What your parking space tells you about how good of a business owner you are...and your culture (and whether your team secretly doesn't care) 🚗=💰 Ep 67

Freddie Druvent shares a reflective insight on customer service and leadership within the context of gym ownership, drawing from personal experience. He emphasizes the importance of parking etiquette, suggesting that choosing a distant parking spot for oneself and the team can demonstrate a customer-first mindset and set a positive cultural tone. This seemingly small action can prime staff for exceptional service and reduce customer inconvenience, potentially averting the "mini tragic moments" that negatively impact business. Freddie underscores that such attention to detail can ripple through an organization, improving overall service quality and client satisfaction.

• Speaker A was on a vacation in Barcelona.
• During the vacation, Speaker A had time to think and jot down content ideas.
• The inspiration for the content ideas came from various experiences, including parking spaces.

"I am still very much on our Barcelona vacation. I will tell you the story of that at another time. But while I was on our mini vacation, while we were away, I wrote down some things that I wanted to like some content ideas that kind of came to me while we were gone."

The quote explains that Speaker A was on vacation and used the time away to come up with new content ideas, which will be shared at a later time.

• Speaker A introduces a concept that parking spaces can reflect how good a business owner is and the culture of their team.
• The parking space serves as a simple litmus test to gauge the business owner's consideration for customers.
• Speaker A suggests that where one parks can indicate how much they prioritize their customers' convenience.

"So what your parking space tells you about how good of a business owner you are and the culture of your team. And it's a really simple litmus test for seeing how you feel about your customers and how well your team has received, how you feel about your customers."

The quote introduces the idea that the choice of parking space by a business owner and their team can reflect their attitudes towards customers and the overall business culture.

• The test involves observing where the business owner and trainers park their cars at the gym.
• If the business owner takes the front parking space and the trainers take the next ones, it shows a lack of consideration for the customers who will arrive later.
• This is especially relevant for micro gyms, which often face parking challenges and issues with city regulations.

"If right now when you go to your gym, you take the front parking space, because when you get there, it's usually dark and you can get whatever space you want and you take the closest one to the front door and then your trainers take the next two parking spaces, it shows that you're not thinking about what your customers are going to have to do later."

This quote details the parking space test and implies that taking the closest parking spaces without considering the customers' needs is indicative of poor business practice, particularly in businesses like micro gyms where parking is a known issue.

• The speaker reflects on past behavior of not prioritizing customers.
• Emphasizes the importance of setting the right example for the team.
• Discusses the impact of small actions, like parking, on customer service perception.
• Suggests that prioritizing customers from the moment they arrive can enhance their overall experience.

"I didn't really care that much about my customers. I was really just like wanting to prove that I was like the boss and I parked where I wanted because I was the boss and it's my gym and whatever, right?"

The speaker admits to previously wanting to assert authority rather than focusing on customer satisfaction, highlighting a shift in perspective on what is truly important in running a business.

"If I didn't park there and I parked in the furthest place possible and said, hey, all of the best spaces should be reserved for our customers, it sets a tone of how you want to have customer service and how your team is going to respond to the people who are coming in the door."

This quote illustrates the speaker's realization that leading by example, such as parking further away, can set a positive tone for customer service and influence the team's behavior towards customers.

"It primes them for being exceptional customer service from the time they close the door to the time they get back to their car and they remember the fact that they served others first."

The speaker suggests that prioritizing customer needs has a lasting impact on the customer's experience and their perception of the service they received.

• The speaker acknowledges the role of personal behavior in leadership.
• Highlights the potential negative consequences of not leading by example.
• Suggests that leaders should communicate the value of customer service to their team.

"And it also was setting the wrong example for my team."

The speaker recognizes that their actions were setting a poor example for the team, implying that leaders must be conscious of how their behavior is perceived and emulated by others.

"If right now you take that first space, or maybe you don't, but your trainers do, then have the conversation that I'm having with you right now, which is like, what are we in business to do?"

This quote implies that leaders should engage in conversations with their team about the core purpose of their business, which is to serve customers, and ensure that everyone understands and practices this principle.

• Retailers understand the importance of quick and easy transactions.
• Parking availability is crucial as it can be a deciding factor for customers.
• Retailers often park far away to leave closer spaces for customers.

"In retail you always park across the street or as far away as possible because they understand that the speed of the transaction is so important and because people will literally turn around if they see that the parking is an issue."

This quote highlights the retail industry's awareness of the need for convenience in customer transactions, specifically regarding parking, which can significantly affect a customer's decision to visit a store.

• Retailers aim to minimize negative experiences that could impact customer satisfaction.
• The concept of "micro traumas" like parking troubles can create negative associations with a business.
• Disney's philosophy suggests the need for many positive experiences to outweigh a single negative one.

"Disney says, for every tragic moment, you need 39 magic moments and one or two or three mornings where they're struggling to find a parking space. To get into your gym is a mini tragic moment."

This quote refers to Disney's approach to customer experience, emphasizing that numerous positive moments are required to make up for negative experiences, such as the difficulty of finding parking.

• Gym owners should prioritize customer convenience, especially in controllable aspects.
• Allocating parking spaces for customers is a simple yet significant gesture.
• Owners should make efforts, like parking further away, to enhance the client's experience.

"And so if you and the two or three train, the three parking spaces that are going to be taken, of the seven that was given to you by the landlord because you're in a warehouse, don't use half the parking on yourself. Go find places that are really hard to find. Get your steps up, wake up five minutes early and give those spots to your clients so that as you walk into the gym, you're primed to think about how you're going to serve people."

The quote advises gym owners to sacrifice their convenience for the sake of customers, suggesting that such actions are part of a service-oriented mindset and can contribute positively to the customer's experience.

• The speaker emphasizes the importance of small actions in setting the tone for an organization.
• Attention to detail, such as where employees park, can influence larger aspects of business operations.
• The speaker draws a parallel to the broken window theory in crime prevention, suggesting that fixing small issues can lead to overall improvements.
• The speaker suggests that by focusing on the basics like cleanliness, greetings, and smiling, other business elements will naturally align.

"It's the small things, it's the pastor who picks up the pebbles on the sidewalk that sets the tone for the rest of the organization."

This quote highlights the significance of minor actions in establishing a company's culture and influencing the behavior of the entire organization.

"If you can fix the broken windows, then people stop doing crime."

The speaker uses the broken window theory as a metaphor for organizational management, indicating that addressing minor issues can prevent larger problems.

"If you start with where you park, then things of like, hey, how are we going to treat the bathrooms? How are we going to say hello to people? Are we going to greet them within 10 seconds?"

This quote suggests that by managing small details, such as employee parking, a ripple effect occurs, improving other operational aspects like customer service and facility maintenance.

• The speaker encourages self-reflection and accountability among business leaders and trainers.
• There is an emphasis on understanding the reasons behind certain actions and owning up to any shortcomings.
• The speaker personally relates to the practice of walking more as a positive habit.

"I would take a look at that in terms of how your trainers are, where they're parking and then ask them why and then maybe even hopefully own up to it if you're not doing that right now."

This quote advises leaders to observe and question the behaviors of their trainers, including where they park, to encourage responsibility and self-awareness.

"But yeah, guys, I miss you and I have a whole bunch of little notes that I'm going to be dropping."

The speaker expresses a personal connection with the audience and hints at sharing more insights in the future, indicating ongoing communication and support.

• The speaker conveys a sense of camaraderie and affection towards the audience.
• There is an expression of missing the audience, suggesting a close relationship.
• The speaker uses informal language and endearments to foster a sense of community and connection.

"Lots of love, dudes. Freddie Druvent, Mel, everyone. Lots of love."

This quote demonstrates the speaker's warm feelings and personal connection to the audience, using names and affectionate language.

"And yeah, shoot a like for all the homies."

The speaker encourages engagement and support within the community, using colloquial language to appeal to the audience's sense of unity.