At StorageMart, we have an industry-leading contact center. What’s really cool about it, aside from being the first to have things like 24/7 service, is that everyone I’ve ever talked to from the contact center has shared two traits: they’re incredibly good at what they do, and they’ve described their job as fun. I believe we have today’s spotlight guest to thank for that, Lucia Darnell, Director of the Sales Resource Center. Our Global Director of Operations, Kathy Winkelman, said it best: Lucia is an important contributor to the success of my team. She’s extremely dedicated to her team, her peers, and to the success of StorageMart. She exceeds in all she sets out to do and has a can-do attitude. She exemplifies a great leader, building strong relationships with her staff and other stakeholders of the company, and she encourages collaboration among her peers.
What do you do at StorageMart?
I am the Director of StorageMart’s Sales Resource Center. I oversee around 45 employees in our inbound sales and customer service contact center, as well as act as a liaison with IT to manage our company phones and internet systems.
I monitor company policies and develop more efficient operational procedures, including scheduling, problem solving and adhering to a budget. One of my main goals is to find effective strategies by utilizing business expertise to reach financial and operational objectives.
I’m definitely a people person! As the SRC Director, I know that our best asset is our team. I wouldn’t be successful without my amazing staff, they always strive for excellence and are excited to test new company initiatives! At StorageMart, we prioritize innovation and work hard to continue evolving the Self-Storage industry. We are constantly looking for new ways to impress our callers, increase rentals and keep our team motivated.
The success of my team wouldn’t be possible without collaboration from the other wonderful departments in our organization. We are constantly working together, like a big family, sometimes we agree and sometime not so much but at the end the day we come together to provide the best service and experience for our internal and external customers.
How long have you been at StorageMart?
I have been with StorageMart for almost 16 years.
Is there a particular turning point in your professional experience that really helped define your career path?
I’ve experienced a lot of turning points in my career!
I am bilingual, having been raised in Perú and I was introduced to sales and customer service at an early age since my family has their own business.
I started my career at StorageMart as a part-time call center representative. After a few months, I was offered a full-time position which I decided to take until “I found a new full-time job”, over 15 years ago….
As a full-time employee, I split my hours between being a phone representative and working on the Administration Team. I enjoyed the dynamic and it was very rewarding helping callers and learning more aspects of our business.
I began training, coaching and evaluating store managers about a year later, which opened the door to new opportunities for me.
A couple years later, I was promoted to the Call Center Director for Spanish business. My job mainly consisted of client development and managing the Spanish speaking representatives. As my role continued to grow, I took on new responsibilities in the Administration Team including billing, quality assurance, furthering client development and more.
During this time, I was also in contact with Latin American Self-Storage owners and operators and was appointed to be the Secretary of the Latin American Self Storage Association. This was a big turning point in my career; I began traveling and sharing my knowledge with self-storage operators in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama and Spain. I conducted training seminars and presentations at Self-Storage conferences, as well as wrote articles about our industry which were published in the Inside Self Storage and the Globe magazines.
Throughout this time, I gained more expertise and was promoted to Assistant Vice President of StorageMart’s Contact Center. I began utilizing my experience from being the Secretary of the Latin American Self-Storage Association to improve our Contact Center.
About a year later, we restructured our Contact Center, now the Sales Resource Center and I was promoted to lead the team. I took this role as a new challenge and I am humbled and honored to be leading such a great team, as well as to have the opportunity to make wonderful new connections!
To what or whom have you turned to for inspiration throughout your career?
There are so many great leaders that have inspired me throughout my career, starting with my father from whom I inherited my work ethic and interest in business. The StorageMart founder, Gordon Burnam has also inspired me with his creation of this great company that I have the privilege of working for.
To Cris and Mike Burnam, whom I admire for continuing their father’s legacy, as well as their talent and ability to push their teams to reach excellence.
Kim Flower and Tim Burnam have also inspired me through their constant dedication to StorageMart and I want to thank Kathy Winkelman for her continuous support and guidance over the years.
I would not be where I am without all of these great leaders!
What are some qualities of strong leadership that have proved important but are often overlooked in a professional setting?
I strongly believe that a good leader is someone who gets things done efficiently and effectively while always remaining professional. This is easy to say but it takes a lot of practice to execute.
One of my favorite leadership quotes is from Albert Einstein who once said, “Setting an example is not the main means of influencing others, it is the only means.”
A leader that is self-motivated and positive will transmit that to their team and it is proven that motivated employees have stronger productivity. Passion, commitment and inclusion are also definitely important qualities for strong leadership.
I have found that taking responsibility for both successful outcomes and mistakes is also key to strong leadership. As a leader, you will earn the trust and respect of your team through honesty. It’s not always easy because it requires communicating both the good and the bad, but when you are honest and transparent it is easier to get everyone on the same page and achieve our goals.
A good leader also works on developing their team. When I became a manager, it was difficult for me when an employee decided to leave my department. I soon learned that it was rewarding to be part of their professional growth and I feel very satisfied to see many of my staff succeeding in other departments at our organization. Special shout out to Michael Lorimor, Alan Streb, Samantha Lorimor, Garrett Harrington, Morgan Carter, Natalie Bullock and Josh Barber……I am proud of each of you!!
Based on your experience, what is one thing managers or execs could do better to support and encourage women in the workplace?
In general, women are often viewed as “too bossy” when adopting male-oriented leadership styles or “too nice” if they maintain their feminine behaviors. Women should be encouraged to embrace their true identity and develop their own leadership style, regardless of the traditional expectations.
StorageMart encourages everyone to share their ideas and opinions because we recognize that it is very important to continue evolving, have effective teams and surpass employee satisfaction. We also believe that networking is one of the most powerful tools to create lasting personal and workplace connections.
When a woman is promoted, she can become a role model for the change she seeks. It is no secret that women generally enjoy sharing their stories to inspire and motivate others, this is very powerful and should not be overlooked!
What is one thing a leader has done to help promote women in the workplace — either organizationally or for you personally?
From my personal experience, it is clear that StorageMart believes in me. I have been promoted multiple times and I am trusted with leading our Sales Resource Center, which is the first point of contact for hundreds of our callers every day!
I am delighted to say that our company is very inclusive; we have strong women leading multiple departments throughout our Home Office, as well as in the field and I strongly believe that StorageMart will continue this trend.
Tell us a bit about what you do when you aren’t busy being a rock star at work.
Being a mother of two awesome boys keeps my home life busy. My younger son plays competitive soccer so when I am not at work, I am chauffeuring him to training or cheering him on from the sidelines!
Soccer is part of my culture but never in 100 years would I have thought that I would enjoy watching so much soccer in my down time. I also like to make desserts and I am always finding new recipes for my family to enjoy. Even when I am not at work, I spend time reading and researching the ever-evolving business world – I always like to know what is ahead!