Franchising information regarding Interstate All Battery Centers

How Successful Franchises Use Social Media

Social media continues to attract a great deal of attention, and it seems everyone from celebrities to politicians tweets, blogs and posts. Facebook, once the province of college kids, now claims 750 million active users across all age and income groups. How does all this networking apply to businesses? Social media for franchises can be valuable when establishing a web presence.

 

• Blogs. A blog can introduce consumers to your company or give pertinent information about topics related to your business. An auto parts company, for example, might blog about an ongoing sale, or might help consumers prepare their vehicles for winter weather. By giving customers information they can use in an easily understood format, you engage them on a practical level.  Blogs generate traffic and help customers get to know you. A customer who is engaged and familiar with your company is more likely to be loyal.
• Facebook. Facebook allows you to connect with your customers in a lighthearted way, while sharing valuable information and promotions. By updating your Facebook profile several times a week, you will stay on your customers’ “walls” and on their minds. Drumming up interest by collecting Facebook “fans” is a great way to seed the market, and many franchisees find they generate a fan base even before they open. Offering discounts for “liking” your Facebook page creates interest.
• Twitter. With Twitter, you can build a following by offering coupon codes, or even holding a contest that users can enter by following you. Then keep your followers’ interest by tweeting blurbs about your business or helpful tips about your industry several times a week. Staying on your customers’ minds is always a positive thing.
• LinkedIn. If you are looking to connect in professional setting, LinkedIn is the way to go. The world’s largest business networking site, LinkedIn has more than 100 million users. That is a fantastic database to have at your fingertips and a great way to find new employees, since companies can post jobs on the site.
• YouTube. With the average person spending 15 minutes each day on YouTube, this video site can generate a huge return on your investment. Create videos that entertain with useful and relevant information, and your franchise can produce an audience appreciative of and receptive to your product. YouTube is free advertising, only requiring the time and effort of creating videos. Be sure to customize your YouTube channel, using your company’s branding and colors, and include pertinent links. Organize videos in easily accessible play lists. Then promote your YouTube channel elsewhere, cross-marketing via your Facebook page, Twitter account and your blog. YouTube offers free analytical tools that give you valuable information regarding stats and demographics. Analyze your audience’s viewing habits and monitor comments to build community and identify potential problems.

 

Franchises that promote their businesses through social media often report success. Social media can promote brand awareness and generate interest and sales with little investment. Learning to use this valuable tool benefits your company and helps push your business toward the future.

Interstate All Battery Center

Are you interested in becoming a battery expert and joining a successful franchise system? Consider franchising with Interstate All Battery Center®. People have trusted the Interstate Batteries® brand since 1952, and its award-winning franchise system can help you claim your piece of the growing battery market. Request your Franchise Information Packet today. You can also learn about us in the news section and on Facebook, Twitter,  LinkedIn and YouTube.

Interstate All Battery Franchise Owner – Brian Downe

An Interstate Batteries franchise owner discusses why he decided to open an All Battery Center.

Interstate All Battery Center

Are you interested in becoming a battery expert and joining a successful franchise system? Consider franchising with Interstate All Battery Center®. People have trusted the Interstate Batteries® brand since 1952, and its award-winning franchise system can help you claim your piece of the growing battery market. Request your Franchise Information Packet today. You can also learn about us in the news section and on Facebook, Twitter,  LinkedIn and YouTube.

Guest Blogger: Paul E Maynard – Four Simple Networking Guidelines

Guest Blogger Paul E Maynard shares Networking Guidelines with the Interstate All Battery Center Franchise community.

Four Simple Networking Guidelines

 

 

Whether you are at a networking event, in a social setting or at a trade show, everybody needs simple rules or guidelines on how to begin or maintain an interaction with someone. These were four simple guidelines were designed to help you organize yourself as you go out networking:

1. Set a strategy
2. Align your tools
3. Choose your targets
4. Take action

By setting a strategy, you know where you are going before you leave. Have a plan. The Allies in World War II knew who was going to do “what” by “when” before they launched the Normandy invasion. You need to decide which event (or events) you are going to, who you expect to meet there and what you will do when you meet them.

Aligning your tools makes sure you are armed and dangerous when you go out networking: business cards, your short speech, having a LinkedIn profile, among other things. Any good craftsman knows where her tools are and when to use them. Make sure that “saw” is sharp.

Having an idea who you are going to talk with is important before you go. Targets aren’t just on a shooting range. You set your sights, now pull the trigger—walk up and say hello. It is why you are there. Nothing replaces taking action: you can watch all the exercise shows in the world without losing a pound if you don’t leave the couch. Get out and DO!

Relentless

Paul E. Maynard is The Relentless Networker. He has produced trade shows, found new business and trained people on how to network. Learn more about Paul on LinkedIn or at his website.

Interstate All Battery Center

Are you interested in becoming a battery expert and joining a successful franchise system? Consider franchising with Interstate All Battery Center®. People have trusted the Interstate Batteries® brand since 1952, and its award-winning franchise system can help you claim your piece of the growing battery market. Request your Franchise Information Packet today. You can also learn about us in the news section and on Facebook, Twitter,  LinkedIn and YouTube.

How to Manage PR For Small Business

It’s impossible to overestimate the value of a good public relations plan. If you skillfully execute PR for small business, you can see stronger results for a fraction of the cost of advertising. While corporate PR can boost the national awareness of new products, corporate branding and national awards, local PR focuses on driving sales through cause-related marketing and special events. To get your PR program up and running:

• Define your goals. A good PR program can build goodwill in the community and create a public image for your business that will boost your reputation. In some circumstances, it can lessen the impact of negative publicity you’ve already received, or maybe assist you in introducing a new service or product to the community. To design your PR plan, you must define your purpose and set goals that will help you achieve the desired end result.
• Develop a schedule for your public relations campaigns. Time your PR plans to coincide with your other marketing and sales efforts.
• Join the local Chamber of Commerce. Chamber of Commerce members receive exposure through publications, directories, mixers and website listings. Being a member puts you in the loop about needs in your own community and can put you in touch with new business contacts.
• Create a media list of small papers in your market and develop contacts. Also, decide how you will get your message to the public. Will you use press releases? Articles and interviews? Will you sponsor charity events? Customer testimonials and letters to the editor can work on your behalf as well.
• Get to know local reporters. Local reporters can be strong allies, and you should inform them of your public service initiatives and events.
• Use cause-related marketing to promote your location. Cause-related marketing is a way to give back to your community through events like a canned-food drive for your local food bank or a toy drive for charity. This kind of marketing brings you local coverage, which draws positive attention for your business that can generate sales.
• Plan and promote events using a “see, say, solve” approach. When planning an event for the media to attend, make sure there’s something visual (see) that would make journalists want to take a picture or record video for the evening newscast. Appoint someone articulate and engaging to speak on behalf of your business (say). Demonstrate that your business can provide solutions to a real need in your community (solve).

As a business owner, you are in a unique position to make an impact on your community. People hit hard by tragedy or circumstance can stand to benefit from your company’s involvement. In addition to positively affecting people’s lives, the exposure you will receive through these efforts will help your business profit from positive public relations.

PR For Small Business

What other advice would you give business owners about running a local PR program? Answer in the comments below!

 

Interstate All Battery Center

Are you interested in becoming a battery expert and joining a successful franchise system? Consider franchising with Interstate All Battery Center®. People have trusted the Interstate Batteries® brand since 1952, and its award-winning franchise system can help you claim your piece of the growing battery market. Request your Franchise Information Packet today. You can also learn about us in the news section and on Facebook, Twitter,  LinkedIn and YouTube.

Kyle Busch: A Driver for Every Track

 

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (June 28, 2011) – Interstate All Battery Center stores promise to have “Every Battery for Every Need” with the expertise to solve any battery-related problem.

So it’s only appropriate that this weekend’s new metallic and reflective green-and-gold scheme on the No. 18 Interstate All Battery Center Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) will be driven by Kyle Busch, a driver who has proven he can win at every type of track.

As the talented 26-year-old will be gunning for his 22^nd career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win in Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Busch brings an incredibly versatile resume that features 21 wins in NASCAR’s top series that have occurred on racetracks of all shapes and sizes.

Need a short track ace? Well, Busch is your driver with 12 wins on tracks of a mile or less. Those include Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Dover (Del.) International Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, and Phoenix International Raceway.

If short tracks aren’t your cup of tea, Busch is pretty good on the intermediate ovals, as well, with five total wins on the 1.5-mile and 2-mile tracks. Those include Atlanta Motor Speedway, Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., and Busch’s hometown track, Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Need a driver who can get it done during the two road-course stops on the schedule? No problem there, either, as Busch has one win apiece at both Sprint Cup road-course venues – Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., and Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International.

And, last but not least, you need a driver to navigate the two restrictor-plate venues on the circuit? Busch has won twice on the 2.5-mile high-banked ovals at Daytona and Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. This Saturday night, Busch will look to back up his win at the historic 2.5-mile Daytona oval from July 2008, which also came in Interstate Batteries colors.

But Busch and his fellow competitors will find a new challenge ahead of them that didn’t exist during his last win at Daytona in 2008. A completely new style of restrictor-plate racing introduced itself at this year’s season-opening Daytona 500. As the new front bumper replaced what was an important but fragile front splitter on Sprint Cup Series cars this year, the front-end design change brought about a whole new phenomenon of racing at the restrictor-plate tracks.

Until this year, the typical race at Daytona and Talladega would feature lengthy lines of cars that would bunch together, mere inches apart. But the new look to restrictor-plate racing, as seen at Daytona and Talladega already this season, involves cars running in pairs, almost as if the rear of the lead car is connected to the front bumper of the car following.

So, as Busch has proven over the years that he’s every driver for every track, he’ll want to also prove he can adapt to every style of racing in order to bring the Interstate All Battery Centers green-and-gold paint scheme to victory lane on Saturday night at Daytona.

KYLE BUSCH, Driver of the No. 18 Interstate All Battery Center Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing:

 

Do you feel like finding someone to team up with during superspeedway races is like trying to find a date for the prom?

“I never had to do that because I never went (to prom). I don’t know. I’d imagine that is probably what it’s like. It’s probably the best analogy anybody else can come up with. As far as trying to pick somebody to go with or draft with or anything, in a perfect world, you’d come off pit road with either a teammate or somebody you’ve worked with already throughout the day. I was working pretty well in the Daytona 500 with Denny (Hamlin), so he was about two rows back of me. And Trevor (Bayne) wanted to work with me, and then Carl (Edwards) wanted to work with me. I’m hoping we can find the right drafting partner and we can get a win for all the Interstate All Battery Center franchisees, along with Norm Miller (Interstate Batteries chairman) and everyone at Interstate Batteries.”

What is it like to have drivers ask you to work with them?

“I think, this week, I’ll just leave it to first come, first served. So, whoever gets on my radio first and asks me, then they’ll be the guy I’ll work with. Other than that, you hate to say no to somebody because you might have made them mad. But, you have to realize and understand that there are 43 guys out there who all want to work with somebody, so you’re not going to be the first guy all the time.”

 

What is it like, visually, being the second car in a two-car draft?

“You can’t see a whole lot. You can’t really see through the rear glass of a guy’s car because, the way the sun and the lights hit it, even if it’s a cloudy day, you might not be able to see all the way through it. The spoilers are so high that your limited vision is so small that you’re really not going to make out a whole lot if you even could see through it with the spoiler. You tend to try to look over the roof of a guy’s car through the corner and try to see what’s going to happen down the next straightaway. That’s when you rely on either the guy in front of you to talk to you through going around guys or passing guys, or you rely on your spotter. If you have that guy in your radio and you’re pushing that guy, he should be the one on the radio, ‘Okay, low, low, middle, middle, high, high,’ – he kind of talks you through where you’re going so you can stay on him and not take a chance of spinning a guy out.”

 

Who is your favorite drafting partner at Daytona and Talladega?

 

“I don’t know, since things were so different at Daytona and Talladega the first time around. I’ve drafted well with a lot of people in the past, but I would say (Juan Pablo) Montoya helped me win the race I won at Talladega a couple of years ago. Jimmie (Johnson) is always pretty good to draft with. My brother (Kurt Busch), as well, but many more than that. It just all depends on which other cars end up working well with your car. Aside from our teammates, we had about another 10 guys who we thought would work with us in our radio at Daytona and Talladega, so I’ll expect we will figure out what other cars work well with our car during practice and during the first part of the race, like we did during the first two restrictor-plate races this year.”

Are superspeedways more mentally draining than other racetracks?

“Here, the physical demand isn’t that big of deal. You can run around here all day long and not break a sweat, really. Once you get down into the nitty gritty of the race and try to play the chess game that goes on all day, you’ve got to really pick and choose your spots, and think all the time about going here or there and teaming up with a guy. It really wears on you a little bit, mentally – kind of makes you tired. The other thing, too, is when you’re in the two-car draft and you’re pushing each other, you’re more worried about not spinning that guy out than anything else. You just don’t want to do that. So, you’re up on edge most of the time, just making sure you don’t get to that guy left of center of his rear bumper and cause him to turn sideways. I don’t know if you call it racing, or what to call it, really. But it’s definitely a different dynamic here at Talladega and Daytona, now, than what we’ve had in the past.”

How many people can talk on the radio during a race?

“Yeah, I’ve worked with my guys and my radio guys, being able to put the radios together where you can do everything you want to be able to do. If I could, I’d have all 42 other drivers on my radio, but that radio isn’t legal to go into the racecar. You have to have a channel radio, which I think only allows you 15. I have my teammates on my primary radio and then, on my secondary radio, I have my teammates again so I can hear them, and then I have about 13 others.”

 

Interstate All Battery Center

Are you interested in becoming a battery expert and joining a successful franchise system? Consider franchising with Interstate All Battery Center®. People have trusted the Interstate Batteries® brand since 1952, and its award-winning franchise system can help you claim your piece of the growing battery market. Request your Franchise Information Packet today. You can also learn about us in the news section and on Facebook, Twitter,  LinkedIn and YouTube.

How to Be a Good Retail Manager

 

Retail management is all about moving merchandise and keeping up with inventory, right? Not exactly. As every great store manager knows, the secret is not in managing a store; it is about managing the people who make your store a success. Here’s some advice on how to be a good retail manager:

 

• Set Goals – Successful leaders have clarity and focus, and they never lose sight of their goals. Good leaders clarify their goals to the entire staff and offer incentives for meeting and exceeding expectations.
• Inform Your Team – When people are under-informed, they will invent information and end up misinformed. A good leader is transparent, and this makes employees want to pull together and make the store the best it can be.
• Prioritize Training – Training your team is an investment in your business. A great manager is a great teacher and understands that education should be ongoing. Even more, a successful manager understands that it is important to always be a student.
• Be Patient – Your team is made up of people. Some days will not be great, while other days will be phenomenal. A good manager knows when to cut an employee some slack and when to tighten up. Inspiring your team to be their best means sometimes accepting less than that, while always encouraging them to push themselves harder. Treat your team with respect and never forget your employees are the backbone of your company.
• Be Connected – To inspire your team to greatness, you must connect with them in a meaningful way. Team-building activities outside of work are great, but it’s also important to ask for feedback within the business. When people feel they are valued, they are more likely to jump in and be part of the problem-solving process.

A manager is only as good as the team they build. A great manager knows this and treats employees as valued team members. Successful leaders inspire pride in the business and instill a desire to make it successful.
What are some other qualities on how to be a good retail manager? Tell us in the comments!

Interstate All Battery Center

Are you interested in becoming a battery expert and joining a successful franchise system? Consider franchising with Interstate All Battery Center®. People have trusted the Interstate Batteries® brand since 1952, and its award-winning franchise system can help you claim your piece of the growing battery market. Request your Franchise Information Packet today. You can also learn about us in the news section and on Facebook, Twitter,  LinkedIn and YouTube.

Dallas Morning News – Employer encourages workers to give back

Interstate Batteries has various programs and community connections including monthly volunteer nights at Union Gospel Mission, letter-writing to soldiers as well as children at a Russian orphanage, and gift-giving during the holidays with Angel Tree, an agency that benefits children of prison inmates. Sometimes employees receive paid time off to volunteer.

Read Full Article Here – Employer encourages workers to give back

Interstate All Battery Center

Are you interested in becoming a battery expert and joining a successful franchise system? Consider franchising with Interstate All Battery Center®. People have trusted the Interstate Batteries® brand since 1952, and its award-winning franchise system can help you claim your piece of the growing battery market. Request your Franchise Information Packet today. You can also learn about us in the news section and on Facebook, Twitter,  LinkedIn and YouTube.

Social Media for Franchises

 

Social media has proven essential for those who operate businesses. From networking on LinkedIn to updating statuses on Facebook and Twitter, consumers have numerous options for sharing their experiences and opinions. But what does social media for franchises look like? Could you use social media more effectively?

Here is a breakdown of how small businesses are making the best use of their Internet presence through networking, according to the University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business:

• 75 percent have a profile on a social network like Facebook or LinkedIn.
• 69 percent post status updates and articles of interest on their social media profile pages.
• 57 percent use these sites to build their networks.
• 54 percent monitor feedback about their organizations through comments on social media sites.
• 39 percent have a blog on their areas of expertise.
• 26 percent tweet updates and points of interest pertaining to their businesses on Twitter.
• 16 percent use Twitter as a customer service resource.

Small business owners are adopting new technology at a rate that has doubled over the past year, with one in five incorporating social media into their business practices. Many people who participated in the Smith’s School survey believe that their social media involvement will pay off financially within a year of inception.  Facebook and LinkedIn are the most popular sites, with Twitter being surprisingly underused.

Of course, even though business owners see these sites as a powerful tool to reach the current generation of consumers, they are still using traditional methods of customer acquisition as well. Many business owners find it more daunting than expected to keep up with the tasks involved in social networking. Most feel, however, that the extra effort is well worth it.

It will be interesting to learn over time exactly what the impact of Social Media for Franchises will be. It is already a valuable tool that small businesses can use to build their market share.

As a business owner, do you use social media as a part of your marketing plan? Answer in the comments below!

 

Interstate All Battery Center

Are you interested in becoming a battery expert and joining a successful franchise system? Consider franchising with Interstate All Battery Center®. People have trusted the Interstate Batteries® brand since 1952, and its award-winning franchise system can help you claim your piece of the growing battery market. Request your Franchise Information Packet today. You can also learn about us in the news section and on Facebook, Twitter,  LinkedIn and YouTube.

Best Franchise for your Lifestyle

When looking into a franchise investment, it is important to ask yourself a few questions to be sure you are choosing the right franchising opportunity for you. By understanding your interests, skills and especially budget, you have a better chance of owning and operating a successful franchise.

Best Franchise for your Lifestyle

Identify Your Interests

In the corporate world, employees are often advised to keep their personal and professional life separate. However, successful business owners rarely do so and this is especially important when a franchise opportunity presents itself. Before investing in a franchise, you should be brutally honest about your interests. A vegetarian would not be enthusiastic about investing in a fast food hamburger chain, and enthusiasm is one of the key requirements for running a successful franchise. Therefore, getting to know yourself and the things you enjoy are an important step to determining the best franchise opportunity for you.

Identify Your Skill Set

Although previous experience is important in deciding on a franchise, there is the possibility of reinventing yourself in a completely different industry than your current field. It is also important to understand that the job requirements when owning your own business are different than when you are an employee. You could be required to manage employees making minimum wage, and those types of jobs have higher turnover than higher paying jobs. You will also have to know how involved you will be in the day-to-day operations of the business, or if you will delegate to managers and assistants. Most franchises offer training, and some, like Interstate Battery, allows you to work in an existing business in order to determine if the franchising opportunity is the Best Franchise for your Lifestyle.

Identify Your Budget

The most critical factor in determining the right franchise is to honestly review your budget. Take an honest inventory of your capital and remember that not all franchise opportunities are profitable immediately. You must develop a budget which will allow you living expenses until the business is profitable. Loans for new businesses are difficult to obtain in the current economy, so you should expect to invest your own money in order to invest in the franchise opportunity.

When deciding to invest in a franchise, being honest regarding your skills, interests and budget are critical to choosing the right opportunity. With self-reflection and an honest look at what you bring to the business, you can successfully operate your own company while allowing the franchiser to provide the start-up expertise for you. For more information on franchising opportunities, visit http://AllBatteryFranchise.com/Franchise-Information-Packet/ .

Interstate All Battery Center

Are you interested in becoming a battery expert and joining a successful franchise system? Consider franchising with Interstate All Battery Center®. People have trusted the Interstate Batteries® brand since 1952, and its award-winning franchise system can help you claim your piece of the growing battery market. Request your Franchise Information Packet today. You can also learn about us in the news section and on Facebook, Twitter,  LinkedIn and YouTube.

Interstate All Battery Center Team Members Indulge in an Outrageous Shopping Spree

How many employers can you name that take their team members shopping? And pay their way? The Interstate All Battery Center® Des Moines office did just that Friday, May 13. To reward 147 team members for hitting their sales targets, Interstate gave them each a $700 gift card to Jordan Creek Mall and a charter bus ride there.

“This is the third year that IABC has celebrated this important employee sales incentive,” said Scott Miller, vice president. “In January, we challenged our entire team, from accounting to warehouse, to focus in on our fiscal year sales goals. Today, we celebrate the fruits of everyone’s labor for having met aggressive sales goals despite the slow economy.”

Unlike a bonus that would appear in team members’ paychecks, the gift cards ensure the money is spent locally.

“The slow economy has meant slower retail sales for many Des Moines businesses,” Miller said. “This shopping spree allows us to put our money right back into the local economy in support of our neighbors.”

Several retailers offered prizes and special discounts to Interstate Team Members, and Interstate Batteries Chairman Norm Miller and former CEO Tommy Miller helped in the celebration. A local TV station was there to catch all the action (see link above).

Interstate All Battery Center

Are you interested in becoming a battery expert and joining a successful franchise system? Consider franchising with Interstate All Battery Center®. People have trusted the Interstate Batteries® brand since 1952, and its award-winning franchise system can help you claim your piece of the growing battery market. Request your Franchise Information Packet today. You can also learn about us in the news section and on Facebook, Twitter,  LinkedIn and YouTube.

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