Summary of Operation
Revive! offers a professional service providing minor paint repairs on vehicles. Winners of the 2010 bfa Award for Franchise Support, Revive! provides its franchise owners with the most comprehensive training and business support to take them from a man in a van to a multi-van business owner.
Initial investment required from £23,500+ VAT
Revive!, one of the UK’s premium SMART repairers, differentiates itself in the marketplace through its professional workmanship. The latest innovation has been centered around creating a national standard for the sector – a task that has taken over two years, but something that is coming to fruition following the successful pilot of the ATA module of Cosmetic repairs.
Since launching his Revive! franchise over six years ago, Russell Hudson’s business has grown by at least 25 per cent year-on-year and he recently spoke about his thoughts on this impressive increase in sales and how this has happened.
“Last year was another excellent year,” says Russell. “The key in many ways for the success lies in the ongoing focus on growing the business and acquiring new customers – even in difficult times. Customers are now focused on getting value for money and professional SMART repairs can certainly deliver that.
“The growth has been achieved because of a focus in three areas: sales growth, recruitment and quality standards.”
Sales growth
“In any business, sales are important as work will not constantly come to you. One of the key aspects here is having the focus and desire to knock on doors and manage the business to the next level,” explains Russell.
“There is no doubt that dealers are now more choosy over who they work with. Having an accreditation really separates professional SMART repairers from the rest and it has made a significant difference to my business. Competition tends to vary enormously in terms of quality and service but with the size and service that we are now, I truly believe that the flexibility and professionalism we demonstrate is second to none.”
Recruitment
“In terms of recruitment and finding new people, there really has been very little trepidation about taking new employees on at this time as there seems to be a lot of good quality people without jobs at the moment,” Russell continues. “The key is to ensure that people who come into the business are customer focused and will deliver great service. We work really well as a team – each of the technicians is happy to help others and they are all regularly hitting their targets, which again adds to the motivation and drive.”
ATA accreditation
“The recent creation of the ATA standard for cosmetic repairs means that there is now a professional register and a national standard of technical competence – that cannot be questioned. I have led the way for my team and went through the QAA accreditation in 2011 and all my employees will follow with accreditation in due course over the next 12 months.”
Revive! has been instrumental in the development of the ATA and Managing Director Mark Llewellyn has been proud of the progress that has been made.
“The objective of creating a national standard was to drive up standards across the board and we are delighted by the interest this has generated in the sector,” says Mark. “At Revive! we are fortunate to have been part of the pilot accreditations and delighted that our training school is one of the first accredited centers to offer the cosmetic repair ATA in the country.
“Russell Hudson is a shining example of using expert professional skills to develop his business. With an established business Russell has continued to develop and grown by a further 31 per cent in 2011. He intends to continue the growth in 2012 and add a further two vans to the five he currently runs dominating the local market. The year has started really well with sales already up in the first quarter.”
Russell summarises with advice for new franchise owners: “Again there is no substitute for hard work, but researching an area beforehand will help a lot. We have the right support and the right service offering and these differentiate us in the market place. Done right, it is a winning formula!”
If you are highly motivated to provide an outstanding service to customers and have a keen desire to work for yourself, learn more about Revive!