GOING THE EXTRA MILE

“My only regret is I didn’t leave farming ten years earlier,” says Waikato Paramount franchisee Ron Dalton. Now 68, Ron has signed contracts with Paramount and clients for another ten years. His story is a remarkable one.

“I’d spent 30 years on a dairy farm and didn’t know what else to do. My wife at the time, Pat, and I decided we should look at franchising, and do something possibly for a year while we decided what we were going to do,” he chuckles. “We quickly settled on commercial cleaning and had an excellent interview with Paramount. That was in 2007… and I’m still here!”

Ron and Pat started by buying a franchise with a monthly revenue of about $11,000, but within 12 months they had increased that by a massive 63% during a time when many were experiencing the first winds of recession. As was said of them at the time, “they took to franchising like ducks to water, and their dedication and success culminated in winning the Business to Business Franchisee of the Year award at the Westpac New Zealand Franchise Awards in 2008 - a mere 15 months after they started.”

How to build successful client relationships

Ron has many anecdotes from his time with Paramount. “I’ve found that banks have a tendency to mark all jobs as urgent,” he says. “A call came through for an urgent flood recovery job in a banking chamber as a leak had begun from the ceiling. When I was directed to the ‘flood’ it was under an upturned desk bin sitting on the carpet to prevent customers falling in it. The ‘flood recovery’ was a damp spot the size of a teacup. I had to apply the call out fee of course!

“But what makes Paramount stand out is a) they are very supportive and b) you make contact with the client and build your relationships with them. You really are running your own business. I put client relations and dealing with complaints instantly as the number one priority. The top saying among my clients is: ‘Don’t worry, Ron will take care of it!’ And I do!”

Slightly further north, James Rao has been a Paramount franchisee a year longer than Ron Dalton and was featured in this magazine three years ago. Rapid changes in the printing industry fuelled by digital technology had caused him to switch careers in 2006 in search of an opportunity to be his own boss. He was familiar with the franchising model as he had worked for a couple of franchised print companies in management roles. “That made investing in a Paramount franchise a relatively easy decision,” he remembers.

Dedicated hard work really pays off

Over the years James and wife Sarita, who were living in a tiny, rented cottage at the time they started, applied themselves to their new South Auckland business with complete dedication. They were noticed and admired by the company for their work ethic and accountability. “We are methodical people, and we think outside the square,” he says. “We pride ourselves on going the extra mile and maintaining a ‘client is always right’ attitude.”

Today, after nearly two decades of dedicated hard work, James and his wife live on a lifestyle block surrounded by chickens, goats, sheep and a swimming pool. “It has been hard work,” he says, “but it has been well worth it, and I doubt if I would have achieved it without the Paramount brand, system and support behind me. The Paramount ethos is to go the extra mile – and we’ve stuck to that throughout our time. Although we employ cleaners for most of the work now, Sarita and I remain very active in the business and always step in if there is ever a staff shortage.”

“James and Ron were among several of our franchisees who were recognised for their long tenure with a special award at the Westpac New Zealand Franchise Awards this year,” says Stella Blake, Paramount’s National Franchise Manager.

“We have opportunities in new Lawn Mowing and Garden Care plus Commercial and Residential Cleaning franchise licences. Regions and opportunities are available nationwide from around $19,000. Call me – we’d love you to join us and be as successful as James and Ron have proved over the years.”  

See this advertorial on page 41 of Franchise New Zealand magazine Year 34 Issue 04

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