Derek Smith

28 August 2013

Derek Smith has been a Master Franchise Partner for Southern Ireland since 2002:

Here he explains what it is, he feels, that makes a Pitman Training Franchise so attractive to so many people.

“Pitman Training is a strong brand. This undoubtedly adds weight when a potential franchisee is looking at options. It’s also appealing for new franchisees to gain the benefit from highly experienced franchisees sharing best practice within the Pitman Franchise Partnership.

These things are very important but I think it’s the depth of the opportunity for a potential franchisee, which is the really interesting bit.

With a Pitman Training franchise franchisees get the option of how involved in the business they would like to be. This is not the case with many other types of franchise but the Pitman Training Franchise offers management options, so it’s up to the individual to decide if they want to be completely involved, or employ a manager or staff to run the business.

The depth of the product range is another appealing element. There is a huge array of courses over very wide and varied subject areas and these command high average enrolment fees, due to the quality of course material.

Another strong point to the Pitman Training brand is that it attracts excellent levels of referrals (great as a new business channel, and testament to the high quality service levels provided)

For franchisees looking to benefit from national brand presence, Pitman Training is ‘ONE AND ONLY’ private provider with a nationwide presence through the UK and Ireland – this is attractive to some franchisees.

The size and scale of Pitman Training is what provides the backbone. Support from the Pitman Training Group is strong, with both online and telephone support available. The team also has a team of highly experienced Franchise Development Managers

An extensive range of marketing collateral is also provided that enables the Master Franchise and Franchisees to effectively ‘locally’ market their businesses and national campaigns provide excellent PR opportunities.

My advice for a prospective Pitman Training Franchisee in a nutshell:

·         Ensure you have adequate cash reserves for the first six months of trading

·         Make the most of networking with your new franchisee partners

·         You MUST have a strong personal belief in providing excellent levels of customer service

·         BELIEVE in the product – it really is the best

·         Ensure you and each staff member gain a Pitman Diploma within six months of opening

·         Agree a spread of training and familiarisation activity dates with PTG to ensure nothing is forgotten

It’s a great road to business success.”


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