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Telecom
Services - Schooley Mitchell |
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A Brief History
Schooley Mitchell was established in 1983, with its
telecom division being established as a separate entity
during 1996. The company has been providing professional
advice to its clients in the areas of finance, accounting,
computers, management and telecom services since inception.
With decades of combined telecom experience, Schooley
Mitchell has pursued its Franchising concept to meet
the need for independent and objective telecom advice
in the North American market.
Schooley Mitchell Telecom Consultants has its corporate
head office in Stratford, Ontario. The company is the
largest independent telecom consulting organization
in North America, with offices from coast to coast in
both United States and Canada.
Schooley Mitchell Franchisees are independent of all
telecom companies selling products or services. Franchisees
do not receive commissions, residuals or kickbacks from
any telecom suppliers. Therefore, the solutions provided
to clients are designed with the exclusive goal of providing
the best solution to meet clients' individual needs
regarding telecom services.
Operations
Franchisees generally begin by operating their Schooley
Mitchell Franchise as a home-based business. Consequently,
overhead and operations costs are minimal. Due to the
fact that the Franchise system extends across North
America, there is an opportunity for all Franchisees
to network from coast to coast. This is a significant
benefit for larger clients that may have multiple locations.
Of course smaller clients are served locally and comprise
a significant, lucrative portion of our Franchisees'
client base. And, your client base is protected through
our sophisticated client registry system.
Training
Schooley Mitchell provides all new Franchisees with
an intensive two-week initial training program at The
Telecom Institute, as well as one week of mentoring
training in your community. The training then continues
with hands-on training as you begin the operation of
the Franchise. Continuous training takes place via our
intranet, through our support staff, through sessions
near your community with suppliers of technology solutions
and via other distance learning initiatives. The initial
training includes "hands-on" training with
live client cases as well as marketing, telecom, computer
and technical training. Head office staff also continues
to train you through our support team, as you execute
your initial client engagements. In addition to all
of these vehicles to keep you up to date and provide
training to you, each Franchisee attends our annual
conference where the newest technologies are reviewed
and the successes of all of our vast network of Consultants
are shared with peers.
Support
Support from head office is provided on a continuous
basis. Head office staff have been providing support
to clients across North America for more than 20 years.
Through our toll-free numbers, you are never left to
deal with a challenge alone. We continually help you
through your client situations as well as continually
providing information about supplier options and technical
information. Our field consulting staff also provide
marketing and sales support.
Research
The mandate of the head office research team is to stay
on top of the telecom world. That includes updated rate
tables for supplier options, continually advising about
technical information as it changes and providing market
information to aid Franchisees' development. This information
is communicated to Franchisees on a weekly basis to
increase profitability and success.
Marketing and Advertising
As indicated in the Schooley Mitchell mission statement,
our goal is to be known as the telecom experts across
the continent. Our advertising and marketing programs
are directed toward that goal. Our training course includes
three full days of marketing skills development to ensure
that our Franchisees fully understand our marketing
programs and strategies. During the past few years,
Schooley Mitchell has been honoured with six coveted
"Frankie Awards" for the best advertising
campaigns among all Franchise companies. The Gold Medal
for "Business to Business Brochures" and the
Silver Medal for "Direct Marketing" were awarded
in 2000. Those achievements were followed up with the
Silver Medal for "Corporate Identity" and
the Bronze Medal for "Business to Business Brochures"
in 2001. Two more Bronze Medals were received in 2002
and 2003.
Franchisee Selection
Our success is based entirely on the success of our
Franchisees. Consequently, we are very careful in our
selection process. In selecting Franchisees, preference
is given to applicants with the following characteristics:
| 1. |
Aptitude for managing a business; |
| 2. |
Strong business background - marketing,
sales, consulting or management; |
| 3. |
Team orientation that entails an appreciation
for the benefits of working in a proven system; |
| 4. |
Good interpersonal and communication
skills; |
| 5. |
The ability to make a full-time commitment
(from the Franchisee or a Franchise manager); |
| 6. |
Financial resources |
| 7. |
Strong desire to control your own
destiny & financial security |
Although the investment to acquire a Franchise license
is small compared to most Franchises, you must be able
to meet that commitment, as well as provide for personal
expenses. Results vary from Franchisee to Franchisee,
which makes it difficult to predict how many weeks from
the point of start-up will be required before realizing
the initial collection of fees. Consequently, you must
have enough capital, so you don't require cash from
the business for the start-up period.
Investment
Schooley Mitchell requires an investment of $44,500.
You also require a computer with the ability to run
Windows 2000 or higher, a laser printer, and Office
2003. If you already
have an appropriate computer with the proper characteristics,
there may not be further computer investment required.
There are some other start-up requirements such as business
cards, letterheads, envelopes, and Internet access,
if not already in place. Those actual requirements will
be discussed in detail at the interview stage of the
application process.
The system includes:
1. |
Use of the Schooley Mitchell name,
trademarks, and quality reputation; |
2. |
Computer software tools developed
by Schooley Mitchell, as well as continuous updates; |
3. |
The initial training course; including
mentoring training |
4. |
Continuous training on a distance
learning basis; |
5. |
The annual training updates; |
6. |
Access to specialists in all areas
of telecommunications through our consultant network
throughout North America; |
7. |
Continuous toll-free support; |
8. |
Head office support, experience, business
expertise and advice; |
9. |
Marketing and advertising materials
and advice; |
10. |
U.S. and Canada-wide coverage to ensure
all client needs can be satisfied; |
11. |
Access to the Schooley Mitchell intranet
site, which contains technical material, training
material, methods of easy communication among franchisees,
etc.; |
12. |
The fully developed operating and support systems,
which means you don't have to "recreate the
wheel."
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The Path to Success
The concept is simple - the only way we succeed is to
have you succeed. We will do everything in our power
to duplicate the success we have experienced with our
other Franchise locations.
A Schooley Mitchell Franchise offers the prestige of
association with a professional business and the opportunity
to become part of a successful team. Our proven system
of operation and our recognized identity in the field
of Telecommunications are the essential components to
build business success.
A Franchise - Is It For You?
Franchising has increased dramatically during the last
two decades and is quickly being recognized as one of
the most effective ways of doing business. It combines
the drive and ambition of the small businessperson with
the experience and expertise of the Franchisor. The
result is often a winning strategic-partnership for
both parties.
The success rate of franchise businesses is much higher
than that of independent businesses.
- According to Franchise World Magazine, a franchise
business has a 92% success rate after 5 years compared
to a 23% success rate of an independent business after
the same period of time.
- There is only one Franchise bankruptcy to every
40 independent business bankruptcies in North America
(5,000 vs. 200,000 annually, respectively).
- Although only 3% of businesses in North America
are Franchises, 40% of retail and service business
is conducted by those franchises every year.
- There are now over 600,000 Franchises with over
$600 billion in sales in North America.
A successful Franchise relationship means you are joining
a team where members have common goals. Together, the
Franchisor and Franchisee work to build a strong company
image, develop the market and increase profits. Individuals
with an entrepreneurial spirit and a desire to work
as part of a team are the most effective Franchise candidates.
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