From redundancy to the driving seat

The Snap-on franchise has changed my life, says franchisee Nick Allen

Nick Allen joined Snap-on over nine years ago and has been a part of the franchise system in various capacities. He is now operating as a franchisee and hasn’t looked back since.

Nick originally trained as an electrical fitter, but after being made redundant ended up rebuilding military vehicles. He wanted a career change and looked at several other opportunities, but chose Snap-on because, he says: “I used to work with a Snap-on Tools franchisee and mentioned to him that I was looking to start a new business working for myself. He recommended I tried the Snap-on route. I was aware of the product brand name and also it meant working in an environment that I was comfortable in, so it was an easy decision to make.”

Day to day

Nick’s day starts at 7.15am: “I print off my daily sheets, which gives me a list of all the customers I am going to see during the day. It also shows me anything my customers may require, such as back orders and products they have asked me for. I can then use this to carry around with me throughout the day. It’s this personal service that sets Snap-on above the rest and gives me my competitive edge.

“I normally get home around half past five and do about 50 minutes’ paperwork, clean down the truck and close out my day.”

Nick enjoys the banter he has with his customers and is still enthusiastic about the business: “I get a buzz from selling the Snap-on product. I get to liaise with all the different areas and people within the company and I meet somebody different every day.”

When asked about any pitfalls, he explains: “There are pitfalls in every walk of life. I think the main potential mistakes are when people try to reinvent the wheel and stop following the procedures that are put in place by the franchisor. The franchise works because the systems are tried and tested and the successful Snap-on franchisees understand that if you follow the process the sky is the limit.”

Snap-on franchisees visit the same customers every week, at the same time every day.  Professional technicians expect the Snap-on man to come. Workshop managers allow the Snap-on franchisee into the workshop to talk to their technicians, service their tools and sell them product.

Excellent support

Nick says the support he has received from Snap-on has been excellent: “When I started to work for the company, I initially did a week’s training at their training school in Dallas. Then when I went out on the road I did what they call an ‘initial blast’ with my Field Manager, which means five weeks of tuition with him sat next to me in the truck showing me the ropes. 

“We now get together once a month and talk about new product and sales ideas with around 15 other Snap-on franchisees, which gives you the opportunity to bounce ideas around and talk to franchisees who have been doing it for longer than yourself.

“I went back to the training school after six months and did a refresher training course to sharpen some new skills. There is continuous training available and diagnostic training that we can participate in if we want too.”
Nick adds: “The Snap-on franchise has changed my life. I feel I am in charge of my own destiny now, rather than working for somebody doing the same thing from Monday to Friday, 9-5. I am now driving my own business forward, able to create my own goals and achieve my own targets.”

For more information call 01235 831 053, email ukweb @snapon.com or visit www1.snapon .com/franchise/uk.