These people wanted to respond and offer help to the person complaining.
Which makes sense as long you aren't dealing with someone who simply likes to complain....
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]]>How did you vote?
Here are the people that would respond by getting more positive reviews. Presumably to try to bury the bad reviews.
Can see the attraction to this strategy.
How did you vote?
Here are the people that would ignore bad reviews -- presumably because some complaints aren't worth replying to.
Some validity to this idea.
The poll question was suggested by the Pew Research Center's Online Shopping and E-Commerce survey in December 2016.
Our poll was open for a week, with 55 responses.
1. Here are the results of the full poll.
2. How to Respond and Offer Help.
Here is how Google My Business explains how to reply to a negative review.
3. Who Answered What: (To see how others voted click on the links below the poll.)
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]]>Although Kelly Amundson loved her 16-year career as an occupational therapist, she realized in 2019 that the time had come to help husband Marty manage the family farm and his lawn care businesses, all located in Zumbrota, Minnesota.
It would allow her to spend more time working towards a common goal alongside her husband and also allowed her to run and operate one of the newest, hottest franchise concepts Pet Butler. All this and more time to spend her family in general.
This location services South Eastern Minnesota.
"I learned so much in my career working with teenagers and young adults in the areas of mental health experience and many lessons about teamwork, dealing with whole families and working towards a common goal.
It was all invaluable.
And now I am using those same skills to run my own business, and my husband's lawn care businesses."
Husband Marty has worked in lawn care for 19 years, initially starting his own lawn mowing business up years before with Kelly's brother. The team serviced residential and commercial properties. He began moving into providing fertilization and weed control programs for these local customers and realized there was so much more to a good lawn care business than mowing lawns.
When approached by top lawn care franchise Spring-Green Lawn Care, based in Plainfield, Illinois five years ago, Marty decided the time was right to add this proven concept to his already existing Green Edge Lawn Care. At one of Spring-Green's conventions he was introduced to a new concept the parent company had acquired, Pet Butler.
Pet Butler provides pet waste removal and other pet related services to homes and multi-family communities, also offering a variety of scheduling options.
The business model is also set up to add expanding services such as; pet sitting and pet shuttles. The franchise offers large, protected territories that foster scalable growth and strong recurring revenue.
Said Kelly,
"Marty has been blessed with the courage to take risks, to start business', and with the opportunity to hire good staff and delegate work.
Now we get to have a hands-on opportunity to start a new business together with Pet Butler, working off of Marty's experience, corporate's assistance, and my willingness to take on something out of my comfort zone.
This will be a chance to promote more personal growth, and an opportunity to provide jobs for more people as the business grows.
This will be another business we can begin as a legacy for our family.
We feel our children have a lot of great learning opportunities here at home."
####
About Pet Butler
Pet Butler Franchise was acquired in 2017 by Spring-Green Enterprises, the parent company of +43 years old Spring-Green Lawn Care and SGE Marketing Services. They currently have 30 franchisees located in 25 states with long term plans to open 60 more within the next 5 years.
Pet Butler provides an opportunity for pet lovers to turn their passion for pets into a business. To learn more about how Pet Butler serves pets and their people, visit www.petbutler.com on Facebook and LinkedIn.
To inquire about a franchise call 844-777-8608 or go to www.petbutlerfranchise.com.
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]]>35-year-old Kristen Denzer was ahead of her time before the concept she is currently franchising was so desperately needed.
Quality daycare is a must for so many parents-not just a place to "drop the kid" for eight hours because you both need to work; but a lovely, enrichment filled environment that can also help shape the child's future with education and activities nearly impossible to duplicate at home for these busy parents!
Thus, Tierra Encantada was born of an idea out of a working mother's head.
The then 28-year-old Kristen was that working mother. With two small children she yearned for a better quality daycare experience for her own second child and with her usual tenacity and thorough research (and buying a vacant church!) this young entrepreneur created a Spanish Language Immersion daycare concept.
Why not educate while caring for these young children at an age where they soak up knowledge?
Kristen started her first entrepreneurial endeavor in 2008 - an event rental company. She grew that company from 20 events to 500 events annually in just 6 years.
While operating the successful event rental company, she started a second business in 2010 with a childhood friend called The Woof Room - a dog daycare and boarding facility.
She managed to grow both into profitable companies serving thousands of clients annually. In 2013, while searching for quality early education for her young child, she founded Tierra Encantada's first location in Eagan, Minnesota.
She continued to operate all three businesses until 2016 when she sold her event rental company and dog daycare facility to focus solely on Tierra Encantada's growth.
In Spring of 2019, she launched Tierra Encantada's franchising expansion to provide access to language immersion education to families across the country. Today, Tierra Encantada is an Inc 5000 company.
With waiting lists for spots at each of the Tierra Encantada centers, she and her team find themselves helping parents who are Covid-19 first responders by providing tuition free placement for their children.
Thanks to some great families who CAN stay home with their children, spots are being voluntarily given up for first responders' children. A great example of how we can all find ways to help.
]]>Linkedin Tips -- How to Use Hashtags
As everyone in the group knows, you have to use #franchiseinfo to get your post approved.
But, what other hashtags can you use?
Which ones are popular, but have few posts?
How many hashtags should you use?
Sue Parker explains:
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]]>With many people staying at home, but having no live sports to watch, advertisers are scrambling to get attention from the gaming community.
Ad Age's John Dioso and Verizon Media's Mike Brunick discuss how advertisers can reach the gaming community now.
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]]>March 31st from 11:00 - 5:00 PM EST
On Tuesday, March 31st, the largest Virtual Reality Franchise Expo (VRFE) in world history will be unveiled.
Entrepreneurs from around the world can access hundreds of franchise concepts online and interact live with franchise executives to discuss how to get back in business after the pandemic ends.
As an added benefit, many of these companies will be offering full tours in Virtual Reality accessible online or with FREE VR Headsets that they can request when signing up.
The speed with which the Coronavirus has spread around the world is what everyone is talking about. As it has stopped the world in its tracks hundreds of industry categories have felt the devastating pain of having to stop their production, their events and their business.
But the franchise community is nothing if not innovative!
Agility is being demonstrated by The Great American Franchise Expo as it pivots from a traditional trade show format to an Online Virtual Reality Trade Show.
Rightfully claiming the title as the original and largest Virtual Reality Franchise Trade show in existence, The Great American Franchise Expo has been the innovator in using Virtual Reality in franchising since 2017.
Virtual Reality (VR) is the use of computer technology to create a simulated environment seeing all in 360-degree multiple images.
The only limits to near-real VR experiences are the availability of content and cheap computing power.
Unlike traditional user interfaces, VR places the user inside an experience. Instead of viewing a screen in front of them, users are immersed and able to interact with 3D worlds.
By simulating as many senses as possible, such as vision, hearing, touch, even smell, the computer is transformed into a gatekeeper to this artificial world.
"Our platforms have been extensively developed and tested over the past 2 ½ years" says Abel Beyene, Director of The Great American Franchise Expo, "we are able to combine Virtual Reality with human interaction in a trade show.
Virtual Reality's most immediately recognizable component is the head-mounted display (HMD). Human beings are visual creatures, and display technology is often the single biggest difference between immersive Virtual Reality systems and traditional user interfaces.
"Our technology runs on your smart phone and/or we will send you a VR head set free of charge so you can be totally immersed within the images as you are talking with a live human being about what you are seeing.
Asking questions, getting answers and feeling like you are actually touring a facility in a way you have never imagined is the smart way to keep driving franchise sales in this crucial period." Says Nick Neonakis, CEO of the company.
People can use their smartphones from home and "take tours" of hundreds of franchise companies.
Attend our first online trade show being held from 11:00am-5:00pm on Tuesday March 31st by signing up at www.franexpousa.com.
Contact: Denise@thefranchiseconsultingcompany.com.
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]]>RS: When did you start in franchising?
NN: I started in franchising in 2002 when I was fortunate to meet Mike Cassidy, Tom Wood, Charlie Chase and Steve Rogers at FirstService Brands. After serving as vice president at one of their former brands I moved on to Floor Coverings International.
The great thing about FirstServiceBrands is they give their team the opportunity to rotate from company to company building strong systems. I had the opportunity to work on great teams domestically and internationally and meet many of the site leaders in franchising. The lessons they taught me I use to this day.
In 2012 I started consulting and launched The Franchise Consulting Company in 2016. We have grown to over 140 people in the US with five offices overseas and have the privilege of speaking with hundreds of people a day who are interested in starting their business career with a franchise.
RS: The Franchise Consulting Company is killing it! Then you wrote a bestseller. Can you tell us about it?
NN: I wrote The Franchise MBA in 2013 after thinking about the many people I have met who started successful businesses and those who weren't so successful. The lessons that I learned formed the content of the book.
I've been honored that it has been the number one best-selling book on Amazon in the franchise category since 2013 and the highest reviewed book in the franchise category since it was published.
We have sold tens of thousands of books and it has been published in Spanish and Arabic. The best outcome of publishing the book is the many entrepreneurs that I meet at trade shows and conferences telling me the book was one of the instrumental components in them deciding to embrace entrepreneurship.
RS: Super fabulous. Then you started producing a new franchise trade show. How did you come upon that idea?
NN: We launched The Great American Franchise Expo, an 8 city franchise trade show, in 2018 based on the many franchisors who expressed an interest in getting help to showcase their brands across the United States.
It is a unique trade show in that we blend virtual reality with face-to-face meetings and we are the only American owned franchise trade show in existence. We view the tradeshow and franchising in general as a way to highlight the best of American entrepreneurship across our great country.
We have been fortunate to meet hundreds of political leaders, business owners and other people who are rolling up their sleeves and creating their own destiny.
The reason we called it The Great American Franchise Expo is that we want to attract all those really fantastic people who have worked so hard for so long, usually making other people rich. We want them to now put those skills and spirit and business ethic to work for themselves.
RS: And finally you have now introduced the Franchise Journal which had its debut issue in January. Lots of franchise mags around. What's special about this one?
https://issuu.com/thefranchisejournal/docs/february_2020
NN: So many of our amazing individuals at The Franchise Consulting Company tell us stories every day about helping people find the ideal franchise.
Some of the stories just blew us away, so we wanted to have a platform where we could share and highlight the achievements of these individuals who have embraced the franchise model and want to grow their own businesses.
The Franchise Journal is a testament to those who make our country the envy of the world when it comes to creativity and entrepreneurship.
I look forward to translating the Franchise Journal, like the Franchise MBA, into multiple languages to help expand the reach of American franchising around the globe.
We are fortunate to have both the creativity and resources in this country to come up with great ideas that can lift entire communities and economies through the power of franchising.
This is something the world desperately needs and I believe franchising is a noble endeavor that pairs ideas with local business owners who can then make their own difference in their communities.
]]>Sometimes the road sign just pops up and you have to take the next off-ramp to the new direction in your life.
That's sort of what happened to Jocelyn Estrada. Having spent 25 years at Paramount Home Media, the home video distribution arm of Paramount Pictures, Estrada enjoyed success but yearned for more.
She had always wanted to own her own business but could never muster the courage to leave a steady paycheck while her kids were in school. That's just when Estrada saw the fast-approaching sign and got into the turn lane.
"As fate would have it, I separated from my company the same week my youngest started her freshman year in college.
I was an empty-nester and for the first time in 20 years I found myself focused on me.
And surprisingly, I felt no guilt in doing so," said Estrada, a 51-year-old Valencia resident.
"I took the opportunity to complete my bachelor's degree in Communication and considered opening the business I always wanted to."
Last summer Estrada became a franchise owner with Floor Coverings International, visiting customers' homes in a Mobile Flooring Showroom stocked with thousands of flooring samples from top manufacturers.
Floor Coverings International Santa Clarita serves customers throughout the Santa Clarita Valley and the northwest portion of the San Fernando Valley. Estrada's experience in her corporate career was in brand marketing, retail marketing and sales, skills she said are a perfect fit for Floor Coverings International.
"But I believe the most critical is an appreciation of customer service and its impact on my company's value proposition," Estrada said.
In Floor Coverings International, Estrada found a company that has tripled in size since 2005 by putting a laser focus on consumer buying habits and expressed desires, its impressive operating model, growth ability, marketing, advertising and merchandising.
Floor Coverings International further separates itself from the competition through its customer experience, made up of several simple and integrated steps that exceed customers' expectations.
Floor Coverings International also has a very strong commitment to community involvement, led by CEO Tom Wood.
]]>"I was impressed by the leadership and completely agree with the company's core values," Estrada said. "I feel that Floor Coverings International is as invested in my success as I am."
Many franchisors spend thousands of dollars trying to recruit franchisees from their website.
But, did you know you can recruit these same prospects for using your LinkedIn page --which is a free product from LinkedIn.
Who doesn't like free?
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]]>'This job has been the best of both worlds'
Scott Brooks has been in situations that most of us will never experience as a former fireman, and though he's no longer in that career, he found a new one that still gives him the ultimate satisfaction of helping others when they need it most.
The 54-year-old Winchester, Va., resident is the Emergency Recovery Coordinator with Paul Davis Restoration of Northern Virginia, one of the most trusted brands in the insurance restoration industry. Brooks is the first person a homeowner meets when they contact Paul Davis after suffering catastrophic damage to their home from fire, water, storms or other events.
"This job has been the best of both worlds," said Brooks, who has been with Paul Davis for four years. "I am able to help families in their times of need and I am able to continue fellowship and support of my brother and sister firefighters."
Brooks spent seven years with the Chancellor Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department in Spotsylvania County and was a fireman with the Fredericksburg Fire Department for 13 years.
He recalled being a part of teams that were able to revive three people by CPR over the course of three consecutive 24-hour shifts.
"We were simply doing the job we had been trained to do," Brooks said. "I was never a hero, but I was able to work with a lot of people, that are to this day, heroes in my eyes."
Brooks left firefighting after suffering an injury on the job and he and his wife, Erika, moved to Texas for three years. But after missing family they decided to return to northern Virginia and that's when Erika sent Scott's resume to Paul Davis, where his qualifications seemed like a perfect fit.
"I didn't even know that the Emergency Recovery Coordinator role existed and I did not know what the job entailed," Brooks said. "I was thrilled to interview and was offered the position."
Since 1966, Paul Davis has been at the forefront of innovation in the property damage emergency services and restoration industry by pioneering such things as three-day drying and new water damage assessment and monitoring technology. Customer calls are returned within 30 minutes of first contact, teams are onsite within hours and all work is thoroughly documented.
"Since I am the first person the homeowner meets from Paul Davis, my role is critical and takes a person who is understanding and sympathetic to the situation the homeowner is going through," said Brooks.
"I pride myself in helping people by going above and beyond what they may or may not expect. I want to be the person they trust and can count on to be the right person to help them in a very stressful time."
With more than 300 locations in the US and Canada, Paul Davis is continually growing, and it seems like a perfect fit for individuals who have a background similar to Brooks and are looking to either own or work for a local franchise.
"When I arrive on a fire scene, I understand what is happening. I have lived it and experienced it. I can relate to the situation and guide homeowners throughout the process," Brooks said. "A fire scene can be described as organized chaos and staying back and letting the firefighters do their job is critical. Once the smoke is gone and the fire department has left, that is when my work begins."
While at Paul Davis, Brooks has taken the initiative on several projects that give back to the fire service, including a charity golf tournament that will benefit the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation on an annual basis.
Seeing the commitment Brooks has to Paul Davis, as well as the firefighting community, it's no surprise when he relates the story of a woman who had lost her husband in a house fire. Paul Davis was contacted to secure the property where the woman had inadvertently left her wedding rings after applying some lotion on the day of the fire, which had consumed the entire second floor of the couple's home.
When Brooks asked the woman if she needed anything from the home, she said she would love to have her rings but thought their recovery was not possible. "With her permission, I spent three days digging in the hot July heat searching for her rings," Brooks said. "Just as I was about to give up, I noticed that a pile of debris I had just put in the sifter contained her rings. I was also able to find her grandmother's jewelry. I felt at peace knowing I was able to give her back a precious gift - her rings.
"Paul Davis is more than a company. Paul Davis is family caring for families. We truly care about the people we work for and the community we are in. I am truly happy I landed in this organization and that they allow me to do the things I do and to grow in the company.
There are a lot of restoration companies out there, but nothing like Paul Davis and the people that work at each and every office."
About Paul Davis Restoration
For more than 50 years, Paul Davis Restoration has restored residential and commercial properties damaged by fire, water, mold, storms and disasters.
The experts at Paul Davis understand the complex process of recovering from property damage and provide complete services; there is no need for the expense and confusion of hiring multiple contractors. Paul Davis is a one-stop shop for disaster damage and restoration.
Paul Davis Restoration has more than 300 independently owned franchises in the USA and Canada. The professionals at Paul Davis are certified in emergency restoration, reconstruction and remodeling. http://pauldavis.com/.
]]>According to the IFA, veterans account for about 7% of our population but 14% of franchisees are veterans! In addition, veterans are far more likely to hire other veterans for jobs within their companies. It shouldn't be hard to understand why.
Among other disciplined attributes, veterans aren't likely to sweat small problems. Many of them have seen the worst of humanity, have been shot at and more. It's pretty tough to rattle their cages over an unreturned phone call.
Here's what three veterans have to say about their lives as franchisees:
Ron Finch is a franchise owner with Enviro-Master Services, North America's leading health and safety-focused commercial cleaning service that has doubled in size since 2012. A favorite among veterans, Enviro-Master offers a 25 percent discount to former military members. "Veterans are equipped with the most important qualities for running a business," said the 46-year-old Finch.
"I would tell any veteran to keep their nose to the grindstone, because it's going to be a lot of work. However, the reward is great; the ability to make a difference in others' lives, to make a difference in the community where you live and financial independence and autonomy for yourself."
Finch, a Mobile, Alabama resident who purchased an existing Enviro-Master franchise in July 2018, serves commercial businesses throughout the Florida Panhandle and the Gulf Coast regions of Alabama and Mississippi.
Paul Holt served in the U.S. Army for 21 years and after retiring from Fort Bragg, he decided it would be a perfect match to take his attention to detail and combine it with his interest in the residential home market by joining the No. 1 home inspection company in North America, Pillar To Post Home Inspectors.
Said Holt,
"As a soldier I was trained to look at projects in finite detail, as well as from a macro vantage point. Dedication to the accomplishment of my mission was paramount. I work until the job is done, not when the clock says it's time to go home.
These are the characteristics that I counted on when I made the move into my own business and so far they have served me well on this new career path."
Pillar To Post Home Inspectors is a member of VetFran, a program of the International Franchise Association that helps vets purchase franchises and the company has achieved 5-star status in that program, the top ranking possible.
Keith Young was already a successful franchise owner with FirstService Brands, the leading North American brand in the property services industry. So when he sold his CertaPro Painters of Central Houston franchise after 10 years, he didn't have to look far for his next opportunity.
The 48-year-old Young stayed within the FirstService Brands family and became a franchise owner with Floor Coverings International, visiting customers' homes in a Mobile Flooring Showroom stocked with thousands of flooring samples from top manufacturers. His Floor Coverings International serves customers throughout Houston and the surrounding areas.
Young is also a U.S. Navy veteran, who has put an emphasis on hiring veterans in the past and plans to continue that practice with Floor Coverings International.
"I will be hiring a sales associate before the end of 2019," Young said. "Military veterans make very successful franchise owners and employees since they know how to follow a proven system and take responsibility for achieving their objectives", Young shared.
We Salute all Who Serve and Have Served on this Veterans Day!
Having worked alongside entrepreneurs and small-business owners for the last decade, Resa Kierstein, a former corporate fundraiser and mover and shaker in her world, finally decided it was time to join the ranks of those she's been raising funds for- and she did it in style.
The 45-year-old Kierstein recently launched her Floor Coverings International franchise, visiting customers' homes in a Mobile Flooring Showroom stocked with thousands of flooring samples from top manufacturers.
Floor Coverings International of Great Falls marks the franchisor's first location in Virginia, not unnoticed is the fact that a talented female breaks the state open for future franchisees who are looking for one of the top franchise opportunities in North America.
Kierstein was formerly vice president of fundraising and development for a national non-profit whose focus was assisting small-business owners in starting, running and growing their businesses.
"I'm thrilled to be utilizing my past business skills and offering this great mobile service to homeowners here," Kierstein said.
"I've completely divested myself from my comfort zone of a corporate career and am beyond excited to bring Floor Coverings International's passion for a 'customer first' experience to our area." Floor Coverings International, Great Falls serves customers in Sterling, Reston, Herndon, Great Falls, McLean, Ashburn, Fairfax and Prince William in the state of Virginia.
Kierstein's mother also owns and operates a small business.
"My mom instilled the entrepreneurial spirit in me at a young age," Kierstein said. "I watched her and thousands of business owners in my previous job become highly successful contributors to their communities, while employing others and supporting their families. Their enthusiasm and passion finally rubbed off and I made the decision to join them and live the American dream."
In Floor Coverings International, Kierstein found a company that has tripled in size since 2005 by putting a laser focus on consumer buying habits and expressed desires, its impressive operating model, growth ability, marketing, advertising and merchandising. Floor Coverings International further separates itself from the competition through its customer experience, made up of several simple and integrated steps that exceed customers' expectations. They arrive at the customer's door with more than 3,000 flooring choices. Floor Coverings International has 150-plus locations throughout the U.S. and Canada with plenty of opportunity for continued expansion in 2019, including the rest of Virginia. Kierstein added that Floor Coverings International, Great Falls holds a Class A Virginia contractor's license.
"It is the highest standard in the state and will set Floor Coverings International apart, potentially, from others in the home services industry," she said.
Lastly, Floor Coverings International also has a very strong commitment to community involvement, led by CEO Tom Wood. That struck a chord with Kierstein.
"A key component of our business is our support for charitable organizations in our community and fulfilling a personal passion for giving back," Kierstein said.
For information on a franchise visit www.flooring-franchise.com
For more information or to reach Resa Kierstein click on Floor Coverings International of Great Fallsor call 703-466-0853.
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