Snap-on, a client of Coconut Creatives, strengthens the bonds of their relationship with franchisees with the launch of their very own National Franchise Advisory Council (NFAC) for the UK and Ireland. This exciting forum gives franchisees an open channel of communication between themselves and the company. The NFAC is about management and franchisees working together to improve Snap-on’s offering to franchisees and their customers.
The NFAC is made up of eight franchisees plus two invited members all voted for by the franchisees themselves. The council hold a monthly conference call and two meetings per year and work alongside the team at Snap-on HQ. Involving the franchise network in company decisions helps Snap-on grow stronger with constructive comments, hands-on suggestions for improvements and the combined knowledge and strength of the franchise network.
Snap-on is the world’s number one professional tool brand. They are the leading global manufacturer and distributor of tools for the professional technician. Franchisees deliver gold-standard, premium products to technicians up and down the country. Snap-on’s fantastic business offers you the chance to be your own boss whilst being supported by an elite team of experts.
“Whilst we cannot promise to change the world with a wave of a wand, our belief is that with proper open discussion and sharing of ideas, real improvements can be made to the benefit of all involved. This has certainly been the experience of our colleagues both in the US and Canadian NFAC’s,” Lisa Law, Snap-on’s National Franchise Manager.
Snap-on franchisees are so successful because they are passionate about their business and the growth of the network as a whole. All council members play a constructive role in helping Head Office build a stronger and more profitable business for the future for all concerned.
“We recognise that it’s the franchisees who are out on the street every day and they know the problems that come up on a day to day basis. This makes them the best people to come up with the solutions to the problems and share them with the management team. It creates a win-win situation and means we can strengthen the company together, as a unit. Our franchisees are not treated as numbers, we recognise each and every one of them as individuals who are trying to build good businesses and support their families so they need to have an input into how the business is run – the more minds the better!” adds Lisa Law.
Snap-on offer an outstanding training and support programme designed to launch and grow your business quickly and with maximum impact. Before you even turn on the engine of your custom built mobile store, there is an exclusive territory full of professional tool users just waiting for you to call in. You don’t have to wait for the customers to come to you because Snap-on find your customer base before you even start. Their aim is: to empower you with the tools for success.
Mr. Electric, a client of Coconut Creatives, has recently plugged two extra people into their franchise support team. Dave Galvin and James Mooney have both joined the head office support team boosting the help on offer to Mr. Electric franchisees.
Dave has a varied career background and uses his range of skills and knowledge to offer Mr. Electric franchisees the finest support to build profitable businesses across the network. James is responsible for helping franchisees maintain constant communication with their customers and with helping to build and maintain brand presence both in the UK and in each franchise territory.
“At the moment everything’s all very new and exciting. I’ve been working in the franchise industry for a long time so it’s an industry I know well but this is a completely new service sector for me. I spend most of my time working with franchisees to help them grow their businesses through financial monitoring and understanding the finances of their businesses. I help them to grow through lead generation and new business generation,” explains Dave.
“My time is split 50/50 between supporting the franchisees and working on franchise recruitment. I help franchisees with generating new business and maintaining constant communications with their customers in order to help bring in repeat business. I also help the franchisees with building their social media platforms and finding opportunities to make sure they’ve got a good presence in their local areas,” adds James.
“It’s great to work with the franchisees so closely. I’ve met all of them now and they’re all very keen to develop their businesses with my help. They accept that you’re there to help and not to interfere. They’ve all been very receptive to the idea which makes my job much easier,” explains Dave.
“We create a profit and loss for each and every franchisee. They monitor where they think they are and where they actually are. Philip Milburn, Head of Mr. Electric UK, and I go and visit them once every quarter to have a formal review and look at where they have to be and where they’re aiming to be. It’s early days at the moment but this financial planning and management is what sets our franchisees apart from many independent electrical businesses. You’ve got to have something to aim for so that you know where you’re going,” adds Dave.
Mr. Electric is part of the global franchising giant, The Dwyer Group and, as such, benefits from being seen as the go-to supplier of electrical services; appealing to the domestic and commercial customers as well as household names such as The AA, B&Q and British Gas. Franchisees supply contractors for all aspects of electrical servicing and maintenance work but have also become renowned for their innovative energy-saving products that cut household bills and help businesses to meet energy-saving targets.
“I think Mr. Electric offers a great opportunity for franchisees to be recognised as part of a huge service brand in the UK. There’s a huge opportunity to build up brand presence and franchisees can leverage the brand reputation and generate business for the long-term,” adds James.
Both James and Dave have very different roles within the Mr. Electric support team but it’s clear to see that they are both dedicated to developing the Mr. Electric franchise and supporting the franchisees to achieve their ambitions.
The electrical services market predicts growth of just over £2 billion to £20.6 billion in the four years up to 2018. Mr. Electric franchisees are positioned perfectly to take advantage of this growth using the huge benefits of their energy-saving products to win new business and secure long-term contracts.
Coconut Creatives are co-chairs of EWIF and were proud to lend a hand with organising their annual awards ceremony which took place on 12th May 2015. Guests from across the industry attended to see the winners receive their well-deserved awards.
“We are delighted to continue our support for the EWIF awards and congratulate all the winners on their success. The awards provide a great opportunity to recognise and celebrate the work of women in the UK franchising industry. The professionalism and achievements of all the winners and nominees are inspiring and they are great role models for other women thinking about breaking into the industry,” explains Andrew Taylor, Head of Leisure, Retail and Franchising at NatWest.
The winners are:
New Woman Franchisee of the Year 2015 sponsored by Making Money Magazine:
Hilary Coates – Wagging Tails
Woman Franchise Employer of the Year 2015 sponsored by busibricks Franchise Manager:
Rebecca Duschl – diddi dance
Woman Franchisee of the Year 2015 sponsored by Elite Franchise sponsored by The Franchise Show:
Sally Findlay – Recognition Express
Woman Service Provider of the Year 2015 sponsored by Elite Franchise:
Kate Matthews – Boddy Matthews
New Woman Franchisor of the Year 2015 sponsored by McDonald’s Restaurants Limited:
Jenni Bradford – Professor Poopenshtinken’s Magical Maths
Young Woman in Franchising of the Year 2015 sponsored by No+Vello:
Vicki Mitman – Leathes Prior
Woman Franchisor of the Year 2015 sponsored by Franchise Finance:
Anne-Marie Martin – diddi dance
Outstanding Contribution to Franchising Award 2015 sponsored by NatWest:
Jan Mitman – Drain Doctor
“This year has been the 5th Annual EWIF Awards and having personally reviewed all of the award entries, I am delighted and encouraged by the great achievements by so many women across all areas of the franchise industry. The EWIF awards allow us to publicly acknowledge a small number of these achievements, however, it is important to remember that the women we are recognising at the EWIF awards are only the tip of the iceberg, with many thousands of women making amazing achievements every day in franchising,” explains Clive Sawyer, CEO of EWIF.
EWIF’s primary focus is to support women who are looking for a route into the franchise industry. Our remit is threefold; to encourage women to consider buying a franchise, to encourage business women to franchise their existing operations and to help franchisors attract more women to their networks. EWIF is a not-for-profit organisation run entirely by volunteers, providing advice and guidance to anyone looking at trying to break into the franchise industry.
David Williams, Director, Franchising at RBS suggests how you can improve your chances of success with your business and the bank
When seeking finance from a bank it is important to demonstrate a good understanding of your franchise business and its future success. The quality and scope of your business plan is crucial.
When approaching a bank it is important to present a robust and detailed business plan outlining your business goals, performance and management experience. Highlight what key personal skills you have:, team skills, leadership, people skills and sales experience are likely to add real value as well as showing a proven track record.
Demonstrate your understanding of the market and highlight your experience. Banks will look at the complete package including financial projections and what plans you have in place should things take a turn.
Financial projections are the cornerstone of any business plan. They provide an insight into how you are going to pay the business bills together with your own requirements. Your financial provider wants to see real life targets that are achievable. Your Franchisor can be a great source of information by clarifying if your projections are realistic and remember to speak to existing franchisees in the network as they have all been in the same position as you.
The ability of the business to pay you an adequate remuneration is often overlooked within the business plan. This is the amount that the franchisee will need to take from the business to meet their living expenses, household bills and spending money. In order to make an accurate assessment of the amount required, a detailed income and expenditure statement should be completed. A detailed breakdown of all loans, credit cards and mortgages, together with other family income, will assist and ensure nothing is missed. The bank will also ask to see these along with copies of your personal bank statements.
Finally, give careful consideration to your local market and details of competition. In-depth research should be undertaken to understand what makes them tick and in what areas you can compete. This can be ascertained by looking on the web or making calls as a prospective customer. In many instances, competition can be a positive factor.
RBS has a network of accredited Franchise Managers, who are based across the UK. The have all completed a training course, have a detailed understanding of franchising and could guide franchisees through the process of raising bank finance.
To find out how RBS can help you, contact Dave Williams on 07770 733376 or e-mail dave.williams@rbs.co.uk
Providing your franchisees with adequate training in marketing will not only help them create a successful and profitable business, it will also benefit the whole franchise and aid you in your franchisee recruitment, says Sarah Carlile, Founding Director of Coconut Creatives.
Marketing is THE skill for business success but many franchisors fail to give their franchisees adequate training in marketing. Just imagine how much easier it would be for you to recruit new franchisees if you could show prospects that everyone in your franchise network is doing well!
Watch our Empowering franchisees for growth video and hear a few top tips on how you can help your franchisees to improve their sales and improve yours in the process!
If you want to learn more, we run a whole workshop on this topic so ask us when the next one is or you can learn more about our Market Your Franchise programme offered to franchisees to help train them in marketing.
the launch of their very own National Franchise Advisory Council (NFAC) for the UK and Ireland. This exciting forum gives franchisees an open channel of communication between themselves and the company. The NFAC is about management and franchisees working together to improve Snap-on’s offering to franchisees and their customers.
