If I asked 100 businesses, “Who should get the parking spot closest to your front door?” I would expect 100 quick and decisive answers: “The customer.” Unfortunately, that isn’t always what happens.
I see it all the time. Employees arrive before the business opens and park in the best spaces, the ones closest to the front door. And nobody thinks twice about it. But they should, because that parking space isn’t just a parking space; it sends a message.
I recently thought about this when I arrived at my golf club for an early-morning tee time. In fact, we were the first group out that morning. As I pulled into the parking lot, I noticed that the parking spot closest to the clubhouse was already occupied. It wasn’t a member’s car; it was the Golf Professional’s. Now, normally, this wouldn’t bother me. I usually park farther away anyway, but it got me thinking. What does that parking spot represent?
To me, it represents something far more significant than simple convenience. It can unintentionally send a very clear message, “I am more important than you.” Or, perhaps even worse, “The people who work here deserve the best parking spots. The people who pay to be here can walk a little farther.”
I am not suggesting that the Golf Professional intended to send that message. I have no idea what his reasoning was, and that’s exactly the point. Customers don’t always interpret our intentions. They interpret our actions.
And that’s where businesses need to be careful. Generally, reserve the closest parking spaces for the people who are there to support your business, the people spending their money, using your services, or supporting your organization. In other words, your customers, clients, members, and guests.
I spent more than 15 years owning and operating numerous high-volume retail locations, many in prominent, high-traffic areas where parking was always at a premium. I understood that if customers couldn’t find a convenient place to park, they could, and often would, take their business elsewhere.
That’s why I made a deliberate management decision: our employees parked farther away, while the most convenient spaces were reserved for our customers. It was never about punishing employees or making their lives less convenient. Our customers were why we were in business. So why should an employee, manager, owner, or anyone else associated with the business receive a privilege that comes at the expense of the customer?
They shouldn’t, and that’s why I believe businesses should have a simple rule: let your employees park farther away and leave the best spaces for your customers. It’s a small and seemingly trivial gesture, but it demonstrates a very important philosophy: you are here because of us, and we appreciate you being here.
And Then There’s the Employee of the Month Parking Spot
If you’ve read my previous blogs, you know that I am a huge supporter of employee recognition. Recognize your employees, reward them, thank them, and compensate them appropriately. Give them opportunities to grow. Tell them publicly that their contribution matters. If someone is doing an exceptional job, make sure they know it, and make sure everyone else knows it too.
But I’m not convinced that giving them the best parking spot is the right way to do it. In fact, I would argue that it sends the wrong message to both the employee and the customer. Why should an employee receive a privilege at the expense of customer satisfaction? Put their name on a recognition board. Give them a bonus. Buy them lunch. Give them a gift card. Give them an extra day off. Give them the recognition they deserve. Don’t give them the customer’s parking spot.
Because here’s the bigger lesson: customer service isn’t always about what you give your customers. Sometimes, it’s about what you take away from them.
You don’t take away their convenience. You don’t take away their time. You don’t take away their sense of importance. And you certainly shouldn’t send them a message, intentionally or unintentionally, that says, “We are more important than you.”
Customers may never complain about the parking spot. They may never mention it. They may never tell you what they were thinking, but they noticed it. In customer service, the things customers don’t say can sometimes be the things you most need to hear.
The next time you pull into your business and see an employee’s car sitting in the best parking spot, ask yourself, who is that spot really for? Because the answer to that question may tell you a lot more about your customer service culture than you think.
Leave the best spot for the customer. It’s only a parking space, but it’s also a statement. What message are YOU sending?
Did you like what you just read? Get our BIG Book of Blogs FREE!
If you enjoyed this article, you’ll love our collection of practical sales insights designed to help you attract, grow, and keep customers. Enter your email below, and we’ll send a copy of The BIG Book of Blogs directly to your inbox.
Ready to take your sales to the next level?
Discover Don’t Do That!, our latest interactive online sales course designed to help you avoid costly sales mistakes, increase sales, and GET and KEEP Customers. And it’s ONLY $149.99
BUY NOW – Don’t Do That! – GET and KEEP Customers
