“ We ’ re very good at telephone follow-up because we have an able person on the front lines who makes sure that inquiries are handled right away . We have great people and we put our best foot forward .”
paint-and-sip concept .
“ Our current strategy has shifted in the last two years . Because 90 percent of our owners were customers before , we target them more directly . They fall in love with the concept and are ready for a lifestyle change . That leads to franchisee satisfaction ,” says Erickson . “ We ’ re ‘ Team Pinot ’: we know our franchise partners well , where they went to school , and what sports their kids are playing . We also have had great success in veteran franchisee satisfaction , which has been a great avenue for getting well-organized members ready for change into our system .”
One big change at Pinot ’ s Palette is its new franchise development website . “ When we looked at our website and others , we found a big sea of sameness : paint splatters , bright colors , clutter . We made the site cleaner so the brain can process it faster . We ’ re putting the information right in front of people and are reviewing the content quarterly , especially if we notice a big shift .”
Erickson jokes that both she and her counterpart in Chicago , Mari Sokolowski , love to talk and are excited when they meet potential franchisees who have great careers , but have come to the studios and been “ hit by the magic touch .”
Erickson credits Pinot ’ s Palette cofounders Craig Ceccanti and Charles Willis with the process-oriented focus that runs throughout the company , which they founded in 2009 and began franchising in 2010 .
BEST OVERALL RESPONSIVENESS
BrightStar Care
Steve Schildwachter
It ’ s only logical to the folks at BrightStar Care that the company be recognized with the award for Best Overall Responsiveness in franchise recruitment and development . After all , that ’ s an important part of the corporate culture .
“ In our marketing to consumers , we espouse the principle of person-centered care , and we carry that same principle into franchise development ,” says Steve Schildwachter , chief marketing officer for the Gurnee , Ill . -based home care and
“ We ’ re very good at telephone follow-up because we have an able person on the front lines who makes sure that inquiries are handled right away . We have great people and we put our best foot forward .”
home health agency . “ When somebody is trying to fulfill a dream to start their own business , it ’ s our obligation to be responsive — not only in turnaround , but in terms of understanding their goals and how we can help them meet those goals .”
Commitment to prompt and effective responsiveness is in line with the brand ’ s proven process , says Schildwachter . “ Our process is well-defined and well-designed at every step of the way for maximum responsiveness to candidates who express interest in BrightStar .”
BrightStar also was a runner-up in the Best Telephone Prospect Follow-up category . “ We ’ re very good at telephone follow-up because we have an able person on the front lines who makes sure that inquiries are handled right away ,” he says . “ That follows on down the line . We have great people and we put our best foot forward .”
BEST FRANCHISEE SATISFACTION
1st Place : Home Instead Senior Care
Kathleen McKay
Kathleen McKay , franchise development director at Home Instead , says Best Franchisee Satisfaction is her favorite STAR Award — and the most humbling . “ When you grow and you ’ ve always been really invested in having a good company culture , it can be hard to maintain that family culture . This award is reaffirmation that people are still happy , and I ’ ll take that any day of the week ,” she says .
“ Yes , I ’ m in sales and we have goals . But at the end of the day , we say ‘ no ’ dozens of times more than we say ‘ yes .’ We look at every person we meet as a potential owner and ask ourselves : ‘ Would I want them caring for my mother ?’ That ’ s why we don ’ t say , even within the office , that we ‘ sell ’ franchises . We say we ‘ award ’ them . And we ’ re fanatically vigilant because we have to make sure that seniors are able to remain as independent as possible with compassionate , competent care . If we bring in owners who feel the same way we do , they ’ ll use the same lens when hiring caregivers .”
This focus on simple , compassionate , non-medical care has been at the core of Home Instead since founders Paul and Lori Hogan transformed their experiences caring for Paul ’ s grandmother into the Omaha-based franchise concept . Though his grandmother had been told she had six months to live , compassionate care by the entire family enabled her to live another 11 years in her home , McKay says .
The company ’ s culture and philosophy , which she says includes “ brutal ” honesty , transparency , and constant support , have led Home Instead to build strong relationships with its franchisees . The same culture applies to the qualification process with potential franchisees . “ We stay away at the beginning from having people fill out a bunch of forms about their net worth . That will naturally come out in the process . We prefer to talk and get to know them . And we ’ re honest about what it takes to be successful with Home Instead . It ’ s a simple business model , but it requires a lot of hard work and a good heart for serving this population .”
McKay also points to the brand ’ s 150-person support staff as another reason for the brand ’ s great relationships with its franchisees . “ We spend a lot of time in the field with our owners , because you can ’ t have a personal relationship with them if you don ’ t know them . Our Franchise Exchange Council has been around for years and we lean on them to help drive our vision and plans for the future . We ’ re in lockstep with our owners . We have the same mission , the same vision .”
Franchiseupdate ISSUE IV , 2016 49