In This Issue

• Franchise Spotlight
• Mario’s Message
• Doug’s Sales Corner
• Lori’s Tips
• Elizabeth Enlightens
• Larry Listens
• Vendor Center
• Counter Point
• USG Services Spotlight

 

 

 

 

Franchise Spotlight

 

Five generations of the Sacrone family have been baking bread in the same South Philadelphia location for 90 years. In 1997, Sarcone’s opened a Deli 50 feet away from the bakery. Professional Athletes, Hollywood Movie Stars, Philadelphia Magazine Best of Awards and just about anyone who has ever lived anywhere near the City of Philadelphia all know the same thing, Sarcone’s Deli makes the best hoagies in the Tri-State area.

 

Over a decade and countless awards later, Sarcone’s Deli has decided to open a limited number of franchises. Due to their strict high quality food standards and necessity of being within a reasonable distance from the bakery, Sarcone’s has decided to only open a total of 15 franchises. In light of the stringent selection process inherent in such a limited franchise offering, we are pleased to announce the opening of the newest Sarcone’s Deli franchise in Newtown, PA.. Please come visit us in Newtown, but call in your order first. There is going to be a long line ahead of you.

 

USG in the News

Mario Altiery on the Franchise Show: “Don’t Fix It If It Ain’t Broke: Do it Better!”

Upcoming Events

IFA Convention
Feb 5th-Feb 8th, 2010
San Antonio, TX

 

Upside Group
Franchise Consulting
888-445-2882
newsletter@upsidegroup.biz

Offices in Arizona, California, Florida and New Jersey

 

If you have any questions or comments for Upside Group please click here to submit them.

 

• Mario’s Message

  Hello, my name is Mario Altiery and welcome to the first Upside Group newsletter. I founded USG almost ten years ago and since that time we have had the privilege to work with some very interesting concepts and meet many tremendous entrepreneurs. Over the years our clients and associates have suggested to us that we should publish a newsletter, so thank you for the encouragement as we are proud to publish our first edition.

  USG is comprised of franchising professionals from all aspects of franchising and we plan to share our perspectives on various topics including franchise sales, franchise operations, administrative techniques, franchise relations, franchise industry trends, marketing and advertising and counterpoint where we review other articles and trends and offer an alternate point of view. In each addition we will also be highlighting a key vendor, a current client and we will also be answering your questions and responding to your comments in Larry Listens column. Thank you again for your time and we look forward to producing an informative, comprehensive newsletter for you.

• Doug’s Sales Corner

  Hi. My name is Doug Jackson. I have been in sales for over 25 years and in franchise sales for a decade. They say franchise salespeople are evolved, not born. This means successful franchise salespeople have been mentored, trained, coached, have talked with thousands of franchise prospects, logged in many years of experience and sold hundreds of franchises. They have worked for large franchise companies, as well as smaller franchises just starting in their infancy growth stage. I am fortunate to be included in each of the previous categories and my hope is to share with you each month in this newsletter my insights into setting up a successful franchise sales system in your organization.

  I will be exploring the intricacies of franchise sales, with tips, insights and philosophies that you can use that day or in your next sales call. I will discuss how your competition can be one of your most valuable assets and talk about solutions to the biggest challenges in franchise sales today. I’ll discuss getting leads, closing more sales and many other topics. I hope you will join me each month as we explore them together.

  Warren Buffet, the great American Investor/Entrepreneur, said, “Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.”

  One of your first and most important tasks in establishing a successful franchise sales system in your organization is to determine the inherent value to the potential franchisee. What you will need to do is think long and hard about those concepts found within your franchise model that will differentiate your franchise from the competition. When I say “value or concepts” I am not talking about listing the benefits of the franchise, but rather the simple description of what will be important to the franchisees family and friends. For example, if your franchise was in the home improvement industry then the fact that you provide more initial supplies than a competitive franchise will not be important to that potential franchisee’s parents. However, if those products are either made from recycled materials, help increase the energy efficiency of the home or reduce energy costs, then one of your franchise values would be helping save the environment. Think of it as a description that might come out of a fortune cookie. “May your franchise be green, help save the environment and reduce global warming.” Trust me, when your franchise prospect is going through the sales process and family/friends ask about the different franchise concepts they are investigating, the more simple values they can rattle off about your franchise system, the more support and reinforcement you will gain for your business. Think about it?

  One mother says to the other at the grocery store, “My son is thinking about opening a home improvement franchise that has the most home improvement franchises in the country.” The second mother replies, “My daughter is going to open a home improvement franchise that will help save the world.”

  Value counts. Find yours.

• Lori’s Tips

  Welcome to Upside Group’s monthly newsletter. My name is Lori Bayda and I have been the Executive Assistant at Upside Group for the past five years. I work very closely with our clients to make sure that they are getting the most out of their advertising dollars and are spending it in the right places to maximize the exposure of their franchise.

  In the next few newsletters, I will be taking you through the process of how to choose the right franchise web portal for your business and which factors will affect your decision. Each month I will add another step in the process, as we walk through getting to know your franchise web advertising portals, building a comprehensive ad system and tracking your results. This month we will start with how to choose the right franchise portals. One of the most important things to consider when choosing a portal is their volume of traffic. You want to make sure that your ads are being seen by as many people as possible so one aspect to picking the correct portals is researching the traffic to each site. A second important factor is the division and accuracy of industry categories. You need to review the type of prospect you are looking to attract along with how the layout and division of brands on the portal site will affect who sees your ad. For example, if you are a green business that touts green as one of your key benefits, you don’t want to get lost in the volume of other like services that are not green. You would look for franchise web portals that have a specific green category.

  Once you have completed this first step in the process, your research will have narrowed down which portals you want to select for advertising your franchise. The next step is to determine how each portal can help you. Many sites offer specials throughout the year to attract new business and I have found that the summer is the best time to find these deals. Sometimes if you advertise on one site, they might be partnering with another site which allows you to double your exposure while reaching more interested potential franchisees. Portals have different levels of advertising plans and they range anywhere from $800 a month to over $2,500 a month. And often now many sites have changed to a pay-per-lead system where you pay for each lead that is generated while often placing a monthly budget cap. It all depends on your budget and where you want the placement of your franchise listing on the site. The higher plans such as Platinum or Gold will offer you more visibility, while the lower plans will be a smaller monthly cost but only offer basic services. I recommend you invest extra time researching the best deals to maximize your advertising budget.

  The first step in this whole process is to decide on your goals for growth, second determine how many quality leads per month you need to reach those goals based on your current closing ratios. Then you can use your budget and cross reference it with the advertising options and expenses to maximize your results. In the next newsletter, I will be walking you through how to build a comprehensive ad system once you have selected your franchise web portal partners.

• Elizabeth Enlightens

  Welcome to our first Upside Group newsletter issue! I am Elizabeth Moreno, Director of Sales Support. I have been in the franchising world since 1993. My experience has been in management, marketing, sales and regional franchise development and operations. I have also managed profit and loss operations, negotiated leases, coordinated construction of new franchise sites, and lead franchise shows. These are some of the strengths that I offer Upside Group’s domestic and international franchise clients. And it is with pleasure that I will share bits and pieces of my experience with each issue of our newsletter. I will focus on bringing you some insight into the art of phone-lead-management. Let’s start with “Tone”.

  Tone:
  Today everyone is busier than ever and we are receiving more calls than ever. This is why every salesperson must keep every aspect of their calls in mind, and one of the most important is “Tone”. Yes, every salesperson must have exceptional skills on getting the customer on the phone, gathering information, building rapport, generating excitement and advancing the call. But tone is a key factor in that process. Keep in mind that most everyone is turned off by an in-your-face approach. Using personality matching and a consultative selling approach are the ways to become the kind of salesperson that can identify a customer’s personality type and match their rhythm, tone and style.

  When you sell in person it allows the use of many means to create an impression. Such as clothing, hair style, handshake, walk or posture. Just the physical proximity makes the job of establishing rapport easier. For phone selling it requires a skillful analysis of the customer’s voice, tone, words and inflection as well as the precise use of your own. You can't read someone’s enthusiasm or reluctance in their face or body language so on the phone, you need to be able to interpret the subtle meaning of every variation of tempo, volume, and energy level as well as the words. Even the pauses have importance.

  Do not pick up the phone until you can sound upbeat and happy. While on that call you should sound competent and positive. Sit straight or if you think better on your feet then use a wireless headset so that you can stand and move around. Actually moving helps stimulate blood flow to your brain and your vocal chords sound stronger and friendlier. Your voice needs to resonate well. Pay close attention to diction, clear professional speech is important to communicate clearly. Don’t use sarcasm in your tone. Have fun in the call, if your customers are laughing, they are more likely to buy from you. And remember to “Smile” when making calls; it always makes you sound better and conveys warmth and enthusiasm.

• Larry Listens

  Welcome, my name is Larry Schwartz, Sr. Consultant with Upside Group. I have spent several years in various aspects of the Franchise industry including franchise development, franchise operations and as a Master Franchisor. I have also had the pleasure of working with many start-up, early and middle stage companies in a variety of industries from service and restaurant brands to the healthcare industry and beyond.

  As I work with many different clients at USG, I often have the opportunity to assist one client through experience or information garnered from another. In my column I am opening up the lines of communication and allowing you to choose the topics. So as the column states Larry Listens... please send in your suggestions, comments and ideas for topics of importance to you and your organization and I will be happy to address them in future issues.

  I look forward to your feedback and appreciate you taking the time to respond. All suggestions can be sent to newsletter@upsidegroup.biz. I’m listening

• Vendor Center

  VIDP is a purchasing firm headquartered at Cardiff by the Sea, California with an additional office located in Scottsdale, Arizona. VIDP manages all FF&E design services, including design, procurement and installation. The benefit to the VIDP client is that they only have one point of contact for the entire project. Their turnkey philosophy becomes one of the most valuable assets to their clients, allowing them to focus on the operations of their business.

  VIDP provides an array of services ranging from Interior Design, FF&E Procurement, Financial Management, Equipment Leasing & Financing, and Installation.

  Designing is more than taking colors and textures and translating into a look. VIDP understands that each of their clients’ needs is different and unique. By listening to their clients, VIDP understand exactly how to execute a design solution, not just a color board. VIDP designers combine comprehensive vision with technical skills and broad resources to develop functional, imaginative and unique design packages that exceeds their client’s expectations.

  With VIDP’s knowledge and understanding of the industry, their procurement staff attends to details and has relationships to solve problems that make their procurement process run efficiently and effectively. With their strong sourcing and purchasing power, they provide the right product at the right price to their clients by reaching into their regional and international vendors. VIDP provides competitive pricing to stay within their client’s budget without compromising the design specifications.

  Recently VIDP completed Fire Rock Casino near Gallup, New Mexico. Read what Arif Siddique, the owner’s representative for the Navajo Nation, had to say about VIDP:

  “VIDP demonstrated their capabilities and qualifications on this project with distinction. Their services included all carpet, furniture (front & back of the house), small wares and office equipment. They illustrated exceptional willingness to provide value engineering services, and we found their expertise in FF&E procurement process to be an invaluable asset.

  VIDP “stepped up” once again in providing all the Millwork and theme elements of the Casino and Food & Beverage areas, when the Construction Manager/General Contractor, could not find any subcontractors willing to undertake and complete the work in time for the opening. VIDP furnished and installed the above-mentioned scope of work on time and under budget. This enabled us to open on time. They have become an indispensible member of our team.

  Furthermore, VIDP provided the owner with substantial savings on their scopes of the work. The entire VIDP team is professional, courteous and simply a pleasure to work with.

  I would highly recommend VIDP for any endeavor they may pursue without any hesitation.”

  Please contact Jamie Nollette at jnollette@vidp.net or 480.735.8393 for more information about VIDP.

• Counter Point

  Often times after franchising events, recent articles or discussions with clients we are asked to give our opinion on various topics and in this column we will take the hottest topics and provide addition commentary and at times a different point of view for you to consider.

  We will choose the topics based on the current Buzz in the industry but of course we are open to commenting on topics brought to us by our readers. So if you see a presentation, read an article or would just like a fresh point of view please email, newsletter@upsidegroup.biz with your suggestions. We look forward to offering another point of view for your consideration.

• USG Services Spotlight

  Manuals can be the Prescription for Success

  Ask the typical franchisor to list the top five most important benefits of their franchise system and a safe bet would be that manuals are not included on the list. Every franchise is required by law to have them but often franchisors do not understand their real value. If you fall into that category and don’t use them as sales tools, you may be missing a great opportunity.

  Potential franchisees are looking for a roadmap to build a successful business for themselves and their families. They expect the franchisor to accurately explain the business model and show them how to duplicate it. The Operations Manual is that roadmap and used properly can be a tremendous sales tool. Franchise candidates are about to take a huge leap when they purchase a franchise and a comprehensive, easy-to-use Operations Manual is their warm, fuzzy blanket to hold onto during the process. If impressed by the Operations Manual, they are saying to themselves, “I know I can follow this, this is how you replicate this business model. I can do this.” However, if the manuals look confusing and over simplified, no amount of sales sizzle will overcome their anxieties regarding business start-up.

  Every franchise should have the following suite of manuals:

  • Operations Manual - it needs to be extremely detailed and comprehensive but written in easy to read language. It needs to walk them through a task-by-task progression for each component of the business, complete with timelines and filled with every possible contingency but be so easy to navigate that answers to any question can be found within moments. It needs pictures and examples that illustrate clearly the task at hand.
  • Jumpstart Manual - Every franchisor should have some type of Jumpstart Manual that takes the brand new franchisee step-by-step from the day after signing the franchise agreement to their first day of training class. Every incremental task of starting their business should be covered so they don’t miss a thing and everything is completed before they step foot in their first training class. They need to be concentrating on learning the business, not skipping out of class to talk on their cell phone with the guy installing the internet cable.
  • Grand Opening Manual - Grand Openings are vital to every successful business start-up and your franchisee should have a separate Grand Opening Manual that walks them through every detail of planning and executing a successful Grand Opening.

  Now with a complete set of manuals, your Discovery Day can offer the prospect the opportunity to look through your manuals spread out on a table. They will see no detail of the business has been left out and every aspect of building their successful franchise is at their fingertips. They may not verbalize it but this one act may be what seals the deal.

  All franchise prospects have one thing in common; eventually they have to make the leap to get started no matter what kind of business they decide to pursue. If they are interested in the pie business, they may love the taste and look of the pie, they may be excited by how much money they can make selling pies, but if they don’t have confidence that the recipe is well written and easy to follow, they will never bake the pie.

  Your manuals function like blood pressure medication prescribed by a doctor, they are not the sexiest pills on the planet and they are not miracle drugs, but you need to take it the rest of your life or eventually it will kill you. Good manuals can close a deal, good manuals are essential to getting successful franchisees on the road to growing their business, good manuals can be just what the doctor ordered – when was the last time you checked your prescription?