Market Focus
but franchisees who represent the company operate on a for-profit basis, earning fees for signing new customers and maintaining their client base. Dan has just become the youngest-ever franchisee to sit on WPA’s regional board of directors. He previously worked as a mortgage advisor.
How was this different from your previous career? You don’t need experience in financial services or medical insurance to sign up with WPA but you should bear in mind that it’s an ethically run business.
How does WPA help businesses? Employees can’t afford to wait for hospital appointments, so I can arrange for them to get treatment or hospital stays to suit the needs of the business, whether they’re self-employed sole traders or companies with a large number of employees. Altogether I provide medical cover for over a thousand local business people in the Crawley and Gatwick area. They have all my contact details so that they can call me whenever they have a question – my job is to put their minds at rest. You have to be flexible. One company
director needed hospital treatment but his company was particularly busy in the run-up to Christmas. We were able to re-arrange his hospital stay for January, when the business could run without him.
What does a typical day look like? Networking is a key part of my business practice. I frequently start the day with a breakfast meeting and spend my evenings at less formal business gatherings. I use Twitter and the online business network LinkedIn, where I post updates on new developments in medical insurance. With help and support from WPA my work has become my passion, bringing the best quality healthcare to my customers, all of whom have become friends.
What would you advise someone who took on a WPA franchise? I visit all my customers two or three times a year to check and improve what WPA are doing for them. Exceeding our customer expectations is what marks WPA out from the crowd – it’s in our DNA is to treat others as we would expect to be treated ourselves. I help my corporate customers by running seminars to explain what employees are entitled to. This saves the employer time and
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Businessfranchise.com | June 2012
means, while staff appreciate their employer more.
I’ve also been involved in local campaigns and charities. It is important to put something back into the community.
Auditel
the most valuable. Auditel members and trainers are always more than happy to assist in any way they can, especially during the start-up phase. The support on offer is second to none.
What’s your best recent achievement? Recently I saved a commercial property leasing company 62 per cent on their fixed charges by simultaneously agreeing 22 energy contracts on their properties.
What do you love about your work? Being highly recommended by one client to another is a great compliment, and it helps my business grow at an encouraging rate. In fact, I am already ahead of my first year’s business plan by 30 per cent! It’s a great thrill to run your own venture and be in control of your destiny.
Stephen Sowerby joined Auditel last March after working as a chartered accountant and assistant manager in KPMG’s Risk Advisory Department. He is based in Manchester.
What appealed to you about Auditel? I chose Auditel because it presented me with the opportunity of starting up on my own while having the support of a proven format that has survived for over 18 years.
The initial training was excellent, but it’s the ongoing support of the network that’s proved
What would you advise someone who took on an Auditel franchise? Make full use of the help available. Auditel head office provide support on commercial matters and on many occasions the directors have given up their time to help me create some of the more complex business relationships.
What are your future plans? I will continue to grow my client base and start delivering projects in new areas. When I judge that the time is right, I will hire employees to assist with the analysis work so I can concentrate on developing the business to generate maximum revenue. n
“Outsourced help for everything from financial consulting to courier services is likely to be in demand”
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