Rob Whitby Autosmart Franchisee for Taunton would never look back!
18th September 2008 - Autosmart
Rob joined the Autosmart network in 2005 as the Franchisee for Taunton. He had bags of sales experience, having previously worked as an Area Sales Manager for a large, local agricultural supplier.
In those days, Rob’s customers were nearly all farmers and so the move to the automotive industry was not something he took lightly:
“I was earning good money in my last job, but I really wanted to do something for myself. I saw the advert for Autosmart and decided to look into it a bit deeper. The more I researched and spoke with other Franchisees in the area, the more I realised that this was the right thing for me. I was worried about changing industries, but was comforted by the amount of support that Autosmart offer.”
But still, moving away from a decent salary to buy a business that was, at the time, below breakeven, is a big move for anyone.
“I started with around 30 Autosmart customers buying from me each month – way below what I needed to give me a decent income.” says Rob. “But, through my hard work and the support of Autosmart, I grew the customer base to over 300 Autosmart customers who buy from me each month and now I have an excellent income from my business.”
Rob states that it took some time for him to find his feet and for the customers to get to know him. But he reckons that being persistent and not giving in paid off. In a semi-rural area like his, Rob knew that the key to building a solid base of customers was relationship. He worked hard to develop his links with the local customer base and found that there were some keys to winning business – and building a strong local reputation:
“Always deliver on promises, never miss an appointment with someone and always be prepared to help a customer find a solution to whatever their cleaning or valeting problem might be”.
Providing the answer to a customer’s problem isn’t always that easy though – especially in the beginning. Rob found that he left the one-week induction course at Autosmart HQ more than a little bamboozled by the wide range of products and their uses. This is where his Support Manager came in.
Andy Jones worked with Rob for the first couple of years of his business, initially spending 5 days a month in the field with him.
“Andy helped put it all into place and taught me the tools to develop my business. I knew how to sell but Andy showed me how to sell with the van and gave me essential product knowledge. Even when he was not out with me in the field, he was always happy to take my calls - even at 9 o’clock at night.”
Rob and his partner both knew that the first couple of years of running their own business would be hard – lots of work, dedication and focus. They gave their all in those first two years and now are reaping the benefits.
“It’s great to have control over your life and business and to know that your hard work will benefit you directly. We are now much better off financially and we would never look back! Would I do it again? Without question.”
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