Soldier Becomes Local Entrepreneur
Korey Kaigle is one of the youngest franchisees in The Dwyer Group® family. At 23-years-old, Korey is employed fulltime by the Army and owns his own The Grounds Guys® franchise, a business he started at 22.
Born and raised in Swanton, Vt., Korey served in the Army National Guard for six years as a medevac Crew Chief on Blackhawk helicopters. He served in Iraq from 2010-2011. Upon his arrival back to the United States, Korey began researching opportunities to own his own business and saw opportunity in The Grounds Guys.
“They allow me to be myself, but made me an entrepreneur and gave me potential. I see a lot of groundskeepers in the area but they limit themselves because they can’t expand,” Korey said. “The Grounds Guys gives me an opportunity to grow and have a support team. I’ve never been in business, and they gave me the tools I needed.”
Recently, The Burlington Free Press featured the incredible story of the local soldier turned entrepreneur.
Korey is one of more than 230 military service men and women and veterans that own a Dwyer Group franchise business. Through the Veterans Transition Franchise Initiative the company has given nearly $1.5 million in franchise discounts to transitioning military personnel and current veterans.
In 1991, The Dwyer Group the founded the VetFran program, a voluntary effort of International Franchise Association (IFA) member companies to encourage franchise ownership by offering business franchise opportunities and financial incentives to honorably discharged veterans. The company’s mission with VetFran program is to help veterans achieve their dreams and goals by being in business for themselves. Learn more at http://www.leadingtheserviceindustry.com/VetFran.asp.
Holiday Marketing Tips
By Laura Shaheen
With autumn here and firmly entrenched, it’s time to give your company’s holiday marketing schedule some serious consideration. The holidays are one of the best times to reach your customers. Sluggish summer habits get a burst of energy with the snap of the cold and the thought of holiday parties and gift giving. Use this time wisely to attract more customers, and to better serve your current clients.
1.) Make plans: It’s easy to foresee using a fall and winter marketing schedule, but less clear cut to actually establish one. Plan for the holiday months early, and determine any promotions or discounts you’d like to run. Coordinate these promotions with your bursts of advertising or direct mail—haphazard planning in this regard has been many a company’s downfall.
2.) Utilize a direct mail campaign: Once you’ve run the numbers and determined which promotions or marketing you can afford to run, use direct mail campaigns to educate your customers. Consider synching your mailing campaign with promotional e-mails, blog updates, and social media promotion. The more cohesive, the better.
3.) Make your company website holiday appropriate: This doesn’t mean changing the company colors to red and green and posting a garish, bright holiday banner across the top of the page. In fact, we might recommend against such updates. However, talk to your graphics and web designers about sprucing up the company page with a few little holiday reminders. For inspiration in this regard, think Google’s mostly subtle logo changes. It never hurts for a few quick prompt about the holidays to jog a customer’s memory.
4.) Update website user-friendliness: It’s reasonable to expect higher website traffic in the fall and winter months, mostly due to the circumstances of the weather and events. For companies in the home repair business, you can bet things will start going wrong the day before a customer’s house party, or just when the temperature dips below freezing. Be prepared for an influx of web traffic by updating parts of the company website. If you’re in the retail business, is your shopping cart button prominent on every page? Is it simple to purchase from your company? The last thing you need is a lengthy product purchase process that allows customers to get distracted and put off buying. Consider utilizing wishlists or other interactive ways to encourage turning one time buyers in loyal customers.
5.) Utilize SEO: Like we mentioned in our previous blog on SEO, don’t be afraid to make your company as search-friendly as possible. This might include upping the number of blog posts, or changing the titles of your pages to include some more relevant search terms.
At the heart of the matter, all that this comes down to is effective preparation. Be sure that you’re ready for the changing weather and tides of consumerism. Have quality staff, effective promotions and proper schedules set aside. Such arrangements can mean the difference between coming into the holiday months blind and coming in prepared.
Building Your Company’s Reputation, They Like Me! (And Dealing Rationally With Those Who Don’t)
By Laura Shaheen
The times of business are changing, and the internet has been at the forefront, leading the charge. Now, instead of searching through phonebooks to find specialized services, most people bring their hunt to the internet. There are endless reasons why: speed, convenience, etc., but also because the internet provides what the yellow pages do not: customer reviews.
As human beings in the internet generation, we feel more comfortable in taking advice from complete strangers than simply picking a name from a hat. Typically, this is a good thing. Truly excellent businesses are allowed to shine through their positive reviews, while their lesser competition gets bogged down by deserved negative reviews. However, there are always the one of two negative reviews that really scare people off of a certain service or company. There reviews might be there for a whole host of reasons. Honestly, some people simply like to stir up trouble. They might have had a less than satisfactory time with your company, or perhaps they’re mistaking you for a different company. No matter the reason, negative reviews need to be dealt with, for better or worse.
But how? You may ask. I have no control over the website and this review is chasing off sales!
Never fear, there is hope. Follow these tips to battle negativity and encourage likability and your company will reap the benefits of a greater and more positive online presence.
1.) Stay calm and never lash out when angry: There are probably very few things in the world more aggravating than Googling your company only to encounter an atrocious and malicious negative review about your company. The review might be an outright lie, but the most important thing to remember is to never lash out when angry. The internet is like an elephant, it never forgets, and people have long memories. If another prospective customer logs on, reads a negative review and then reads you screaming back at the negative customer, they aren’t going to be prospective for long. Remove yourself from the situation and do not post anything for at least 24 hours. By then hopefully your rage will have cooled, and you can begin to make amends to your online reputation.
2.) Offer to meet and discuss the issue: So you’ve waited 24 hours, you log back in and the review still gets your blood boiling. That’s normal, especially if the critique is warrantless. The best way to run damage control on the situation is to respond to the review in a calm, collected manner and offer to make reparations. Perhaps you could respond by saying: I’m sorry you feel this way about your recent service with Your Company. We would like to get to the bottom of this issue. Please contact us at this number, or feel free to come into our office to discuss your situation personally. We look forward to seeing you. This approach doesn’t just nip the issue in the bud, it makes you look coolly rational and willing to deal with even the most fractious consumers.
3.) Don’t get bulldozed: No matter the business, there will always be people in the world bent on tugging the tiger’s tail. These people might be looking to take advantage of you, or perhaps chancing on the bet that you would rather pay them off than deal with them. They might be looking for refunds or rebates, and they most likely will have done things like this before. If you truly look at the situation and realize that they are making outrageous demands with no fact to substantiate them, do not simply give in to what effectively is blackmail. They are holding your company’s reputation hostage, and giving in will not serve the company’s best interests. Be polite, but firm.
4.) Ask yourself if there truly is a problem: Though there are always the pranksters and scum looking to simply ruin a day, oftentimes customers who post negative reviews really do feel cheated and wronged, and this is something to take very seriously. Perhaps your employees mishandled a situation, or maybe something went wrong on your end. Investigation into complaints can turn your most staunch opponent into your biggest fan if you resolve their issue quickly and show that you value their opinion.
5.) Build reputation in other ways, effectively drowning out the bad noise: A lot of the time, you cannot simply wave a magic wand and remove the bad review from the review site. The best way to counter a bad review is to drown it out with positive ones. Give people a little credit, most people will not take the one negative review seriously if it is lost in the flow of happy customers. Build your company’s reputation by providing excellent service, but also by boosting your online presence. This will also help with your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and will drown out the negative voices.
1.) Converse, don’t just sell: People don’t want to be lectured to, and the minute you start rolling into a sales pitch, oftentimes people begin building their reasons why not to submit. Build relationships and it will become their idea to use your services. The different is palpable.
2.) Respond! The glories of social media: Oh social media. You’ve added a face and a personality to companies. No longer are we simple names in the phonebook, or even an address on the web. Now, through social media, companies are living, breathing entities that can interact personally with their customers. If a customer posts something on your Facebook, negative or positive, write back to them.
3.) Inquire and ask for opinions: People love to give their opinions and they love to answer questions. Make your social media pages as interactive as possible and your online reputation will become infinitely more likeable.
4.) Honesty and genuineness: Perhaps the most important point, it’s very easy to read something for its genuineness. Your customers are going to go with the company that they feel is the most honest, hardworking and which will ultimately give them the best deal and experience. Allow your honesty to shine through and negative reviews will become a moot point.
Social Media: A Potential Jar of Honey… or Bowl of Vinegar…
How many of you say (or hear your grandparents/parents say) “You’ll attract more flies with honey than vinegar!”? I am in NO way comparing our valued customers to bothersome insects, but I am trying to make a point.
Are you utilizing your methods of social media correctly? Are you employing social media in a way to keep and attract customers’ attention and interest, or have you become the page that people click “Ignore” or (Gasp!) “UNLIKE”?
Below, I hope you all will find valuable ways to keep the customer first and foremost in the mind. A business is NOTHING without customers, and building your customer following can start, or continue, with online social media.
That golden, goopy, sweet and delicious honey:
Cover up that vinegar with some honey!
Dear Abby [Insert franchise name here]! A primary reason customers look to connect with companies via social media or by Google is because they need you to fix something. If you provide it, they will come. Have the easy-peesy answers to simple questions available at their convenience, but also invite them to ask you directly via an @name tweet or message on Facebook. A great way to boost your following is to simply provide a fun tip each day.
A GREAT example is @MrAppliance. They search for comments on Twitter with “broken” or an appliance name, and respond directly to those users with, “No need to make food in the microwave. Look up the nearest Mr. Appliance and give them a call. We can fix it!” You have to give people a reason for sticking around and remaining a fan of your page or Twitter account.
Good PR is a two-way street! How to improve a service if there is no feedback? People REALLY like to feel like their opinions matter (AND THEY DO!) When you invite them to comment on service, it makes them feel more valued and not just your average, run-of-the-mill customer. If you invest more interest in their opinion, you have a friend/customer for life. Not to mention those wonderful “how are we doing?” posts you can put on Facebook and Twitter, fearlessly inviting the world to see how your customers view you. Those companies with guts are able to handle anything, even a bad review. Ask how you can improve it!
SALE ON AISLE 8! Let’s face it, people LOVE bargains, coupons, ANYTHING to save them money. The primary reason customers connect with brands is to take advantage of promotions or coupons, so bring it to them in the simplest of ways, a click away!
Customers are willing to “like” a page with the hopes that the brand will “thank them” by giving them a discount or special offer. When you’re creating these offers, aim higher than the mundane and average, “10% off…” Make sure it’s something unique and is an offer people will want to cash in.
Guarantee a coupon for following on both Twitter AND Facebook. Host contests on Twitter with trivia related to your concept and award the first 10 people who respond with the answer and your @direct name! Make sure you are reaching out to people in the way they WANT to be reached out to; the new-age of social media is upon us, people!
Make ‘em laugh, make ‘em laugh, make ‘em laugh! Okay, no one likes a sourpuss with absolutely NO sense of humor…But a class clown isn’t exactly what we are shooting for. You want to show the world your personable side, without losing their confidence in your brand.
There is no harm in posting a link to something funny (within good taste/reason), to a recipe or to something you support (like The Ronald McDonald Charity House, Relay for Life, etc.). Don’t bombard them with opinion, stay out of politics, but make them realize you aren’t an automaton that posts blogs, never reads comments, doesn’t care what people are thinking, etc. Have a blog that details what you did with your family, post pictures of the grandkids; essentially help them to get to know you.
But here comes the vinegar…
R.E.S.P.E.C.T. I was always taught, religion and politics are NOT dinner conversations. Don’t make following you on Twitter or Facebook an awkward or embarrassing fact. I know I have deleted a cousin or two who spouted off religion-related rants or politic-fueled fodder just because I didn’t want others to see it!
Be Switzerland. Make sure you allow your followers their rants about your service (or praises!). If you invite it, it will be given. Treat each and every comment as if it will help your image, (and you would be surprised, bad comments help too!)
Don’t start pointing your finger or criticizing the customer, because who knows, maybe they will remain loyal to you! Instead of censoring their messages because it’s not nice, have a public discussion with that customer on how to improve!
I. Am. A. Robot. Another reason people’s fingers hover over that “Unfollow” or “Unlike” button is because they can’t get around your updates and Tweets to see others! Don’t flood the screen with information.
A Tweet or three a day will suffice. A question or blog update twice or thrice a week will do. Don’t change directions so many times that you lose their interest. You can even have a theme per week, if it floats your boat! You know your audience best, so go from there!
Tumbleweed Tweeter. You know those old Westerns where, to emphasize nothingness, a big tumbleweed floats across the screen? Do NOT be that tumbleweed! You are emphasizing to your customers that you CARE, therefore you need to actually be there… I know, it’s a shocker.
You want your image to be between a season veteran grandpa of five and a helicopter parent. Show you care enough to let them comment freely on your brand, while also emphasizing that you are there to help with absolutely anything they need. (Pretty spot on, don’t you think?)
If you start something, like a blog, Twitter account, Facebook or something else, maintain it! Nothing annoys people more when they go to the trouble to find you online, only to have you disappear on them. What was the point?
21 Creative Ways to Increase Your Facebook Fanbase
For all of you current franchisees, take this lesson to heart! These social media tutorials are for you! We want to help you all step up with the times in social media and see its benefits reflected in your customers’ happiness and satisfaction. So, without further ado, here is another tutorial on how to fancy up your Facebook!
How can you put this social media tool to use?
By Mari Smith
If you build a Facebook Page, will fans come? This is the great hope for many businesses. However, fans do not magically appear from the Facebook mist.
The Big Myth
There’s a great myth that once you create a Facebook fan page for your business, the first thing you should do to get fans is invite ALL your friends from your personal profile using the “Suggest to Friends” feature.
Unfortunately, this strategy may not be that effective and can, in fact, often backfire. I have seen many industry gurus complain that when they decline a fan page request; it’s frustrating to continue to be asked again and again.
There are several reasons not to use the “Suggest to Friends” feature:
- Facebook users can only like up to 500 pages and may wish to be selective. (Though I have seen it’s possible to go over this limit).
- Fan page suggestions may often build up, unnoticed. (At last count, I have 593 overlooked fan page suggestions and am already a fan of 500!)
- To aggressively pursue all your friends to join your fan page – for no apparent incentive – is counterintuitive to the nature of social media.
So, the good news is there are many ways to promote your fan page and proactively increase your fan base without bugging all your current Facebook friends, and also by thinking wider than just Facebook.
Here are 21 ways to get more fans for your Facebook fan page:
#1: Embed Widgets on Your Website
Select from a number of the new Facebook Social Plugins and place them on your website and blog. The Fan Box widget is now the Like Box and it works well to display your current fan page stream and a selection of fans - see screenshot below with Whole Foods Market Facebook Like Box. I would recommend adding a title above the box encouraging visitors to your site/blog to click the “Like” button (which makes them a Facebook fan).
You might also consider the Live Stream widget for more advanced uses, particularly on an FBML custom tab of your fan page itself. The Live Stream widget allows Facebook users to add their comments to a live event, for example, and that activity pushes out into their stream.
#2: Invite Your E-mail and E-zine Subscribers
Assuming you have an opt-in e-mail list, definitely send out an invitation to your subscribers via e-mail (several times, over time) letting them know about your fan page and encouraging them to join. Ideally, provide them with a description of the page and an incentive to join.
Be sure to have the Facebook logo/badge appear in your HTML newsletters. Instead of the usual “Join our Fan Page,” say something creative like “Write on our Facebook wall,” or “Join our Facebook community,” or “Come add your photo to our Facebook group” (where “group” is actually your fan page). Users have to be a fan in order to interact with your fan page in this way.
#3: Add to Your Email Signature Block
Instead of promoting your Facebook personal profile (if you do), include a link to your fan page in every email you send out. If you use web-based email, check out the Wisestamp signature addon.
#4: Make a Compelling Welcome Video
Create an attractive landing tab (canvas page) with a video that explains exactly a) what your fan page is about, b) who it’s for and c) why they should become members. The result: you’ll increase your conversion rate from visitors to fans. One ofmy favorite fan page welcome videos is by Steve Spangler, the Science Guy! After watching his video, you can’t help but want to join!
(By the way, with the new Facebook changes, if your custom welcome tab and video talk about clicking the “Become A Fan” button, you may want to change the wording to “click the Like button” now).
#5: Use Facebook Apps
I recently tested a new live video-streaming app called Vpype. The app adds a tab to your fan page called “Shows” and when you broadcast as your fan page, everyone can view by default. (You can also broadcast as your personal profile and selectively invite friends/friend lists). I wrote up a review of this app here. By announcing via Twitter, your personal Facebook profile, your blog and your email list,you can broadcast regular live Internet TV shows from your fan page and create much buzz.
Another example of app integration is Target’s “Bullseye Gives” campaign. Target had their fans vote on which of ten charities they most wanted to see the company donate to. By voting, a post goes out onto your Facebook wall and into the News Feeds of all your friends, thus providing Target with valuable exposure. (For custom apps, see companies like Buddy Media, FanAppz, Wildfire Apps, Involver,Virtue, Context Optional.) [UPDATE: Thank you to Context Optional, the creators ofTarget’s “Bullseye Gives” campaign!]
#6: Integrate the Facebook Comment Feature
My favorite example of this is the t-shirt company Threadless. On their landing tab (canvas page), you can view and purchase t-shirts as well as Like and comment on any item and choose to have that comment posted to your Facebook profile, as shown in this screenshot:
Threadless actually has their landing tab set up so visitors don’t have to become a fan to purchase/comment/interact. Yet they have organically built well over 100,000 fans.
As users comment on items, that activity is pushed out into their stream (profile wall and their friends’ News Feeds), which creates valuable viral visibility for your fan page.
For further information on adding the comment box to your FBML page/app, see thesepages.
#7: Get Fans to Tag Photos
If you host live events, be sure to take plenty of photos (or even hire a professional photographer), load the photos to your fan page and encourage fans to tag themselves. This, again, pushes out into their wall and friends’ News Feeds, providing valuable (free!) exposure. And, a picture says a thousand words – we notice the thumbnails in our feed more than text. (Props to Nick O’Neil for this tip.)
#8: Load Videos and Embed on Your Site
Facebook’s Video feature is extremely powerful. You can load video content to your Facebook fan page, then take the source code and embed on your blog/website. There is a “Become a Fan” button right in the video itself. For an excellent tutorial, see Nick O’Neil’s post: How To Get Thousands of Facebook Fans With a Single Video.
[UPDATE: Since Facebook changed the Become a Fan button to the Like button,embedded Facebook videos now display a white watermark hotlink of the Facebook name in the upper left corner of the video player - see first screenshot below. This is a clickable link that goes to the original video page on your fan page. If the visitor to your site clicks through to Facebook from your video, and they are logged into Facebook at the time, they will see a Like button at the top left corner of the video player - see second screenshot below.]
#9: Place Facebook Ads
Even with a nominal weekly/monthly budget, you should be able to boost your fan count using Facebook’s own social ad feature. It’s the most targeted traffic your money can buy. To buy an ad, scroll to the foot of any page inside Facebook and click the link at the very bottom that says “Advertising.” From there, you can walk through the wizard and get an excellent sense of how many Facebook users are in your exacttarget market.
Then, when you advertise your fan page, Facebook users can become a fan (click the Like button) right from the ad as shown in the screenshot below. Additionally, Facebook displays several of your friends who have already liked you, thus creating social proof.
My book with Chris Treadaway, Facebook Marketing: An Hour a Day (Sybex) contains comprehensive instructions on maximizing your marketing through Facebook social ads.
#10: Run a Contest
This is somewhat of a gray area because Facebook changed theirPromotional Guidelines last year. Essentially, you need prior written permission from Facebook and need to be spending a significant amount on ads per month. However, you CAN require Facebook users to become a fan of your fan page in order to enter a contest, sweepstakes, drawing or competition. See these two postsfor further explanation. PLUS, good news: you CAN run contests and sweepstakes with the use of the apps created by Wildfire App.
#11: Link to Twitter
Link your Twitter account to your Facebook fan page and automatically post your Facebook content to Twitter. You can edit what gets posted, choosing from Status Updates, Photos, Links, Notes and Events.
You have 420 characters on the Facebook publisher and 140 on Twitter. In the tweet that goes out, Facebook truncates your post past a certain character count and inserts a bit.ly link back to your fan page. To track click-through stats on that link, just paste the bit.ly link that Facebook created for you in your browser’s address bar and add a “+” sign to the end. This works for any bit.ly link!
I also recommend you promote your Facebook fan page on your Twitter background and possibly in your Twitter bio/URL field too.
#12: Get Fans to Join Via SMS
Your fans can join your fan page via text message! You’ll need to get your first 25 fans and secure your username. Then, to join your fan page, Facebook users just send a text message to 32665 (FBOOK) with the words “fan yourusername” OR “like yourusername” (without the quotes).
This feature is ideal when you’re addressing a live audience, say. Have everyone pull out their mobile phones and join your fan page on the spot! This would also work well for radio or TV. (Note that this only works for Facebook users with a verified mobile device in his or her account.)
#13: Use Print Media
Look at every piece of print media you use in your business. Your Facebook fan page (as well as Twitter and any other social sites you’re active on), should be clearly displayed. Put your Facebook fan page link (and the logo) on your business cards, letterhead, brochure, print newsletter, magazine ads, products, etc.
#14: Display at Your Store/Business
If your business is run from physical premises, put a placard on the front deskletting your customers know you’re on Facebook. Ideally, you have a simple, memorable username. Incentivize customers to join right away via their mobile device and show you/your staff the confirmation for some kind of instant reward!
You might give out physical coupons promoting your fan page. For restaurants, put the Facebook logo, your username and a call to action on your menus.
I was at a hotel in San Francisco last fall and they had a placard in the elevators promoting their presence on Facebook and Twitter. The sign was very noticeable because of those ubiquitous Facebook and Twitter logos/colors!
#15. Add a Link on Your Personal Profile
If you’d like to promote your fan page to your Facebook friends, just under your photo on your personal profile there is a section to write something about yourself. I call this the “mini bio” field and strongly suggest adding a link to your fan page like so:
Be sure to format the URL with http:// otherwise it will not be clickable with just the www’s. You have a limited amount of characters, so keep it succinct and leave out the www’s. You can put in hard line breaks though to make the content easier to read.
#16: Add a Badge/Button to Your Profile
Using an app like Profile HTML or Extended Info, you can create your own custom HTML, including a Facebook badge and/or graphic embedded, as shown in the screenshot below:
#17: Use the Share Button
The Share button is all over Facebook and is a very handy feature. It only works for sharing on your personal profile. So periodically go to your fan page, scroll toward the bottom left column and click the “Share+” button. Add a compelling comment along the lines of exciting news, recent changes, special incentives, etc., happening on your fan page and invite your friends to join if they haven’t already. I find the Share button far more effective than the Suggest to Friends approach. (And, if you’d like to Share content from the web on to your fan page vs. profile, I highly recommend using theHootlet bookmarklet tool at HootSuite.com).
#18: Use the @ Tag
As long as you’re a fan of your own fan page, you can “@ tag” it on your own personal profile wall. From time to time, you can let your friends know about something happening on your fan page by writing a personal status update that includes tagging your fan page with an @ tag. Simply start typing the “@” symbol and the first few letters of your fan page name (this works whether you have your username registered or not), and it will appear from a drop-down menu to select. This then makes it a nice, subtle hyperlink that your friends can choose to click on.
#19: Autograph Posts on Other Walls
A subtle way to gain more visibility for your fan page is to add an @ tag for your fan page when writing on your friends’ walls as a way to sign off.
I would use this one sparingly and, again, monitor the response from your friends. I have never been a fan of adding a signature block on Facebook wall posts because our name and profile picture thumbnail are always hyperlinked right back to our profile anyway. But the simple @ tag could be effective.
#20: Autograph Other Fan Pages
As with adding your fan page @ tag to posts you make on your friends’ walls, you could equally use the same technique when posting on other fan pages. Thisneeds to be used with discretion and I would advise against doing this on any potentially competing fan page!
#21: Maybe Use “Suggest To Friends”
I won’t rule this one out completely as it does depend on how many friends you have, your relationship with your friends, how often you suggest fan pages/friends to your friends, etc (see ‘The Big Myth’ above). But I do recommend monitoring the response to this technique – perhaps simply by asking for feedback in your status update.
Dallas – Fort Worth Area Glass Doctor Raises Donations for Komen Breast Cancer Event
The Glass Doctor of North Texas and its vendors have donated more than $2,000 to the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure. The event will be Nov. 5-7 at the Collin Creek Mall in Plano.
Glass Doctor of North Texas is supporting the “Tough Ta-Tas” team, which will walk 60 miles over the course of the three-day event.
“To walk 60 miles in three days sounds hard and painful, we’ll get blisters on our feet and sleep in a tent after walking each day,” said Cheryl Patterson, wife of Larry Patterson, president of Glass Doctor of North Texas. “I’ve heard stories of women who have struggled and suffered to fight breast cancer and still lose their lives. Compared to that walking 60 miles will be an easy thing for me to do to help find a cure.”
Together Cheryl and her 13 teammates have raised almost $36,000 toward their $50,000 goal with about a week left before the event. Nine vendors have helped Glass Doctor of North Texas support the Tough Ta-Tas: Dallas Flat Glass, PGW Auto Glass, Sika, Daines Insurance, Agalite Bath Enclosures, Waldman Brothers Insurance, AI Media Group, Pilkington and M3 Glass.
“I’m so proud of Cheryl for making the commitment to spend three days walking for this great cause,” Larry Patterson said. “Glass Doctor of North Texas and all of our vendors are glad to support the Susan G. Komen 3-day for the Cure in its battle to find a cure and raise awareness of breast cancer.”
To donate and support the Tough Ta-tas, visit their official website and donate securely through Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
Based in Carrollton, Glass Doctor of North Texas serves Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant Counties. For more information or to schedule service call (972) 271-6800.
Mr. Electric-Ft. Lauderdale helps light up a Ronald McDonald House
Thanks to a partnership with the Green Savings Company, The Ronald McDonald House in Fort Lauderdale will receive more than 100 energy-efficient lighting kits, which are being installed over the next few weeks.
The Green Savings Company initiated the partnership as a way to reach out to the local community and also promote its T5 retrofit lighting kit, a light conversion system designed to save energy and reduce costs.
“This is definitely something that we really needed,” said Soraya Moya, executive director of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Florida. “We’re very grateful to them.”
The Ronald McDonald House in Fort Lauderdale is a residence for families with critically ill children staying in nearby hospitals. With more efficient and improved lightning, the facility can remove excess lamps and will count down on the number of light bulbs needed.
The new fixture kits can reduce costs up to 70 to 80 percent, according to Alex Vidal, marketing director for the Green Savings Company. The kits are the flagship product of the company, which opened in Fort Lauderdale two years ago.
“It’s an inexpensive way for them to go green and reduce their carbon foot print without having to spend a lot of money because it’s a cost efficient method,” Vidal said.
Another aspect of the partnership is Mr. Electric, which offered to install the kits. Mr. Electric removed T12 and T8 fluorescent light bulbs and replaced them with the T5 retrofit kits, which is one of the more energy efficient bulbs on the market.
And with a monthly electric bill of roughly $2,100, the potential savings for the Ronald McDonald House could not come at a better time.
“Everyone is hurting with the economy and we’re very appreciative of our relationship with them,” Moya said. “It’s less of a burden on us and the families that stay here for one, two or three months.”
The potential savings could also generate more funding to improve programs as well as purchase needed furniture and other items.
“The more we save, the better we’ll be able to operate and branch out,” Moya said.
Marketing 101- Advice for Potential and Current Franchisees
I know this may come as a shock, but marketing doesn’t come naturally. Rest assured, it can be learned, especially with so many resources made available to franchisees. These resources are essential in establishing a business, but why?
They can seriously help franchisees, novices or experts, gain skills in building a solid customer base and thus growing their business. It’s on you to make it happen, and here’s how you do it:
- Pre-opening – You’re the new guy in town – so get the word out!
- Signs should be in the window and calls need to be made to the local media.
- Walk around the neighborhood to meet owners of other businesses in your area.
- Advertise opening-day giveaways, coupons, etc. Use social media (Twitter, Facebook) to spread the word.
- One of the most effective advertising is the two-way Tweet. Make sure you get feedback from your customers! Advertise coupons, ask questions and put a survey out there if you want!
- Grand opening – Raise the roof in your new town!
- Announce the date well in advance, make it a festive occasion, and above all, provide material incentives:
- Giveaways to the first (insert a number here) people.
- Free samples, balloons, flyers, the whole nine yards.
- Discount coupons to bring customers back.
- An e-mail signup list to keep them informed of special offers.
- Promote LOUDLY that you can be followed on Facebook and Twitter!
- Announce the date well in advance, make it a festive occasion, and above all, provide material incentives:
- Ongoing support – Don’t be afraid to ask for help, advice during a new product/promotion.
- Be willing to share any problems or obstacles you’re facing in the area of marketing with your franchisors or even fellow franchisees. (Trust me; they’ve seen it all before.)
- More than likely, they’ll be able to provide you with solutions and suggestions, and the names of experienced franchisees in your area that you can contact – they might also serve as a coach or mentor.
- Make your franchisor your “go-to-guy” for anything marketing information, tactics, and materials. Although there is an official training period to go through, you can learn so much more when you begin your brand-investigation in your search for the perfect brand.
- Be willing to share any problems or obstacles you’re facing in the area of marketing with your franchisors or even fellow franchisees. (Trust me; they’ve seen it all before.)
- National and regional advertising – If you’re part of a well-known national brand, use that to your advantage.
- Television, radio, and newspaper ads for the brand can only help. Your job is to connect the more generic brand ads to local marketing efforts.
- Marketing materials – Increasingly available on the company intranet, so you have no excuse for not using them!
- Marketing materials approved by the franchisor can be downloaded, customized for your location and market, and distributed through any local media you like, from print or radio to Twitter or your own website; and, of course, in your store windows and through in-store flyers and coupons.
Although some of this information may be common sense or standard procedure, remember this: even the most experienced pilots consult a checklist before taking off.
