Entrepreneurs seeking an exciting opportunity providing digital marketing services in the business-to-business market should take note: About U offers business clients an outsourced digital marketing consultancy service, improving the results of a company's existing marketing activity as well as driving forward promotions in new digital media.

Q: Explain the About U concept.
Andy Cummins: We are delivering new business lead generation solutions that are appropriate to every business. As a digital marketing consultant an About U franchisee's role is to help every company make money and save money through the use of a cutting edge portfolio of digital marketing solutions that everybody wants, they just don't know about them yet.

Q: What is the unique selling proposition of the About U service?
AC: If I asked 100 people 'what is digital marketing?' I would get 100 different answers - none would be wrong, but none would be totally right. The question we pose to companies is: Why would you be open 50-60 hours a week when you can be open 168 hours a week with an automated marketing collateral distribution process and instant delivery of hot sales leads direct into your PC?

Everybody is familiar with text and email, our opportunity is to integrate text, email, digital brochures and digital stationery to deliver to clients a unique portfolio of combined solutions that improves their business efficiency. The company motto to customers is 'don't spend more, spend more effectively'.

Q: How do franchisees sell the About U service?
AC: The franchisee operates as an outsourced business partner for companies to help them adopt digital marketing into their day-to-day marketing activities. From launch, the franchisee needs to appoint a small telemarketing team whose task is to build local market awareness alongside the franchisee's business networking activities. With the support of head office the franchisee then runs a free seminar programme for local businesses called 'An introduction to digital marketing'.

The franchisee invites clients to undertake a no-obligation 15 minute telephone appointment, then provides a free of charge consultancy report. This report identifies the company's business methods, product portfolio and marketing activity and gives advice and guidance as to how it can improve its performance through digital marketing solutions.

Q: How does About U support its franchisees?
AC: The business is continuing to develop exciting cutting edge products alongside a unique viral marketing programme whereby every customer effectively works for the franchisee in generating new sales enquiries. We also have a regional management team and a field support team which will train franchisees in making presentations and implementing future product development.

Q: What earnings opportunity does the franchise represent?
AC: Our total product portfolio ranges in price from under £200 to in excess of £10,000 and that product portfolio includes a number of residual income product opportunities. We provide franchisees with a cost price for each package and they have the flexibility to set their own margins, which are typically 20-50 per cent allowing for discounts. Each franchise territory is designed to create a six figure residual income programme within the lifetime of the franchise.

Q: What attributes are you looking for in prospective franchisees?
AC: I would describe About U as a franchise for the experienced, yet frustrated sales manager. For entrepreneurial individuals, the About U franchise offers a business that their previous sales experiences have not enabled them to deliver for themselves.

Ideally a franchisee should have the ability to lead and train staff, and the motivation to get involved in their local business networks. Experience of running a business would be beneficial, but is not essential.

Our focus is to bring on board people who understand sales strategies. Sales is the key deliverable in any business - quite often a salesman can deliver the business and be the most important person in the company.

*Best Business Start-Up Innovation 2006