Going Green in Franchising

The websites Bebo, hi5, twitter, tagged and mocospace should all be in marketing toolboxes by now. And if they are not, then a new approach may need to be considered, or as they say, hire a 15 year old to advise on the current tools to enable customers to stay in touch.

But what are customers saying about your business? They certainly want to know about the products and services on offer and how your business is making them feel special, but they may also want to know whether your business is lightening your footprint. What is your business doing about Greenhouse Gas Emissions? Is your business engaging in effective green marketing or “green washing” and having it fall on deaf ears?

And if none of the above has made any sense, then don’t worry. The good news is that Sherpa Group can help businesses through the green maze and guide them safely out the other side with their new Carbon Viability Study.

Through a partnership with Adelaide based environmental agency Carbon Planet, franchise marketing group Sherpa Group, now includes a Carbon Compliance analysis as part of its already substantive Viability Study. If businesses hope to make the jump to franchising they will need to meet certain criteria . “It started with products and points of difference, then IT systems and social media, now environmental culture and practice are new key criteria for anyone thinking of franchising or those existing franchise systems requiring to understand their obligations”, says Chief Sherpa, Vicki Prout. “You only need to do a quick search of franchises for sale to see that companies are gearing up for going green”.

There are 8 simple principles of Carbon Management that Sherpa franchise consultants can help to develop.

And for those franchisors that already are up and running but need a bit of greening, the news is good for you to. Now is time to still get the jump on the competition says Vicki Prout. “Selling franchises and increasing network revenue is hard enough and you need every advantage possible. Greening your franchise and your franchisees makes great sense, in fact it is mandatory in some cases. And we are ready to help businesses, from the smallest start up to the largest franchisor.”

And if you are still not convinced that saving the planet is good for your business, recent customer surveys in the United States show that going green can be profitable with an increase in the number of customers that are saying they are prepared to pay more for a “green product”.

Go green and the planet and perhaps your balance sheet will thank you.

Contact Sherpa Group to find out more and receive a free Sherpa Guide which includes helpful tips on starting a franchise or buying a franchise.