December 2019

The Yule Edition

Swimtime advises on sparking innovative thinking for businesses

Driving Innovation in Your Business

bfa FBI Case File

Pointers for generating new leads

Jo Jingles provides a guide to navigating the world of marketing for a new franchisee

Marketing advice for the new franchisee

Granite & TREND Transformations gets to grips with different ways to keep the leads flooding in

The bfa speak to new members SylvianCare on why they joined the bfa

New Member Q&ALearn more about the bfa's Finance Assistant, George Hopkins

In the lead up to Christmas, it can feel like a real struggle to manage your time between work and home. babyballet lets

us know how to achieve a work/life balance.

Achieving a work/life balance

Radfield Home Care, the Emerging Franchisor winners for 2019's bfa HSBC Franchise Awards, share why entering an

awards is a must for any business

Why entering an awards is a must for 2020

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How to achieve a work/life balancebabyballet gives us with six ways of achieving balance between the office and your family

1. Have a flexible approachWhen you have a family and a business to run, there is never a dull day. As much as you may have mapped out your day, week, month or year, unplanned events or circumstances can arise at any time. Whether it be an ill child or a last-minute urgent meeting, having a flexible approach helps to make these unexpected situations less stressful. 2. Delegate where possibleLearning to delegate is difficult, especially if you started your business from scratch on your own, but delegating will help you spread the load and reduce stress. As much as we like to think we are super woman, there’s only so much you can do with the time that you have. It doesn’t make you a failure if you ask for assistance if needed; it will help you to be more efficient and productive. 3. Don’t compareWith us having so much access to other people’s worlds now, especially through social media, it’s easy to compare ourselves to others. Remember though that you don’t always see the full picture so focus on yourself and only use otherpeople’s activity to inspire and motivate you, rather than letting it dishearten or discourage you. 4. Be kind to yourselfMost of us are aware of the analogy, ‘put your own gas mask on first’, but somehow it can feel selfish to look after yourself before others. Putting yourself first and doing something you enjoy outside of business or family commitments can feel like a luxury but if you have the chance and there is something you would like to do, don’t feel guilty. Savour the ‘you’ time, you deserve it! 5. Surround yourself with supportive people Whether it be your family and friends outside of the business or colleagues and friends within it, it’s vital to have a strong network of people around you who you can trust and rely on. As well as sharing the successes and triumphs with you, they will help you through any tough times and be able to give you advice or support when needed. 6. Live in the momentLife is passing us all by so it’s really important to be mindful of the present. As much as it’s vital to plan and organise what we have to do both for the business and the family, it’s essential to enjoy the journey and not just the destination. There will always be something else ‘to do’, so enjoying the ‘doing’ process makes everything much more satisfying and worthwhile. If all you do is tick something off the list rather than appreciate the task in hand, you are never truly living in the present as you’re already thinking about what’s next. And let’s face it, there is always going to be something else ‘to do’! If you don’t manage to get everything you had hoped to get done in a day, rather than being annoyed for what you didn’t achieve, be proud of the things you did.

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Driving Innovation in Your Business

Innovation can come from anyone in your businessEvery person within your business, no matter what their role, should be encouraged to be creating more effective processes, products, services, and share their ideas in general. Innovation can act as a catalyst to make your business grow and can help you adapt and lead within your marketplace. Develop innovation through simplicityUse processes that everyone can use! There are many great pieces of software out there that can help provide a structure for capturing innovative ideas, and some of them are free. For example, Trello, a web-based list making application which enables a team to work more collaboratively and in short, get stuff done! Ideas can be captured, added to a specific list, then explored in more detail with each member of the team having visibility. The lists can then be prioritised in line with the objectives of the business. Go beyond developing productsIt’s not all about new product creation and increasing sales or market share. Innovation can touch every aspect of a business. To truly embrace innovation, a business should look at every process, from taking a phone call to delivering the end product or service, and everything in between. Some questions that team members could be asking themselves to drive innovation are – How can this be improved? Is there a better, more effective way of doing this? What are the trends outside of our sector? What technology is out there that can help improve efficiency/customer experience/in our business? Create teams that support innovationInnovation needs to be led and encouraged at every level within a business. The senior management team are usually the ones who have their sights set for growth and they will see the benefit of sharing the 'Innovation Workload' amongst their teams, utilising individual’s skills, knowledge and experience and encouraging them to think beyond what is immediately in front of them. Many businesses offer incentives that support innovation, rewarding team members who come up with the 'golden nugget'. Setting aside a budget to help fund innovative ideas and sharing this fact with your team demonstrates supportive behaviour and draws people together. Leverage diversity There is a lot of talk nowadays about diversity, but what is it and how does a business leverage diversity? One definition is that when we leverage diversity, we “Lead and manage an inclusive workplace that maximises the talents of each person to achieve the vision and mission of the organisation.” In short, by understanding and embracing the strengths within your business, as well as those of the individuals that work within the business, you can identify what strengths can be used to your best advantage. There will be people within your business who are naturally creative, push the boundaries, and think outside of the box. These individuals should be encouraged to be creative as often, it they will come up with the idea’s that can develop your business. But it doesn’t stop there. Innovation only occurs when the idea is mapped out, challenged, refined and implemented. To achieve this, there needs to be the right balance between those who are creatives, those who are planners/organisers and those whose skill is delivery and implementation. Build a culture of innovationCreating a culture of innovation doesn’t just happen overnight, and it doesn’t happen by telling people to be innovative! It can sometimes take years to create a culture that truly shows that innovation is important within a business. Often, it is the business founder/owner who shows that they value innovation, and that they consider it part of the culture of the business. In turn, this becomes part of the very fabric of the business. By training managers to lead innovation they can then engage individuals throughout the business, encouraging them to question what they do, challenge them to come up with new, more effective ways of doing something and to explore new ideas. In providing individuals with time to explore ideas and be creative, innovation will continue to be part of the culture of the business going forward. Fund innovation even when times are tough!Often, when the going gets tough we batten down the hatches, focus on what is immediately in front of us and forget about being innovative. In the early days of my career, I remember being told once, to “stop playing with that new software, we haven’t got time for that!” I chose to ignore the instruction and continued to “play” as I believed it could take some pressure off the business unit, improve service and ultimately save the business money. Days later I presented my findings with a compelling argument. In fact, so compelling the purchase of the software was signed off within days and 6 months on, service improved, and cost savings were made. Innovation should always be encouraged

Swimtime shares advice on how you can drive innovation in any business

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Marketing advice for the new franchiseeJo Jingles shares its advice to all new franchisees who want to get off to a strong start of marketing their business

Know your who your customer is This might sound obvious, but it’s amazing how often people advertise in the wrong place because they’ve lost sight of who they’re trying to reach. Build a picture of your ideal customer, give them a name, draw them on a piece of paper with a funny face and keep them in the front of your mind when considering any new marketing activity for your business. Know their interests, what they look like, where they shop, how much they earn, do they have children? The more specific you can get with this customer profiling exercise, the more targeted and ultimately successful your marketing activity will be. Understand the big picture – consider your customer timelinePut yourself in your customers' shoes to understand the journey they will have with your business. How will they find you? How will they contact you? How can they access your products and services? How can they leave feedback? Consider all the possible points and ways they might need to interact with you before, during and after they are your customer so you can make each touch point as positive as possible. Create a seasonal content & social media planner Setting up a content plan doesn’t have to be complicated, but it will save you hours in the long run so it’s well worth investing a day to get this right. Pay attention to seasonal trends, festivals and events that are of interest and popular with your customers, then build a plan spanning the year for the marketing emails, PR activity, social media posts, events and blog articles you will create around them. Don’t forget to pay attention to any national campaigns your franchisor is running as you will be expected to participate in those locally too. Lead management – Understand the importance of timely communications Every customer journey starts with a call, email or face-to-face meeting. You should work to make those first few conversations as positive and effective as possible so they don’t go elsewhere. Set expectations, meet them, and make sure you’re easy to get hold of. Set up an out of office if you’re not able to answer emails immediately, set up a professional voice mail and always have business cards or flyers with your contact details to hand when meeting potential customers. Don’t forget ‘offline’ activitiesIn a world seemingly governed by Facebook and Instagram, it can be easy to forget there are real people out there! Make time to set up introductory meetings with local venues and people that could introduce you to future customers in your area. People buy into people, so having a face to face meeting over a cup of tea could be worth far more to your business success than 1,000 Facebook posts. Encourage referrals to spread the word Word of mouth and recommendations will always be one of the most powerful marketing tools you have. Send a gentle reminder to customers that will nudge them to leave a review on Google or Facebook to spread the word about how great you are at what you do. Don’t forget to add these reviews to your website too. Remember the competition Ultimately your focus is your business, but it pays to keep one eye on the competition. Make sure you know what direct competitors are operating in your local area. Understand what they do well and where you can provide a better customer experience so you can capitalise on this with your business and marketing plans. Finally, it’s natural to feel overwhelmed when starting a new business so don’t be afraid to stop at any point to take a breath and remember all the reasons why you wanted to start your own business in the first place. If you keep believing in yourself and the brand you have bought into, you can achieve the rewarding career you dreamed of.

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Why entering an awards is a must for your businessWith entries for the awards opening next month, Radfield Home Care tells us why entering an award at the bfa HSBC British Franchising Awards is well worth it.

PublicityAny award shortlisting will always gain some level of publicity. If you win, you can expect even more. This publicity will come organically within the industry as well as the organiser and its key partners, but you can also maximise this through your own promotion across various channels. If done correctly, an accreditation can support your key messages, credibility and public awareness for many months - maybe even years. Often the impact of this is immeasurable. AccreditationCredible awards, such as the bfa HSBC awards, are reviewed and judged by experts in their field. These experts will be able to identify the distinguishable characteristics amongst all entrants that makes the winners unique, credible and worthy of accreditation. This third party review really holds up entrants to the spotlight and can easily identify weaknesses, and help your audience understand the strength of your offering. ReflectionAn easily forgotten or underrated benefit to entering awards is reflection. In order to submit a successful entry, you have to look back over what has been achieved over recent weeks, months and years. This reflection also forces you to look back at challenges you overcame or objectives that were never quite fulfilled, which can help you realign your goals and help your business grow in the future.

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Pointers for generating new leads

Local magazinesSecure prime space in the right local magazines. Ensure you know your target audience and make sure the magazine you choose will reach them. When buying advertising space, insist on prime positions such as outside back cover or early right-hand pages. If a publication has a puzzle page or regular feature that appeals to your target audience, ask for your advert to be placed on the page opposite. The dwell time on such pages with help increase response. Five up five downAnother great way of raising your profile and potential new business is by distributing a door drop to neighbouring houses surrounding where you are doing your work. This is low cost and highly efficient as it can be done by your staff on site. They post leaflets detailing your work to five houses either side of the one you are working in. Make sure your leaflet explains what you do and you can mention ‘we are in your neighbourhood, call now for a free no obligation quote’. Online marketing and social mediaSocial media can be a black hole for your budget. Make sure you identify the correct platforms for your audience. There is no point maintaining Instagram pages if your target audience is not using it. Start with one platform get it up and running andunderstand what resource is required to maintain it effectively and what budget is required to generate the leads you expect from it. Social media platforms can be highly targeted. Understand your target demographic and stick to it when planning social campaigns. Images and video are the most engaging tools for social media. Ensure your posts are high quality images and where possible use video. Video can be simple video filmed on your phone. Digital channels are built on conversations and are a key customer service tool. You need to be an active participant, responding to both negative and positive comments promptly. There are apps and settings on private messaging functions that enable you to auto-reply, even if it is to say you will be in touch in 24 hours. Invest time in testimonials and reviews There is no more compelling proof of the quality of your products and services than positive reviews from past customers. Fewpeople make a purchase these days without first checking what other customers think of a company and its products or services, and they can see that all online with a few clicks. It is human nature to trust what other customers and third parties say about you, more than trusting what you say about yourself. The more positive reviews a potential customer can see, the more likely they will be to buy from you. Research the companies that work for you and your audience such as Check a Trade, Trust Pilot, Listen 360. Make the customer feedback process an integral part of your sales process so that the last steps of your job are to check that the customer is happy and ask them to give feedback on your chosen channel. Incentives and promotionsOffers and promotions are one of the marketing activities that make a business stand out against competitors and can help boost sales. The most effective promotions and offers will get your customers talking and raise awareness as well as generating leads. To make the biggest impact, combine both online and offline advertising. Consider how you can leverage your promotion via website banners, social media, showroom events or averts in local newspapers and magazines. Always revert to your target audience; who are they, where might they see your promotion and what do you ideally want them to do? A clever promotion will draw your customers to your business without the need for product discounts which eat into your profit. If you need to include a tangible offer, thing about partnering with another business for mutual benefit. Local eventsEvery franchise area with have an annual schedule of events, fairs and exhibitions – a county show or craft fair for example. Local events vary massively in size, scale and footfall but can be a great opportunity to generate leads. Search online for local shows and fairs ‘near me’ and then call the organisers for all of the information. Work out the cost of exhibiting space, stand, staff etc. and asses your ROI by estimating the sales you would require to return a healthy profit. Take one stage out of the sales process by taking bookings or orders at the event possibly with an incentive.

There are so many marketing channels that can help generate leads for your business. Granite & TREND Transformations have outlines a small selection below

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New Member Q&ASylvianCare

Give us a brief history of SylvianCare and its journey to franchising. My brother and I co-founded Sylviancare in May 2014. We initially recruited healthcare assistants and nurses from across Europe for care providers in the private sector. We received CQC registration in December 2014 and signed our first contract with Reading Borough Council in March 2015. We expanded quickly over time and now cover the Reading, Wokingham and Bracknell regions. We prospected franchising ideas in 2016, though we acknowledged that we were not ready at that moment in time and we finally embarked on the franchising path again in January 2019 after sustaining constancy in growth and success. Why have you decided to join the British Franchise Association? We decided to join the British Franchise Association due to the advantages that the affiliation brings and because of the expert support and training provided. We consider the resources that can be accessed through the bfa membership as invaluable, especially for a business that is new to the franchising world. What has been the most challenging and rewarding moments for your business? The most challenging and rewarding moment for our business was when we signed our first few clients. It was challenging because we realised the demand for quality services being provided was so great, and we needed to provide a quality service from the off-set. We quickly realised we needed to pace ourselves and not grow too quickly, too fast. It was rewarding at the same time because as any new business owner knows, we had doubts and worries at the beginning. However, with the success we have achieved and the quality of service we provide to our clients, we now know that this was the right path for us. What are the franchising goals for SylvianCare? We are hoping to gradually expand our franchise network while continuously growing, developing and improving the quality of our services. We are offering a low-cost franchise, making this an affordable pathway to business ownership. We understand that mindset is the most important factor when it comes to business performance and quality of services and for this reason our focus will be on developing a growth mindset culture in our company.

The bfa speaks to Cristina Grancea, Director of SylvianCare on who they are and why the company joined membership

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FBI Case File: George Hopkins

Learn more about George Hopkins, spreadsheet master

Be ready for another bfa FBI Case File coming to your inbox next month!

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The past is not dead, it is living in us, and will be alive in the future which we are

now helping to make.Until next time...

Case closed!

- William Morris

Bulletin board