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In today’s economic climate, the No1 challenge facing most organisations is that the increase in operating costs is outpacing revenue growth, squeezing margins and profitability. To counteract this, businesses are aggressively streamlining core expenditure, yet many of them are still overpaying by as much as 40% on their operating costs.
Whether a company has a procurement department or not, expertise in buying one product or service doesn’t necessarily translate into expertise in buying others.
That’s where ERA comes in.
ERA is a global network of 700+ cost optimisation consultants, who collaborate together to offer strategic advice and practical methods which optimise procurement, improve supplier relationships and deliver Value Through Insight to businesses.
As an ERA business optimiser, franchisees can tap into the ever-growing market potential with their own cost optimisation consultancy – and reap the financial rewards alongside their clients.
The ERA model is based around an attractive “No Savings, No Fee” business proposition to organisations, with consultants sharing in what they are able to save their clients.
This offers you exceptional earning potential: you can monetise your time as effectively as possible. Where your extra hours in the corporate world aren’t compensated, ERA franchisees get out of their business what they put in.
And one thing you won’t lose is the feeling of being part of a wider team, because of the way the ERA model works: franchisees each have unique experience gained during long careers at a senior level; they collaborate together to maximise this diverse experience to advise businesses on how to get the best deals from suppliers in multiple verticals. So, if you have a client who needs support in a cost area you’re not familiar with, you tap into the network to find a specialist expert to work alongside you.
The result is that franchisees work together within a global network of over 700 ERA consultants across 40 countries to knowledge-share and work with larger clients, drive meaningful savings, and increase their profits. This cooperative approach is backed by industry-leading technologies and a world-class support system.
The most successful ERA franchisees are skilled relationship builders who yearn to build their own business consultancy. By turning your existing business experience into your own consultancy with our systems and support, and then scaling it up by employing a team as you grow, you’re not only setting your own income – you’re building an asset for your future too.
Our story
ERA founder Fred Marfleet spotted a gap in the market in 1992. As a trained accountant he was used to helping businesses optimise their costs, so he set up ERA to help more organisations on their supply chain.
He began helping others become like him – invaluable consultants who could help clients streamline their costs – and with the advent of the internet, he realised a door was opening to global scalability. Fred franchised his business to take advantage, and ERA arrived in the UK in 1997.
As a natural refiner of systems, Fred discovered franchisees could be substantially more effective for clients and even more successful themselves if they and their ERA counterparts leveraged each other’s expertise, sharing insights and finding even more savings.
That set the path for the unique collaboration franchisees enjoy today. ERA has become a truly global operation, with a significant presence in more than 40 countries.
Every ERA franchisee has unlimited access to our award-winning training and support programme, which includes:
Sales & marketing
Our Power Assist™ launch programme encompasses marketing funnels both online and offline, as well as a dedicated Sales Prospector for your first 6 months. You will also be trained in sales, business development and relationship-building to help you grow and win new business faster.
Technology
We provide a range of platforms that enable our franchisees to connect with one another. Whether SharePoint and Teams for marketing materials and collaboration, our LearnUpon platform for training, or providing custom-made IT tools like our new ‘SpendVue’ reporting dashboard, ‘SourceVue’ RFX tool and ‘iValue’, our online catalogue for clients.
Collaboration, not isolation
ERA’s philosophy of shared knowhow and experience not only maximises your earning potential from clients, but it gives you the confidence of being part of a team, as well as a business owner.
The ERA Academy has an annual calendar of training sessions with events every week to allow franchisees to invest in themselves through continual learning, giving them the tools to enhance their own training.
Continual learning and continuous professional development are foundations of the ERA franchise model. Running your own business doesn’t mean losing that career structure – on the contrary, ERA enhances it because you can tailor your development to your needs, your skillset, and the ever-changing needs of your client base.
Fostering a team environment
We run regular events designed to promote the collaborative environment in which franchisees thrive. That all-important bond and feeling of camaraderie between you and your fellow franchisees is nurtured by both business events and an active social calendar.
We host regular regional franchisee meetings, national and international conferences, bespoke networking events and additional training and mentoring opportunities to meet consultants’ needs. Every consultant is welcome to attend any of our international events.
Ask the Key Account Manager
One of our focused business events, our KAM sessions are targeted at supporting all franchisees who are within the first three years of their ERA journey.
A highly effective peer-to-peer training scheme, it’s designed to help franchisees troubleshoot issues as a group, share best practices, and understand what is happening in the wider marketplace.
Sessions are led by a franchisee who has enjoyed lots of recent success in signing up new clients. It enables new franchisees to learn from some of the best within the ERA network, discover what their effective sales process is, and understand which routes to markets they are leveraging.
Most importantly, they are able to gain countless hints and tips of how meaningful conversations are converted into profit-generating clients.
In joining ERA you immediately become part of a global network of franchisees that support and push one another to reach new levels. And it all starts from your very first day in business.
Life is nothing if not varied with ERA – as a people-based business opportunity, you’ll find welcome and many variations on your daily operations.
Outside client work, there are regular training opportunities, chats with your mentor, speaking with your support manager or someone within the wider ERA support team, and of course just catching up with fellow franchisees!
When it comes to your clients, a typical day involves a mixture of activities across three key areas:
Client Acquisition
Project Management
Project Delivery
©2022 The British Franchise Association
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