A MR. ELECTRIC ® PUBLICATION
EDITION 1 2017
DANA & JULE PHILPOT MR. ELECTRIC® OF CENTRAL KENTUCKY FRANCHISEE SPOTLIGHT:
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3 9 Leverage the Power of the Network to Benchmark and Better Understand Your Financials 12 Overcome the Recruiting Challenge by Creating a Talent Pipeline 14 Successful Succession – Keeping the End in Mind 15 Do You Know Your Advisory Council Members? 26 Franchisee Spotlight: Jule and Dana Philpot 18 Who’s New: Franchisee Owners 19 Who’s New: Team Member Heather Todd 20 Social Media, It’s not a Fad 22 Why Does Email Capture Matter? 24 Practice the Basics: Home Safety Check-Up 101 26 ProTradeNet® Update: Making “Dollars & Sense” 27 Creating a Culture of Learning and Continuous Improvement 29 Make ServiceTitan Mobile 2.0 Your Go-To Platform 30 Patience In the Workplace 31 Understanding Residential Sales CONTENTS Edition 1 2017 CONTRIBUTIONS: It’s a Great Day to be Part of Dwyer Group® 4 Shattering the Obstacles 6 8 Leading with Values Life’s Defining Moments
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Shattering the Obstacles By: Joel Worthington
DWYER GROUP, INC. Mike Bidwell, President, CEO Dina-Dwyer Owens, Co-Chair Mary Kennedy Thompson, Chief Operating Officer Robert Tunmire, Executive Vice President MR. ELECTRIC LLC Joel Worthington, President Craig Gjesten , Vice President of Operations John Sennett, Franchise Consultant Heather Todd, Franchise Consultant Robert Watson, Franchise Consultant Kyle Miller, Franchise Consultant Alesha Yankie, Franchise Developer Dan Steiner, Brand Manager
Josh McCormick, Director of Sales
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Overcome the Recruiting Challenge by Creating a Talent Pipeline By: John Sennett
Melissa Briske, Training Coordinator PROTRADENET LLC Kathleen Seaman, Communications Specialist PRODUCTION Michael McCullough , Creative Manager Cody Peterson, Freelance Graphic Designer Jason Lee , Communications Manager
LinkedIn.com/company/mr-electric YouTube.com/MrElectricLLC Facebook.com/MrElectricFan
Twitter.com/MrElectricCor MrElectric.com/blog
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Dana and Jule Philpot By: Heather Todd
Send Powerline ideas to Jason.Lee@DwyerGroup.com
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OUR MISSION
OUR VISION
To be a world class company admired for the excellence that customers, franchisees and associates experience with Dwyer Group .
To teach our principles and systems of personal and business success so that all people we touch live happier and more successful lives.
It’s a Great Time to be a Part of Dwyer Group ®
By: Mike Bidwell
W e are at the dawn of a new day at Dwyer Group®. With great anticipation, we have launched our new overarching brand, Neighborly™ (known as Neighbourly™ in Canada), that we conceived prior to Reunion last year. This is a bold step forward to realizing our long-standing vision that we all benefit from being members of a common family of franchised brands. We have experimented over the years to find ways to expose customers from one brand to other Dwyer Group brands. However, each proved to be too burdensome, too inefficient and too expense. In retrospect, we had to wait for technology and how people use technology to catch up – including the Dwyer Group ecosystem – to be able to execute on this vision in an effective and sustainable way. As the marketplace has evolved, the full breadth of Dwyer Group’s service brands’ offerings has become more meaningful to homeowners. The dream was initially to leverage our individual customer silos that each of you have in your perspective local markets and expose those customers to other Dwyer Group brands. Since they are buying services from you, they are likely using many of our other service offerings as well to meet their needs. Unfortunately, our data says that less than 2 percent of the time they are using more than one of our brands. I suppose this makes sense when you consider market share in each market, and the fact that we do nothing to make it better. What nowmakes this possible is: • Our Dwyer Group Culture • Single Point of Sale (POS) system used in each brand, with API connectivity • Centralized data warehouse at Dwyer Group to consume all POS data • Universal customer surveying system (reviews and rankings)
• Dwyer Group Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system and strategy • Our consumer content library • Robust brand consumer websites • Find a Neighbor (FaN) mapping system • Talent (internal and external) to orchestrate • Capacity – 2400 North American franchisees in eleven service verticals
• Evolving consumer shopping preferences • Financial capacity to make the investment • Vision and leadership to make it happen
It is a great time to be a part of Dwyer Group , now our Neighborly network. Our research and pilot test indicate the market is ready for Neighborly , and we are now ready to execute and deliver. Its purpose is to lower your customer acquisition cost, increase your customer count, shorten your customers’ purchase cycles, and reduce customer defection or attrition. All of this helps enhance your profitability. There is another reason as well. While this reason did not exist when we envisioned this dream, as market dynamics have evolved, it does today. If we don’t do this, someone else will – and they are attempting to do so now. Now, our motives are also protectionist. The good news is nobody has what we have. Nobody is better suited to execute and deliver the customer experience than us, so let’s get on with it… Neighborly,
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By: Joel Worthington
A t our Power Conference this year we had an amazing time learning how to maximize our CUSTOMER system. Dale Mincks did a superb job of training. With his practical field experience of achieving amazing results, you would think that everyone would have embraced the training and many Service Professionals would have been inspired to “Do it like Dale.” While most did embrace the training, others were not so welcoming. Here’s the thing, outward expressions displayed as excuses or arguments as to why the practices are wrong, why they won’t work or even why they’re unethical are usually only masks to cover inward lack of self-confidence, fear of being able to learn something new, fear of trying but failing, fear of rejection or, occasionally, just plain old laziness. Lack of confidence and fear are opposite of faith. Some took Dale at his word, were inspired by his achievements and believe they can do the same thing. They embraced the training, and while they know it will be hard work to master the skills, they push forward with dedication toward the goal. There is a psychological phenomenon that can be displayed when someone gives her best effort and fails. After several attempts, many will no longer put forth any effort at all so they no longer experience the pain of failure. Instead of studying hard, they do not study at all. Now they have an excuse for their failure. They feel better about themselves and feel better in front of their peers. This experience isn’t found in children only – this can affect persons of all ages. The way it sounds in the Mr. Electric® experience goes something like this: “Our prices are too high.” “The customers are in a hurry and don’t want a safety check.”
“You people are just about making money and ripping customers off.” “Customers just want what they asked for and don’t want to be ‘sold’ anything else.” In most cases, these excuses are covering the fear of failure, of learning something new and lack of belief, not in the system, but in oneself to effectively work the system. The interesting thing is that it’s not just relegated to the Service Professionals – the same phenomenon shows itself with the business owners as well. These same fears and masks are displayed as excuses as to why the system doesn’t work or why training events have no value. It’s why, when things go south, some want to jump overboard. It’s nice to deflect responsibility – it makes us feel better about ourselves. Franchisors can fall into the same trap as well; they can begin blaming the lack of growth and success on “bad franchisees that don’t follow the system.” We all have the temptation to blame and make excuses. So, now that it’s all on the table, what do we do to correct the behavior? The first step is just being honest with oneself. Ask yourself this question, “Have I stopped trying, stopped believing and started making excuses because I’ve given my best and I just can’t figure out how to win?” If so, the next step is developing an unconquerable, no-quit mindset that believes that, no matter the obstacle, I can find a way to overcome. This is developed by making a habit of focusing on success and positive outcomes. Read inspirational stories of those who have overcome impossible odds to reach their goals. Read literature that promotes a positive mindset. Say positive affirmations throughout the day such as, “I can do anything I set my mind to do.” Finally, stop making excuses; just don’t do it! We all have
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Message From The President
There are challenges in all our lives. Some real and some imagined. Either way, we can’t quit , we can’t hide . We must take responsibility, push through, try again and overcome .
of attending all the Mr. Electric training and networking events. At these events you’ll be able to hear world-class trainers, discuss business with very successful peers and develop a positive mindset of belief. Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich , said, “You can be anything you want to be, if you only believe with sufficient conviction and act in accordance with your faith; for whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.” Let’s believe together to achieve great things!
real limitations and real problems in our lives. I have probably let you down. If I haven’t, you haven’t been around long enough; give me some time! Your Franchise Consultant has probably let you down. There has probably been a legitimate reason that you’ve had some struggles. There are challenges in all our lives. Some real and some imagined. Either way, we can’t quit, we can’t hide. We must take responsibility, push through, try again and overcome. One way to get started moving forward is to make a practice
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LEADING WITH VALUES
By: Dina Dwyer-Owens
I n September 2015, Dwyer Group® Chief Operating Officer, Mary Kennedy Thompson and I had the pleasure of meeting U.S. Representative, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, at the International Franchise Association’s Action Network meeting to talk about the most pressing issues facing franchisors across the country. We were excited to meet the highest ranking woman in the Republican Party and - wouldn’t you know it - our discussion turned to living and leading with values. How Dwyer Group Leveraged Values to Build a Billion-Dollar Company It’s been a little over two decades since Dwyer Group implemented its operationalized Code of Values and a series of principles that support our organization. Live R.I.C.H (Respect, Integrity, Customer focus and Having fun in the process) guide our business decisions. We strive daily to keep these values front-and-center ensuring that everyone in the company, from the leadership team to our franchisees on the front lines, know and embrace them. After a record year of historic growth in 2016, our organization now includes 16 consumer brands, more than 2,800 franchises and over $1.4 billion in annual system-wide sales that stretch across 11 countries around the globe. People routinely ask, “How can we create that kind of successful growth for our own organization?” The common thread behind our growing, collaborative and collective success is the Dwyer Group Code of Values. It’s a topic that speaks to my heart and one of the reasons I wrote my last book “Values, Inc.” I wanted to provide insight for organizations interested in what we are known for at Dwyer Group - helping businesses stay the course as they grow. In addition, I wanted a road map to help small business owners, including franchisees and their teams, navigate their business through the use of their own Code of Values. Helping others define a Code of Values that can live and breathe in their organizations is a passion of mine and it has been a privilege to share the journey of Dwyer Group with other franchisors, businesses, the public and yes, even government.
A Code of Values Can Energize Any Workplace - Even Our Government At that first meeting with Cathy, our Code of Values message really resonated with her, so she invited me to return to Washington, DC, later that year to give a “Values in Business” seminar to her entire congressional staff. The end result of the workshop was that her office wrote out their own Code of Values…something they have begun following over the last year. Taking a page from our Live R.I.C.H message, Cathy’s office now has a message to S.E.R.V.E. Cathy wrote a guest column for TIME Magazine, in which she shared a little about her team’s Code of Values: “On Capitol Hill, which is often the epicenter of partisanship and egos, my team and I established a system of values, a motto called, “Have Fun While We SERVE” — Seek Excellence, Everybody Matters, Responsibly Own It, Vigilant Integrity, and Embrace Change — and at staff meetings we talk about how we are living these values, and where we fall short.” In the last year, since having their own values, Cathy’s office has found several ways to put them into practice. In doing so, it has helped the team reflect on how their actions impact those around them and how they can strive to be better public servants, teammates and citizens. Other leaders on the Hill have asked for copies of her Code of Values to begin implementing in their own offices. Additionally, because of the reputation and culture created by their values, her office has attracted resumes of people seeking to work in their environment. Value Truly Knows No Boundaries All of this is music to my ears. Living and leading with values knows no boundaries. It can serve a small business, it can serve a large organization, and it can even serve our country’s highest offices. For any organization, a strong code of values, put into action, provides a roadmap to the future. The bottom line (and a profitable one, too) is that a company that lives and leads with values will always outperform, outshine, outdo and outlive competitors who put ethics on the back burner.
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LIFE’S DEFINING MOMENTS By: Mary Kennedy Thompson
H ow we offer services to our customers can be one of those daily actions that over time becomes the defining moment that makes us great. At the start of my career, each time I met a successful person, I would ask what they did to get there. I always expected to hear them say it was some significant occasion that created the change and growth toward excellence. It took my asking about 10 really successful people before I saw the real pattern. It was not a big decision nor a clear moment where a special event occurred that created the defining moment for achievement. I learned, instead, it is consistently practiced daily habits that help us grow into successful businessmen and women - and in doing so, we grow successful businesses. For our service brands, the defining moments happen each day on the phone and in our customer’s home. It includes all parts of our frontline service, a quick and friendly greeting when our customer first calls, and even doing the small things on each service call. It’s the basics – that’s why they’re called the basics - that grow a company. Ask yourself, “Are we using the basics in building everyday actions to create success?” Vince Lombardi once said, “Winning is a habit. Watch your thoughts, they become your beliefs. Watch your beliefs, they become your words. Watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions, they become your character.” I believe great companies are built by great people who think “How can I improve my interactions with my customers?”
That thought becomes the belief that outstanding customer experiences will drive the business. And cheerleader customers become the character of the organization that help us recruit the right people. Exceptional customer interactions define the relationship, which builds the company. Below is a good place to start. • Cheerfully and efficiently answer the phone using a script to stay on point and build a great service call. • Offer convenience to our customer (such as a clear appointment time). • Conduct ride-alongs and randomly check up on our service providers when they are on service calls. You are the quality control manager for your business. • Coach invoices to help your service providers to see opportunity and follow up on customer needs. • Closely read the customer surveys to see how you’re really performing. Let’s win!
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LEVERAGE THE POWER OF THE NETWORK TO BENCHMARK & BETTER UNDERSTAND YOUR FINANCIALS
By: Craig Gjelsten
A t Mr. Electric®, we’re always on the lookout for ways to support our franchisees and help you grow your business. In keeping with that philosophy, we’re pleased to offer you immediate integration with Qvinci Software. Qvinci is a software provider that works with many franchise systems, providing “dashboard” comparative financial measures across all locations. Once implemented, this system will extract financial measures from your operations and anonymously compare them to franchises of similar size and geographic area. We will be providing this valuable reporting to you at no additional cost as this is included as part of your technology package. Approximately one-quarter of our franchisees have already signed up for this important program and more are coming on board every week. We need you to participate as well so that we can capture more meaningful data across the network, making this program more valuable to everybody. Qvinci Software automatically consolidates accounting files from different locations into a Standard Chart of Accounts, providing franchisees with instant, custom financial reports and benchmarking insights based on peer analysis. Having invented this technology, Qvinci is the only company offering this game-changing solution and we’re excited to be offering it to our franchisees. With Qvinci, you will be able to: • Access insightful reporting and game-changing analysis via the web.
• Create unique and relevant reporting structures. • Catch accounting errors as they occur. • Access up to 36 months of data from any device. • Create custom reports to identify potential opportunities for growth. • Consolidate all of your financials into easily digestible reports. • Automatically collect financial data from all locations on a daily basis. • Anonymously view your rank within the Mr. Electric network of franchisees. • Compile up-to-date reports without having to go through your accountant. Why this is good for you? Set-up is quick and easy. Impact is immediate. Can other owners see your financials? No. Your data is strictly anonymous to other owners. Only averages of Mr. Electric business results are viewable for comparisons. What if you do your accounting a little differently? What one franchisee calls rent, another might call a lease. Qvinci manages account-name variations with ease so you will only see apples to apples comparisons without having to change how you do your books. Now what? We’ve put a lot of time and effort into researching Qvinci and making sure it performs as advertised. All you need to do now is give us a call so that we can schedule a quick meeting for your Qvinci account setup. Please contact your Franchise Consultant to facilitate a date and time to get you set up. The entire process takes less than 15 minutes.
• Compare your business results with the anonymous averages of the Top 10 percent performers of Mr. Electric . • Stay on top of key performance indicators with email alerts and an intuitive interface.
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Neighborly & People Like You
Working Together to Bring You More Business through Cross-Marketing
What brands are missing in your area?
Successful referrals reap rewards such as: $2,000 * ** For the first successful referral $3,500 Recommend People Like You to Fill in Your Territory
For additional successful referrals in the same award year **If more than one of your referrals becomes a franchisee in the same award year, you will receive an extra $1,500 for each additional sale in lieu of Reunion registration fees, hotel and travel reimbursement for a total of $3,500.
*Prizes are awarded only when a referral purchases a franchise. Award year runs 04/01-3/31. Excludes self-referrals, spouse-referrals, and resales.
Registration for two to Reunion
Complimentary hotel stay at Reunion (up to 4 nights)
Entered into a drawing for a 7-day cruise
Entered into a quarterly drawing for a weekend trip for 2
Coach airfare to Reunion for one (or $0.45 per mile if driving)
10 POWERLINE® | EDITION 1 2017 VISIT DWYERGROUP.COM/PLY OR CALL 866-735-0951 TO SUBMIT A REFERRAL
WE EQUIP SUCCESS
Sunbelt Rentals makes it easy for electrical contractors to rent the tools needed to install or inspect electrical, power, lighting, data and control systems. Renting is the cost-effective solution to meeting the equipment demands of any electrical project. Sunbelt Rentals helps diversify your fleet by offering core drills, aerial work platforms, trenchers, excavators, generators and more at each of our 600+ locations. 800-508-4760
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OVERCOME THE RECRUITING CHALLENGE BY CREATING A TALENT PIPELINE
By: John Sennett
A s if recruiting isn’t challenging enough already, current labor trends suggest that it is going to get even more difficult in the coming years to secure qualified Service Professionals. According to Manpower, a global employment consultancy firm, more than one-third of managers globally were unable to fill positions with qualified workers. Within that group, skilled workers (like electricians) topped the list. The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts the employment of electricians to grow by 20 percent from now through 2022 – nearly twice the average growth rate for all other occupations. According to the BLS, 114,700 new electricians will be required to fill the need. So, how do we combat these challenging statistics—by creating a talent pipeline! Creating a talent pipeline involves a holistic approach to attracting and retaining top talent. In this article, we will review three primary areas in creating a talent pipeline—Reason, Recruiting and Retention.
“Talent acquisition has to be proactive—not reactive.”
CREATING A TALENT PIPELINE First, let’s look at the data that supports this approach. Recently, we conducted a Dwyer Group® company-wide employee survey to see what your employees were saying about you and your company. Here is an overview of questions and their responses: WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT THIS JOB? Atmosphere – 37.7 percent said atmosphere was the number one reason they liked their job, followed by flexibility and opportunity. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT THIS JOB OPPORTUNITY? Referral – 36.6 percent were referred by existing team members, followed by 34.8 percent who answered “other”— note that 55 percent of the “other” responses were referral, while the remaining responses were Facebook. So, in actuality approximately 60 percent of the responses were from team member referral. WHAT DO YOU LIKE LEAST ABOUT THIS JOB? Benefits – 35.6 percent said the lack of benefits was the number one reason they disliked their job, followed by pay, hours and lack of opportunity. 1) REASON – Team members (and customers by the way) want to support companies that align with their Purpose (why), and provide a great Climate (atmosphere) and Culture (identity). The employee survey identified “atmosphere” as what your team members liked best about their job. While these terms and related concepts can seem abstract in nature, experience has taught me that when properly aligned and integrated these intangible features of an organization become the foundational building blocks that both attract, and retain team members. 2) RECRUITING – Talent acquisition has to be proactive—not reactive. More to the point effective recruiting is hunting not gathering, as you have to be deliberate and persistent in your recruiting efforts. Also, you need to employ a scientific approach for attracting, screening and tracking top candidates. Mary Kennedy Thompson has compiled all of these tools into a Recruiting And Retention Employer (RARE) toolbox
to include Predictive Profiles. Predictive Profiles is a career portal where you can direct candidates to apply, and you will receive an email notification once the candidate has applied. For more details about RAREtoolbox go to FranConnect and search for a folder titled RAREtoolbox. To sign up for Predictive Profiles go to mrelectric.predictiveprofiles.com, or call them at 952-921-8813 for more details. 3) RETENTION - Once you have established a great Climate (attitude) and Culture (identity), and hired the top candidates the next step is to develop talent management processes, so that you can retain great team members. At the March Power Conference, Sean Dore emphasized at its core retention equates to “care” – “you have to show you care.” Sean has developed programs to convey his care for his team to include several incentives for things like selling advantage plans, USB outlets and surge protection to cash incentives for meeting weekly and monthly sales targets. For Service Professionals that exceed their annual sales targets, Dore offers them an extra week of vacation plus $1,000 trip, along with extra incentives to earn spending cash for their trip. He also has an ongoing point system whereby his team members earn points for the best dressed, cleanest van and submitting time sheets on schedule. As mentioned previously from the Dwyer Group employee survey, the area that team members least liked about their job was the lack of benefits. From this area, we learned that the number one request was for a retirement program. Franchisees now have an option through Disciplined Investors, the same company used by the Dwyer Group , for a 401K program. The annual cost for the base program begins at just $250. For more details contact Sabrina Moore, Investment Advisor for Disciplined Investors, LLC at 254-754-9102 or email www.dinvestors.com. Medical insurance is expensive, and therefore, very difficult to provide coverage for team members. Fortunately, there is an affordable option through Benefits Exchange Alliance for medical, dental, vision, life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance. For more details on this contact Grant McClory, director of franchise services at 949-900-9534 or gmcclory@bxall.com You can overcome the recruiting challenge and make your business thrive by creating a talent pipeline through reason, recruiting, and retention!
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SUCCESSFUL SUCCESSION – Keeping the End in Mind
By Alesha Yankie
I n working with existing Franchise owners over the years, there is one lesson I would like to pass on to all franchisees: The best time to begin preparing for the sale of your business is the day you open. The second best time is today. Over the past year, members of the Dwyer Group® Resale Department have delivered breakout sessions at Reunion and Spring Conferences focused on the importance of Succession Planning and Business Valuations. Following these presentations, there were three major things we learned as a department: • An overwhelming majority of our franchisees were unaware
Know where you stand today and set achievable goals for the future. Knowledge is power! Staff in the Resale Department stand ready to assist you in understanding, based upon recent financial performance, a range that you might expect your business to sell for if it were on the market today. This knowledge will enable you to better understand the specific things you can be working on to enhance the value of your company moving forward. Our experience has shown that those businesses that have fully embraced the franchise systems and capabilities developed by your brand consistently produce better financial results and higher sales prices then those locations where an owner might be less engaged. Begin to develop a long-term succession plan. Whether or not your long-term plan may be to pass the business down to your children, or to sell to a key employee or to an outside party, a well-developed plan will greatly improve the likelihood of a smooth transition when the time comes. In the end, it is always advisable for a business owner to be keenly aware of the current value of their asset (business) and understand the importance of preparation in the resale process. We look forward in assisting you in any way we can whether the sale is around the corner or many years in the future.
that Dwyer Group has a dedicated department designed to both help our franchisee understand the value of their businesses and assist them with the sale of their companies when the time comes. • This same majority of business owners, focused primarily on the day to day tasks of running their franchise, had dedicated little time or thought to a future time when they may want or need to sell their operations. • Our owners did not know where to start to best prepare themselves and their businesses for a time when they will no longer own their company.
“Knowwhere you stand today and set achievable goals for the future.”
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DO YOU KNOW YOUR AD COUNCIL MEMBERS?
Drago Pranjic – Mr. Electric® of GTA West (Region 1) Larry Ross – Mr. Electric Greater Seattle (Region 2) Ben Kolo – Mr. Electric of Central Iowa (Region 3)
Dennis Burke – Mr. Electric of Southwest New Hampshire (Region 4) Nathanael Toms – Mr. Electric of Southwest Missouri (Region 5) Keith Pinkerton – Mr. Electric of Huntsville (Region 6)
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DANA & JULE PHILPOT MR. ELECTRIC® OF CENTRAL KENTUCKY FRANCHISEE SPOTLIGHT: By: Heather Todd
T here is probably no couple in the Mr. Electric network universally adored more than Jule and Dana Philpot. They are two of the friendliest people you will ever meet. Dana’s infectious laugh and the ever-present twinkle in Jule’s eyes brighten the mood of any room they enter. They started with Mr. Electric in June of 2004. Jule was working as a union electrician and was laid off from his job. To provide for his family, he started wiring homes, but wasn’t making much money. Moreover, the job required extensive travel, which was negatively affecting his home and family life. Jule saw an ad in an electrical trade journal about Mr. Electric and made the call that would change his life. He had always wanted to be a business owner and saw this as his golden opportunity. He jokingly claims he “tricked” Dana into coming to Waco, as she wasn’t originally supportive of the idea of buying a franchise. When they arrived in Waco, they were immediately drawn to the Code of Values. They state that everyone seemed like
genuine, caring, family-oriented people. They especially liked Dina, Mike and Robert Tunmire as they held the same belief systems and values. Dana says they felt an immediate connection with them. When asked during graduation from business training what three things they wanted to accomplish, they said they wanted to give back to their community, be the electrical service company of choice, and have a better quality of life for themselves and provide the same to others by employing them. They are proud of the fact that they adhered to their goals and accomplished them. Dana and Jule believe that one of the biggest benefits of being a part of the Mr. Electric network is the peer-to-peer networking, feeling a part of something bigger and being part of a larger family. They specifically mentioned how amazed and thankful they were that people like Keith Pinkerton were willing to spend so much time answering questions and mentoring them. Jule and Dana are now focused on paying
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it forward and regularly talk to current and new franchisees, offering any useful nuggets of information they can. They said their biggest challenges came during the first two years. Thirteen years ago, they spent as much as they could on a phone book advertisement and hoped and prayed for the phone to ring. While waiting, they “pounded the pavement,” talking to everyone they could and networking as much as possible. They had a “no fail” attitude and “had to hustle.” Now, they are enjoying the benefits of a well-established business with four vans and a sound marketing strategy that has the phone ringing consistently. Jule and Dana haven’t missed a single Mr. Electric corporate event in 14 years and stated that they learn something valuable from everybody they talk to. Dana stated, “You can’t afford not to attend. What you get out of these events is way more than what it costs to attend the event. People that grow their business are those that come to events and develop a strong relationship with their Franchise Consultant.” The Philpots have servant hearts and are always focused on giving back. They take great pride in treating their employees as they would like to be treated and seeing them provide well for their families. They also enjoy giving back to the community. Dana and Jule have been members of the Jessamine County Chamber of Commerce for 13 years, where Dana serves as an Ambassador. They sponsor little league baseball teams, donate
money to promote Fire Safety to preschool and elementary school children, and are members of the Jessamine Beef Cattle Association, which is another fundraiser for their community. In the past they have donated electrical items and services for Habitat for Humanity and their local Ronald McDonald House®, donated free installation of products in the home of a military veteran through the Water for a Warrior program, and support the Jessamine County Sheriff’s Association by donating money to send underprivileged kids to summer camp. Jule and Dana are also very active in their church. Dana and Jule won the Service from the Heart Award twice, once together in 2009 and Dana in 2015. Dana has also won the Office Professional of the Year Award in 2009, and Woman of the Year in 2014. Both were awarded Validator of the Year in 2012 and 2015 and Recruiters of the Year in 2011. Their local business has been awarded three Chamber of Commerce Awards, including the New Business Award in 2007, Ambassador of the Year in 2007 and Small Business of the Year Award in 2013. Dana was also awarded the Volunteer of the Year Award for Central Kentucky’s YMCA in 2013. They have been married for 27 years and have two grown children, Hannah Jule (who is a teacher) and Chase Parker (who is a volunteer Firefighter). They love animals and have two cats (Gracie and Zoe) and Christopher, their “shop pup”.
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N E W F R A N C H I S E E S
JOE GOLDMAN Mr. Electric® of the North Shore
TYLER GOULD Mr. Electric of Kamloops
AVERY PENNINGTON Mr. Electric of Tri-Cities
MIKE SAAVEDRA Mr. Electric of Franklin
GARY SINGH Mr. Electric of Bakersfield
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I am thrilled to be joining the Mr. Electric® team in the role of Franchise Consultant! I was born into a family of entrepreneurs where dinner time conversations were about business and helping make a difference in others' professional lives. Our company mission (and really family mission) was to enhance lives and livelihoods. I spent my career working with organizations training their top assets (their employees) in the areas of sales, leadership, communications, customer service, creating cultures and more. In 2009 I joined a One Hour Heating & Air® franchise and began working to implement the franchise system. During my time there we aligned our team to understand the franchise model, implement best practices, close gaps in key performance areas, improve profitability, hire as well as retain talented employees, and much more. We also bought and successfully implemented a second brand with the purchase of a Mr. Sparky® franchise as well as expanding our territory. I live in Richmond, Va., with my husband Lee and three children (Kieran 20, Brody 17, and Victoria 8). We enjoy traveling to North Carolina to spend time with our family, being involved with our church and supporting our children in all their activities as well as life decisions. I look forward to meeting you and working together to help you achieve your goals! W E L C O M E ! HEATHER TODD
“I am thrilled to be joining the Mr. Electric team in the role of Franchise Consultant!”
555-555-5555 AnyName.MrElectric.com
Lic#55555555
POWERLINE® | EDITION 1 2017 19
T hink social media is a fad? That it doesn’t have a place in your business? Time to rethink the power and importance of social media. Below are some stats on social media from Centermark. They show why social content should be important to you. You’ll notice social media trends climb every year. SOCIAL MEDIA, IT’S NOT A FAD
Franchisor
Applications
Powerful placement & targeting ensures your campaign is seen by people most likely to be interested in your business, with ads that drive meaningful results.
WHY IS MOBILE SO IMPORTANT? è Over 90% of Facebook’s daily active users access it via mobile. FacebookQ42105Results
è Americans spend an average of 13x the click-through-rates of desktop ads. ComScore via JPMorgan,2015
è Performance-driven ads like Lead Generation Ads are only available with Newsfeed placement. PewResearchCenter,Sept.2014
Web.com provides the support and technology you need to be a leader in Facebook ads.
Contact your Relationship Director to learn more.
To learnmoreaboutwhatCentermark cando for yourbusiness,please contactus today.
Franchisor
Franchisor
Applications
Applications
FACEBOOK ADS The opportunity for multi-location businesses
The Yodle Facebook Ads solution allows brands to set objectives and have their campaigns published with consistent messaging at a local level, leveraging the power of local Facebook Pages and targeting.
è Over 160 million Americans access Facebook every day. FacebookQ42105Results è Americans spend an average of 27 hours a month on Facebook. ComScore via JPMorgan,2015 è 70% of Facebook users access the site on a daily basis. PewResearchCenter,Sept.2014
A centralized strategy ensures multi-location businesses maintain brand consistency while driving results at a local level.
Facebook Ads drive awareness, resulting in increased Search and potential return on SEM $
Retarget Search prospects with a Facebook Custom Audience
Harness the Yodle advantage where Web, Search and Social work together, providing each with the greatest chance to perform.
Drive traffic to website
Drive traffic to website
Businesses are increasingly leveraging Facebook’s investment in advertising products to reach new and existing customers. 74.5% of small and medium businesses use social media to advertise their businesses. BIA Kelsey Local Commerce Monitor Wave 2014 Web.com applies a best-practice approach to Facebook Ads to drive top of funnel awareness, generate leads and increase conversions.
FacebookAdvertisingRevenue (Billions)
$17.10
$11.50
+49%
BRAND
+55% $7.40
Centralized Brand Strategy, including objective and key messaging, drives consistency at a local level...
2013
2014
2015
LOCATION
LOCATION
LOCATION
LOCATION
investor.fb.com
Relevant Facebook Products...
+ Best Practice
INCREASE AWARENESS with Local Awareness Ads
+
A/B Testing Auto Budget Optimization Custom & Lookalike Audiences
GENERATE LEADS with Lead Ads
FacebookAds
FacebookAds
FacebookAds
FacebookAds
ENCOURAGE ACTION with Website Click Ads + Offer Ads
CONVERSIONS
CONVERSIONS
CONVERSIONS
CONVERSIONS
Demand Generation Funnel
To learnmoreaboutwhatCentermark cando for yourbusiness,please contactus today.
To learnmoreaboutwhatCentermark cando for yourbusiness,please contactus today.
20 POWERLINE® | EDITION 1 2017
Top-Quality Product Industry Leading Support Lifetime Warranties
877-552-4242
nitetimedecor.com
POWERLINE® | EDITION 1 2017 21
Why Does Email Capture Matter?
Forward by: Dan Steiner *article by Grant Thomas
A s much as we’d like it, people don’t live on your website. You need a way to not only convert website traffic, but also drive these same visitors back again and again. Email is personal, direct and largely transactional. If you want interested shoppers on your site, and more sales opportunities, email is, by far, the top channel to focus on. The fuel for effective email marketing is your email list. You must be building your email list at all times. It’s simple. The more email leads you have, the more sales opportunities you provide for your business. Marketing author Grant Thomas explains seven reasons why email capture is a major key for your online business.
22 POWERLINE® | EDITION 1 2017
search. In order to maximize sales, drive traffic from your marketing emails. The best place to start is by building your email list! For those that argue that email marketing is too expensive, just look at the numbers. For every $1 spent on email marketing, there’s a $38 dollar return. By marketing to bigger list of email subscribers you can maximize the ROI from email campaigns. 5. An Email List is a Valuable Asset to your Business If you ever plan to sell your business or think it could be a possibility in the future, then you want a big email list. Like your customer list, an email list holds significant value. It’s a tangible measure of your marketing reach. 6. It’s Easy to Start Building your List The great part about email list building is that it’s simple to get started. There are two factors that go into driving new email signups. First, make your signup form visible and accessible. The most effective signup forms are email pop ups, signup bars, and exit offers. These types of forms are engaging and highly effective at grabbing a visitors attention. They also work incredibly well – like increase in daily email sign ups by 758 percent. Second, make your offer to join the mailing list attractive. This can be done with catchy headlines, crafty copy, and most importantly, value. Create value through providing promo codes, free content, entry into a contest, or even info on what makes your newsletter so great! Signup forms that offer unique value, even in the slightest form will see better email capture results. Don’t have a generic email signup form. Have something that is unique to your brand and something that is actually going to work! Here are some excellent email capture tips along with some email pop up designs. List building is a constant process. People unsubscribe and emails go dormant so you should always have something in place to capture emails. Email will be your most reliable and effective channel for driving both traffic and sales. Invest a little time and create an attractive email signup form so you can build a massive email list today. About the author: Grant Thomas is a Marketing Manager and Lead Blogger at Justuno. https://www.sweettoothrewards.com/blog/why-does-email- capture-matter-the-importance-of-list-building/
1. Generating Email Leads Means More Sales Opportunities! One of the most difficult aspects of digital marketing that businesses face is converting traffic into leads or sales. On average, 98 percent of new traffic leaves your site without converting into a lead. Even if visitors are interested in what you’re selling, they may end up forgetting about your website. Consumers are easily distracted and need to be marketed to over time. Email capture allows you to convert individuals on your site that, otherwise, may have never visited your site again. By simply engaging visitors and asking them to subscribe to your mailing list, you can drastically boost email capture. With an email, you can market to these people and drive them back to your site resulting in more sales opportunities! Emails have a significantly higher click through rate than that of social channels making it the ideal way to market to leads. 2. Email is a Direct Channel Email is a true 1:1 communication. This means that you are directly reaching individuals with your marketing message and no other digital marketing channel can boast that. Social media allows you to indirectly market to people but the visibility of your message is unpredictable and significantly less effective. Also consider the competition in a social channel feed. With both Facebook and Twitter, you have to compete with news, click bait articles, people’s personal posts, other brands, and much more. Email inboxes are far less competitive and you have more control over how your message is displayed. Your marketing message is five times more likely to be seen through an email than a Facebook post. Investing time and effort in building your email list will allow you to market to interested leads in a more direct and effective manner. 3. Deliver Targeted Messages Email marketing has come a long way technologically. Today, you can create detailed segments of subscribers based on past behavior to deliver a personalized message that is more likely to drive a purchase. In ecommerce, segmentation by gender, repeat vs first time buyer, previously viewed or purchased products, geo-location, and much more has drastically helped marketers drive sales directly from email. 4. Email is Your Highest Converting Sales Channel When compared to other traffic sources, email is the highest converting sales channel. Email converts four times higher than social and over one-and-a-half times higher than
“For every $1 spent on email marketing, there’s a $38 dollar return.”
POWERLINE® | EDITION 1 2017 23
PRACTICE THE BASICS: Home Safety Check-Up 101
By: Josh McCormick
C an you guess which tool in the van brings in the most revenue each year? It’s not a screwdriver, it’s not a circuit tester, it’s the Home Safety Check (HSC). Just like the other tools in the bag, you need to understand how to use it properly. You cannot afford to misuse a tool this important. Let’s take some time and explore the Home Safety Check and learn how to close more sales and have a higher job average, with happier customers. You have two options on completing the HSC. Most of us will use the form in ServiceTitan, which is accessed on the “Forms” tab on your iPad. We also have a paper copy that can be used. Remember, if you use the paper copy make sure to take a picture of the completed form and upload it to the job. There is a step-by-step process to complete the HSC, and if you don’t follow it, you are wasting your time. Let’s talk about best practices when using the HSC.
The first HSC best practice is consistency. In other words, complete this on every sold job, and a minimum of 80 percent completion for all jobs overall. If we don’t offer the HSC, we can’t generate tasks. If we don’t generate tasks, we can’t rightfully offer services to our customer. If we don’t offer services to our customer, they certainly can’t buy from us. And, if they aren’t buying from you, you aren’t getting what you are worth! The HSC’s second best practice is to always complete and properly review the HSC before ever giving the quote. This means we never provide a quote or any price until completing and properly reviewing the HSC. The only exception would be introducing the diagnostic fee early. Reviewing the HSC properly is one of the most important duties of your job and will have the greatest impact on your paycheck. Once you’ve completed the HSC and have taken photos, noted and
There is a step-by-step process to complete the HSC, and if you don’t follow it, you are wasting your time.
24 POWERLINE® | EDITION 1 2017
detailed every failed item, safety hazard, or enhancement opportunity, it’s time to talk with the customer. This is your
opportunity to build trust and credibility with the customer. So
what’s the best process? Step 1, always take them to the physical location when addressing the item. “Only talk about the
In review: To properly use the HSC • Complete it every time. • Never talk about the problem unless you are standing in front of the problem. • Show them the deficiency and explain why you are concerned and that it’s important this be taken care of. • Show them an example of what it should look like or will look like after you are done…if applicable. • Take every HSC item to the initial quote, with every customer, on every job, every time. • Finally, make sure you spend some time role playing with other Service Professionals or in your team meetings. If you can’t do it in there, you won’t do it out in the field. Start following these guidelines today and you will likely see an increase in your average dollar per sale, with no negative impact to your close rate.
problem, when standing in front of the problem.” While you are explaining why this item is a concern, the visual presentation will help fill in the blanks where the customer’s electrical vocabulary falls short. It also makes it much more real for the customer. Step 2, focus on why this failed item is a concern in very simple terms, and make sure to identify any potential consequences. Step 3, show them an example on the iPad of what this would look like repaired, to code, or enhanced. In other words, show them a picture of a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter outlet if they need one, show them an image or a real surge protector. Show them a diagram of how the grounding system should look. Always end by asking if they understand. If not, take as much time as you need to make sure they get it. This visual creates a very different experience for the customer and will change the way they see the price. The third HSC best practice is to carry every failed item/deficiency/enhancement over to the quote, with every customer, every time. Don’t ask permission to add tasks to the quote. Start with the quote including the original reason for the call, all items noted in the HSC and any related upsells or promotions running at the time. Remember, you can take items off per customer request. You don’t have to fight and claw about every task, but we do have to offer them. Our job is to make sure the customer makes an educated decision about our services today. Finally, make sure to include financing as a payment option of the total amount, if you take any tasks off per customer request, requote the total and finance the monthly amount again.
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