It is February 1992.  Seven people from Denver, Colorado meet near Aspen to do some cross-country skiing.  This is an annual backpacking ski trip for these experienced skiers.  But the weather quickly changes as a winter storm blows heavy drifts of snow.  The skiers can barely see their own feet.  It is cold, dark, and dead.

Two of the skiers, Ken Torp and Elliott Brown, leave the others behind to find a safe path, but they become lost.  Richard Rost and Andrea Brett strike…

Not all topics are worthy of a press release, but there are quite a few that you should share with your local media.  Beyond the grand opening announcement, be sure to develop press releases for expansions or relocations.  If your franchise is receiving a “face lift,” this is definitely newsworthy.  If you have been recognized in the industry or by your franchisor, then spread the word.  Do you have new personnel or management to announce?  Include this in your press release.  And, always…

http://frantopia.com/profiles/blogs/identifying-press-release-worthy-topics-1

       When are two franchises better than one? When they market their services together! Franchisees often go it alone when it comes to marketing their businesses and sometimes feeling limited by approved or suggested methods from the franchisor. Building a marketing plan, funding, acquiring the target list to promote to, and implementing can take a great amount of effort, time and money. What if there was a way to leverage resources to increase the results from these efforts. Building and…

There’s always more to do than time to do it these days. That’s why I love discovering new tools and apps that help me get it all done.

I also love to share what I find and so I teamed up with Hubspot to write The Productivity Handbook: 7 Apps That Will Change The Way You Do…

What if the local news station contacts you and wants to do an interview tomorrow morning at your location?  Would you be prepared?  If not, you may want to take note of some simple steps you can take to be as prepared as possible for your next interview.

Step 1:  Follow These Pre-Interview Tips

Prior to the interview, determine the key messages you want to convey during the interview.  For a broadcast interview, you’ll want to keep it simple with three…

Get out from behind that desk!  Meeting and teaming up with other small business owners in your area might turn out to be the best thing you ever do for your business.  

Why network with other small business owners?

• Local intelligence:  get on-the-ground information about good and bad vendors, local marketing opportunities that produce surprising results, and insights into what’s affecting business growth positively and negatively in your…

Q.  In the FAQ called “How Can I Improve Sales”, you talked about Way to Wealth Formulas.  I now understand that I can’t just “have more customers” – I have to increase my Marketing Leads or my Close Rate – but how do I improve my close rate?

A.  Recall the Customer Formula, which says this:

Marketing Leads  X  Effectiveness Rate  =  Customers

Assume that you have 100 Marketing Leads.  If your Effectiveness Rate (or Close Rate)…

There are several tools you can use to monitor social media sites and what people are saying about your brand. One great tool is Social Mention. Social Mention, is a social media search engine that searches user-generated content such as Twitter, Facebook and Blogs.

You can sign-up for free and set up keywords or phrases that you would like to have monitored. Anytime those keywords are mentioned you will receive an email…

Q.  So, how?

A.  It’s been said that low sales is the number one threat to a business.  Not lease expenses, not staff turnover, not the economy, not inventory carrying costs, not collections – but sluggish sales.  But, is this really the right question to ask?

Q.  You just answered me with a question.

A.  Yep.  For good reason.  Even though your biggest threat as a franchise owner is low sales, you can’t just “improve” or “fix” the problem. …

It’s no surprise that now in days whenever a customer has a negative experience with a brand or product, they share their disappointment on social media sites such as Twitter. As a franchisee and franchisor it’s still important to acknowledge your customers and respond. The important key here is to take the conversation offline. This can be done in a simple way, such as tweeting back “Please email us at (insert email address) so we can resolve your concern immediately” or “Please contact our…

The next time one of your sales representatives comes in after landing a big sale, will you be left wondering how much money you lost on the deal?

You’re in business to make a profit. Yet if you’re still paying your salespeople based on the volume instead of the profitability of the deals they generate, you’re doing so at the sake of your bottom line.

Sending your sales team out to hit the streets without a specific profit directive is as bad an idea as if a…

Today’s consumer is more discerning and more connected than ever before. Whatever you may feel about the current state of social media - whether you consider it an overwhelming wave of too much information or an integral part of your marketing mix - there is no denying that social media is redefining the lines of communication between brands and their clients and allowing them to forge relationships like never before.

As a franchise business owner, it’s important to know that the…

Q.  What is networking anyway?

A.  Depending on personal experience, past job duties, industry, and many other factors, people see “networking” as different things.  It might be a social event, a key way to meet new prospects, knowing and being known by the right people, positioning and “branding” of yourself and your business, online social network activities, or perhaps a pain in the posterior.  For our purposes, we’ll consider it to be intentionally meeting people in order to…

A: It’s really important to remember that most reporters get hundreds of e-mails a day and won’t have the time to respond to every single one. Therefore, we suggest following up with a polite, brief phone call one or two days after you send your press release. Just keep in mind that the reporter you are reaching out to may be on deadline and quick to get off the phone. Jot down a few notes so you can quickly explain why you are calling once you’re able to connect live. 

Q.  What marketing methods are best for my business?

A.  This is a common question.  But in order to determine that you need to understand what is your target market.    Let’s use a fishing analogy to explain this.  Where would you go and what bait would you use if you were fishing for tuna?   Would it be the same if you were fishing for trout?   Of course not.

Q.  How do I define my target market?

A.  Ask…

Q: I’ve received several negative posts on my Facebook page and I’m not sure whether I should delete them or not. Any recommendations?

A: Before deleting any negative posts, we suggest adding a set of “House Rules” on your Facebook page. Many of today’s most-recognized brands have implemented “House Rules” or something similar on their pages. By doing so, you have the opportunity to explain to users that photos, comments, links and other material deemed “unproductive” will be…

Q.  Does my attitude affect my business results?

A.  In a word…YES.   As Zig Ziglar’s famous quote states, “Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.”   Positive attitude can overcome most of the issues you will face as a business owner, and as a business owner you will face many issues.   They never stop coming.  How you handle them depends on you.

Q. Can you learn or be trained to have a positive attitude?

A. …

Did you know that 97% of consumers search for businesses online? Looking up phone numbers and addresses in a big, bulky phone book is a thing of the past. That’s why it’s so important to take control of your business online and make it easy for people to find you. One of the first things business owners, including franchisees, should do is register (for free) with Google Places.



What is Google Places? It’s a free local platform to help businesses connect with customers and vice…

Finding the right people, and finding them fast. Its possible, but one has to win out over the other.

Lets assume “the right people” is your first priority. Here are a few tips for hiring.

Always be hiring: Yes, always. When you meet that perfect candidate who happens to be browsing in your store in August, let them know you’ll be hiring over Christmas. Get their number and call them by Mid-October!

Put flyers in every bag.…