What’s the key to boosting franchisee sales growth?

Inside Franchise Business: Poolwerx field manager Tony Campbell with his wife Sheridan ReadHelping franchisees achieve strong sales growth can be a mark of a top performing field manager.

Poolwerx’s Tony Campbell has proved he has what it takes to nurture franchisees in their businesses – he was named the Field Manager of the Year for Western Australia at the annual Franchise Council of Australia WA Excellence in Franchising Regional Awards for 2017.

The award comes after a challenging year that saw Campbell and his 19 Poolwerx Franchise Partners achieve notable sales growth, notwithstanding the downturn in the WA economy.

Through the adoption of a number of innovative sales and marketing initiatives, Campbell helped his West Australian group achieve growth just shy of six percent – a four percent improvement on the previous two years.

“We’ve made a point of not trying to do the same things we’ve been doing the last 10 years,” Campbell said. “The environment has dramatically changed and we’re now in unchartered waters so this requires new thinking.”

Campbell said the win, while very welcome, came as a complete surprise.

“I was really just there for the steak!” he joked. “I honestly thought my chances were pretty slim considering the kind of competition I was up against. I was humbled and shocked when they read out my name – I hadn’t even prepared a speech.”

However, he had already scored a 77 percent satisfaction rating in Poolwerx’s annual internal Franchise Partner survey, placing him well above the franchise industry benchmark.

With a business development background, Campbell puts a strong focus on achieving growth.

“I work closely with each of my franchise partners to develop the tools they need to achieve their goals. I also think helping franchise partners find confidence in their own skills and abilities is key to achieving growth as a group.”