May 2010 Parking - 13

really in control. Possibly they wanted the property manager to see her new selection stumbling and fumbling out of the gate. Or, maybe they have a history with their operator replacement. Regardless of the motive, the day for such tactics is long past. With long institutional memories, a transient population, and the Internet, shafting a client customer will likely come back to bite you sometime, somewhere. In the second example above, it is very possible that some of the “reviews” the property manager read about her dream vacation were as unreal as her expectations. According to a March 7, 2010, Washington Post article by travel guru and columnist Christopher Elliott (“What hotels will resort to for a good review”), hotel owners and managers often surf travel websites extolling their properties under pseudonyms. Hotels sometimes offer upgrades, free nights, drinks or meals to “real” guests in exchange for a positive review. Still others simply ask their guests to post positive feedback. Likewise, these hotel owners and managers will respond to negative posts, attempting to provide “context” to the complaint. These hoteliers recognize that reputation management is critical to long term success. Not surprisingly, there are firms that specialize in online reputation management “fixes” for both firms and individuals. For a fee, these firms can deploy “Search Engine Reputation Management” software to identify, and using a variety of tactics, bury your bad news. This can be low tech, like simply contacting anyone who is “flaming” you and politely asking them—or negotiating with them—to remove nasty posts. Or, it can be quite sophisticated, using the same Google-like algorithms that find your bad news to place your good news on top, effectively burying it. Two things to remember about your online reputation: First, Google and related search engines don’t sell truth, they sell relevancy, so your reputation can be impugned by liars. These “opinions” are often protected by the First Amendment and may just happen to turn up in a user’s search for information about you. Second, for online searches, each succeeding page of relevant “results” for a search is exponentially less important; users rarely wade through more than three pages. For firms marketing their goods and services to the parking industry, reputation is a key to long term viability. This is a small industry; word gets around. Buyers don’t buy, as the Catch-22 goes, until buyers buy. In this industry, start-ups have to last a few

years and give away some deals to establish market credibility and build reputation momentum. Whether online or at the local BOMA meeting, here are some tips for managing your rep:
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Know what your reputation is now—Using surveys, focus groups, Internet searches, and just informal cocktail chat, identify your true street rep. What are people saying about you? Sources should include client customers, user customers, and even competitors. Create a reputation identity—This is the image you want the public to have of you and/or your organization. Craft this identity to be consistent with your corporate culture or your rep will be “hypocrite.” Don’t boast of your customer service excellence if you don’t even have a way to register complaints; don’t brag that your employees are like family if you flog them with long hours and high stress. Most importantly, act in concert with your organization’s positive values. Push out lots of good news—Avoid trivial announcements, but when your organization hits a milestone, make sure everyone knows about it. Remember, the good news buries the bad; building up a positive image now will see you through when a crisis hits later. Also, encourage your customer “fans” to evangelize on your behalf to their peers; a positive customer referral is worth more than any marketing brochure extolling yourself. Monitor your online reputation—Keep an eye on social networking sites, blogs, Yelp, etc. by routinely searching your brand. Try to provide context for any negative posts about you or your organization, replying with your own name and/ or contact information. Push back against the “flamers”—Just as you have customer fans, you will have customer critics who will excoriate you for your missteps. Try to repair the damage with any flamers or at least minimize and contain them. Of course, if you have real skeletons in your closet, its best to quietly mea culpa, fix what’s broke, and move on.

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Your reputation today is either an asset or a liability. Which is it? If you care about your reputation, you’ll manage it. 
Charles R. “Charlie” Munn III, CAPP CPP is a former commer, , cial parking executive and operations consultant. He is now a customer service management consultant and freelance writer. Contact him at cmunn3@aol.com.
www.npapark.org Parking May 2010

May 2010 Parking

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2010 Parking