Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs

Have a question? Please take a minute to review the following questions.

All the questions are listed first. To see the answer to individual questions simply click on the question.

If you don't find an answer to your particular question here, feel free to email us at twshead@thewheelspecialist.co.uk or call 0845 017 6464

1.   Is there a real need for your services?
2.   What's the competition like?
3.   How do I get my customers ?
4.   Can I really earn "Serious Money"?
5.   How do I find suitable premises?
6.   What support structure do you have in place?
7.   Will I Get An Exclusive Territory?
8.   What type of person is perfect for this business?
9.   What training will I need?
10. How much is the franchise fee?
11. What does the franchise fee include?
12. How long does it take to get back my franchise fee?
13. Do I have to pay a monthly management fee?
14. What do I get for the monthly management fee?
15. What are the typical working hours per week?
16. Okay, I qualify and I'm impressed, what's the next step?

Is there a real need for your services?

We get hundreds of enquiries each week from across the UK, which we’re currently unable to service – that’s why we’ve decided to expand by franchising the business. There are over 97 million alloy wheels on vehicles in the UK, with over a million wheels in each of our defined territories.

What's the competition like?

There are currently no other specialist Alloy Wheel Refurbishment franchises within the UK. There are a number of competitors who offer a ‘cosmetic’ repair service for alloy wheels, operating a mobile service. According to one of these (on their own website), even though they have been operating in the UK since 1994, they are currently only dealing with less than 3% of prospects.

Where The Wheel Specialist™ differs from the competition is:

	The Quality of our full, professional refurbishment service, especially when compared to the cosmetic ‘quick-fix’ service of most of our competitors
	Your customers bring their wheels to you so your earning potential is not limited to the number of jobs you can get to (time spent in traffic jams is time when you’re not earning!); you work indoors, unaffected by the weather; your business can’t be driven away (literally) overnight.
	Our turnaround time – normally same day if pre-booked and on site by 8:00 a.m., otherwise 2 days in the majority of cases. Other ‘full refurbishment’ companies average 2-3 days on most wheels, and anywhere from 3 to 10 days for non-standard finishes.
	Our Guarantee (all paint / powder finishes are guaranteed for 12 months)
	Wide range of value for money finishes, with a varied pricing tariff depending on the customer’s needs.

The Wheel Specialist ™ will be the first national chain of premises that specialise 100% in the refurbishment of alloy wheels. We’ll stand out from our competitors as being experts in the field, providing a service that’s second to none!.

How do I get my customers?

Our sales and marketing strategies are so well developed, we Guarantee to give you 200 leads to get your business off to a head start. Based on our current conversion rates that should give you 50 customers, which equates to over £10,000 in sales!

Fifty percent of our customers find us on our web site www.thewheelspecialist.co.uk. The web site will automatically create a quote for customers depending on the criteria they enter (wheel size, finish required, etc.), and will route the ‘lead’ to the customer’s nearest franchisee, based on the postcode entered.

We also have at least a dozen other proven marketing strategies that you can employ to generate new leads in your area, plus we’ll show you how to build up your own regular trade business (each exclusive territory has an average of 750 auto-trade related businesses).

Can I really earn "Serious Money"?

Definitely! How much you can earn depends on how many hours and days a week you work, how many holidays you take, how many ovens/spray booths you use, how many staff you employ, etc.

There is so much demand for our services that you could work 7 days a week should you so choose (although you probably wouldn’t – not if you want the time to enjoy your increased income!).

We can show how to make a net profit of over £50,000 in your first year. A six-figure income is achievable if you really want it!

How do I find suitable premises?

We will give you a specification for the type of light industrial unit that you will need to operate your business from, including minimum size, services required etc., and help you to draw up a shortlist of potential sites in your chosen area. We will then help you to choose your premises from the shortlist.

Location is not the primary factor, i.e. it is not critical as regards generating business. The premises need to be presentable (i.e. not a dingy, scruffy back-street garage), but don’t need to be all polished glass and mirrors. Easy access from main routes is more important than being on a main road.

What support structure do you have in place?

We believe that the support structure of any franchise organisation is one of the most important aspects of running a successful franchise. We don’t just recruit franchisees and them leave them alone to ‘get on with it’. Of course our training is so detailed you won’t need constant supervision, but you will need help from time to time.

That’s why we have a structure in place that ensures your success …

Here’s the support structure you get when you come on-board as a Franchisee with The Wheel Specialist™:

	Full support in setting up and locating your business premises, and recruiting and training your first two employees.
	We have 14 proven sales and marketing strategies that you will use in your area to bring in customers from day 1.
	A custom-built web-based Business Management (CRM) System to help you track leads, customers, jobs, create quotes and invoices, etc. This is linked to our web site so customers can get automatic quotes online, and leads are automatically assigned to the customer’s nearest franchisee.
	An ‘Extranet’ (a web site for the exclusive use of franchisees and Head Office) which will hold documents, forms, manuals, a troubleshooting section, and a discussion forum for sharing best practice and experiences across the franchise network.
	Continual development and updating of The Wheel Specialist™ systems and procedures to reflect lessons learnt and our understanding of best practice
	Regular reviews to help you become as successful as possible.
	Support from The Wheel Specialist™ Central Support who will help you with all aspects of running your business, including sales and marketing and technical support.
	Ongoing product development, with a view to increasing your (and our) revenue streams
	The Wheel Specialist™ will also provide ongoing training as required to keep you abreast of new refurbishment techniques, materials, etc., or any additional services that we may offer in the future.
	And most importantly...
	Remember our success is linked to your success. We don’t recruit franchisees who don’t have the skills to succeed. If you are finding the processes difficult to manage, just ask. Help will always be at hand As you can see, you’re never alone in this business!

Will I Get An Exclusive Territory?

You will be given a large ‘territory’ which has been professionally mapped out on a postcode basis, taking into account road links and demographics, to ensure that there are more than enough privately-owned vehicles, and auto-trade related business in that territory to sustain a franchise indefinitely even when operating at full capacity.

The territory is exclusive in that no other franchise outlet will be sold within the defined area of that territory. No other franchisee will be allowed to directly target people or businesses in your territory with their marketing campaigns. However, customers will have a choice as to where they take their vehicle – i.e. the franchisee will be allowed to accept business from private customers who live outside of their defined area.

What type of person is perfect for this business?

Of course all our Franchisees are different in many ways, however they all exude the following attributes…

	Want to be their own boss, while having excellent backup and support
	Want to earn Serious money!
	Are passionate about cars
	Are self-motivated, and eager to succeed, with a positive “go for it” attitude
	Have a willingness to “muck-in” to get the job done
	Have some business sense
	Have basic computer skills
	Are of smart appearance, with good interpersonal skills
	Probably aged over 35 (although younger applicants will be considered if they have an abundance of the other attributes)
	In good health
	Able to give one hundred percent commitment
	Have a full and enjoyable lifestyle (or have the plans to)
And most importantly…
	Have the drive, desire, and ambition to build their own successful business, offering top quality workmanship, value for money and excellent customer service!

What training will I need?

There is no requirement for you to have any prior experience of alloy wheel refurbishment. As long as you have the key skills we’re looking for you’ll have all the skills you need to succeed.

You will need up to two employees who will carry out the wheel refurbishment service (we will help you recruit and train them), while your role will be to develop your business, with our help and ongoing support.

As a Franchisee with The Wheel Specialist™ it’s important for you to understand the wheel refurbishment process. Although it’s unlikely you’ll be doing the refurbishment yourself (unless you want to!), there may be times when you need to “muck-in” to help get the job done.

You will need to be trained to follow the processes and procedures detailed in The Wheel Specialist™ Operations Manuals, which include:

	Marketing and Lead Generation
	The Core Sales Process
	Technical Operations (wheel refurbishment)
	Payment and Finances
	Supply Chain Management (parts and supplies ordering)
	Conduct at Work
	Health and Safety / Sustainability Practices
	After Sales Process

We will also cover some of the basics of running your own business. This will not be very detailed, as you should take advice from an accountant (and you may already have experience of running your own business, so we wouldn ’t want to bore you!). We’ll just point out some of the things you’ll need to do, e.g. register for VAT, basic record-keeping, etc.

You will also learn how to grow your business, should you wish to increase your earnings potential even further.

10.

How much is the franchise fee?

For a limited period, the franchise fee will be just £29,997 + VAT. This will be reviewed from time to time as The Wheel Specialist™ franchise grows.

This is a unique opportunity to start your own business at an unbelievably low price, and to help The Wheel Specialist™ grow into a recognised name within a few short years.

11.

What does the franchise fee include?

The fee will license you to trade under our name, and entitle you to all future support. Specifically the fee includes

	All the training you and up to two employees will need to enable you to open and run a successful business;
	Access to all our manuals and materials;
	Bespoke CRM system to help you track leads, invoices, customers, etc. and hold employee data, contact history, and many other functions.
	Extranet for internal communications, documents and forms, manuals etc.
	Initial local advertising campaign to launch your business

12.

How long does it take to get back my franchise fee?

Our fee is set at a level where we know that 99% of our franchisees will earn at least double the value of their franchise fee within the first 12 months.

13.

Do I have to pay a monthly management fee?

Yes. This is set at 12% of your gross revenue on services, and 5% of your gross revenue from product sales, payable monthly.

14.

What do I get for the monthly management fee?

The monthly management fee helps to pay for the key support services that we have in place to support you in your business:

	Centralised sales and marketing, including our customer web site www.thewheelspecialist.co.uk, which should generate up to 50% of your business
	Ongoing support by email, phone, and if necessary in person for any issues you may have concerning the running of your franchise.
	Regular progress reviews and Quality Control checks, with assistance given (if necessary) to increase your sales
	Ongoing research to keep you informed of new and emerging technologies, materials, etc.
	Ongoing product development
	Maintenance of and updates to the Operations Manual and Extranet

15.

What are the typical working hours per week?

Our normal hours of operation are 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, and 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturdays (although our first two years financial projections assume a 5 day week).

If you wanted to extend or reduce those hours that would be up to you – it’s your business! Our only stipulation is that you should be open for business for at least 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. five days a week (e.g. you may choose to open all day Saturday and close Sunday and Monday).

16.

Okay, I qualify and I'm impressed, what's the next step?

There are 2 quick and easy ways to contact us...

1. Phone: 0845 017 6464

2. Complete the online enquiry form by clicking here

We can then arrange a FREE No Obligation Telephone Appointment. But be quick - we're only taking on a limited number of Franchisees over the next few months, as we want to give each Franchisee our full support.

Still Have An Unanswered Question?

If you find one of your questions isn't answered above, please feel free to contact us...

	Email: twshead@thewheelspecialist.co.uk
	Phone:0845 017 6464
	Fax: 0121 328 9787