Greensleeves franchise owner Steve Hook, who launched his business in April 2010, is aiming to grow his business by increasing his customer base this year.

Hook, who has a degree in agriculture, had gained 220 customers within the first three months of launching his franchise and now is aiming to increase it during 2011 by concentrating on providing excellent customer service.

Hook first began looking into franchising when he decided he wanted to change his career as a sales consultant in the advertising world. He said: “I was becoming a bit tired of being in the advertising world for agriculture. I was looking for something new to do and just by chance, at around that time, I was starting to investigate franchising as a possibility. Having browsed the web for possibilities in the lawncare and agricultural sectors, I came across a few that I was interested in. Given my background, I knew how to sell and market products and services – the issue was that although I had lots of ideas for starting a business of my own, I had less idea of how to get them off the ground. The good thing about a franchise is that all this is done for you.”

For Hook, part of the reason his franchise has been a success is down to the support Greensleeves head office provides. He said: “The support is excellent. At the beginning, when you are feeling your way into the franchise, the support is dedicated to make you feel as comfortable as possible. For example, someone from the head office will come down once a week for the first month to see how you are getting on and after that they are always there when you want them. If you have a problem, they are always on the end of the phone.”

According to Hook the marketing assistance was also very helpful, as Greensleeves promotes the franchise in a number of ways, such as on the web, and through leaflets and brochures. He added: “All the support is done in a way that all you need to concentrate on is to bring in as many customers as possible.”

Hook hopes to do this by ensuring his customer service is excellent. “My main task is to give people the beautiful lawns they are looking for and in turn this will help me gain as many customer numbers as possible.

“The Greensleeves offering is very simple. They believe in customer service and so provide excellent service at good prices. I am a strong believer in customer service – you cannot treat customers like cash machines, and because we deliver such a high standard, this is what brings in repeat business.”

Published: 14 January 2011

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