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Posted on Wed, 12/28/2011 - 11:27 AM by
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Although it is normally up to corporate to do advertising and to keep the company's overall reputation positive, franchisees are also responsible for upholding the company's reputation. In fact, their very success depends on it.Many large corporations have suffered because of the actions of their franchisees, which has then resulted in low rates of business for franchise owners. In order to be profitable, both corporate offices and franchises must work together to control the reputation of the company. Corporate office will focus more on promoting the company through large social media campaigns, the main website, and other advertising techniques, but franchisees need to focus on promoting their business through more community based and community service actions, as well as social media. Great ways for you to promote your franchise, as well as protect its reputation, include: Getting a Facebook Page Just because corporate office has a Fan Page for the company as a whole, doesn't mean that you can't have an individual web page for your franchise. By having a fan page for your franchise or franchises, you will be able to let locals form a community fan base. They will be able to more personally interact with your business and each other which will create stronger loyalty to your company. Having a dedicated fan page will also let you alert your fans to any promotions you have going on and entice customers to come in on a regular basis. Maintaining Great Customer Service As a business owner, we all want to maintain great customer service. Not only will it keep customers coming back, but it makes the work day more hassle free and keeps the overall work environment a positive one. Great customer service is also important because it keeps your reputation looking good. One rude employee and a customer could turn around and post to their Facebook or Twitter account the negative encounter which could send you trying to control the damage before it really got out of control. If you come across upset customers, make sure that your managers are prepared to do anything reasonable and possible to appease that customer. Ignoring a customer complaint or do little to appease them could result in a profit loss like that experienced by United Airlines. After destroying a customer's guitar, the airline did little to compensate him. The customer retaliated by releasing a music video on YouTube. The company's stock plummeted costing stock holders nearly $10 million. Keeping Employees Under Control In addition to maintaining great customer service, there is another employee aspect that is imperative for every franchise owner – keeping employee moral high. In the last year alone, companies such as Dominos, have suffered social media failures because disgruntled employees were out to hurt the company's name. Try to make sure that your managers are keeping communication open with employees so that any upsets or concerns are brought to their attention – not posted on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube where they could quickly ruin your business' reputation and cost you business. While customer service has always been a key component to a successful franchise, it simply isn't enough. Monitoring your employees and keeping an online presence for yourself is also needed if you wish to remain successful. MORE NEWS FROM BLUEMAUMAUTaxes and the DeficitNormally, this column is supposed to cover the tax changes over the prior year and how they impact the hospitality industry. Last year, we commented about how 2010 was an interesting year but little in the tax field had passed. 2010 was all about health care reform, the change in control of the House and the rise of the tea party. It was a very political and partisan year. If anything, 2011 was worse. Never has so little been accomplished by so many. Brinkmanship was the key word for 2011. It will be known more for what did not occur rather than what did. It is not unusual for partisan politics to take center stage in an election year. While 2011 was not, the race for the Presidency and control of the House and Senate began before all the winners from 2010 were known. National Press Writes about Restaurant FranchisingOn May 18th, the national press, both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, wrote about restaurant franchising. Some additional notes are warranted. Mediation: Good, Bad or It Depends?Mediation is often touted as the greatest thing since sliced bread for faster, fairer, and cheaper dispute resolution. Is it? Going International? Don’t Forget One Important ThingFranchisors that are considering exporting their franchise concept to other countries are advised to prepare by following a checklist of key items. However, there is one area that is often overlooked or shortchanged in the process. Going Green Costs Franchisees Much GreenBeing forced to buy imaginary products is just one of the nonsensical results of government policy affecting franchisors and franchisees. RELATED SMALL BUSINESS NEWSMobile Franchises: Do You Like Cars? Hot Franchise Topic: Getting a LoanIt seems like the entire franchise industry is focused on funding, and with good reason; franchise loans are still a bit challenging to secure. Good News, U.S. Hotel Profit RecoveryAccording to the new PKF Trends survey, the U.S. lodging industry produced a 12.7% profit growth in 2011. 80.5% of participating hotels enjoyed an increase in total revenue while 72.3% achieved growth in profits. The recently released 2012 edition of Trends presents data from a sample of nearly 7000 financial statements of United States hotels. For the Trends report, hotel profits are defined as net operating income (NOI) before deductions for capital reserves, rent, interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization. Federal Court Invalidates "Quickie" Union Election Rule, For NowOn May 14, 2012, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia set aside a controversial final rule of the National Labor Relations Board ("NLRB") that was designed to make it easier and faster for unions to hold organizing elections. Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America, et al. v. NLRB, Case No. 11-02262 (D.D.C. May 14, 2012). Business groups are hailing the decision, but the celebration may be short lived. Because the ruling was essentially decided on a procedural point, the NLRB may seek to resurrect the rule, which creates a very short window for union elections, and leaves employers with little time to react to an organized union campaign. Field Representatives Coach Franchisees to Victory
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