Support when times are tough

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Businesses have experienced two national lockdowns, local lockdowns and tier restrictions but fortunately for the businesses that are part of our franchise network, they have received support throughout.

Support is one of the main reasons cited by business owners as to why they chose to join our franchise. It’s not just received from our team of franchise support professionals, but also from the peer network too.

It comes in the form of professional advice, but also from relative experience too. The ‘been there done that’ phrase is one that explains this perfectly. It means that mistakes have already been made and learnt from, so that they don’t have to be made again.

A supportive franchisor and franchise network truly do make a difference to the franchise journey because you are never alone. There is always someone at the end of the phone, whether it’s a member of our team or a fellow franchisee.

We are stronger together and that’s why being a part of a franchise network helps you to feel support when times are tough, particularly how they have been for most in 2020.

To discuss our available franchise opportunities, give our friendly franchise recruitment team a call on 0116 275 9005 today.

Why having a brand is important

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Having a brand is extremely important if you want to differentiate yourself from others, ensure consistency and build recognition.

A brand isn’t just a logo, it’s the whole business image and everything that it stands for. The idea of a brand is for it to become desirable, that individuals want to be a part of it, get a slice of the action.

The logo and brand styling are of course important. They need to be attractive in a typically crowded market place to grab the attention of the purchaser. It’s much easier to create brand awareness in the modern day because there are so many mediums that it can be shared on.

What brands are you thinking of?

  1. Soft drinks brand where the main colour is red
  2. Low cost airline where the main colour is orange
  3. Supermarket where the main colour is green

It’s likely that we’re all thinking of the same three brands with their distinctive brand styling.

Joining an established brand such as ServiceMaster Clean

That’s why joining an established brand such as ours helps you to open doors, particularly in those early days. The brand is established and has gained recognition over 60 years in the UK so that customers feel that they know and can trust you already.

A head start in starting up is beneficial to entrepreneurs because it helps remove some of the risk associated with start-ups and helps the business to gain customers right from the start.

With clever marketing initiatives proven successful by the franchisor, the brand can be exposed faster and more effectively, to increase market share further.

If you would like to learn more about our brand and how you can become a part of it, speak to a member of our franchise recruitment team today.

The importance of a great website

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According to a source* 88% of consumers search for products and services online before looking via other avenues. As such, a website ensures that you don’t miss out on this captive audience.

The basics

Websites do not need to be state of the art to serve a purpose. They need to include information about the business and the product/service for sale, as well as contact information.

The above should help you to be found via an internet search, and enable a customer to make a call to action should they need to. A great website helps to generate sales.

However, being ‘found’ online can be a much harder process than it seems. Ranking in top search listings depends on many factors decided by the search engine including relevance and the age, history and good-standing of the web domain.

Why a website is important

As well as being a general information source, a website also helps prospective customers to validate your business and your offering ahead of making a buying decision.

A website also helps you to reduce costs and improve customer satisfaction by enabling customers to find answers to questions online, and ask them without waiting for office hours to be able to make a call direct to you.

The future is something that we cannot ignore and a website can be integrated with many new technologies, as well as being updated with speed and ease.

Websites and franchising

Most franchisors will give franchise owners their own local page on their branded, managed website.

The key here is that the page will therefore be uniformed with the rest of the brand to protect the brand integrity, whilst also benefitting from the size and age of the brands website domain to improve search rankings.

If you would like to find out more about how our websites can help to generate income for your new franchise, contact a member of the franchise recruitment team today on 0116 275 9005.

What to expect in your franchisor interview

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It’s a common misconception that buying a franchise is like buying a car. That providing you have the money and a driver’s licence, it’s yours. That is simply not the case with a franchise because it’s a commitment, typically over a minimum of five years to operate the business within the tramlines of the franchise agreement.

For that reason, most franchisors have a franchisor interview as one of the final stages before a franchise is awarded to an individual.

What is to be expected

The purpose of the franchisor interview is to ensure that the candidate is right for the franchise opportunity and has expectations that can be realistically achieved.

Don’t be surprised if you are asked about the following personal areas of your life:

Financial situation

Whilst it is a good indicator that there is a need to succeed, too much debt can become overwhelming, particularly when the franchise opportunity is yet to break even or reaches financial difficulties.

Home life

Some franchise opportunities are quite demanding on your time and a franchisor needs to ensure that the business won’t be negatively affected, nor will your home life, by the typical needs of the business.

Goals and expectations

The franchisor needs to assess that the candidate has sufficient drive and ambition to be able to move the business in the right direction, equally that their expectations can be met, if not exceeded.

Reasons for wanting to join

It’s good to understand the motivations for an individual wanting to join the franchise, whether it was the sector, area, brand or something entirely different. This is also a good opportunity for the franchisor to ask the individual what they intend to bring to the opportunity.

Exit plan

Whilst it’s good to know when an individual hopes to start, it’s also good to know when they want to exit. A franchise is not forever. Knowing this information up front can help to put plans in place for a smooth exit that is beneficial for all parties.

If you’d like to chat with us ahead of this point in your franchise journey, give us a call on 0116 275 9005 today.