Solid Commercial Sales Relationships Bring Steady Revenue Stream to Batteries Plus Bulbs Franchisees

Batteries Plus Bulbs offers smartphone and tablet repair services, key fob replacements, plus an extensive line of battery and bulb products, all of which combine for a robust brick-and-mortar model optimally positioned for commercial sales. In addition to its extensive line of commercial products and services, Batteries Plus Bulbs also partners with local schools, businesses and more to further increase a given store’s revenue. Below are just a few of the ways that Batteries Plus Bulbs encompasses an exciting franchise opportunity thanks to the strength of its commercial sales.

Sales Effectiveness Coaches identify business development opportunities

One way in which the brand supports its franchisees is by leveraging Sales Effectiveness Coaches who identify businesses that would benefit from the Batteries Plus Bulbs offering. Sales Effectiveness Coaches are part of a franchisee’s initial training and help them understand the commercial business opportunities in their communities and how to pursue them. Once a franchisee gets off the ground, the coaches meet with them regularly and train the new franchisee’s sales staff. 

“Our franchise owners come to the Batteries Plus Bulbs brand from all walks of life and they don’t always have a background in sales,” Batteries Plus Bulbs Vice President of Franchise Development Jon Sica said. “Our Coaches help them learn to establish a commercial business and follow up on leads to get out into the community. With the support of the corporate team, our franchisees are building their sales and commercial channels in a way they wouldn’t be able to find on their own.”

To that end, Batteries Plus Bulbs has made the Salesforce platform—which Sica defines as an “industry-leading customer relationship management tool”—available to all of the system’s franchisees.

“Franchisees are able to identify, assign and track progress against leads generated by the system,” Sica explained. “Our franchisees are constantly keeping those leads warm as they continue to build their business and to help people find solutions right in their local communities.” 

Batteries Plus Bulbs franchisees can also turn to the brand’s corporate team for guidance. 

“We have a big support staff, so when our owners are out there and they are trying to capture businesses, we have staff here at our headquarters in Hartland, Wisconsin that can assist them,” Sica said. “They can call in and get that help so as to quickly turn around and bid on business.” 

Franchisees are also given suggestions on local business groups they should consider joining, Vice President of Commercial Sales Scott O’Farrell said. 

“We do suggest they join their local Chamber of Commerce, and we also suggest they join the BNI Group, a lead-generation organization,” O’Farrell said. 

Extended hours, delivery options and as-needed inventory provide major convenience to commercial accounts

Batteries Plus Bulbs stores keep extended hours and stay open on weekends, both of which helps commercial sales by way of positioning Batteries Plus Bulbs as the convenient go-to for commercial needs. “Many of our schools or contractors can’t wait when a need arises,” said Sica. “They need what they need, when they need it and it can’t wait until Monday.” Additionally, the brand offers local delivery and the ability to tailor services to customers’ needs via volume discounts or as-needed in-store inventory stocking.

“We play in a space that is very different from a lot of big commercial vendors out there,” Sica said. “When you provide a great service and a great product, these relationships become annuities for you as an owner. They are steady sources of revenue. When serviced well and priced well, commercial sales can be very predictable.”  

A national accounts team promotes strategic partnerships at the local level while corporate leadership helps foster community engagement

The brand also leverages a national account team to identify potential commercial partnerships, propose such partnerships to relevant brands and then route that business to local stores with the inventory and/or staff to service the need, Sica said.

“That is built-in business that franchisees don’t have to chase,” Sica said. “It’s going to come in because we’ve set it up at a national level. That’s a huge part of the value we bring to our ownership group.” 

In addition to funneled business from larger, often national brands to a given Batteries Plus Bulbs location, right-at-home commercial demand benefits franchisees, too. One franchisee who knows the commercial sales benefits of community connection well is Bernadette “Bernie” Perryman. 

Perryman bought into the Batteries Plus Bulbs franchise system in August of 2016, purchasing one location in St. Cloud, Minnesota and another in nearby Sauk Rapids. She decided to become a Batteries Plus Bulbs franchisee after seeing the degree to which the still-growing Batteries Plus Bulbs brand places focus on supporting its franchisees. 

”I was motivated by the opportunity to reach out to bigger businesses with bigger buying issues who had a need for more than just one or two bulbs,” Perryman said. “Since I was the beer distributor in St. Cloud for 12 years, I met a lot of retailers in the liquor stores and in the restaurants, so that became my first natural attraction. I also did lighting projects with restaurants and schools and hotels—all industries I knew I could go after. And with Batteries Plus Bulbs support, I knew I would be successful.”

Perryman appreciates the brand support she’s received. 

“The corporate team helps franchisees grow,” she said. “We’re all a really happy, strong family. There is consistency across the states we’re in, so we’re not fragmented. The strength is in the numbers and how we connect ourselves.” 

The startup costs for a Batteries Plus Bulbs franchise range from $189,250 to $366,350. The franchise fee is $37,500. To learn more about franchising with Batteries Plus Bulbs, visit https://batteriesplusfranchise.com/.