The 10 Best Return On Investment Franchises 2018

www.insightssuccess.com November 2018

The

1

Best

Pitching Success

Return On

The Importance of a Sales Strategy

Franchises 2018

Digi-Payments

Investment The Age of Disruptive Banking through Digital Payment Solutions

Ken LeBlanc, CEO PropertyGuys.com

Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning

Editor’s Note

The Evolution of Franchising

T

he word 'Franchise' is derived from an Anglo-French word Franc, which means free. The concept of franchising dates back to 17th century when private groups in England were given the rights to sponsor or operate the fairs in the market. The first commercial successful franchise took place in 1886 when John S. Pemberton licensed selected firms to sell his product. That product later named as Coca-Cola.

Franchising can be looked as one of the strategies adopted by businesses for expanding their business. The investment needed in this strategy is lower, compared to other strategies, as in this case, certain portion of investment is made by the ‘franchisee’. Along with the investment and other functions, the risk is also shared. This makes franchising a convenient method to grow business.

However, much like various other industries, franchising is also at growth stage. Hence there are various aspects, on which enterprises must work collectively, in order to excel the business and maintain the Return on Investment (ROI). One of the key aspects is sustainability. There are many franchisors that are struggling to sustain their franchises due to numerous issues including undercapitalization and poor selection of segments. While undercapitalization restricts the growth, poor selection of franchise makes it difficult for the business to ascend globally. Moreover there must be a mutual understanding that business takes time in franchising in order to attain the ROI. Another major aspect is collective success. Enterprises must perform in order to help the industry grow.

Franchising is interdependent and only one company performing will not make an evident change. And for everyone to make profit, there are some internal and external factors that must be kept in mind.

The internal factor is segment selection. To reduce the risk of uncertainty in the market, it is recommended to choose a segment which is least affected by market fluctuations. The external factor is the economy and unemployment. It has been that when the economy is booming and unemployment is low, franchising takes the hit as there is less number of potential franchisees in the market.

With the concern regarding the growth and future of franchising, there are a couple of methods including maintaining healthy relationship with the franchisee and taking the business overseas, which can be applied to cater to it. While maintaining the relationship will ease the business, going international will bring new ideas and new opportunities.

There are numerous companies which are effectively working upon these aspects pushing the industry ahead with great ideas and innovations. Hence in order to acknowledge their efforts, Insights success has shortlisted “The 10 Best Return On Investment Franchises, 2018” Featuring as our Cover Story is Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning, a prime example of a brand with an adaptable, customer-driven focus. With phenomenal reviews, growth and a strong business core, they are taking their industry by storm.

Featuring as our Company of the Month is PropertyGuys.com, which provides a safe and practical way for buyers and sellers to connect and avoid the high cost of commission.

Alongside this, the magazine also includes ActionCOACH, a business coaching company that is designed to help small and medium sized businesses grow their business; Bahama Buck's, a world where paradise and enterprise have come together to create a lifestyle experience beyond compare; Comfort Keepers, which offers a wide range of services, including everything from companionship and personal care to Alzheimer's and dementia care; and Figurella, an organization as well as a method designed to provide women with training, detoxification, and nutritional consulting regarding to provide health and wellness.

Also, make sure to flip through articles, written by our in-house editorial team as well as CXO standpoints of notable industry personalities to have a brief taste of the sector.

Let's start reading!

Shubham Khampariya

PropertyGuys.com Optimizing Buyer-Seller Experience in Real Estate

16

Articles

24 Pitching Success The Importance of a Sales Strategy

28

38

Industry Trends Key POS Trends Reshaping the Retail Sector

Digi Payments The Age of Disruptive Banking through Digital Payment Solutions

08 Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning The Birth of a Global Franchise

32

44

Quality Vision

Brand Vision

Managing Quality in the Technological Age

Brand Building: The Right Way

20 ActionCOACH A Leading Business Coaching Provider

26 Bahama Buck’s Revolutionizing the Snow Cone Industry

36 Comfort Keepers Providing Quality In-Home Care Solutions

42 Figurella USA Embarking Women Fitness

Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Executive Editor Assistant Editors Contributing Editors Visualiser Art & Design Director Associate Designer Co-designer

Pooja M. Bansal Anish Miller Shubham Khampariya Jenny Fernandes Abhishaj Sajeev Bhushan Ghate Ishan Mittal David King Amol Kamble Kushagra Gupta Sumit Lunawat

Art & Picture Editors Paul Belin Jayant Khanna Senior Sales Manager Passi D. Business Development Manager Peter Collins Marketing Manager John Matthew Business Development Executives Steve, Joe, Alan, Avinash Sales Executives David, Kevin, Mark, Mason Technical Head Jacob Smile Technical Specialists Amar, Pratiksha Digital Marketing Manager Marry D’Souza Online Marketing Strategists Alina Sege, Shubham, Vishal SME-SMO Executives Prashant Chevale, Uma Dhenge, Gemson, Prasad Research Analyst Patrick James Circulation Managers Robert, Tanaji Database Management Stella Andrew Technology Consultant David Stokes sales@insightssuccess.com

November, 2018 Corporate Ofces: Insights Success Media Tech LLC 555 Metro Place North, Suite 100, Dublin, OH 43017, United States Phone - (614)-602-1754 Email: info@insightssuccess.com For Subscription: www.insightssuccess.com

Follow us on :

Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt. Ltd. Off. No. 513 & 510, 5th Flr., Rainbow Plaza, Shivar Chowk, Pimple Saudagar, Pune, Maharashtra 411017 Phone - India: +91 7410079881/ 82/ 83/ 84/ 85 Email: info@insightssuccess.in For Subscription: www.insightssuccess.in

www.facebook.com/insightssuccess/

www.twitter.com/insightssuccess

We are also available on : Copyright © 2018 Insights Success, All rights reserved. The content and images used in this magazine should not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission from Insights Success.

Reprint rights remain solely with Insights Success.

We’re a modern carpet cleaner that puts customer satisfaction, convenience, and health ď€ rst.

H

umans must change – it’s in our very nature. Those who don’t get left behind. Those who do can become leaders and changemakers, people who shape the world. Of course, this isn’t just true of people. Businesses must change, or they too will fade away They must constantly push themselves to innovate and deliver products and services that enrich their customers’ lives. Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning is a prime example of a brand with an adaptable, customer-driven focus. With phenomenal reviews, growth and a strong business core, they are taking their industry by storm.

In an interview with Insights Success, the Founder and President of Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning, Jonathan Barnett shares his thoughts on the carpet cleaning industry and what it takes for a brand to succeed in today’s market.

Oxi Fresh is the World’s Greenest Carpet Cleaner® and we’re proud of our commitment to environmentally friendly cleaning methods.

The

$

Best

Return on Investment Franchises 2018

Below are highlights from the interview conducted between Jonathan and Insights Success: Give a brief overview of the company and its vision.

When Oxi Fresh was founded in 2006, we wanted to change the way people thought about carpet cleaning. For decades, steam cleaning and harsh chemicals were the norm. People just expected their carpets to take 12-24 hours to dry. Oxi Fresh has changed all that with our modern, eco-friendly carpet cleanings that dry in just about one hour. Customers love this efficient, effective service – so much so that we have over 150,000 reviews online.

It’s not just customers, though.

Entrepreneurs of all stripes have seen what Oxi Fresh is doing and have joined our brand en masse. In twelve years, we’ve expanded to over 360 locations across the United States and Canada. Oxi Fresh prides itself on empowering our franchisees with support systems and technology that lets them focus on growing their businesses instead of just managing them.

What are the cutting-edge products/services offered by Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning?

Oxi Fresh’s core cleaning process is a dramatic departure from the longtime industry standard of steam cleaning.

Unlike them, we don’t saturate carpets with hot water and chemicals and then try to suck it all back up. Oxi Fresh uses a low-moisture method that combines an oxygenated booster, a green encapsulator, and a revolutionary cleaning machine. Together, they rapidly break up dirt and debris in the carpet to make it easy to remove – and they do all this without saturating the floor. Oxi Fresh carpets dry in just about one hour versus the 12-24 hours of steam cleaning.

This eco-friendly process also reduces energy consumption and conserves 95% of the water that other cleaners

would waste. It’s why we’re the World’s Greenest Carpet Cleaner®.

Oxi Fresh is also proud to offer upholstery cleaning, tile and grout cleaning, and sandless wood floor cleaning. On top of that, we offer Total Odor Control – a system that removes even the worst pet urine and cigarette smoke odors from properties.

Give a detailed description of the Founder/CEO/Management’s contribution over the company and the industry.

Jonathan Barnett is the founder and President of Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning, one of the nation’s fastest growing carpet cleaning franchises.

Mr. Barnett founded Oxi Fresh in 2006 with just one location. Since then, he’s made it an international brand with hundreds of location by intentionally building Oxi Fresh with franchisees in mind. Everything is designed to maximize efficiency and ease of use for owners. Online training, a centralized Scheduling Center, a unified CRM, online scheduling – all of these turnkey programs allow franchisees to focus on growth and development instead of day-to-day operations.

This commitment to his franchisees and to customer satisfaction had led Oxi Fresh to received numerous awards and accolades from Entrepreneur Magazine, Inc. Magazine, Forbes Magazine, Franchise Times, Franchise Update Magazine, Fox Business News, and many more industry watchers. Mr. Barnett himself has been named in the Franchise Times “Twenty to Watch, was one of the Denver Business Journal’s “40 under 40,” and was one of Global Franchise Magazine’s Top 20 Keynote Speakers in 2017.

What are the distinctive features/foundations that make Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning unique from its competitors?

From a consumer standpoint, there are three big features that make us stand out:

Fast Dry Times: Oxi Fresh uses a low-moisture cleaning system that cuts dry times down from 12-24 hours to just about one hour. Not only is this way more convenient, it also reduces the chances for stains reappearing due to a process called ‘wickback.’

Eco-Friendly Processes: Oxi Fresh prides itself on its green carpet cleaning system. Our carpet products were carefully designed to both maximize cleaning power and to be safe for kids, pets, and the planet. We conserve 95% of the water other cleaners waste, we use energy efficient practices, and one of our products has the EPA’s Safer Choice label.

Easy Appointments: Oxi Fresh has both a central Scheduling Center and an Online Scheduler to make booking appointments quick and easy. We also book for specific times – there are none of those annoying “window” appointments with Oxi Fresh.

There are many reasons Oxi Fresh stands out for our franchisees, so here are just three of them: Protected Territories: Oxi Fresh franchisees don’t have to worry about internal competition thanks to our protected territories. Each franchisee is assigned a group of zip codes that only they are allowed to market to. This means they can focus on taking on competitors instead of having to worry about other franchisees.

Powerful Technology: Oxi Fresh believes in speed through systems, so we’ve implemented numerous programs and business tools to enable just that. From online scheduling to a live CRM to automated marketing programs, we do everything we can to enable growth.

The Scheduling Center: Most franchise systems rely on the franchisee to answer all their own calls and book their own customers, which of course takes a lot of time, effort, and

money. Oxi Fresh takes care of all of this with our central Scheduling Center. We answer the phones and book the jobs so the franchisees can focus on their businesses.

at the end of the day, their success and happiness is why we do this. If we can make them happy, if we can help them grow, then we know we’ve been doing our job.

Describe the experiences, achievements or lessons learnt that has shaped the journey of the company.

There are a lot of lessons we’ve learned over the years:

What strategies are used by Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning to ensure the consumer satisfaction and optimal efficiency?

Our defining idea here is Speed through Systems. By creating and implementing a variety of systems, we can maximize both customer satisfaction and efficiency. We apply this philosophy throughout all levels of the company, and it has been key to our growth.

A Focus on Technology Enables Growth: One lesson we learned early on as a company was the importance of being technology focused. Every day, there are new innovations that can shake up markets. At Oxi Fresh, we try to stay on top of these changes and implement them in our system for the franchisees. This focus enables us to grow more quickly, reach more customers, and get better insights into how we’re performing as a company.

Remarkable Growth Requires Flexibility & Systems: The growth that has come from our technology focus has also reinforced lessons in both flexibility and systems. Oxi Fresh doesn’t have an enormous corporate team, but that’s not because we’re a small company. Rather, it’s because we believe in implementing a variety of systems that eliminate day-to-day work so that our team can focus on developing new programs and providing support. That said, we also don’t tie ourselves down to certain methodologies. Our team has a lot of freedom to change things up, and try new strategies, which is possible, thanks to the systems backing us up.

Recognition is Just One Measurable: Oxi Fresh is proud of the numerous awards and attentions we’ve received from Forbes, Entrepreneur, Inc., Fox Business News, etc., but they are just one way by which we measure ourselves. Oxi Fresh looks to both our franchisees and their individual customer’s satisfaction as far more important measurable. Why? Because,

Here are some examples: Integrated CRM: Oxi Fresh has a unified, live CRM that integrates with numerous other programs. For customers, it allows for online booking, automatically sends out reminder emails, and synchs with our customer feedback tool that lets us know how we’re doing. For franchisees, it notifies them of changes, creates automatic marketing reports, and does a dozen other things that help them run a streamlined and efficient business.

Online Training: To get good results, you’ve got to have well trained people.

Oxi Fresh makes sure that happens across the nation using an online university. These video-driven courses – in conjunction with detailed manuals – explain everything technicians need to know about cleaning and customer service.

NPS and Online Surveys: To make sure customers are getting a positive experience, Oxi Fresh sends email and text surveys out after appointments.

This feedback goes into a Net Promoter Score that lets us know how the brand, franchisees, and even individual employees are performing.

This is a great tool for ensuring continuing cleaning quality.

Where does Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning see itself in the long run and what are its future goals?

Our goal is to become the number one carpet cleaner not just in America, but in the world. We want our name to become synonymous with the service, so that when people think carpet cleaning, they think Oxi Fresh. Of course, those are big, lofty goals. In our more immediate plans, we’re looking to continue our expansion across the United States and Canada, to further break into the commercial cleaning market, and to open master franchises around the world.

Give us a few testimonials of your clients that accurately highlight Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning’s position in the market.

“Jim was great! Very easy to communicate with, professional, and friendly. He did nearly our entire house for a great rate. I was shocked. Our house looks like a million bucks, and the carpets were all the way dry when I got home. Thanks so much!” - C. I. “Lowell is the bomb, I’ve used him twice now and both times he did a superior job on our 38 year old carpets!

I told him this time I didn’t expect any miracles, just get us through till next Spring when we get new flooring.

Well, he did perform a miracle and some parts look absolutely brand new.

Oxi Clean feels healthy with no toxic chemicals and minimal drying time. I wouldn’t use anything or anyone else!”

- D.P. “I did not have much hope for the carpets in my new office - they were disgusting and it smelled like something died in it! The carpets came out fantastic - they are actually beige!

My office smells clean and I will definitely be using your service again and will be recommending you to anyone asking about carpet cleaning!

Thank you!” - K.N. “We recently had Oxi Fresh clean all of the carpets in our three-bedroom home.

We were amazed at the great results Rafael accomplished! Even though the carpets were old and very dirty, with many stains, they turned out looking so very clean! This was the best results I have ever had in cleaning my carpets. My wife and I were so pleased with the job that the Oxi Fresh products and system does. We were also very impressed with the professionalism of Rafael’ service! He was friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful in everything. We will definitely be having Oxi Fresh do our future carpet cleaning jobs!” -L.B.

Our number one goal is to provide the highest quality carpet cleaning experience in the industry to our customers.

SUBSCRIBE

READ IT FIRST

TODAY Never Miss an

Issue

Yes, I would like to subscribe to Insights Success Magazine.

Global Subscription Date :

Name : Address :

Telephone : Email :

City :

State :

Zip :

Country :

Check should be drawn in favor of: INSIGHTS SUCCESS MEDIA TECH LLC

CORPORATE OFFICE Insights Success Media Tech LLC 555 Metro Place North, Suite 100, Dublin, OH 43017, United States Phone: (614)-602-1754,(302)-319-9947 Email: info@insightssuccess.com For Subscription: www.insightssuccess.com

Management

Brief

ActionCOACH actioncoach.com

Brad Sugars Founder

ActionCOACH is a business coaching company that is designed to help small and medium sized businesses grow their business.

Bahama Buck’s bahamabucks.com

Blake Buchanan Founder & CEO

Bahama Buck’s is a world where paradise and enterprise have come together to create a lifestyle experience beyond compare.

Comfort Keepers comfortkeepers.com

Carl McManus CEO

Comfort Keepers offers a wide range of services, including everything from companionship and personal care to Alzheimer’s and dementia care.

DoubleDave’s doubledaves.com

Chuck Thorp President & CEO

DoubleDave's Pizzaworks is a chain of pizza restaurants based in Austin, Texas.

Figurella figurellausa.com

Cristiana Lelli President

Figurella USA is an organization as well as a method designed to provide women with training, detoxification, and nutritional consulting regarding to provide health and wellness.

Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning oxifresh.com

Jonathan Barnett Founder & President

Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning is a prime example of a brand with an adaptable, customer-driven focus. With phenomenal reviews, growth and a strong business core, they are taking their industry by storm.

PropertyGuys propertyguys.com

Ken LeBlanc CEO

PropertyGuys.com provides a safe and practical way for buyers and sellers to connect and avoid the high cost of commission.

Robeks robeks.com

Steve Davidson President & CEO

Robeks is a smoothie franchise chain headquartered in Los Angeles, California, USA.

SKECHERS skechers.com

Robert Greenberg Founder & CEO

Skechers is the global leader in the performance and lifestyle footwear industry.

Sparkle Wash International sparklewash.com

Michael Klavora President

Sparkle Wash is the authority on Commercial, Residential and Fleet power washing. All our Sparkle Wash locations abide by the highest standards in the pressure washing field.

Company Name

Optimizing Buyer-Seller Experience in Real Estate

Ken LeBlanc CEO

“

PropertyGuys.com is redefining real estate as the Smarter Way to Sell - a way that helps home sellers take control, connect directly with buyers and sell faster at a fraction of the cost of using a traditional agent.

“

16

November 2018|

Company of the Month

O

ne of the basic dreams of any individual is to own a house. However, it turns out to be one of the most difficult tasks to buy or sell one. With the current scenario of real estate and the complexities created by expensive middlemen, often buyers and sellers fail to navigate the process, costing them a portion of their equity.

Putting an end to these issues, PropertyGuys.com provides a safe and practical way for buyers and sellers to connect and avoid the high cost of commission. They believe that selling privately is the Future of Real Estate®.

as well, including the trust of Canada’s largest private sale franchise network, 20 years’ experience in the industry, no real estate license requirement, low initial investment, and ongoing support from both colleagues and Home Office.

Rely on Experts The center of PropertyGuys.com’s disruptive model is its flat-fee approach based on service, not a percentage of a property’s sale price. Its system deploys a team of experts to help sellers feel confident every step of the way. This team consists of real estate lawyers, marketing experts (franchise owners), pricing consultants, and a professional answering service to name a few, that help make the process seamless. The company believes that anyone can sell their house and it shouldn’t cost a fortune to do so. That’s why its platform allows buyers and sellers to connect directly - in essence avoiding the high cost of commission.

PropertyGuys.com was founded in 1998 and is Canada’s Largest Private Sale Franchise Network. In that time, they have helped close to 90,000 homeowners discover “A Smarter Way to Sell™”. Their founding belief is that real estate is broken, and so they aim to be the catalyst for change in the industry by providing a solution that relies on both people and technology at a fraction of the cost that sellers would expect to pay an agent.

A Driven Entrepreneur PropertyGuys.com specializes in connecting buyers and sellers directly, helping them save a bundle in unnecessary commission. Its system is designed to help customers sell quickly and confidently. From negotiations to paperwork, and even setting a competitive asking price, customers have all the help they need in every step of the process. The company provides various amenities to its franchise owners November 2018|

Ken LeBlanc is the CEO of PropertyGuys.com and has been a defining visionary behind the brand since day one.

Over the years, he has remained laser-focused on driving the company toward its ultimate goal - to change real estate forever. Alongside his business partners, there is no problem or opportunity that LeBlanc won’t tackle head-on.

17

Over the past 20 years, PropertyGuys.com has continued to grow into a dominant force in both franchising and the Canadian real estate industry - due in large part to LeBlanc’s fearless leadership. Never satisfied with the status quo, he is always asking, what’s next?

signs that ensure that each property stands out from the crowd.

What’s next?

PropertyGuys.com continues to focus on changing the real estate industry forever and is already doing so, one round sign at a time. Expansion into the United States remains a top priority. The company also continues to focus on cutting edge technology that will further improve user experience and refine the digital real estate transaction for the next generation. Big things are coming for PropertyGuys.com.

Ken is a highly driven entrepreneur, savvy franchise sales expert, and experienced contract negotiator. Ken has previously held the position of Chair of the Canadian Franchise Association Board of Directors and remains a member to this day. He is a strong supporter of youth entrepreneurship with organizations such as the Canadian Youth Business Foundation, Futurpreneur, and Junior Achievement. He also holds a BBA from Crandall University, where the idea of PropertyGuys.com spurred from a business class project.

Words of Appreciation from Clients "The process was straightforward, offered lots of marketing exposure and it allowed me to save on a lot of potential commission costs." - Kim T.

A Fateful Call

"Great system, great results, great support!!" - Gerry & Debbie R.

According to PropertyGuys.com, one of the main pivots that helped to shape the company into what it is today was the idea of franchising. The company didn’t start out as a franchise nor was it originally part of the plan. However, the idea arose from a chance phone call with a prospective franchisee from Prince Edward Island. It was obvious to the team that franchising was going to be a key vehicle in expanding its offering across the country rapidly. Within months of franchising, the company saw a vast interest in its offering and the rest is history. As for that fateful PEI caller, he is still a franchise owner to this day.

“After using property guys I will definitely never use an agent again. They do so much more than any agent I know, and at only a fraction of the cost! I will recommend property guys to everyone I know for sure!" - Dana D. “We sold our condo about a week after the sign went up. No large real estate fees which saved us thousands of dollars.

They offered different packages based on your needs. Very helpful. Will definitely use them again and highly recommend them to anyone selling a property!" - Connie H.

Differentiating Factors PropertyGuys.com believes that the most significant difference between the company and their competitors is that they selected NOT to be a licensed brokerage - they’re not real estate agents. Instead, they are a national franchise system with local franchise owners who help homeowners in their communities sell their property privately and save thousands in commissions. Their disruptive model has propelled rapid growth over 20 years, capturing tens of thousands of property listings across Canada.

At Propertyuys.com, instead of employing a jack-of-alltrades mentality, often typical of traditional real estate agents, sellers enjoy a team of experts who help them understand each part of the real estate transaction with knowledge from the best professionals in each field (legal, pricing, marketing etc.). The company not only has a bold approach to real estate, but it’s customers also notice their bold branding, which includes the iconic, 36 in round lawn

18

November 2018|

ActionCOACH A Leading Business Coaching Provider

B

y showing Business owners how to get more time, better teams in their companies, and more money on their bottom-line, ActionCOACH has grown to be the number one business coaching firm in the world, with hundreds of proven systems and strategies that are guaranteed to get results. More than two decades later, the company that started it all is still on top.

In an interview with Insights Success, Brad Sugars, Founder of ActionCOACH Business Coaching shares his experience and gives resourceful insights. In addition to this he has also noted about ActionCOACH, its products and motto of the organization along with the future goals in revolutionizing the industry.

Below are the highlights of the interview conducted between Brad and Insights Success: Give a brief overview of the company and its vision.

Brad Sugars

ActionCOACH is a business coaching company that is designed to help small and medium sized businesses grow their business. Our job is to help them with their sales, marketing and management to build strong teams and a great company. The vision of the organization is ‘World Abundance through Business Re-education’. What that means is if we help every business grows then more people get jobs, more people make money to

Founder

ActionCOACH Business Coaching

20

November 2018|

invest and spend on new products. It’s about creating more jobs, better businesses and better economies.

What are the cutting-edge products/services offered by ActionCOACH? It is really designed around one-to-one business coaching at its core. Working with owners in a one on one scenario to give them a great mentor, educator and really hold them accountable to the job they need to do. They need a coach to push them and help them succeed.

That being said we have smaller products from our book club starting at $100 a month right through to our more comprehensive coaching programs. Everything is all about the business owner or the c-level executive getting real results.

Give a detailed description of the Founder/CEO/Management’s contribution over the company and the industry.

As founder of the company, I was also the founder of the industry. Business coaching didn’t exist when we started 25 years ago. What we have done is build both a company and an industry.

It’s been challenging because there was no one to follow so we found ourselves following other professional business services such as accounting, legal and financial planning firms. My role these days is to be the ambassador of the culture and the vision. It’s my job to be the guardian of our vision, ‘World Abundance through Business Reeducation’ and our 14 points of culture.

What are the distinctive features that make ActionCOACH unique from its competitors?

coaching, our intellectual property and track record is substantive and quite phenomenal. Number two is our results. Again with 25 years of coaching business owners, the volume of results we have showing real, effective change and growth in business is massive out there in the marketplace. Number three is our guarantee. We are very unique in our method of guaranteeing them that we will make them more money than it costs to work with us. The fourth is our people. We have put a lot of energy into recruiting the best of the best which ultimately gets us the results that we are after.

Describe the experiences, achievements or lessons learnt that has shaped the journey of the company.

The biggest lessons are that of international expansion. In the beginning as an Australian company, to expand through Asia, the Americas and Europe took quite a bit of understanding how to effectively do that. That is why we developed a franchising model before white color franchising was really in existence. We had to learn a lot about franchising and the legalities of protecting intellectual property. Having franchise partners meant that we had a lot of very strong people on our team that became partners and not just part of our business. They really helped us shape and grow the business long term.

Where does ActionCOACH see itself in the long run and what are its future goals?

Our immediate goal is 2020 by 2020.

That’s 2020 coaches on the ground by

There are four things that make ActionCOACH unique. Number one is our track record. With 25 years of experience with doing business

November 2018|

Being in business should give you more life than what it takes.

21

the end of 2020. The reason we have that is because there are so many business owners that we can’t help at the moment because we just need more coaches on the ground. Long term we see ourselves in 120 countries whereas currently we are in close to 80.

Ultimately getting the spread and then the depth within those marketplaces is important to our future growth. We are currently the industry leader and I believe we will stay there for the foreseeable future. www.actioncoach.com Franchise Opportunities Available

Pitching Success

OF A SALES STRATEGY

E

very business thrives solely on its sales as the revenue generation revolves around the efficiency of its sales strategy. This strategy can only be devised by engaging in the creation and implementation of a sales management system. It is a technique of formulating sales strength, synchronizing sales operations, and applying sales skills that lets a business to constantly improvise and exceed its sales targets.

Sales management aids the functioning of activities and tasks which are involved in the dispersal of goods and services.

Selling a product or a service, even to an average consumer needs strategic planning and its effective implementation. One thing evident in a product’s life cycle is that sales management isn’t as easy as it sounds.

It depends comprehensively on crafting the organizations’ offerings in terms of the targeted market needs and desires, and using evaluation, communication and distribution.

Sales management as a terminology directly applies to the section of a business that interacts with a prospective customer and attempts to convert it into a sale. Although this task sounds effortless, prolonged research and planning are involved behind its execution. On a less technical note, sales management can

in the accurate functioning of any devised strategy. To be precise, a sales workforce is as important to the organization as increased profits. Evidently, both these factors are inter-dependent.

Therefore, a sales manager or any employer has to craft up a proficient team to meet the organization’s desired goals. This task of staffing competent sales representatives requires an employer to consider certain facts.

For instance, if the organization functions locally, a sales representative with the knowledge of the local language would be the desired candidate. Other such constraints, which should be considered while hiring a candidate include, familiarity with local geographies, willingness to travel, to work on varying time zones etc.

An effectively working sales team will carry out all the vital tasks that directly lead to the sale of a product, thus resulting into increased profit.

be called as the art of assessing and surpassing the sales objective of an organization through efficient planning, controlling, budgeting and effective leadership. An efficient sales management strategy can act as a massive turnabout for any organization in its long run.

The process involved in sales management: Ÿ Planning the Sales Process: The primary task in the hands of anyone managing the sales of an organization, before even forming a team is planning the sales process. One has to analyze who’d be the prospective buyers and construct a sales plan to meet their requirements. For instance, an organization which sells computers plans to enter a new market. To do so, it will have to devise a sales plan based on an extensive research about that market’s economy and the scope of their product’s sale potential. The channels of targeted audience; be it online or offline should be adequately analyzed, and recognizing the geographical areas where the organization would thrive should be considered as a priority while planning a sales process. Ÿ

Hiring the right people: Efficient staffing plays a vital role

24

Ÿ

Designing the Sales Strategy: A sales strategy is fundamentally the most vital requirement of an organization in order to sell its products and gain profits. This strategy is usually formulated by the aforesaid sales team. But for a strategy to be derived, the manager of the team has to provide insights

November 2018|

and essentially indulge in the activity. This strategy should be based on the factors considered during the planning of the sales process. The designing process of the strategy should include clarity and shouldn’t jeopardize the integrity of a team member. Every team member’s performance should be assessed and provided with guidance during difficulty in attaining targets or deadlines.

Regular appreciations and rewards account for improved work motivation and performance. Such a design of the sales strategy when implemented, prove to be beneficial for the organization as well as the team members. Ÿ

Ÿ

Forecasting the Sales Results: Positive sales forecasting is possible only by a productive analysis of the organization’s sales patterns and also considering the current trends in the industry. This allows one to interpret the number of sales one can achieve in the next term. This analysis is provided by the sales team with the data they have collected over the time, about the amount of leads turned into customers and the leads which are yet to be converted for business.

By the use of sales forecasting, the future sales plan can be assessed, providing an opportunity to employ experimental strategies and methods. This also allows one to expel the old and unproductive strategies.

Reporting the sales: The sales reporting process inspects the efficacy of the various sales strategies applied currently or previously. It is essential to measure the performance of the sales team as well as the proposed sales strategies to evaluate their productivity. The sales team should be required to provide reports of the tasks executed based on which, the future decisions must be taken by the management to implement November 2018|

measures of improvement. Ÿ

Analyzing the Sales Efforts: The resulting productivity of the sales strategies should be constantly measured. Every strategy implemented must be evaluated pertaining to the data of its performance, so as to understand how well it has been executed. This aids the sales team in analyzing common errors in the strategies and achieves enhanced sales.

Why sales management isn’t a walk in the park: It’s a common stereotype that sales people work comparatively less than people in other departments. The role of a sales representative is not just making voice calls and having conversations with people. It involves a giant of an effort in converting a lead into a customer. This isn’t feasibly possible unless a sales representative possesses equivalent skills and smart work techniques. The sales department in contrast to any other workforce is accountable to target achievements and regular performance reviews. This creates a constraint which evidently proves the complexity involved in the profile of a sales representative.

Since sales people personally interact with a probable customer, they gain the benefit of being able to gain knowledge which will help in performing their sales pitch and offerings to the customer. A sales person is also responsible in building trust and loyalty between customers and businesses. This can only be achieved pertaining to the transparency between the sales person and the customer. While making sales interactions, urging a customer to recommend a friend or provide positive feedback draws an impact on the development of the business through brand awareness and sales.

Efficient sales person not only make a sale, but also build a continual impact on the customer.

Long term customer associations lead to repeated customer referrals that increase the organization’s reputation. To conclude, sales play a pivotal role in the all-encompassing growth of an organization and thus, cannot be overlooked.

25

Revolutionizing the Snow Cone Industry

B

ahama Buck’s is an American dessert chain known best for serving the Greatest Sno on Earth! ® Founded in the summer of 1990, the first Bahama Buck’s was opened in Lubbock, TX by Blake Buchanan, as a college student looking for a summer job. From this humble beginning, Bahama Buck’s now operates over 100 locations from California to Puerto Rico, with an additional 120 locations currently under development. The company’s vision is simple, “To Bless Our Guest by creating the Ultimate Tropical Dessert Experience.” That means

exceeding guests’ expectations by paying attention to every detail of the delivery of its products and services.

Serving Island Experience The primary focus of Bahama Buck’s is to serve its guests an island experience. From irresistibly delicious Sno® creations to extremely satisfying Island Smoothies, they constantly strive to serve up the ultimate tropical dessert experience. The company asserts that its expertise in innovating island indulgences didn’t surface overnight. The history of Bahama Buck’s is full of inspiration, fun, and

creativity. The principles behind Bahama Buck’s guide their commitment to creating a minivacation for all; they strive to offer a positive vibe of the Bahama Buck’s attitude, style, and appreciation of life into every aspect of the guest experience.

The Ultimate Host Blake Buchanan is the Founder and CEO of Bahama Buck’s. His core conviction is his belief in regards to “Blessing Our Guests”, not solely in the shops, but also through reaching out into the communities they serve.

Eric Lee CFO

Tom Buchanan Exec. VP.

Blake Buchanan Founder & CEO Bahama Buck’s

26

November 2018|

Blake’s personal favorite community outreach event is Bahama Buck’s Free Sno Day. The second Tuesday of every December, any guest can visit the shops and receive a Free Sno, no strings attached, which is just a gift to the communities Bahama Buck’s serves. It’s an absolute blast and a true blessing to many families during the holidays.

The Snow Cone Reincarnation According to Bahama Buck’s, the single greatest challenge was overcoming the negative stigma associated with the snow cone industry.

In the early nineties, while snow cones were seen as fun, they were also viewed as a cheap product: crunchy and flavorless. Decades of poorly operated snow cone stands had earned the industry an unfavorable reputation for dirty facilities, with skimpy products, and more often than not, operated by grumpy owners. In short, the industry was not expanding with the expectations of the consumer. It had become stale and stagnant.

Bahama Buck’s, armed with youth and energy, began reshaping the perception of the snow cone industry. First, it began with building(s). While the original Bahama Buck’s was a mere 240 square feet, it was the largest Sno shack of its time. It set a new standard by meeting all city codes and requirements for a permanent building structure. Additionally, it was light, bright, and clean, setting new operational standards and expectations-something completely new to the industry.

Third, Bahama Buck’s product is incomparably different. It isn’t a snow cone, it is shaved ice—shaved ribbons of soft, fluffy Sno generously showered with one or more of its gourmet flavors. This was the real deal. Flavors were, maybe for the first time in the industry, true to life and accurate. No skimping and extra flavor is always free. From day one, every Sno has received the signature paper umbrella, a reminder to “Flavor Your Life.”

November 2018|

‘‘

Blessing our guests by creating the Ultimate Tropical Dessert Experience.

Finally, the snow cone industry needed a new brand standard. Bahama Buck’s needed a brand that would safely guide the industry to a new standard of excellence in construction, product quality, people development, and guest loyalty. Hence, it worked relentlessly to become the brand standard of the Sno industry. Bahama Buck’s believes that, even though it has revolutionized the industry, it still has miles to go in order to fully accomplish its ultimate goal. The company is working hard to change the negative reputation of the snow cone industry. Even though it’s been the biggest challenge for the company, it has been equally rewarding, too.

Core Competencies The core strength of Bahama Buck’s comes from irresistible flavor creations. It considers flavor to be an art form and it searches the world to gather the most exotic premium flavors and ingredients to produce its gourmet Sno flavors. Custom-crafted for every guest, Bahama Buck’s Avalanche Crew (staff) personally tailors each Sno creation into an authentic flavor adventure, topped with an umbrella and a smile.

The Avalanche Crew are highly valued at Bahama Buck’s. Not only do they receive excellent training and mentoring for both job and life skill development, many are nominated to attend Bahama Buck’s University

27

(BBU). If selected for BBU, they receive additional training in leadership, management, and marketing, all while on-site at Bahama Buck’s HQ. Upon graduation, they receive a Bachelor of Sno Science and can go on to become certified Corporate Trainers. Developing their leadership skills makes them eligible for higher pay, better positions, and allows them to travel to and train at other Bahama Buck’s shops. It also equips them with skills for a better future.

Future Endeavors Bahama Buck’s has plans to open a shop in every city throughout all fifty states. The company is no stranger to calculated, measured growth and plans it that way, strategically. Since the inception of Bahama Buck’s in 1990, the franchise has grown to 100+ stores strong. It hopes to gain another 100 locations by 2022. The company encourages a strong stewardship strategy in each department and defines new standards for revenue and efficiency every ninety days. It wishes to grow and profit together with its franchise family, its corporate team, and its vendors at Bahama Buck’s Franchise Corporation.

Industry Trends

Key POS

Trends

Reshaping

the Retail

Sector

n recent times, the retail industry hasn’t seen a more exciting invention since the invention of cash register.

With new and innovative technologies helping shape both online and offline experiences for consumers, the landscape is continuously changing in a way which was unimaginable even few years back. The best part is that there seems to be no end of the innovation, which only influencing the purchase decision of the consumers.

I

clock starts ticking the moment a customer enters, no matter how good the product is, if the process is slow and the attention to details are missing, then customers will leave disappointed. As a retailer, one cannot please everyone, but with a modern and efficient POS, the service can be improved. A modern POS simplifies the communication between various departments and can save a lot of time for both the retailer and the customer respectively.

Nowadays the main focus of retailers is to create a safe, engaging, and unique shopping experience for its consumers, it’s very important for the retailers to understand the importance of Big Data and in-store analytics and adapting to the cloud. With the retail industry at the verge of massive transformation, we are listing out few key trends that everyone needs to know to be successful in the ecosystem that is transforming quickly.

Managing Stocks Keeping and managing inventory is a nightmare for most of the retailers, and it's quite natural. Managing inventory is a never-ending task and takes a lot of effort, time, and manpower. However, it is quite important to manage inventories when it comes to long-time survival. An efficient POS system always makes the process of managing the inventory much easier. The best part of a POS is, one can monitor the status of stocked items, shipped products, and new orders anytime. This is a huge time saver for a cumbersome and a tedious process, and eventually helps retailers to focus on other important aspects of running the business.

Multi-system Integration Multi-system integration with various applications gets the utmost priority from top retailers. Most of the retailers list out POS integration with other applications as a key priority alongside the implementation of dynamic marketing content through mobile devices. This is mostly due to the retailer’s interest to store all the customer information and purchase history in a database, which is completely centralized that could be easily integrated with multiple applications.

However, in order to do that, a retailer needs to use an ERP database that can handle all these.

Customized Experience With POS systems, retailers just need to provide personalization that scoops out every shopper. Every passing year, retailers are adapting to personalized technology solutions that allow an interactive user experience. Thanks to the emergence of all new mobile POS technology, now retailers can offer its customers more choices to accommodate their shopping habits by letting them to complete transactions anywhere in the store. Now

Speed People always look for quick solutions for everything. A

28

November 2018|

with the invention of improved POS marketers and customer service teams can contact the buyer at each point of their purchase decision. With so much data retailers and consumers can have better customer service, quicker payment processes and access to better offers and real-time personalization.

Promotions and Marketing at its Best Nowadays with the advent of digital technology, marketing involves maintaining a digital presence as well. A POS can integrate all the advertised offers with transactions, making it easier to keep track of all the campaigns. Additionally, it can integrate with CRM and track customer behavior. When an offer gets popular among the masses, then the retailer will see it in his transaction data.

Usage of Big Data analytics In order to compete with e-commerce, retailers are now taking the help of Big-Data and in store analytics just to have a better idea about what's happening inside the store.

Big-Data analytics helps retailers to track how frequently a specific item moves from shelf to shopping cart allows retailers to know the trends that are dominant in the market.

Analytics helps the retail industry in a big way to better understand consumer purchase pattern and behaviors.

Keeping Track of Employees To run a business smoothly a retailer, need few people. A POS system enables to manage them with great accuracy.

With a Point of Sale system in place, employees can sign on or off easily and the system will automatically log their work hours and break hours.

Security Above all, a POS system offers great security protections that help keeping customer data safe. Retail stores and businesses are always prime targets for Cyber Criminals, and a data breach is not good for a business. So, by using standard encryption and firewall, businesses can be secured from cyber-attacks and customers can swipe their cards with a peace of mind.

So, here we have listed out few of the POS trends that will shape the future of the retail industry. As we look ahead, these trends will be on focus for both retailers and customers. The main advantage of an advanced POS system is greater efficiency and optimization, it links all the departments together which eventually allows to have better control over the inventory, better profitability, and to manage processes in an efficient way.

November 2018|

29

Quality Vision

Chris Budd Co-founder

Isolocity

Managing Quality in the

Technological Age 32

November 2018|

Q

space. They settle in knowing their current system is going to get them certified, but this mentality puts these slow-movers at-risk.

uality is a factor in any business, the importance of a quality management system ranges anywhere from “Essential” in industries like Air Travel, and Automotive to “Important” in businesses such as event planning, and consulting. Some industries are required by the government to meet a certain standard, and some are simply required by the big players in their client base. One thing is consistent in all industries, the long term success of a business is dependent on the adoption of a quality management system in some form. If errors are allowed to be repeated, they will eventually erode a business.

The idea that overhauling a quality management system will drain company resources is an archaic one. Yes, the last time the business implemented a quality management system, it was painful. It was done on the backs of Microsoft documents, it depended on certain people to remember all the “if this, then that” triggers. It required the same information to be written out on form after form. That is all very difficult and very bureaucratic, it’s no wonder there is trauma from the memory of that implementation, the neophobia is completely justified.

Quality management software is the technological solution for managing quality. It represents the latest generation of quality management systems and poses a significant opportunity to any type of business.

It’s time to start challenging this fear of change because a divide will form between those that adopt a quality management software and those that don’t. Those that do will see a significant drop in quality management hours and therefore, a drop in overhead. These companies will be able to offer their customers better prices and better quality all at once.

Quality and Resistance to Technology Although the SaaS (Software as a Service) concept has been around for some time now in many industries, it seems to be a slower transition in the quality space.

Many companies established their quality management systems years ago which are based in word, excel, and sometimes even physical paper. Quality systems face a strong resistance to change, the stakeholders remember how hard it was to condition employees to follow new compliance procedures and don’t want to do it all over for the sake of going digital. Sometimes they think switching to a quality management software is costprohibitive, especially in the small to medium business

About The Author

November 2018|

The idea that switching to a quality management software will be painful is a fallacy. When a quality system is already in place, there are very few adaptations required of the employees. They need to login to a new interface, maybe some format changes from the old forms, but otherwise, it’s asking them to do MUCH less.

Chris Budd is the Co-founder of Isolocity, a quality management software designed to drive customized quality management systems for a wide variety of companies.

Isolocity supports the management of formal systems such as ISO 9001 and other standards in the ISO family, HACCP, GMP, FDA, and most custom quality systems.

33

Our clients have reported saving as much as 25% of their quality management time, or saving them from making additional hires. Many clients have reported an easy transition, sometimes the switch is flipped in a matter of a day.

of FDA regulations) require signatures in many processes, we were able to build this right into the software

Quality Management Software Adapting to Needs

We reduced our clients’ work efforts by allowing their vendors to participate directly in their system, for instance, many CAPA documents are completed by vendors, we made it so they can do this directly in our clients’ systems.

At Isolocity, we have adapted our software to meet the needs of a diverse range of clients. Our initial build left us with a software that drove the quality management process automatically for those needing: specification management and inspection, real time SPC, CAPA, document control, internal auditing, inventory management, HR management, equipment management, and/or supply chain management. Among the more exciting technological adaptations are: •

Mobility

Many users of our system are inherently moving while on the job, and use their mobile devices to capture photo documentation, we married these requirements with our functionality.

•

User based permissions

Not all information in a company should necessarily be accessed by all employees, we mirrored this need by allowing our clients to maintain everything within their system and restrict information as needed.

Ÿ

External Delegation & Communication

On The Horizon of Quality Management Software We have our sights set on a few technological trends that we feel will be relevant to quality in the future, here are a few of the more exciting ones: Ÿ IOT and AI

With the advent of smart fridges, smart slow cookers, and even smart garbage cans it’s clear any “thing” can be made smart. As more of a business’ equipment and supplies become smart, the quality management software will be able to capture more information and use less human input. Imagine a smart caliper sending product inspection measurements directly to the system, or a smart machine shutting down automatically when SPC goes out of tolerance. Or a smart spectrometer, a smart hotel cleaning cart, the list goes on. Imagine this layered with AI, predicting problems before they even happen.

At Isolocity, we are mindful that a quality management software should communicate with other business software. We are currently turning our focus to integrating with accounting and retail software but the broader vision is to allow clientmade integrations through services like Zapier or an open sourced API. Of course this is treacherous, how do we manage the quality of the service once we’ve handed it’s development out to the masses? Ÿ Augmented Reality

Imagine you could take a photo of a product prototype and its specifications are automatically uploaded to the quality management software. Imagine if inspection was done entirely by camera and the inspection data was uploaded automatically. Complete a 5S audit at the click of a camera… Technology is not far from this reality.

Join the Technological Journey of Quality Management We live and breath technology because we love the idea of passive production, we want to enable our clients to produce top quality outputs while minimizing the time they have to spend on production. There is so much the quality management software industry has already accomplished to that end, the earlier your company jumps on this wave, the more you will get out of it.

• e-Signatures Ÿ

When moving to online, how do you maintain the accountability the way a written signature does on paper?

Some standards (for instance Part 11

Open Source API’s and Webhooks

Products like Zapier and IFTTT have made webhooking popular and easy.

34

November 2018|

Comfort Keepers : Providing Quality In-Home Care Solutions

T

he service industry has seen remarkable growth in the passing decade. Enterprises are now quite aware of the necessities of customers and are constantly working to meet – and exceed – their expectations. But some of the services include a very complicated procedure and require ample amount of research and technology. Inhome care is one of them. Even in the face of ever-changing needs, Comfort Keepers® has managed to become a leading provider of quality, in-home care for seniors and other adults.

Carl began his career working as a CPA with Arthur Andersen and Co., followed by working as a management consultant at Deloitte Consulting. His experience also includes several years with Yum! Brands, Inc. and Gateway Computers working in mergers & acquisitions, strategy, operations, innovation as well as franchise management and development roles. Carl earned his undergraduate degree from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, a master of business administration from the Harvard Business School, and holds a CPA certification in Georgia.

Comfort Keepers offers a wide range of services, including everything from companionship and personal care to Alzheimer’s and dementia care. The care plans offered by the company are customized so that each visit is wholly unique. The company refers to its caregivers as Comfort Keepers®, who engage the clients physically and socially, allowing them to maintain not only their safety and health, but also their independence.

Milestones Along with the Journey Comfort Keepers began in 1998 when Kris Butler, a registered nurse working in Springfield, OH, saw that her patients needed help with their non-medical needs. She created a solution that ultimately became Comfort Keepers.

Comfort Keepers recently marked a 20-year anniversary and celebrated across the franchise network with a Nationwide Open House Day. Comfort Keepers also introduced 20 Wishes for 20 Years as a promotion, in which it is granting wishes to caregivers and clients throughout the year.

Technology and Care Comfort Keepers is continually looking at new and innovative technologies that can help enhance their clients’ wellbeing. The heart of its service offering is Interactive Caregiving™, an approach to care that transforms day-today caregiving into opportunities for meaningful interactions. It leverages technology in order to make it possible to deliver on this care philosophy. For instance, the GrandPad tablet allows seniors to stay connected with loved ones through video chat, while ClearCare’s Family Room portal gives clients’ family members visibility into their loved one’s care.

The company is also changing the conversation around aging with a brand renewal, Elevating the Human SpiritSM. It has adopted Elevating the Human Spirit into its messaging, placing the daily interactions with clients, caregivers, and its overall philosophy of care, front and center. This is more than just a tagline. It’s a way for the company’s caregivers to deliver care that empowers its clients, allowing them to thrive and achieve greater wellbeing, no matter their age or acuity.

Vision of a Leader Carl McManus is the CEO of Comfort Keepers, North America. Ever since he joined the company, he has been the force behind several large acquisitions, significant organic growth, the company’s digitization initiative, and the introduction of several brand-differentiating technological innovations. He is responsible for driving revenue in 600plus franchised and company-owned locations across 50 states and Canada, setting strategic direction, fostering innovation, and moving the brand into the future.

Since the establishment of Comfort Keepers, it has attained various awards and recognitions. In 2004, the company was ranked top in senior care at Entrepreneur Magazine’s ‘Franchise 500’. In 2009, Comfort Keepers was acquired by Sodexo, Inc, a food and facilities management company committed to Quality of Life.

Year after year, Comfort Keepers kept launching various programs including the Nourish Senior Life® program and Feed Seniors Now® food drives, designed to combat senior

36

November 2018|

By Elevating the Human Spirit, we will make an impact on seniors’ lives like never before. hunger. In 2013, the 90th international unit of the company was opened and in 2015, it became a national team in the National Walk to End Alzheimer’s awareness and fundraising program.

Last year, the company managed to expand globally through acquisitions in Ireland, France, and the UK. What began with one office, Comfort Keepers now has 700+ offices worldwide and has helped thousands of seniors and other adults live more comfortably at home.

Continuous Innovation The force that drives Comfort Keepers is its goal to improve the lives of seniors. And it has recognized that to meet the needs of its customers, it must find new ways of providing social engagement and mental/emotional stimulation – through technology solutions and other innovative means.

Acknowledgement from Customers “Our mom had a heart attack and after seven days, she was in her home and on hospice. We used another company for mom’s care initially. There were glitches in their coverage, so I reached out to Comfort Keepers for help. What a difference that made for our mom, sister, and me. Comfort Keepers sent out people we could trust with our mom’s care. They were on time and very loving.

So, thank you for hiring the best!”

Carl McManus

CEO Comfort Keepers, North America

November 2018|

37

Digi Payments

through

T

he way people make payments are changing faster due to the improved integration of digital technology. This has beneďŹ ted the industry with increased competition and consumer demands.

The changes can be witnessed in Travel, E-commerce, Household Bill payments etc. The recent integration of technology in payment solutions makes transactions fast and seamless and can be done at the comfort of your homes.

Although we are witnessing a considerable change in the payment solution industry, there is still a consistent use of the cash and cards, which solely depends on the geographical setting. In some places, people prefer cash and cards, while in other places, they encourage the more use of digital solutions; for example: The United States and Canada. Analysis has shown that

38

November 2018|

in these areas, they are likely to switch completely to technology enabled payment solutions.

the result will lead to easy merging of both the traditional medium of resource management concepts with the recent and digitalized concepts. Various financial organizations that may not be able to handle the process of migrating from the traditional format to the digitalized platform finds ease in doing so by partnering with technology companies.

The payment solution processes will become more innovative because of the following disruptive trends; · Digital Banking and Remote Payment Approval

Organizational growth is measured both in market value, infrastructure and the extent of their networks. The integration of digital technology advances in payment provisions helps especially the finance-oriented establishments to easily expand their reach, even to the most hidden places in the world. This helps to touch the lives of people no matter the class and status and it repays with tremendous customer growth.

As the younger aged masses are turning up to technology more than the traditional mediums, there is a notion that most payment solutions will be done through digitalenabled mediums rather than cash or cheque. This will result in more engagement of mobile phones and digital software applications.

Various business outlets are accepting more of mobile payment which is helping them to improve customer experience. The addition of instant alerts, appreciation notifications and instant payment delivery is making this innovation more interesting.

· Improved Security and Payment by Codes Security is huge concern when money is involved. People are so conscious and very inquisitive about how their money will travel from the sender to the receiver. In so many cases, they will even think that such platforms as digitalized mediums are not trustworthy as a single wrong number can direct their money to unknown destination.

The transaction as of the old was true cheques. But today, there will be a limited need for those methods, rather, payment will simply be done by inputting a certain username and password and your dashboard will be opened.

Through this page, you can easily make every payment. The age of digitalization is turning the whole process into codebased and this raises the question of how to stay safe. It is also believed that for security purposes, the instant notification of transaction, linking of secured email and encryption to individual data and disaster-recovery provisions will lead the innovation to better direction. This concern has a big deal with blockchain, augmented reality, IoT and biometrics.

· Customer-Focused Strategy as a Priority One retained customer is one attained success. ~ Chidiebere Moses Ogbodo Customer experience post business encounter is what makes a difference in the industry. Digital banking solutions are improving the way customers feel after making their payments. In the past years, one need to stand in a queue in the bank before they can make even the smallest transaction, but the integration of technology innovation has reduced the stress to the lowest level. We can witness improved services and instant expense management which is helping everyone that is using this medium to stay above the crowd · Improved Customer Satisfaction through Rewards A customer tends to check back on the sales-person who gave them a tip or discount after purchase. This is also applicable in payment solution. After people makes a purchase online or even via cards and the seller offers them a certain percentage of discount, they will always want to come back. The good news is that most business enterprises are supporting this idea in collaboration with the finance institutions.

You may be asking how the future will look like with techenabled payment solutions. As the world is growing and globalization is gaining a good ground, people blends in to what they see that is working well. So, as digital payment solution is making even the life of the lay man on street easy, more people in the near future will completely adopt this innovation. It will not harm the financial institutions, but it will be great if they can migrate or better integrate some form of technology strategies in their financial solutions. This change may be slow, but it will be consistent as the technology changes are not giving room for procrastination.

· FinTech Collaboration and Expansion of Networks The innovation in payment solution is incorporating feasibility of resource management between the financial and non-financial organizations. Through this development, November 2018|

39

Figurella USA: F

ounded in 2011, Figurella USA is an organization as well as a method designed to provide women with one–on–one training, detoxification, and nutritional consulting to provide a revitalizing experience in the health and wellness.

blood circulation, boosts metabolism for 72 hours and leaves the skin with a natural glow. Finally, by purifying the body, client feels energized.

Reforming the Benchmarks of Fitness Cristiana Lelli is the President of Figurella. Lelli has been decisively taking initiative for years in her homeland of Italy and now in the U.S. In 2012, she opened the first Figurella outlet in the States, an all-natural fitness and weight loss salon for women. In her youth, she was a competitive swimmer and always followed the Figurella program every day. Cristiana wears her philosophy on her wrist with a tattoo that reads “Carpe diem” a Latin aphorism, usually translated “seize the day”.

With over 250 locations in 20 countries worldwide, it is the largest spa and fitness center solely for women. It has 200 centers in Italy, about 50 in South America, and more in the rest of Europe. In 2012, Figurella introduced its fitness method to the United States. First, it opened in Coral Gables, second in Pinecrest, and right after in Boca Raton.

In the last 2 years it opened four new locations in South Beach Aventura, Doral and Weston.

The idea is that Figurella is a 100% female space where its clients can disconnect from the world and dedicate time for themselves with the support of its specialized staff which breathes its corporate culture that permeates and nurtures all levels of management.

Cristiana says “she is pleased to introduce Figurella to American women seeking to improve their overall health and wellness.” In her experience, in Italy, some women come just to stay in shape. Many have had great success with weight loss. She loves to stay fit and healthy and if somebody wants to lose inches in a particular part of the body, Cristina made sure that Figurella was the right place of the job.

Introducing New Experiences Figurella is creating a benchmark in the fitness industry by proving several types of services for the betterment of women. Following are the services provided

by Figurella:

Figurella was born to give women a complete and allnatural solution to the weight-gain problem. It has learnt so much in all these years working with women only, that Figurella fully understands what each client wants and needs. It is able to provide clients with an exclusive and personalized experience that no other business provides. It continuously improves its way of dealing with each different situation.

Bubble Workout: The thermogenic bubble workout takes place in a controlled temperature space which maximizes the client’s metabolism rate. It is a 30 minute full body workout that is equivalent of 1.5 hours at the gym. It uses resistance bands and very specific low impact movements to tone and shape. Every exercise is designed to target and tone a specific area of the body.

With dedication and commitment, its clients see results within two weeks. Ÿ Oxygen Bath: After the bubble workout, Figurella’s clients step into the spa detox bath and then just sit and relax as increased oxygen levels allow for improved Ÿ

A Global Outreach The brand is present in various countries and grows, both with the presence of points of the parent company and also through the franchising business model. In the US it applied a new strategy that involves various phases. The first was the establishment of the brand in a well-defined area,

42

November 2018|

Women wellbeing through commitment and results. opening the first centers in companies directly with the franchisee. Once it was familiar with the market and had first-hand experiences, the opportunities and difficulties started to develop its project starting from a real base. It is currently a member of 6 franchises in Miami and 1 in Boca Raton.

The second phase involves the opening of franchise centers, following the classic model, around Miami itself and in the nearby counties. The third phase involves the opening of franchises in the main cities of Florida and then in what it could define as “secondary”. Whiles the fourth phase will be to get out of Florida and propose its business in other states.

Promising Customer Satisfaction The trajectory of the brands and methods demonstrate its effectiveness. Its method has a technological and scientific component that actually was created 40 years ago. Since then, progress has been made in the evolution of the same without ever betraying the initial concepts. So it’s clear what it takes to achieve the results it promises to its customers.

When a woman enters in Figurella, the organization knows that if she listens to its suggestions, she will get the results. But what makes Figurella really proud of what it does and what makes it different from competition is to think that when women enter Figurella they cross a path that leads them to change not only measures but above all lifestyle.

November 2018|

Cristiana Lelli President

Figurella USA

43

Brand Vision

About the Author: Led by Candice Simons, the CEO of Brooklyn Outdoor, a longtime industry leader who returned to Detroit from Chicago to launch the entrepreneurial venture.

The company’s multiple divisions include Outdoor, Experiential, Events, and hand painted. Brooklyn’s clients include national brands like General Motors, Adidas, Warner Brothers, Sprint, and Amazon.

Simons also founded the Detroitbased lifestyle blog company, J’adore Detroit.

Candice Simons CEO Brooklyn Outdoor

She has been recognized for her work with both companies by Crain’s Detroit Business 40 under 40, DBusiness 30 in their 30s, Entrepreneur 360, Detroit Young Professionals Vanguard, Summit International Marketing and Creative Awards, MichBusiness, and Enterprising Women of the year 2017.

44

November 2018|

Brand Building: The Right Way

I

n an increasingly saturated market, it is becoming increasingly harder to reach your target consumer through traditional channels. Brooklyn Outdoor is fortunate enough to be at the center of the oldest form of advertising – outdoor advertising aka out-of-home advertising. This is the only format of advertising that cannot be turned off in the digital age. This is an exciting time for this highly regarded industry to cut through the clutter and provide our key consumer with exactly what they need and where at point of purchase. We have had our ups and downs as a startup over the past five years battling our goliath competitors but have proven ourselves as a worthy opponent – just as our industry has stood the test of time. Just as we have built our own brand, our specialty is helping our customers build their brands just the same way through outdoor advertising, event marketing, experiential marketing, and more.

various touch points allow brands and products to resonate with potential customers in a subtle, yet impactful way, as they go about their daily routine.

Digital out of home (DOOH) advertising is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing, technically advanced, and most interactive advertising formats for businesses to reach consumers.

DOOH advertising promises brand safety as it eliminates the risk of crisis by association. Promoting company content on social media platforms assumes the risk of having ads placed next to problematic or politically controversial content. However, in DOOH there is no uncertainty because advertisers know exactly where ads will appear and often make the site selections internally.

Additionally, DOOH advertising eliminates the potential marketing threat of ad-blocking. The biggest concern with most digital formats arises when an audience is able to avoid certain advertisements by shutting them off and media companies fraudulently account for proof of completion.

Out-of-Home (aka OOH) advertising is the catalyst for brand building. Advertisers can segment audiences and market campaigns more specifically than ever before and choose to reach consumers by multicultural audiences, general market audiences, age, etc. This long term and “always on” strategy is one that allows brands to be and feel as though they are everywhere to the targeted segment in the desired market. This is because OOH reaches almost the entire population and is the best mechanism for bright, in-your-face messages.

Due to this inefficiency, the word “digital” naturally brings concern to potential advertisers; however, with DOOH, adblocking is not possible for digital signage because it cannot be blocked, filtered or turned off. Real people are seeing our ads and formats.

Consumers are increasingly on the go, and while on the go they are seeing various types of placements and advertising as they go about their daily routines. Reaching an audience at the bus stop, at the intersection, in a taxi, or during the commute has a tremendous impact on the modern consumer – especially when paired with mobile advertising. These

November 2018|

When it is done correctly and thoughtfully, the public accepts digital DOOH more so than any other media formats due to the creative advancements in this exciting format. It becomes more than a selling tool for our clients – it becomes something much larger and more impactful.

45

As a result of strategically placing beacons in a high-impact area with predictable wait time, Coach was able to engage customers and create a lasting impression of the brand while maximizing exposure through virtual outreach.

Hand Painted Mural Advertising Originally popular in the 20th century, hand paint murals are making a comeback in vibrant cities with strong artistic communities like Detroit, Brooklyn and Los Angeles. By commissioning local artists to create brand-promoting murals, advertisers connect with communities on a more powerful level. Using local artists to create advertisements, authentically generates interest in the community and results in public relation opportunities not typically open to run of the mill billboard placements.

Innovation and Trends = Data-Driven Campaigns Real-time data feeds can be integrated into digital displays, as a result, clients are able to produce a very clear picture and snapshot of the “now” for target audiences. Innovation is the name of the marketing game these days, and DOOH does just that.

With the strategic and thoughtful use of data and technology, in addition to a general market campaign, a client can create a truly powerful and unique experience for their target audience. OOH advertising is THE top medium to create the lasting connection and visibility that an audience needs to take action at point of purchase.

Additionally, hand paint murals take time to create. While painting, artists attract attention from pedestrians and street traffic. The process of the mural’s creation can be used as a marketing asset in itself. Time lapse videos of the process from start to finish can be used to supplement OOH advertising campaigns.

= Beacons

Beacons are real-world data generators that are insanely accurate. With them, you can turn your OOH advertising locations into signals, which help to pinpoint a specific target audience and market to them directly. This innovation allows the world of mobile and OOH advertising to further connect and maximize the most efficient exposure possible.

= Action

OOH advertising is a tried and true method in initiating audiences to take action. Over threequarters of Americans have been noted as smartphone owners, which is an enormous number of potential customers ready to interact and engage with brands at the tip of their fingers.

This cutting-edge technology proves extremely useful to reach consumers in specific situations that naturally warrant waiting time like the airport, bus station, or even hospital.

Strategically sending creative messaging via smartphones to consumers in these particular situations makes them much more likely to engage with the brand or product.

A recent Nielsen study states that OOH generates more online activity per ad dollar spent when compared to radio, television, or print. Because of OOH exposure, consumers interact with brands via social media.

Recently, COACH used beacons at the Hong Kong International Airport to engage customer participation in a cutting-edge OOH campaign. The beacon-based, social media campaign prompted participants to share a photo with hashtag #CoachPreFall2016 to enter a drawing to win merchandise from the collection.

Because we are always turned on and, on the go,, OOH’s unsurpassed ability to bridge the gap between audience and brand will ultimately drive action from consumers.

Beaconstac reports, “to participate, passengers, had to go near a beacon hoarding (with the Bluetooth switched on their smartphones), go on WeChat and shake their phones.

The beacons installed in the advertising media would then communicate with passengers’ smartphones and take them to the campaign landing page.”

About the Company Brooklyn Outdoor is a Detroit-based independent outdoor advertising agency. The company was founded in 2013 and has subsequently emerged as a national and regional force in the outdoor advertising industry with satellite offices and full-time sales representatives in Detroit, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles.

46

November 2018|