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| Malcolm Dixon |
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He says: “Generating sales could be immediate – or up to three months if it is a larger account.” The other appeal is that Chemex organises a support person for each franchisee to ensure their initial steps into franchising run smoothly. There is a complete marketing programme put in place to kick-start a new area, therefore as Malcolm says: “You know you have good business leads almost immediately, which is very reassuring for a new franchisees.” And what does a Chemex franchise involve? “Selling,” summarises Malcolm. “But also, as a franchisee, especially in the early days you are doing everything. You are the accountant, the stock controller, the deliveryman and the sales person. You’ve got to have a good ability in all of these areas. Fortunately Chemex has lot of processes in place to help ensure you meet all of these areas.” Chemex’s training programme lasts two weeks. As part of this franchisees are taken out to explore different potential customer industry sectors. Malcolm says: “On one day we’d go out to a restaurant and get the feel for what the restaurant is all about – in Chemex terms – and learn the type of products you can use in these places.” Chemex has vastly developed its website strategy to add support to its franchisees. “This is something that we are going to exploit to its maximum” says Malcolm. Chemex has designed its website so franchisees can manage and develop their own site as part of their marketing. According to Malcolm: “Chemex rises above the rest because we are very much orientated by outcomes – we’re not trying to sell a chemical that is 20 per cent cheaper than something else out there – we’re looking to see what it means to a business to have a cleaning regime that is going to improve efficiency and compliance with legislation.” Businesses need to ensure their premises are cleaned correctly and comply with Government legislation as Malcolm continues: “We’re moving more and more into a health and safety conscious world. Chemex understands what its customers need – we always ask what outcomes they want and tailor our offerings to meet those aims with products at the right price. The need to comply with legislation is also something that makes Chemex more recession resistant in a turbulent economy” After six years of franchising Malcolm’s career is still going strong. He has achieved the freedom he wanted in his work-life and as a result, has a much better balance. Malcolm sums up another bonus: “What people often forget is the value of the franchise itself, at some time or another you are going to be moving on from it and what you have to ensure is that franchise has value to it. You are going to get the return on the capital that you put into it – it is an asset that you can eventually sell down-stream.” |
Chemex franchisee of six years Malcolm Dixon has never looked back since acquiring his franchise. Previously employed in the corporate world, Malcolm lived a life that consisted of a 7am flight on a Monday to Frankfurt where he would be lucky if he returned home on a Thursday night. |
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