WSI, a USA-based franchise that provides website advice to businesses, is expecting to award 225 franchises this year. If the company meets this target it will be a 30 per cent increase over both 2007 and 2008 when it awarded 174 and 175 franchises respectively. Fueling this growth is the rapid shift in focus from traditional advertising media outlets such as television, radio and print to online marketing. Instead of completing a one-time sale, WSI franchise owners build up long-term business relationships and become trusted business partners of their clients and afford multiple revenue streams and incremental recurring revenue from services such as website hosting, visitor traffic monitoring and reporting, consulting fees and internet marketing campaign management.
Ron McArthur, President of WSI, said: 'It's all about understanding the power of the relationship. Our Internet Marketing Consultants understand that the relationships they build with their clients are the key to their success. It's not about getting into the nitty-gritty of building a website for a client and never talking to them again.'
To ensure that clients receive the best possible service, WSI makes sure that its franchise owners are consistently educated through focused webinars and monthly white papers. Ronnie Adelman from Missouri, one of WSI's top earning franchise owners over the past nine years, utilised this training at a recent IFA convention when he spoke to a crowd of over 200 franchisors about the importance of internet marketing and the increasing shift toward digital initiatives.
Ronnie said: 'If someone is looking to make a major purchase or investment, the first place they look for information is on the internet, not their daily paper's classifieds or the Yellow Pages. WSI prominently positions our clients in all relevant searches as well as monitors what is being said about their product across the web. People put a lot of credibility into what their peers say so we've increased our focus on social media portals to ensure the most factual, beneficial information is available at all times. No one else has feet on the street like WSI does and that's what makes us a very special company and a true industry leader.'
Published: 17 June 2009
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