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Although I’m afraid bragging about it might make it go away, I must say I have great parking karma. I can find a parking space when others can’t, and find free ones when pay spaces are the rule.

Last night, while attempting to find parking to see a play at Seattle Center, I had totally given up, and was ready to (shudder) pay for parking to not miss the curtain, when a free space appeared two blocks away from the theater. Two weeks ago, I found free all-day parking DOWNTOWN! (OK, it was a Saturday and I did have to move my car once.)

What accounts for all this parking luck? I say it’s the same thing that helps businesses succeed.

Does that sound weird? Let’s break it down and see why my ability to find parking spaces is similar to what every successful entrepreneur experiences: We make a lot of our luck. Here are the five ways that finding parking and running a business are related and alike:

1. They reward attention. Near one of my haunts is a confusing no parking sign with about four different restrictions on it: No parking 4-6 p.m., except Sundays and Holidays, two hour limit except with Permit #19, Metro only 8-4 Tue. through Thurs., you get the idea. I swear, I’m the only person who reads these signs. These spaces are available more often than not, just because it’s too complicated to figure out if you’re safe from ticketing.

Similarly, paying attention to the right things in business may mean you find a better internet connection deal, or find an RFP (request for proposals) for a good opportunity that others may miss. It may mean you see a new partnership opportunity, or a new market need. Paying attention pays off.

2. They reward persistence. Let’s take the Seattle Center theater case again: I first went to one lot (too expensive), then to another (required exact change), then to another (full up) and then found street parking (permit required). My husband was starting to sweat bullets that we’d miss the curtain. I was secretly getting anxious, too, and ready to go back to the too expensive lot, but my natural stubbornness prevailed and I drove around one more time. Voila! (What I saved in parking fees, however, will now have to be applied to marriage counseling!)

Never giving up is one way that businesses thrive. Sometimes, all you have is your persistence, and you never know if the next time you try, it might work. How many filament materials did Thomas Edison try before he found the one that worked? More than 6,000.

3. They reward cheapness. Frankly, I’m cheap in most places in my life, preferring to buy my clothes at warehouse sales and eat at funky holes in the wall instead of more upscale venues. This is part of the way I was raised. So I make a game out of economizing, and actually enjoy living within my means. Looking for free parking is part and parcel of that ethos.

When we were first looking for office space, free parking was one of our top priorities. Keeping overhead low is so baked into my business culture that every expense is questioned, and every perk is suspect. This policy helps us reap more profit in good times, and avoid layoffs and debt in bad. It doesn’t mean we don’t invest when necessary, but it does mean we’re careful about expenditures.

4. Both reward a certain kind of risk taking. Here’s where I come clean. Sometimes I don’t pay for street parking when I’m running in to pick something up, or I pick spaces that are a teensy little bit illegal. (Oh, come on, I’m only one foot into the red curb!) Of course, I could always get busted by the parking enforcement people, and when I do, I try to accept it with grace (and fail utterly). But when I get away with it — oh, the joy!

Every business has risk, and sometimes the risk pays off. Playing it too safe will not lead to growth and market dominance.

5. Both reward goal setting. If you don’t set out to get free parking, it’s much easier to fill the meter or buy a space in a garage than to spend the time I do looking for that one free space. Similarly, in business, you’re much more likely to achieve your goals when you have them, and then put the processes and resources in place to make them happen.

So while there is no free lunch, there is often free parking. May the parking fairies rain empty slots upon you. And may your business thrive as well. So while there is no free lunch, there is often free parking. May the parking fairies rain empty slots upon you. And may your business thrive as well.

- Lynn Parker

This article was published in Puget Sound Business Journal where Lynn is a guest columnist.

 

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Speech, speech!
Our own Lynn Parker will be presenting at the Northwest Public Power Association’s Annual meeting in Portland, OR on October 4th. She’ll talk to the Northwest’s public utilities about the work Parker LePla has done with the City of Port Angeles on encouraging customers to adopt smart electric meters and demand response technology. With work for Port Angeles, Seattle City Light, Seattle Public Utilities, Seattle Department of Neighborhoods and the City of Olympia Public Works under our belt, we’re building quite a public sector practice!

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First, let’s start with, “What is a customer experience?” A customer experience is the culmination of all the emotional and physical interactions a customer has with a company or their product or service. Customer experience mapping aims to help companies understand the customer experience they are currently delivering across various channels and touch points and identify opportunities to improve those touch points for greater brand loyalty and sales success.

There are several different methods of customer experience mapping that exist in the market today. Some methods try to capture the experience across the entire customer life cycle—or the journey a customer takes as they engage in a service with a company over time. This is sometimes called “customer journey mapping“. Others look at the tangible and quantitative measures of a customer’s experience across the touch points, such as number of contacts made and the time taken to access a service. These methods tend to only look at the experience from a service or goal achievement perspective. They often overlook how the brand impacts a customer’s decisions, mindsets and behaviors. Read the rest of this entry »

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So, I recently went on vacation. I was staying at what appeared to be a fairly nice hotel/timeshare. The website was professional, the pictures were beautiful, the listed attractions and activities were titillating and the overall reviews were quite good. I couldn’t wait to get there.

Now, don’t get me wrong, the experience wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great. And it definitely wasn’t an experience that wowed. Read the rest of this entry »

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Airplanes and flight have always intrigued me. The idea that you can put a heavy hunk of metal in the sky and make it soar is truly a phenomenon. And, as a fairly green gal, I’m also interested in the evolution of this science and how we can improve upon its efficiency. So imagine my delight when I found The GE Show: A celebration of flight.

This site, developed to help demonstrate (not just tell people) what GE is doing, is a truly brand-defining digital experience. Fun, educational, interactive and engaging: yes. Interesting and relevant information that helps you understand technology and how it influences and changes our lives: check! And, I come away from it with a somewhat surprising appreciation for GE that I never had before. Read the rest of this entry »

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How do you close the deal in this new digital landscape? There are three secrets to developing digital experiences that win sales for companies in any retail environment—online or face-to-face.

If your goal is to increase profits, turn customers into die-hard fans, or become the next big brand, read our free white paper “What Do Customers Want? The 3 secrets to powerful web, social and mobile experiences that make the sale” (PDF).

You’ll learn our latest best practices for brand experiences that do the selling for you, and see concrete examples in action.

And let us know what you think either by commenting below or by visiting our Facebook page.

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Consumers these days are clearly favoring experiences over messages. Think Apple’s interface. Think warm chocolate chips cookies from Double Tree.  Think of the scent of a Singapore Airlines airplane.  These are what we’d call brand defining experiences. They’re memorable, unique and emotionally resonant. And they demonstrate the promise of the brand without having to actually say it. This is where brand and marketing are heading and for good reason. Saturated marketing channels are making us deaf. Instead, give us a test drive of what we can expect from you and then we’ll decide if it’s something we want or not. Read the rest of this entry »

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