After many years working with the the Countrywide Signs management team, supporting them in building and developing their franchise network, I decided to put my money where my suggestions were and invested in a Countrywide Signs Franchise.Countrywide Signs Newbury is based across Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire and Hampshire. We provide professional 'For Sale' and 'To Let' board erection services to all estate and letting agents operating in our territory, as well as commercial board services for chartered surveyors and pretty much any type of sign or banner you can think of.Our ‘core’ service is simple, putting up, changing and taking down 'For Sale' and to 'To Let' boards on both a residential and commercial basis, but we also offer in-house designs for re-branding, print options for boards and consultancy advice.My role at Countrywide Signs Newbury is as the main point of contact for our clients, negotiating new business and ensuring we continue to deliver excellent service when we have won the contract. I do this by talking to our existing clients, and new estate and letting agents about our service levels and any ideas we can bring along to improve their businesses and their current sales or letting board management processes and systems.Through the Countrywide Signs Board Management System, a simple but sophisticated online service, provided free to our clients, we can provide agents with a snapshot of exactly what's going on with their boards at all the properties they are currently listing. Stock levels are monitored, and the system also provides excellent analysis about the state of the market and current trends.I'm more than happy to arrange a meeting to go through the way we work and how we may be able to help.

Chantry provide a range of business development services to companies in the UK, Europe and USA. Over the past 6 years the team have developed an exceptional reputation within the franchise industry and also provided ongoing strategic direction and marketing support to a number of UK based small and medium sized businesses.If you are searching for assistance with your marketing Chantry offer a trustworthy, fresh approach focusing on achieving your objectives with the highest ROI from your available resources. We believe in developing long-term relationships; one business Chris has worked with for over 11 years, other clients between 1 and 3 years, although we have completed many shorter marketing consultancy projects as well! Please feel free to pick up the telephone to discuss your company's situation and objectives.

In my most recent role at Select Your Franchise I helped to deliver recruitment services to franchisors through lead generation, providing lead handling training and mentoring, together with training for trade shows and on-line marketing. We were also partners in 'The Franchise Supplier Showcase' which introduces relevant specialist suppliers to franchisors to help them to improve their businesses and networks.We also provided hands on help to franchisors with their recruitment needs. We provided a lead handling service up to the point of a 1st meeting with the franchisor as well as specialist lead nurturing software and marketing to help franchisors get the most from all of their leads!My specific responsibilities were developing sales and service arrangements with customers for recruiting franchisees. We advertised franchise opportunities on our websites and helped franchisors to develop their recruitment processes. We also advised franchisors on the use of Social Media and the internet in general to help them develop their own and their franchisees businesses.I developed an effective e-marketing program to maintain revenues and retain customers through significant lead generation. This program helped me to gain skills in HTML and email analytics to both draft, design and improve customers individual email campaignsWe maintained market share in advertisors in an increasingly competitive market and increased lead volume year on year through e-marketing activities.

Providing personal financial advice on pensions, insurance, mortgages and investments to clients of all ages and backgrounds, first time buyers to company directors and the retired.Working to deadlines with accuracy and confidentiality was an important part of the position. I enjoyed the contact with clients of all backgrounds which brought variety to the challenges in presenting the correct options and solutions for each individual.At times working closely with estate agency and bank staff my role was to develop the income of the branches from financial services products, reviewing good practices and utilising this information to develop all the staff with ongoing training.

Starting as a field technician and moving up to managing the hardware and software support services for Apple Thames Valley, one of the leading Apple Dealerships of the time. I took the department through ISO 9000 certification and moved the turnover from £250k through the £1 million barrier with a healthy profit margin.Whilst maintaining a hands on approach I managed a team of 10 hardware and software technicians supporting the firms customers and sales teams.I was part of the team that launched one of the first Apple Stores and also provided technical support for Camelots bid for the National Lottery.

An RAF apprenticeship at RAF Halton was followed by, what really felt like the longest holiday I have had to date. I was doing things that I enjoyed, at whilst at work and at play - how much fun I had! My time in the RAF provided the best work and life training you could ask for, and the experiences to go with it. My service combined travel, new experiences and challenges in a wild variety of places, circumstances and skills - all in an encouraging environment that aided my personal development along the way. Moving between posts, you learn to quickly adapt and apply your skills to new environments and to fit in with new people and team dynamics easily - don't carry preconceptions or fixed ways of working, be prepared to change and yet contribute fresh ideas and draw on past experience when it can help. A lesson that has served me well throughout my life.