to be kept informed of any issues, changes, and problems. No surprises, that’s the watchword. The asset manager is the one who receives complaints from


the parkers.You need to keep them in the loop.Also remember, they often are the ones who can hire or fire you. Don’t forget.You keep a set of books, but each tenant who


has groups of employees parking with you and pays for their parking, also keeps a set of books.You need to work closely with them to ensure that everything balances.You can live or die by those parking coordinators. First, however, consider the parkers. I have people come up


tome and tellme its “fun” to parkwith us. I knowit sounds crazy, but I think they mean they get a smile, assistance, a fair price, and immediate followup to problems.Customer service – it’s our first priority. The focus of attention determines your customer parking


experiences. If you seed the thing or ideas that have your cus- tomer’s attention then the seed will grow into an everyday experience.


Where do you find employees? Wherever I go, I always


NINTERVIEWWITHCONSTANCE Volz, Managing Member of Premier Parking in Denver, became a primer for a Parking Operator. Here’s what she had to say:


keep my feelers out, for the valuable “superstars”.When I go into companies that are service oriented (T-Mobile, Best Buy, evenMcDonald’s), I use my instincts and ability to recognize great people, individuals that treat me like I want my employees to treat my customers. I note how they relate to the public, whether they go the extra mile. Then I hand themmy business card and tell themif they are ever looking, to giveme a call.You’d be surprised howmany do.


What about culture? I come from a family construction business. I know how


important knowing the local culture can be. I have learned the meaning of sharing certain values and providing a service to the local community. For instance, I live in Denver.This is ground zero for envi- ronmental and sustainability issues. If I approach a client with


16 OCTOBER 2009 • PARKING TODAY • www.parkingtoday.com


We must concern ourselves with all of our customers, owner, manager, tenant and parker.


this inmind, I can develop conversations that are different from those of my competitors. In the Denver culture, we are the leading organization in the parking industry on environmental matters, our unique perspective and collective power provides our clients with enormous opportunity to effect change in the way parking and transportation facilities are designed, built, operated, maintained, and identified. I have exhibited an ability to shape the market by introducing new green parking and transportation methodology, product and service offerings and by raising


environmental


awareness of the impor- tance of these solutions. The culture may be dif-


ferent in Los Angeles, or


Chicago. But the concept is the same. Cookie cutter approaches work only if there isn’t someone competing with you who knows the local lay of the land. Sales are emotional. People hire you for emotional reasons.


You have to be real, be concerned, find out their issues, and then solve them. I have developed the vision for my company to reflect who


we are, how we grow as an individual as well as a business, how wemarket and communicate with the public. The emotional connection with people is what helps us to


build a respectable and prosperous parking business.We connect with our clients and parking customers on a personal and emo- tional level.We knowtheir values, understand their concerns, and address their needs.


Continued on Page 24


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