Steve Hook joined the Greensleeves franchise on April 1st 2010, but his track record shows him to be anything but an April Fool – in a period of just over one year he has grown his franchise dramatically and now services a customer base of 480 clients.
Steve’s induction into the lush green world of Greensleeves franchising came about after he decided that he needed a change of career. Steve’s background did, however, stand him in good stead for the opportunity; he has a degree in agriculture and had also been a sales consultant in the advertising world. This proved to be a useful combination as he looked for a franchise that could draw upon his experience and knowledge.
“I was becoming a bit tired of being in the advertising world for agriculture,” says Steve. “I was looking for something new to do and around that time, I was starting to investigate franchising as a possibility. Having browsed the web for possibilities in the lawncare and agricultural sectors, I came across a few that I was interested in. Given my background, I knew how to sell and market products and services - the issue was that although I had lots of ideas for starting a business of my own, I had less idea of how to get them off the ground. The good thing about a franchise is that all this is done for you.”
After much research one of the franchisors that stood out was Greensleeves, and a meeting with managing director David Truby and his colleague Phil Paddock made Steve believe that this was a strong contender for the best option for him. Steve recalls: “I spoke to several other lawn care franchises, but Greensleeves gave me by far the best impression. I went to see David and Phil for a 2 hour meeting which turned into 4 hours plus! I knew within a few minutes that I could work with them. They were extremely professional, open and responsive.”
Steve adds that because the business model is in place, this takes the stress away of worrying whether your new business will work: “Although in one sense you are thrown in at the deep end, Greensleeves will talk to you, prepare you and give you a list of potential clients when you begin – so there is no danger of worrying about what to do at the start.”
Steve also found that Greensleeves were very supportive during a slightly turbulent start to his franchise. “During the period when I was signing up, unfortunately my father passed away – however Greensleeves were very understanding about this, and I managed to begin trading with my franchise on April 1st 2010.”
Like other franchisees, Steve found that the franchise training course (which spans 10 days) proved to be both enlightening and useful. “The course covers all the aspects that you need to know before you can begin work. It is structured in a certain way so that you get dedicated periods of time to a particular aspect.” With that in mind, the training course devotes two days to the treatments needed, one day for marketing, another for technology and so forth. “The training course is very good,” says Steve. “You couldn’t do without it.”
Steve is full of praise for the back-up that Greensleeves provides. “The support is excellent,” he says. “At the beginning, when you are feeling your way into the franchise, the support is dedicated to make you feel as comfortable as possible; for example, someone from head office will come down once a week for the first month to see how you are getting on. And after that, they are always there when you want them. If you have a problem, they are always on the end of the phone.” The marketing assistance is also very helpful, as Greensleeves promotes the franchise in a number of ways, such as on the web, and through leaflets and brochures. “All the support is done in a way that all you need to concentrate on is to bring in as many customers as possible,” adds Steve.
He is emphatic about the high level of customer service that Greensleeves provides: “My main task is to give people the beautiful lawns they are looking for and in turn this will help me gain as many customer numbers as possible. Even though I only started last year, I have managed to get over 480 customers already. The Greensleeves offering is very simple. They believe in customer service and so provide excellent service at good prices. I am a strong believer in customer service – you cannot treat customers like cash machines, and because we deliver such a high standard, this is what brings in repeat business.”
Steve views his high levels of customer service and proactivity as the cornerstone to his successful growth. “The main area of growth in year 1 came from canvassing, approximately 50% of my customers came this way. I made sure that all my friends knew what I was doing. I gave my customers good service, called in unplanned on problem lawns and made a fuss of them. I tried to maximise income by ensuring as many customers as possible booked a scarification and/or aeration treatment, 65% of my customers had at least one, and as a result lawns improved quickly.”
Steve’s objective for the future is to grow the business further. “My first target is to get to 750 customers, employing 1 full-time person as well as me. I am on track for this, I currently have a customer base of 480 and I employ a person 3 days a week. After I have achieved this goal I will review, but in the long-term I aim to increase and employ more people. Joining a franchise was a big leap of faith, but looking back on it, it has worked out for me beautifully. I was bored in my last job, I am now much happier, I am selling a service people want and are very happy with in general.”
When asked what he liked most about owning a Greensleeves franchise, Steve is full of enthusiasm: “I love that it’s down to me, I decide what is going to happen and when and I am able to take long-term decisions which steer the future of my business. I receive excellent support from HQ to bounce ideas off and I am very positive about the future.
"Setting up my Greensleeves franchise is the best thing I ever did – it really isn’t bad when the last thing you have to do before you go to work is put on the factor 30 sun cream! Don’t get me wrong it is a challenge, but you get out of it what you put in and I am enjoying every minute.”