Page 245 - Schooley Mitchell Marketing Manual
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SCHOOLEY MITCHELL
MARKETING MANUAL
Steps & Commitments
Building Your Franchise
Steps & Commitments to Building Your Franchise Action Items
1) Commit to obtain 60% of the businesses listed on your Community Vendors Checklist (Marketing Manual) as clients, or more importantly, as referral sources, within the first year of starting your Franchise. No exceptions, no excuses – this is the key to long term success. Ask each client obtained for a referral to one of their vendors or a neighboring business and now you have achieved an exponential growth pattern.
2) Ask five people you respect in business to review your Business Plan and ask them for input and suggestions. Even if they don’t take the time to do it they will be flattered that you asked and they may become advocates for you. At a minimum you will have informed 5 important business people about your Schooley Mitchell Franchise.
3) Send out 20 ‘My New Business Letters’ or ‘My Great Business Letters’. This is not a solicitation letter but rather just an information letter and a claim of pride in your business. If you are not a brand new Franchisee then customize the “My New Business Letter’ in The Warehouse to send to friends, neighbors & relatives based for your ‘first year (or fourth year) in business’. Informing people that you are happy and proud can only bring you value in the long run and build your personal brand.
4) Commit to a ‘Lunch Program’ where you take a client to lunch every month and also a Center of Influence to lunch every month. This program will cost you $60 - $80 per month (less than $1,000 per year). If you have 24 business lunches in a year you should definitely generate more than $1,000 in revenue so this is an investment and not a cost.
5) Identify two Associations in your community where you can build a relationship and obtain a recommendation to the membership. Commit to helping those Associations by providing our service to the Association, providing ‘I’m An Expert’ articles to them on a regular basis (one article won’t cut it), speaking at their events, attending their trade shows etc. Pay the Association a referral fee for any members that use your services.
6) Join a networking club – a group that exists to refer clients to each other. Participate fully and enthusiastically. Demonstrate your belief in the value and success of the club – and make it happen. Bring in new members to the club if the membership is not what you think is optimum. Commit to taking each member of the club to lunch within a year with the sole purpose of talking to them (interviewing them) about their business and how you can help them – and how you can identify referrals for them
7) Establish at least one paid referral source (client, contact, Center of Influence, sales person, all of them?). Write checks (cheques) to these people as quickly and as often as you possibly can
Manual Revised: April 3 2025 Confidential
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