The success of your franchise depends to a great extent on the number of new customers that you can attract. A steady stream of fresh clients will ensure that your sales volumes continue to grow at a healthy clip. Your business will register increased profitability and consequently strengthen its financial position.

But adding new customers should not be your only focus. You should devote at least as much time and energy to retaining your existing clients. Getting additional business from a customer who has already bought your product or used your service should be much easier than constantly adding to your client list.

Repeat business from a client has one distinct advantage for your franchise. It costs much less to convince someone who has had a positive experience with your company to use your services again. But it does require a special effort from your side.

How can you build loyalty for your franchise and increase the volume of your repeat business? While the following is definitely not an exhaustive list of the steps that you can take, it will provide you with an idea about what you should do:

Make them feel special

When a new franchise is launched, the entrepreneur would make every effort to ensure that each customer is provided with service of the highest order. But as the business grows and gets established, there may be a tendency to take customers for granted. If a franchise does well, you may not notice if some of your clients drift away to the competition.

Don’t let yourself fall into this trap. A successful business operation can quickly find itself in a position where it finds it difficult to generate an adequate level of sales. Remember that every customer interaction is important. Even if the work becomes routine for you or your staff, the client should feel special every time that a transaction takes place.

Establish a loyalty program that works

Give your customers a reason to remain loyal to your franchise. One of the most effective ways to do this is to reward them for increasing the volume of business that they do with you. If you can structure a loyalty program to offer greater discounts for higher purchase amounts, it will be more effective.

Experiment with different types of programs. In addition to a “tiered” program with stepped-up discounts for greater dollar volumes, you can try to target specific groups within your customer base.

Remember to keep your program easy to understand and honest. No one likes to register for a program and to be told about the “fine print” when they try to get a discount or claim a reward.

In addition to this, the rewards should be within the reach of a significant number of your customers. This will give you a dual benefit. Not only will your franchise register higher sales, you will also get free word of mouth publicity from the customers who benefit from your program.

Communicate regularly with your clients

It is extremely important to remain in constant contact with your customers. But this does not mean that you send them the same message repeatedly. Your communication should be both meaningful and made at appropriate intervals. You have to find the correct balance between retaining top-of-mind awareness and communicating too often.

Your messages should include information about your new products and the ways in which they can provide a benefit to your customer. Use professional language, but avoid industry jargon that some clients may find difficult to understand.

Many businesses miss the importance of replying to the messages that they receive in response to their communication. You should revert within a reasonable period of time and your reply should answer the query effectively.

If you are not able to do this, your communication strategy could backfire. Instead of getting your franchise additional business, it could lead to disgruntled customers.

Tell them about your services and ask for their feedback

Do all your customers know about the excellent service that you provide? Or about the quality of your products? The answer is unlikely to be yes. It is a good idea to include the positive aspects of your products and services in your messages.

Encourage your customers to make suggestions about how you can improve. Even if you can’t use their advice, the fact that you have asked for it will tell the customer that you care about their feedback. Of course, you must remember to thank them and explain your position.

Loyalty is built on trust

If your franchise is successful in establishing a loyal customer base, you will find it easier to achieve increased sales and profitability. But getting your franchise to a position where it can attract large volumes of repeat business from customers is not an overnight process.

You will have to ensure that your products and services are of the highest quality. It is also important to develop an emotional connection with your customers. Small gestures like sending birthday or anniversary greetings can help if they are used appropriately. An occasional note thanking them for their business can also play a role in strengthening the bond that you share with your customers.

Above all, remember that you will have to work continuously to retain your loyal customers. Their loyalty is dependent to a great extent upon how well your franchise can fulfill their requirements. It is up to you to ensure that you maintain the highest standards in the products and services that your franchise deals in. 

Photo by Kevin Curtis on Unsplash

One of the most important prerequisites for a successful franchise is a set of workers who have a positive frame of mind and a strong work ethic. Your employees must have the interest of your business at heart and they should be willing to walk that extra mile to ensure that your customers’ needs are satisfied.

How will you get your workers to develop these attributes? While it is crucial to have a stringent screening process for new employees, you must also learn how to motivate them so that they perform their roles effectively.

Here are several ways by which you can boost morale within your organization. If you are able to implement some of these techniques, it is likely that productivity will rise and your business will achieve greater sales and profits.

1. Don’t try and fit a square peg in a round hole

You may recruit an individual for a certain role but after a few months you may notice that the person’s skills are suited to a different job. This happens more often than you would think.

Smart entrepreneurs are quick to take advantage of these recruitment “mistakes.” Instead of trying to persuade the worker to do a better job, they simply reallocate work. In many instances, this benefits the employee as well as the organization.

In fact, there is a variation of this technique that you can use to give your business a boost. An employee may be performing perfectly well in the role that has been assigned. But you may think that this person could be more useful to your business doing some other work.

Shifting workers from one job to another is a good way of increasing productivity and allowing them to develop different skills.

2. Work on your communication skills

 When workers come to you with their problems, you must give them a patient hearing. Many business owners tell their workers “don’t come to me with problems, come with solutions,” but this is not a good approach.

Don’t discourage employees from raising issues that they cannot solve. If you do this, it is quite likely that you will come to know about a problem when it reaches an advanced stage.

If you maintain an open door policy, you will encourage employees to discuss what is bothering them. Over a period of time, this will lead to better customer service and more business for your franchise.

3. Learn to delegate efficiently

It is quite natural to want every aspect of your franchise to work perfectly. But this does not mean that you should carry out each task yourself or constantly look over the shoulder of the employee who you have delegated the work to.

You have to learn to let go and trust others. At the same time, it is essential to provide clear instructions and guidelines. Set up a mechanism that allows you to get regular feedback about how the work is progressing. If you do this, it will be possible to spot errors at an early stage and take corrective action.

Remember that delegation doesn’t mean passing on the entire responsibility for a task. You must provide the necessary guidance to the employee. It is also important to ensure that the person who is carrying out the task has the necessary skills and expertise.

4. Lead by example

As the head of the franchise, you are the role model for your employees. Everything that you say and every action that you take will create an impression on your workers’ minds. If you speak harshly to them, they may resent it and take out their frustration on the customers who visit your franchise.

One way that you can build morale and show that you care is to ensure that your employees are not overworked. A work life balance is important for your employees as well as for you.

If the situation warrants, you must be willing to work alongside your employees. This will help you to earn their respect and encourage them to put in their best.

5. Show that you are serious about results

If your franchise is to do well, you must closely monitor employee productivity and hold workers responsible for their individual goals. Don’t play favorites, because if you do, you will build a culture where keeping the boss happy is more important than achieving results.

Establish a system that measures end results. Each worker should have a clear job description and the actual achievement should be compared with the target that has been set. Every individual’s progress should be tracked and the necessary support and training provided to help that person achieve the stipulated goals.

If you follow this practice, you will instill a culture that encourages employees to work towards the goals that you have set for the franchise.

6. Create a positive work atmosphere

 Customers prefer an environment that is upbeat and cheerful. If the atmosphere in your franchise is gloomy and depressed, your clients will leave if they have a better option.

Get to know your employees as individuals. Even a little time spent on inquiring about their families and their personal welfare will help you to establish a better relationship.

Treat your employees with respect and they will pay you back with hard work and dedication. But if you have a dictatorial management style and you are constantly berating your employees, they will leave at the first opportunity.

A little praise goes a long way

One of the most effective ways to provide encouragement is to express your approval when a job is done well. Genuine praise is a strong motivator and it serves a dual purpose.

One, it makes the employee feel appreciated and is a great morale booster. Secondly, your workers understand that you are keeping track of their their activities and that you know how each individual is performing.

Photo by  Štefan Štefančík on  Unsplash

Effective digital marketing for a franchise all comes down to getting the right eyes on your website and driving traffic to your physical location. People may already know that your brand exists on a statewide or national level. What they may not know is that it exists right in their own neighborhood. That means that you’re going to want to put energy into being as local as possible when building an online presence and crafting marketing content. What does this look like? Using SEO to make your franchise location rise to the top of search rankings all comes down to using geographical keywords wisely and making your brand alive and active on the Internet.

Create a Domain Based on Your Location

Having a URL with the name of the city that your franchise is located in is going to automatically make your business easier to find. This is the first move to make if you’re serious about SEO. In addition, people searching for your business won’t have to visit a corporate website and search through the directory to try to discover if a location is available in their area.

Be as Local as Possible

While branding your franchise based on its geographical area is key, simply interjecting the name of a town or city into the content on your franchise’s website isn’t going to cut it. People are looking for personal, local experiences when they seek out businesses in their area. Adding keywords that demonstrate your franchise location’s unique connection to a town or city is a great way to engage your audience. Getting down to the exact neighborhood and street where your franchise is located is preferred over simply mentioning the city or town. You’ll want to utilize your business address, phone number and hours of operation as tools for differentiation.

Maximize Mobility

Most people are already out of the house and on the road when they’re looking up the address of a business in a town or city. This is why optimizing a website for mobile usage and using keywords that heavily utilize a franchise’s street location are essential. Include features like maps, photos, landmarks and directions that make the location of your franchise very easy to navigate to for someone who is in a hurry.

Seek Customer Reviews

A big part of your online and mobile energy should be focused on getting reviews from actual customers. Getting five stars and some nice words can instantly make your franchise seem more appealing when people come across your presence online. A highly reviewed company that shows up on a search engine makes people more likely to click on your website to learn more and actually consider choosing your business.

Be Social With the Neighborhood

Don’t rely on a corporate Facebook page or Instagram account to draw traffic to your neck of the woods. A franchise should have its own social media presence that has a unique personality. Visibility comes with activity on platforms like Facebook. Updating as often as possible can increase visibility for a franchise. What’s more, the customers who interact with your social media pages are actually doing most of the work for you because friends who are likely to also live in the local area will see your franchise’s postings when they are liked, shared or commented on. It’s important to have the name of the city that you’re located in as part of your title on any social media platforms you use. Social media should be used to highlight sales, events and daily happenings at your franchise location.

Alex Alexakis is a UI Designer, SEO addict that helps businesses with their branding and SEO through his business PixelChefs. After hours he likes good food, Weimaraners, and toy robots. He has boldly build digital businesses by designing for conversion and offering a no-nonsense approach to internet marketing.

If your franchise needs to attract walk-in customers, you must select its location with great care. A choice made in haste or without taking every possible factor into consideration can lead to lower than anticipated sales and even business failure.

Every new franchise that performs well owes a large part of its success to its location. Your proposed site must be easy to access. If you expect customers to come by car, you must ensure that there is adequate parking. You must also ascertain that the site attracts the sort of customer that you are targeting.

It is very easy to go wrong with site selection. A neighborhood that sees a lot of traffic may not necessarily be good for your business. Similarly, paying a high rent does not mean that your sales volumes will be high.

What are the precautions that you can take when selecting a location? Although there is no way to be absolutely sure that a particular site is the most appropriate for your business, there are some steps that you can take to avoid making the wrong choice.

1. Study the area

Some franchises need to be situated at a place that sees heavy pedestrian traffic. This is especially true for restaurants and retail stores. If your business falls into this category, you would have to spend a substantial amount on rent. Opting for a lower-priced location that is in an area that attracts fewer people will result in lower business volumes.

But if your business involves a different type of activity, say, selling auto parts to trade customers, it would make more sense to select a site where the rent is less.

If you like a particular location, spend some time at the site and in the immediate vicinity. This will give you the opportunity to observe the level of traffic at different times. You should also make it a point to see how your competition is faring in the area.

If the territory already has a large number of businesses offering similar products, you may find it difficult to attract customers. On the other hand, this could prove to be an advantage as well. All that you would have to do would be to lure customers away from the competition. 

2. Speak to other franchisees

You can gather some very useful information by speaking to other franchisees selling the same product. Try and talk to those who have established their businesses in the recent past. Ask them how they went about the process of selecting a location. The intelligence that they provide can be invaluable.

It will be useful to ask other franchisees about the positive aspects of their location and its drawbacks. You can use what you learn from them to avoid making the mistakes they committed.

Of course, it is important to approach those franchises that are located at some distance from your territory. They should not be your competitors. If they are, they may not be willing to talk openly to you.

3. Don’t exceed your budget

Arriving at the amount that you are willing to pay as rent for your franchise location can be tricky. An expensive location will attract more customers and generate greater volumes of business. This will allow you to bear a higher rent.

On the other hand, a site in an area that attracts fewer people will probably get you a lower number of customers, but it will be cheaper.

Choosing between the two can be difficult. While it may be safer to opt for the site with the lower rent, this is not necessarily the correct choice. In fact, the general rule that you should follow is to select a location with greater potential. The additional sales that you generate will justify the extra expenditure on rent.

But don’t go overboard and lease a place that will stretch your budget. Remember that you are making a long-term commitment. If the location is inappropriate, shifting to a new place will be both expensive and cumbersome.

4. Patience pays

Your franchisor will be in a hurry for you to start operations as soon as possible. The real estate agent who is handling the property that you are interested in will also be keen to finalize the transaction.

Don’t give in to the pressure that is put on you. After all, it is your money on the line. Selecting a property is possibly the most important decision regarding your franchise. Take out the time to check if the location that you have selected will remain as attractive several years into the future. Is there any new development proposed for the area? Verify this with local, regional, or state authorities.

If a new road comes up and blocks access to your site, your business may suffer. Similarly, a new mall in the vicinity may draw crowds away from your location.

5. Understand the legal implications

The lease agreement for the property that you finalize is a crucial document. It is important that you have professional help that you can rely on. Your attorney should be an expert on real estate as well as franchising.

Study the agreement yourself and seek an explanation for the clauses that you don’t understand. Many of the points listed in the agreement will have a financial implication. You must spend time on this subject. If you don’t, you may get an unpleasant surprise months or years later.

Ascertain the costs that you will be responsible for. There will be utility bills and property taxes to be paid. There will also be other expenses like insurance, maintenance, and repairs. It is essential that you know which expenses you have to bear and how much it will cost you on a monthly basis.

Use your negotiation skills

Make sure that you see several properties. Don’t let the realtor or the landlord know your preference. If the landlord realizes that you have made a decision, you will find it difficult to negotiate the rent downwards. You should shortlist at least three or four properties. This will strengthen your bargaining position and allow you to drive the rent down.

The success of your franchise depends to a great extent on the degree of care with which you select a location. You must ensure that you give this issue the attention that it deserves.