Maintaining brand consistency when expanding abroad Steve Tulk Autosmart International

Agenda Autosmart International franchising overseas the same, only different... the essential role of the support team in summary...

UK-based manufacturer of vehicle cleaning products mobile, B2B franchise franchising since 1978 network turnover of £30m About Autosmart

master franchise operations in Australia, France, Scandinavia, Netherlands and Belgium 30% of turnover comes from outside the UK over 200 ‘showrooms’ on the road

For the mature home-market franchise, international expansion is the next logical step Taking your brand international can be exciting, rewarding, challenging, frustrating and, if done well, can be very profitable One of the biggest challenges is maintaining brand consistency across all markets... Franchising overseas

Remember, your organisation has lots of brand- specific experience that your overseas Masters and Franchisees don’t have Don’t expect them to sign up to your brand values without questions If they do, you should start to worry... Franchising overseas

Europe is peculiar - lots of countries with very individual identities, value sets and cultures. What is important for one, may not be so important for another - be prepared to be surprised by the questions you get asked! The same, only different...

our French franchisees insisted that all products must have French names. however... our French-speaking Belgian franchisees then insisted that all products have English names. The same, only different...

Dutch master franchisee insisted that white is not seen as a clean colour in the Netherlands Sweden wanting blue and yellow vehicles France insisting that red, white and blue is a very ‘British’ colour scheme... The same, only different...

Every employee who supports your overseas operation is a brand ambassador This is especially so for your front line staff, e.g.: recruiters trainers sales support team technical support team How do you maintain brand consistency in a remote market?

Your support team must embody your brand values at all times For remote employees, this can be really difficult to implement Overcome this by always training remote staff in BOTH the home market (e.g. UK) and in their target market (e.g. Germany) The essential role of the support team

Training staff in both markets allows you to be confident that your team : sees the brand in its original context knows what you are wanting to replicate overseas understands why ‘the company way’ is the key to success The essential role of the support team

Not only do support staff need training in brand values, they also need the confidence to implement brand values train front line staff in ‘soft skills’, not just product knowledge give them the confidence to enforce your brand values make sure they know that you are behind them The essential role of the support team

With only one staff member in a country, that person MUST maintain positive relationships with his/her franchisees sometimes they will have to deliver difficult messages train them to handle difficult situations and to end tough meetings with everyone’s dignity intact if delivering a difficult message means that the relationship could break down - send someone else The essential role of the support team

You know why your brand is a success at home don’t expect that your masters/franchisees will immediately have the same level of understanding Employ only the best front-line staff make sure that they have the confidence and backing to be great brand ambassadors (and enforcers) for you In summary

Be prepared for local adaptation small adaptations to your business are a part of being international Don’t be afraid to re-recruit the right master/franchisee will ultimately accept your brand values and become the local embodiment of them If you have the wrong master/franchisee, don’t be afraid to change them… In summary

Remember International expansion is scary - you’ll invest more than you expect to, and growth will be slower than you expect it to be it can be incredibly rewarding - both financially and personally never forget your sense of humour… In summary