Why Martin’s never felt on his own
A pandemic six months after taking on a franchise makes it difficult for a new business. But even when the start’s not easy, Recognition Express is there to support owners – there’s always someone to talk to. With this franchise opportunity, you’re never on your own.
Martin McClenaghan took on the Recognition Express North London business during the summer of 2019. His whole career has been in sales, including selling high value communications equipment. But while Martin was doing well in employment, he did feel he was ready for something he could call his own.
Martin picks up the story: “I always wanted my own business. It was getting to the point where, if not now, then when? What I’m doing now is pure sales – I enjoy it so much. I don’t do any of the production of the branded items we sell, but that is an option within the Recognition Express franchise opportunity. I’m effectively a middle man, sitting between the suppliers and end users.”
After hearing about Recognition Express, Martin did a little background research himself, and contacted some of the existing franchisees directly. He only heard good things from them: they enjoyed what they were doing. Martin was ready to move ahead.
A whole week’s initial training covered areas such as marketing, selling and using graphics packages, along with meeting everyone in the team. During lockdown, Martin also took it upon himself to do a separate online course on graphics software. To help grow a customer base, new business owners are invited to give 200 potential customer contacts to the specialist telesales team, who make the initial calls. Martin adds: “This this gives you a start, but it’s not all done for you. You’re the one who has to find leads and chase them up, whether you talk to friends, network or cold call. It’s important to understand that if you’re taking on a franchise, you’ve got to work at it, find new customers and fill the funnel. You have to get your business to a critical mass.”
A big thing for Martin is the advice and support he’s got from day one. He explains: “It’s not starting from scratch when you start your business, you’ve got a good backing. I had a website already created for me; and you’re representing the Recognition Express name, which is already widely known by people. It can be hard enough concentrating on your sales when you’re starting a new business, let alone trying to work out why your website’s not working, for example, with no one to ask for help. I can pick up the phone to really good people at head office if there’s ever a niche item of clothing to find, a technical issue, or the need to ship to the United States – anything. There’s always someone there to help me.”
Today, Martin works with a mix of clients, big and small, who might place orders as much as once a month, or just a few times a year. Every day is different, which is one of the big attractions for Martin: “I might be spending time on finding new customers: going on LinkedIn to find contacts, for example. I could be producing new quotes, placing orders with suppliers, or generating invoices for items that have been delivered. One day might be spent solely talking to different customers.”
Determination, stickability, drive and optimism. These are the key qualities a prospective franchisee needs, according to Martin. And what’s most satisfying? “It makes it all worthwhile when a customer receives their items and gets back in touch with you to say thank you, and lets you know that they’ll recommend you to others. And when people come back to you and place more business with you – that’s the biggest compliment. With Recognition Express you have the satisfaction of knowing that you’re building something yourself. It’s my own company, it’s my own success.”
