In this edition of ‘Advice From the Experts’, we’re talking to Franchise Director Matt Baines, who has spent the past eight years guiding and assisting potential Spoton.net franchisees. Read on to learn more about Spoton.net…

Spoton.net was founded in 2003 and began franchising in 2008. Throughout its existence, the company has continuously evolved and uses the latest digital technology to develop high-performance websites for its customers. The company is now a national franchise, with many regional franchise office throughout the UK – and is still growing! 

In this edition of ‘Advice From the Experts’, we’re talking to Franchise Director Matt Baines, who has spent the past eight years guiding and assisting potential Spoton.net franchisees. Read on to learn more about Spoton.net and to find out what they’re looking for in a franchisee. 

Can you fill us in on the background of the franchise and your own role within it?

Spoton.net is the UK and Ireland’s leading website and digital marketing franchise. Our franchisees provide small- and medium-sized businesses with professional, custom designed and fully responsive websites.

I am the Spoton.net franchise director and I joined the company in 2008, bringing sales, marketing and franchise experience from my time at Marks & Spencer and McDonald’s. If anyone is thinking about applying for a Spoton.net franchise, or they just want to find out more information, then I am the person they’ll talk to, initially on the phone. I would then invite anyone who appears to have what we’re looking for as a potential business partner to join me and the rest of the team for a discovery day, so they can gain a deeper understanding of the business.

Spoton.net has successfully grown from a local business to a national franchise. How has the digital landscape changed since Spoton.net was launched in 2003?

Since 2003, the need for a business to have a professionally designed website has rapidly increased, with more and more people now going online to research and contact businesses.

However, in recent years, in order to compete effectively, it has become paramount for businesses to have a responsive website – one that looks great and is easy to navigate on mobiles and tablets, as well as on a desktop computer. Google actually ranks responsive websites higher in search results.

The world of digital marketing is continuously evolving and our team of expert web developers and designers are passionate about keeping up to speed with the latest developments, so Spoton.net franchisees can provide businesses with a website that is not only brilliantly designed but also gets results by using the latest in website technology.

What makes Spoton.net unique?

In short, there are three things that particularly set Spoton.net apart from other franchises:

1. Our responsive websites are unique and custom designed by a team of professional designers. Furthermore, because 90% of UK businesses don’t yet have a responsive website, the market opportunity is huge.
2. There’s the potential for our franchisees to earn £50k by year two, and then add £10-15k each year after that, thanks to the residual income earned from each client’s monthly subscription – and that’s on top of the instant income from each new website sale.
3. The training and support provided is second to none – just ask any of our franchisees. Not only do our franchisees benefit from six days training, including a field day with an experienced franchisee, there’s also an online support website and access to our large team of experts at head office who are always on hand to offer guidance, advice and support.

Describe the ideal Spoton.net franchisee

An ideal Spoton.net franchisee is someone who is able to talk to people and build rapport with everyone they meet. This is essential to winning business and maintaining great relations with existing clients, which in turn increases the amount of referrals they can expect to receive.

They are fast learners, happy to work under their own steam, and also ambitious and determined – oh, and they have no qualms about getting out there to market, consult and win business.

However, what an ideal franchisee doesn’t need is any design skills or to be technically minded. All websites are created in-house by our team of professional website designers and developers at head office.

What does the typical working day of a Spoton.net franchisee involve?

No two days are ever the same for a Spoton.net franchisee, as they never know from one hour to the next what opportunities will present themselves. However, a typical day would involve a high degree of prospecting, such as attending networking group meetings and contacting potential clients by phone and email.

Spoton.net franchisees frequently attend appointments to deliver website presentations to potential clients. Franchisees then assist clients to select their it’seeze website package and design preference before sending this to the head office team to start the site design and build.

Franchisees will also have regular contact with their clients to provide ongoing support and build long-term client relationships.

Give us your essential tips for surviving as a business owner

• Undertake a broad range of marketing activities – make full use of the franchise pack.
• Don’t lose sight of your determination to be successful.
• Use the support available to you – as well as the pool of helpful documents and videos, learn from other franchisees and seek advice from our expert support team.

What are Spoton.net’s goals in terms of continuous expansion?

After successfully developing the Spoton.net franchise across the UK for six years, last year we launched our first franchise territory in Ireland. Over the next few years, we hope to increase our coverage of both the UK and Ireland so that every business will eventually have a Spoton.net franchisee in close proximity, ready to provide them with an affordable and professionally designed website.