With its creative name and Freddie, a playful bright-blue frog as a brand ambassador, bluefrog Plumbing + Drain created a buzz at the 2015 Water & Wastewater Equipment, Treatment & Transport (WWETT) Show. The company used WWETT to introduce attendees to the company and seek new franchisees.
“We are aiming for independent company operators that utilize one to four trucks in their business,” says Jeremiah Cundiff, the company’s franchise development director. “Under our plan, the independent contractor would convert to our franchise, with the goal of growing the business into six or
more trucks.”
According to Cundiff, bluefrog Plumbing + Drain focuses on providing consumers with five attributes, including timeliness, safety, professionalism, consideration and a transparent value.
The brand is easily marketable, and franchisees are required to stay open 24/7, 365 days a year, with no extra charges for nights, weekends or holiday calls, he explains. Service technicians give each client a courtesy call while on their way with the projected arrival time, and for security purposes can email a photo of themselves to the client prior to arrival at their home.
“We train our franchisees on a different way of operating a business,” he says. “Our system shifts away from price to a value-based service. Instead of offering the lowest price, our intent is to offer the best service and increase the value for the client.”
To handle increased business, the company provides education on how small businesses can add valuable employees to their teams. The idea focuses on helping the owner of the franchise leverage their trade knowledge by getting them out of the truck and into a managerial role.
“One of the biggest reasons small companies struggle with increased business is that typically the owner is a plumber that’s still running service calls every day instead of taking the time to build and oversee his team,” says Cundiff. “We help that owner find the right technicians to field his service calls and positively represent his business. We want technicians that understand the importance of a positive customer experience.”
The new franchise opportunity adds an additional revenue stream that’s relevant to existing septic service and installation businesses. For instance, Cundiff says that several franchise partners are composed of independent system installers looking to expand their service offerings, as well as independent plumbers who are looking to apply the proven system. That idea appealed to several WWETT attendees.
“Many of the treatment system installers I’ve spoken with at this show are already master plumbers, so this is a great opportunity for them to leverage that to great additional revenue opportunities,” says Cundiff. “Coming in to this show, our goal was to leave with three or four strong franchise partner leads. We had 22 strong leads just the first day. We couldn’t be happier with the response.”
At the 2016 show, bluefrog Plumbing + Drain will again be looking to add trustworthy, independent contractors who have an entrepreneurial drive to its franchise system. The ideal prospect is an established independent plumber or septic service technician who is bottom-line driven, customer-service oriented, and has a passion for community involvement.
“The great thing about this show in particular is the varied locations of the attendees,” says Cundiff. “I have talked with people from all around
the country and Canada. A big goal of ours is expanding the company’s reach, so our opportunity at WWETT is great.” (888) 490-9850; www.whateveryplumbermustknow.com.
