150,000 reasons to take a Countrywide Lawn Doctor franchise!

New Countrywide Lawn Doctor franchisees will benefit from a co-ordinated, targeted marketing and sales campaign - plus a whole lot more!

When you're starting off in a franchising business, you need all the help you can get - and yet it's quite surprising that the majority of franchise operators take very few steps to really help their new franchisees build up their new businesses from scratch - even though it would be hugely beneficial for all parties to do so. Happily though, there are notable exceptions to this general rule, and Countrywide Lawn Doctor is about to give new franchisees a really flying start.

Helping franchisees achieve great results
"We've always been very keen to help our franchisees in every way we can," comments Simon Stott, who is Managing Director of Countrywide. "And right now, our new Countrywide franchise package includes a major advertising campaign specifically designed to help new franchisees develop a strong and regular customer base as soon as possible after their start-up." He continued by saying that: "to have the door-drop marketing campaign is absolutely critical as the new franchisee has to get the customers in place as soon as possible. It is critical for two reasons. Firstly the business needs to create income and secondly with us attracting nearly 25% of our business by recommendation it means that the sooner we have a customer base in place the quicker we will get the added recommendations. The fact that we get such a high proportion of recommendations is testament to both the business model and the high levels of service that our franchisees offer to our customers."

A 150,000-household mail drop campaign - driving up business
Countrywide's substantial advertising campaign offer for new franchisees comprises a 150,000-household mail-drop campaign, with full-colour leaflets being distributed to targeted homes in each new franchisee's operational territory. "From prior experience, we know that this kind of pro-active direct marketing activity can generate substantial business," says Simon Stott, "so it should be an enormous boost for new Countrywide franchisees who are just starting out." The leaflets, which describe in full the services offered by Countrywide lawn Doctor, will direct potential customers via the unique 0800 234567 free phone number to a main call-centre at Countrywide head office, from where contact details will be passed on to new franchisees to make the appointments and to carry out the lawn surveys.

Scientifically proven and successful lawn treatments
The new door-drop campaign adds substantially to an already strong and established Countrywide Lawn Care franchise concept - that of providing all-year-round lawn care treatments and services to home-owners via a carefully researched and scientifically proven series of in-depth and thorough treatments. "There are millions of privately owned domestic lawns in the country," says Simon Stott, "and most of them need regular professional care, treatment and maintenance in order to ensure that they remain in good shape. The fact is that most home-owners don't have the time and inclination to put in the many hours required to create a truly top-quality lawn. What's more, treatments like scarifying and hollow tining require manual work by lawn-owners or demand specialist equipment that most people don't own."

Evaluation, diagnosis and treatment
It's no surprise, therefore, that the Countrywide Lawn Doctor franchise is so successful, especially with its in-depth three-step treatment programme. Firstly, the potential customer is visited at their home and a comprehensive no-cost assessment of the lawn's current condition is carried out. This comprises turf extraction for analysis, assessment of pH levels to determine soil acidity, taking a soil core sample, diagnosis of compaction, thatch and moss levels - and finally, measurement of the lawn.

A no-obligation quote and in-depth treatment
The second stage is a no-obligation report and quotation. "This is an officially written document that is given to the potential customer," says Simon Stott. "and our franchisees strongly emphasise the fact that it's a no-obligation quote, so that the customer doesn't feel under any pressure. In our experience, this lack of pressure actually acts as a positive trigger that encourages the customer to appoint us." The third stage is the treatment programme itself - and throughout spring, early and late summer, up to seven Countrywide visits will solve any visible lawn problems whilst a regular planned programme of care is also carried out, based on the specific requirements of the individual lawn. Treatments include lawn fertilisation, moss and weed eradication, scarification, solid and hollow-core tining, plus top-dressing and overseeding.

Exclusive fertilisers not available to the public
"We use highly effective specialist fertilisers developed in the USA that are not available to the public in the UK," says Simon Stott. "They're already employed extensively in the professional sector with amazing results - and they incorporate the latest technology that allows for the slow release of nutrients without burning the lawn or creating an unnatural surge in growth. The result is a lush green lawn that customers are delighted with - which probably explains why virtually every one of our customers renews their annual contract. That clearly demonstrates the value of the Countrywide franchise and its significant profit potential!" Unsurprisingly, with results like these assured from such a well-researched and proven lawn-care system, customer demand for the Countrywide Lawn Doctor service is considerable and consistent throughout the country, so new franchisees can expect excellent rates of uptake by customers (up to 90% of customer enquiries lead to business)- especially with Countrywide's latest mail drop advertising campaign working hard to bring in even more new clients.

A package of major franchisee benefits
So what exactly does the exclusive Countrywide Lawn Doctor package provide franchisees with? Quite simply, it provides with everything needed to create an outstandingly successful lawn-care business. First of all, each franchisee is allotted their own exclusive territory which is theirs and theirs alone - so there's no competition from within the franchise. In addition, the territory will be covered by the 150,000-household mail drop campaign, generating rich opportunities for the creation of a substantial customer base. The Countrywide franchise also includes a sleek, sophisticated and streamlined Countrywide Bespoke Scheduling Software Package which operates on a home PC and provides an easy-to-operate on-screen monitoring and operational system that expands as the individual franchise business grows. Naturally, franchisees can also expect to receive from Countrywide a comprehensive stationery pack, a franchise manual, premium-quality equipment, tools and uniforms - plus the operator's licence fee is also included in the package. There is also a quantity of fertilisers and chemicals equivalent to about six months worth of turnover.

In-depth theoretical and practical training
"Countrywide Lawn Doctor franchisees benefit from a thorough and comprehensive training programme," says Simon Stott. "This comprises extensive theoretical work covering the growing cycle of lawns, the natural threats and pests that can create problems - plus ways to address these problems. The training course also covers practical aspects of running a Countrywide franchise, covering application of treatments, maintenance of equipment - and all aspects of running the business, including accounting and invoices, appointments, plus the monitoring of overheads. We also brief franchisees on the importance of undertaking regular financial assessments to ensure that the business is running profitably and can grow steadily without putting undue financial strain on the business."

Excellent back-up from head office
Countrywide also takes great pride in providing its franchisees with the very highest levels of back-up; in fact it's widely acknowledged that Countrywide is one of the best franchises in the business, both for profit potential and for one-to-one support by Countrywide staff. "The basis of our franchisee support philosophy is quite simple," says Simon Stott. "The more successful our franchisees are, the more successful we all become - so it's in everyone's interests to work together for the common good." As every Countrywide franchisee discovers, this means that they can rely totally on head office support, where professional staff are always willing and able to provide information, advice and ongoing encouragement.

A sound financial structure
The Countrywide franchise package costs £24,950 plus vat. "We have some excellent arrangements with major banks," adds Simon Stott, so we can offer potential franchisees the means to access the financial support they need, should they require a loan to acquire a Countrywide Lawn Doctor franchise."

A highly successful nationwide organisation
With over 20 outstandingly successful years in the lawn care and grounds maintenance business, Countrywide Lawn Doctor is part of the Countrywide Group, a family-owned and family-run business that also includes a large and highly successful grounds maintenance franchise covering utilities, football pitches, schools plus other major grassed and landscaped areas. Based in Cheadle, Cheshire, Countrywide is a national business with a large network that spans the whole of the UK.

For further information about theCountrywide Lawn Doctor franchise, contact Countrywide at Countrywide House, Oak Green, Earl Road, Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire SK8 6QL Tel: 0161 485 6666 or e-mail: franchise@countrywidelawndoctor.com or visit the website at www.countrywidelawndoctor.com

TOTAL: £24950

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