3 Questions to ask yourself to ensure your franchise success
All over Australia and New Zealand, we’ve been talking to people who are fed up with the daily grind. The constant pressure of working without having control of their time. That is why these people want freedom. And that means either shifting their entire career over to Diggermate by pursuing a Mini Excavator Hire Franchise or having Diggermate become a side hustle to bring in the extra income for their family to allow for some of life’s luxuries.
So, if you think you’re one of the people we’re talking about, then ask yourself these 3 key questions to ensure your success.
1. Do you have an hour or two each morning?
Diggermate was set up to enable our franchisees to run their businesses in as little as just an hour or two each day. Most of the business activities happen between 6:15 am and 6:45 am. These times can be adjusted slightly if they need to be half an hour earlier or later, but it’s important that you, as the business owner, are available around this short amount of time. This is when we have all our machines picked up and sent out to job sites every day.
At Diggermate, our “No Worries Mate!” attitude means we do everything we can to allow our customers, who are 70% trades, to get the machines they need to arrive on-site early. We understand the importance of arriving on-site as early as possible because earthworks are generally the first part of any project. Our machines must be up first at the start of the day. That is why we work with an early pick-up time.
"... it's just the morning that is critical to business success..."
Incidentally, the return time at the end of the day is way less rigid. When we are setting up your locations, there are many factors we discuss and there are many flexible options for this. So it’s just the morning that is critical to your business’ success, so you must dedicate this time of day to your business.
So if you work in retail or an office with a nine-to-five role, then you’ll be totally fine to operate a Mini Excavator Hire Franchise with Diggermate before you head off to work. If you are a tradie who already gets going early, then Diggermate isn’t dead in the water just yet.
Many of our franchises are a husband-and-wife team. Based on the bookings that have been placed, the husband prepares the machines and attachments the night before. Then, the wife will work in the morning for the “hand-overs” to the customers. This works particularly well if you plan on operating from home, especially for young families who still need to get their kids to school in the morning. In many cases, our franchisee who starts on this basis finds that the wife can quit her part-time job and operate Diggermate as her stream of income to the family.
2. Can you answer your phone during the day?
When it comes to dealing with trades, many of them still like to pick up the phone and get an answer immediately. Even though we have an efficient online booking system, we still receive over 50% of bookings via phone calls. So this means you must be able to answer the phone when it rings.
We also have an SMS service that can direct customers to our website and they’ll be able to see each machine’s specifications and availability. However, when the tradie is hanging off a shovel, most of the time he’ll hit the call button and would want you to answer to say, “yep, we have one available.”
This part of the business is run successfully by those who already use their phone a lot during the day – sales reps, business owners and office workers who are at their desks. But then again, if you don’t fall into any of these categories and you have a partner or wife at home to answer the phone, this may work too.
In this case, we recommend having a phone specifically for Diggermate so it can be shared among those who take the responsibility of answering it at certain times and days of the week.
3. Do you have experience with Excavator Maintenance?
In the first six months of running a Mini Excavator Hire Franchise with Diggermate, it’s advisable to get your hands dirty. This means doing the first service yourself and repairing what needs to be repaired. I’ll explain why in a minute.
Then once you’re comfortable enough with your knowledge of the machines, you should find yourself a local diesel fitter. This person should be on call and is always mobile to get to your customers quickly if something goes wrong.
For example, for hydraulic hose repairs, you have the likes of www.Enzed.com.au, www.Hydraulic.com.au and www.Pertek.com.au to call on who can go on-site and replace the hoses cost-effectively without interrupting your day. For Diggermate, this may be shared among those who take the responsibility of answering it at certain times of the week.
"...97% of the time these calls are user error..."
All our machines at Diggermate are the best in class industry brands and are easy to work with. We also have video tutorials for many of the repairs you might need to take care of too. By taking on this task in the short term, you will get to know your machines. And as the business progresses, this will save you a mountain of time chasing after customers who might call you and tell you the machine is not working.
From our experience, we found that 97% of the time the calls we receive are user error concerns. By knowing how the machine works inside and out, you will be able to calmly share with them knowledge over the phone, get them going and solve the problem. Just like anything, it’s a learning curve that you will have to go through, but it’s not something you should freak out about.
Nearly all our franchisees have had zero experience with excavators before kicking off their businesses. But holding your hand and walking you through this is what Diggermate is here for.
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