/ THE BUSINESS OF PARKING /MARKETING
Relationships Still Rule the Day
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By Bill Smith, APR
URING THE PAST SIX YEARS of writing this column, I’ve written a lot about how tech-
nology has changed the way parking companies market themselves. Digital marketing, social media, and even publicity largely revolve around technology today.
This month, however, I want to focus on a distinctly low-tech marketing tactic: networking. Sometimes we get so caught up in using the latest gadgets and approaches that we lose sight of the tried and true. At the end of the day, marketing and new business development are about building relationships. When selling directly via ads, direct mail, or digital marketing, those relationships are with customers. When pitching earned media stories, those relationships are with editors and reporters. When public speaking, those relationships could be with customers or strategic partners. Regardless of which tactics you are using, your ultimate goal is to develop relationships.
Building Networking In That’s why you should build networking into your marketing and business development efforts. Unfortunately, it’s a lost art that many organizations don’t place a pre-
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mium on, and many companies don’t help staff network effectively. However, ignoring face-to-face networking is a mistake. It’s easy to see why relationships are key to parking equipment companies and other vendors marketing to parking owners and operators. You are much more likely to close a deal when you get to know the prospect personally and learn what’s important to him or her. Really getting to know people allows you to provide real value to the relationship and puts you in a better position to keep that business and earn future business from the customer. There are plenty of opportunities to network within the parking industry as well as in vertical industries your company may serve. Of course, national conferences and symposia, like the upcoming 2021 IPMI Parking & Mobility Conference & Expo in Tampa, offer opportunities to network with other parking professionals, potential strategic partners, and, of course, new business prospects.
