CarePatrol Franchising System Grows

CarePatrol, the pioneer of the senior living placement industry, recently bought their competitor, Assisted Transition. CarePatrol, founded in 1995 by a social worker after observing the personal trauma experienced by a family whose loved one had been placed in the wrong type of assisted living facility, today helps families make safe choices for their loved ones across the United States.

The recent deal will give CarePatrol approximately 150 franchises by the end of the year, after converting about 60 into the CarePatrol system. CEO Chuck Bongiovanni is excited for this purchase and transition for the company. With his social worker background, he prides himself in using the social work model to clients at CarePatrol. Client phone calls are answered by Master’s level social workers, rather than “the typical call center employees.”

Franchisees must receive their national certification as a certified senior advisor to maintain their franchise license. The purchase makes CarePatrol 10 times larger than their nearest competitor in the assisted living placement industry.

Want to learn more about CarePatrol? Learn more over on our site!

Traditional Media and Content Marketing

It probably comes as no surprise that the printed newspaper and magazine industries are shrinking. Less and less people are reading printed articles, and more and more are turning to online media for their news. It is interesting to learn in recent studies that the trust of your targeted audience may be diminishing as well. Recently in a Gawker.com article, an executive from Chipotle said that Millennials “are skeptical of brands that perpetuate themselves.”

There is a decreasing number of future customers who have no desire to see commercials or ads that they don’t believe are true. Traditional marketing strategies as a whole just don’t seem to be getting the job done anymore when it comes to younger generations. With social media, we are bombarded daily with a surplus of news, opinions, and advertisements. The key to successful public relations strategies now is understanding what to share and how to share it.

Which leads to content marketing.  Content marketing is created when a company develops its own content in the form of articles, blogs, or videos featuring the business. The content must be professional, honest, and not self-serving. Bloggers, specifically, are becoming increasingly credible and popular influencers and can help drive products while not appearing as self-promoting as other forms of advertising.

What is your business doing to reach you target audience? Leave comments below!

Community Outreach in Franchising

Recent studies are showing that volunteer rates in America are on the rise. A 2012 study by the U.S. Corporation for National and Community Service found that two-out-of-three citizens serve their communities today and those numbers are increasing each year. Sociologists believe we are seeing a shift in many parts of the country where people are returning to focusing on their smaller communities, through supporting local goods and services, as well their local nonprofits.

Why is this important to national franchises? Any smart business should follow sociological trends. Therefore, national franchise systems are challenged to create a local presence in their community. People want their neighbor Doug running the shop down the road, contributing to the local economy, and therefore national franchises should encourage their independent locations to run as such. The way to do this is through community outreach.

Community outreach shows the public that you ARE a part of the community. While you may be part of a large national company, you are living, working, and investing in the individual communities you serve. By franchise systems partnering with local charities, they show the community that they care about the individual communities they operate within.

“Building a Company Culture for Community Outreach” a recent article in Franchising World, by Robert A. Funk, gives guidelines for how to go about making community relations an important part of your business’s culture. Here are a few I especially liked:

1)      Communicate Core Values

First and foremost, you have to set direction, with both a mission and a vision. Market yourself as a philanthropic company, and use social media to show what you’re doing for your local charities.

 

2)      Financial Contributions

At the corporate level, franchises can supply grants to community projects, as well as local initiatives and programs that support their charitable mission.

 

3)      Engage Your Customers

People want to purchase from a business that is sincere and authentic about giving. Franchises can ask customers to directly donate to the cause, making them feel just as much a part of the giving as the franchise itself.

How Creative Initiatives Can Fuel Growth

Through challenging economic times, franchisors have developed new ways to fuel growth and development in their business. When it comes to finding qualified, well-funded prospects for franchising, usually portals, franchise consultants, and advertising & networking all are strong factors in growing a franchise. Lead-generation sites, like Franchise Clique, play a huge role in connecting qualified clients to franchisors and consultants. Beyond these necessary tactics, franchisors are branching out further, and bringing creative ideas to development.

From the patterns I’ve observed, this is happening in several ways. Parent companies of franchising brands are now taking new approaches to their stores – in locations that offer opportunities for food-court style eating, such as hospitals, malls, and airports where normally one brand would be placed in a store, developers are bringing three or four of their brands to the same location. Both dual-brand storefronts and co-branded store partnerships are certainly on the rise in the franchising market. Providing two goods or services in one location offers customers more of a variety, and targets a wider range of customers altogether.

In addition to multi-brand locations, I continue to see a growth in social enterprise within the franchise industry. Non-profit organizations such as Affordable Homes of South Texas, Inc., Dale Rogers Training Center, and the National Christian Foundation are all teaming up with major franchises like Great Clips, Papa Murphy’s, and Blimpie, bringing franchisee profits straight to these organizations.

These partnerships are doing well because they solve fundamental issues that both franchisors and non-profits face. On one hand, franchisors benefit because they are launching a new location, which is owned and managed by a non-profit group that possesses strong and favorable community reputation, while on the other,  the non-profit benefits because it is buying into proven concepts and corporate office teams who are invested in their success. It truly is a win-win.

What are other ways you have seen franchisors creatively fuel growth? Leave your comments below!

Three Tips for Growth in a Sluggish Economy

  1. LEADERSHIP IS PRICELESS.
    Any growing business needs a strong leader. This holds true especially when a business is struggling. Senior management should play on the strengths of other team members to reinvent old ways and pull from outside sources to evaluate what is and what is not working. As a leader, it’s important to be transparent and honest about the financial stability of the system, yet remain optimistic that positive changes can be made to face economic conditions head on.

2. ACT LOCALLY
National and global goals are certainly something to aspire to; however, market share is won at the local level. A successful and motivated franchisor helps franchisees get active with local businesses, schools, and charitable       organizations. Having a strong brand in a local market can build reputation and lead to potential growth opportunities.

3. LOYALTY IS EVERYTHING
Customer loyalty is crucial during tough financial times. Along with a high-quality product, it is just as necessary to give your customers an awesome experience, consistently. To provide loyalty incentives to your customers is a win, win. For example, this year, the Marco’s Pizza franchise received more than 27 percent of new restaurant applications from Marco’s Pizza customers. Additionally, 30 percent of applications came from referrals of existing owners who sought to share franchise opportunities with ambitious entrepreneurs.

Thanks to Franchising World Magazine‘s January issue for some of this week’s content! Check out more here!

Handling Change In Your Business

Whether you are a current franchisee, a future franchisee, or even just a fan of our blog, chances are that you have experienced major changes in your workplace. Changes can cause great anxiety, especially if you are forced to adjust the way you have always approached a situation. Changes in process are often the best way to enhance productivity in business, yet the transition can prove to be troublesome.

I wanted to take this week’s post to discuss dealing with change and the growth contained in the process of change. Most of us operate under the illusion that life remains constant, but in reality, it is always changing. Your business, if it’s growing, is always changing, too.

Based on a study by the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), the number one issue facing senior leadership today is “dealing with complex challenges.” Furthermore, studies say that the number one most important competency in shortest supply today is dealing with change. The CCL defines challenges as problems that:

  1. Lack a clearly defined solution
  2. Remain beyond an individual’s or single group’s ability to overcome
  3. Have significant strategic, cultural, environmental, and marketplace impact
  4. Create a paradox of reflection and action
  5. Render traditional solutions ineffective
  6. Demand flexibility and agility as challenges shift seemingly overnight

Being open to change and the lessons within change is no small task. Positive change requires letting go of old patterns and taking a fresh approach. In business, and in life, we must go beyond our preconceived ideas. We have to embrace, rather than resist, the change.

Change in an organization calls for a great deal of communication, specifically from the leaders in the group. What are some important lessons that you have learned about change from your business? Leave comments below!

Nonprofits in the Franchise Industry

It may surprise you to learn that Nonprofit groups around the country own franchises, like Blimpie Subs and Papa Murphy’s Pizza. Nonprofit groups, in a more recent trend, are purchasing franchises, and using that revenue from the outlets to support their social missions.

For example, Affordable Homes of South Texas, a nonprofit that constructs houses for low-income families, opened a Blimpie sub shop in downtown Weslaco, Texas. Affordable Homes of South Texas turned to exploring new options for funding when there was a drop in federal housing grants earlier last year.

Other charitable organizations view it as an opportunity to train and employ people in their community. The Dale Rogers Training Center, an organization dedicated to providing jobs to over 1,100 people with disabilities annually, recently opened a Papa Murphy’s pizza franchise near the charity’s base in Oklahoma City.

Customarily, national franchise brands have been contracted solely with individuals, but that is certainly changing. According to the recent NY Times article, more than a dozen national chains since last May have sent representatives “to explore franchising opportunities with nonprofit groups in SourceAmerica, a network of 1,300 organizations serving the disabled, at its annual meeting in San Antonio.”

Do nonprofits own a franchise in your area? We would love to hear your comments on this franchise trend!

Guest Blog: Top 3 Franchises of 2014

Upside Group Consulting is this week’s featured blog post! Upside Group provides step-by-step coaching and consulting to franchisors seeking to increase franchise units sold by developing a solid branding platform. This week, as our guest bloggers, they talk about their top 3 franchise picks for 2014.

The Top 3 Franchises of 2014

From fitness to frozen yogurt, the franchise industry has always reflected the ever-popular trends that permeate the business world. And while some concepts seem to last longer than others, it should come as no surprise that it can be hard for many business owners to decipher which trend is lasting versus which is simply fleeting.

While unfortunately, there’s no foolproof plan, there is a way to test the franchise waters: by looking to this year’s most successful franchises businesses. Selected from the Entrepreneur 2014 Franchise 500, here is a list of three of the year’s top franchises – and just what exactly you can learn from them:

1. Anytime Fitness: Anytime Fitness combines access with affordability to appeal to both customers and employees alike. From New Year’s resolutions to a multitude of 24-hour locations, gyms like Anytime Fitness successfully capitalize on the growing trends of health and convenience.

2. Hampton Hotels: Coming in at number two, Hampton Hotels places an impressive emphasis on fostering a franchisee support system. With ongoing support offered through use of newsletters, meetings, and security procedures, in addition to a multitude of marketing support, Hampton Hotels works hard in every aspect of its business plan to promote franchisee success.

3. Subway: Since 1965, the successful sandwich shop has transformed itself into a powerhouse thanks to an emphasis on solid marketing. By taking advantage of a wide variety of different tactics – from spokespeople to healthy living initiatives – Subway combines the ease and convenience of a fast food establishment with the attractiveness of an on-the-go lifestyle.

Whether your franchise has been growing steadily for years or you’re just beginning to consider the idea of expanding, by looking to this year’s top franchise businesses, you can take away a series of important lessons that can help you find success – from management to marketing.

Learn more from 2014’s top three franchises by contacting an experienced franchise consultant at Upside Group today.

Setting New Year Resolutions For Your Business

I read a great article last week on Forbes, here. It got me thinking… we often set personal goals for the new year (which is great – January is a good time to reflect on the year’s past and prepare and set goals for the year to come,) but not so often, perhaps, do we set goals for our businesses.

The author in the Forbes article, Drew, mentions great overarching goals like following a content marketing plan, utilizing apps that can make life easier, and showing customer appreciation. The ways you go about fulfilling your goals is obviously entirely up to you. I have found in my personal experience with New Year’s resolutions that it is easier to break goals down into more detailed “mini-goals”, so to speak.

For example, if your business goal is “to have a greater social media presence in 2014”, it may be easier to make your resolution something a bit more tangible – “We will post 200 Facebook statuses this year” or tweets, or Instagram pictures, or blog posts or… you get the point. Having a more specific goal, in this case a specific number you will reach, will probably help you better keep track of that progress and feel success at the end of this year when you reach your goal.

What are your business goals in 2014? Share them in the comments below!

Being Mobile-Friendly and Why It’s Important

Mobile communication is now an imperative part of a business’s marketing strategy. People are using smart phones and other mobile devices now more than ever. They are using their mobile technology to find shops, restaurants, and services in their area, and it’s important that when they search, they find your business.

If your website is not mobile-friendly, it will most likely lose you business. Anyone searching your business from their smart phone wants to quickly and conveniently access your contact information, purchase your products, or both. If the customer can’t find information, or the layout of your site isn’t compatible with his or her technology, they may become frustrated and bring their business elsewhere.

Additionally, your emails and newsletters must also be mobile-friendly. If people are reading your communications on-the-go, they want to be able to read the email free of excessive scrolling, pinching, and squinting at their touch-screen device. An annoying-to-read email will quickly be sent to the trash bin, or worse, unsubscribed from.

By creating a shorter, more condensed version of your website for mobile-users, you keep current customers happy and new customers coming. You can find more information about making a mobile friendly site in Franchising World’s current online magazine, found here.

How can you increase your revenue by $8,000 a year?

Surprisingly, the answer may be your business on Yelp. Yelp is an online urban guide and business review site, headquartered in San Francisco. And it is shown to increase the revenue of the average business by $8,000 a year. Millions of American consumers look to Yelp for recommendations from fellow consumers. And with a smart phone, this information is accessible at the tip of the fingers. The website and mobile app have consumers everywhere turning to customer reviews before trying a new restaurant, cleaning service, hotel, coffee shop, or drugstore.

According to a 2012 study at Berkeley, a half-star improvement in a restaurant’s Yelp rating caused the restaurant to sell out 49 percent more frequently. That’s huge! And it shows how seriously customers today are taking the positive and negative experiences they have at an establishment. Now a description of a delicious meal, along with a photo, can be shared with interested parties almost instantly, but then again, so can a negative experience. It makes me question whether consumer review sites like Yelp are putting more pressure on business owners than in the past.

At one time, a bad meal or terrible service meant a bad tip. Today, it could mean the entire experience posted to Yelp. A new study by Merchant Warehouse confirms the importance of review sites, showing that 93 percent of consumers who consumers who research local businesses on review sites make purchases from those businesses. Again, huge.

Is your business on Yelp? Do you frequently review places where you’ve been a patron? Leave your comments below!

Franchise Profile: Bin There, Dump That

Start your own business with North America’s only ‘Residential Friendly Dumpster Service’! Bin There Dump That is a specialist in the field of bin rental and dumpster rental. Whether it be renovation projects or just cleaning out junk or rubbish from around the house or office, Bin There Dump That provides a reliable bin rental service.

Contractors, remodelers, renovators, roofers, restoration services or property managers use the company’s clean and efficient services on an on-going repeated basis. Homeowners are fans, too. The kids move out, it’s time for a spring cleanup, a storm creates debris or do-it-yourself’ers  are working on a basement, kitchen or other home project.

If this resonates with you, you may have found the perfect franchise to explore. At Bin There Dump That we believe that people do business with people they like.  As you investigate our franchise business opportunity we hope you connect with us on a personal level.  What may surprise you is that we won’t try to sell you on our deal.  We strive to award our franchise to qualified candidates that will represent our brand with integrity and passion.

A Message from Bin There Dump That:

What may inspire you to learn more is our focus on education.  The more you learn about franchising, the more success you’ll achieve running your BTDT franchise.  Our guided educational approach allows you to dispel the fear of the unknown, turn assumptions into questions and therefore, uncover the real facts and truths about our franchise offering.

Are you a fit?   

During our 45 years of awarding franchise businesses & franchise opportunities, we have found several factors that identify what makes a great franchise operator.  There are three qualities and attributes common to all top performing franchisees.  They are;

  1. Fire in the belly- a drive to succeed, to win, to be rewarded for your direct effort  – balanced with a willingness to accept responsibility for your actions.
  2. The ability to follow a system and execute the proven business model – This is tempered by being a decision maker with the will to take action when required.  Think of implementation first, innovation second.
  3. Appropriate capital – Building a great business takes time, so having a realistic financial expectation is essential.  Having a solid net worth, balance sheet and above average credit score is required.

The most successful Bin There Dump That franchise operators love to meet people, talk about their businesses, join community events and are comfortable walking in the door of a Chamber of Commerce mixer or the office of a general contractor.

If this sounds like it could be you, you can head on over to our website to read more here: http://www.franchiseclique.com/franchise/Bin-There-Dump-That