I wrote last year about “Current Energy” (a company in the Dallas, TX area) using the iPhone’s release to promote their business. I pointed out their choice to use the launch as something positive to their company. Rather than looking at the possible downsides they made the event work for them. Unfortunately most companies take the “low-road” and focus only on the negative (or possible negatives) of a situation.
When Pei Wei and other popular stores opened near Merrill Lynch on Louisiana Blvd in Albuquerque, NM the staff at Merrill Lynch had a choice. Allow customers of these new stores to share their parking spaces in an already small lot, or put up signs and employ someone to make sure no one parks in their lot, thus leaving the spaces for the other stores in even shorter supply. They chose the second option.
I understand that parking spaces are a premium, and the fear that your lot is going to be full of people who aren’t your customers is a valid one for certain, but why not try and endear people to you rather than run them off? Is Merrill Lynch really that busy with people coming in that they need twice the space as other restaurants?
So, since I’m not one to point out a bad idea without offering at least one good idea, here are a two ideas they could do to remedy their situation besides allowing people to park there.
- Offer people a free consultation if they bring in a Pei Wei receipt (or other store in the center).
- Instead of using him to run people off, use the employ to hand out free consultation coupons to people who park in the lot.
