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ACFN Newsletter May 2014 
ACFN is Growing
 
230+ Franchises and growing!
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Sixth Floor
Community Towers
111 W. Saint John Street
San Jose, CA 95113
 
Phone: (888)794-2236
ACFN Welcomes 2 New Franchisee!!
  April 2014 Class
Congratulations and best of luck to:
Chris Y  -  KY
Lorri C - PA
Franchisee Review |ACFN provide(s) an attractive business

We all come from unique backgrounds and different business experiences. My business background has a heavy emphasis on finance and supply chain gained in private equity as well as some large firms. At the same time, despite our varied business experiences, I’m sure we also have some commonalities and shared interests. I imagine that we’ve achieved some success elsewhere and now wish to employ those extra resources in a side-business or full time venture with leverage and a solid financial return. 
 
Like me, maybe you looked into franchising with a wary eye and found the margins and support structure to be suspect. In fact, I wasn’t looking for a franchising opportunity when I came upon ACFN. Rather, I was working with business brokers in my town searching for a brick and mortar business to acquire. However, upon review, I found ACFN to provide an attractive business model with all of the support and structure to enable success. The existing franchise I acquired had 30+ ATMs already in operation and in the 15 months since I took over I installed ATMs at 8 new locations and we have three more contracts in hand to be installed shortly. We also have a lot of momentum in my pipeline to help secure additional installations in the near future.   Regardless of where we came from or how we got here, today we own an ACFN Franchise – a business with ATMs of our own positioned under the ACFN national umbrella. That umbrella provides three crucial benefits upon which I rely for the success and growth of my business: industry specific technical proficiency; sales & marketing support; and a comprehensive administrative structure.​
By technical proficiency I mean the introductory training in San Jose as well as the on-the-job training provided via online technical bulletins and routine helpdesk calls. Gershon, Juanita and team truly have a knack for instilling confidence in those on the other end of the phone, especially me when I first started. I can now do things that initially seemed difficult and foreign. With an open mind and a little effort, we can all confidently address and resolve issues working on site with our clients in short order.​
Sales & marketing support extends from initial lead generation; sales funnel management with a CRM portal; to lead conversion and contract closure. There is a comprehensive, proven system that includes everything from the letterhead I use for an introduction; to the specific contract language closing the deal.  Jim, Kristen and team find targeted leads and a very talented sales team initiates conversations that turn into contracts with remarkable regularity. I’ve found that the sales and marketing team is equipped to move as fast as my appetite for growth and access to working capital. 
 
Administrative structure includes everything from an alias email address and network compliance to monthly location payment checks arriving like clockwork. Mira, Susan and the back-office team at ACFN make my local presence look well planned and professional. I can be an employee of a national firm or a small local business depending upon whatever is best suited in the given situation. As I look at competitors in the market, our national presence and polished approach gives me a substantial, competitive point of difference. 
 
Jeff Kerr and the ACFN team have created a well thought out business model with all of the necessary support mechanisms. Personally, I take comfort in the fact that I’m executing a plan that was incredibly successful for Jeff in the past. To be successful now, all I need to do is tilize the umbrella and execute the plan.​
I hope that you enjoy your business and the benefits of the ACFN business model as much as I do.
 
John M
Colorado
For every disciplined action there are multiple rewards

It is truly wonderful to see the growth we’ve had to date in 2014.  We are poised to break previous records set for installations as well as new contracts received. We are on the verge of closing some very large national deals as well as looking to install 50 ATMs this month alone as a result of drops that you have made and the dedication of our Market Research and Marketing Departments. 
 
Our business model is your weapon; wield it proudly because through every type of economy we have the competitive advantage and will remain the best choice among full service ATM providers.  Embrace the fact and adopt the mindset that ACFN is the only national ATM Company that does not outsource any phase of our business to 3rd party providers. We are the only ones that have the flexibility and agility of a local company with the reputation, resources, and strength of a large, national firm.  Bottom line is that with ACFN their ATM will be up and running more often which will result in more transactions, increased guest service, and ultimately higher profits! This is your competitive advantage! 
 
It is a very exciting time here at ACFN. After learning that another one of our competitors was shut down and now ceases to exist (details below) this is just another shining example of how ACFN’s business model is unsurpassed in the ATM world. 
 
The below is an email that went out to many of you and considering the importance of it I’ve included it here. 
 
We have a huge opportunity to take advantage of an unfortunate situation and we need your help. 
 
A company called T.B.T.I was recently shut down by the SEC for committing fraud and violating securities laws. This is relevant to us because T.B.T.I was the Exclusive Endorsed ATM provider for all Starwood owned and managed hotels for many years. T.B.T.I. also services many Starwood branded hotels that are franchised so we should visit all Starwood branded properties.  
 
The Starwood brands include Westin, W Hotels, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, aloft, Le Meridian, The Luxury Collection, Element, and St. Regis. Our understanding is that although the ATMs are still operating all payments to locations stopped in January and we confirmed that TBTI was shut down by the SEC and charges were filed on 4/7/14 so they are definitely out of business.     
 
This is a huge opportunity for us to take over services at any and all locations previously services by TBTI and we estimate that there are hundreds. To benefit we need your help to identify locations serviced by T.B.T.I so we can work together to replace them.    
 
The plan! 
 
A list of Starwood Hotels that are in your area is attached. We need you to go to each of these locations and help us get the essential information we need to not only identify TBTI locations but also to be able to effectively communicate with the hotel to secure a placement for your ATM. If you are unable to do this or not interested please let us know ASAP – we definitely want to move faster than our competitors!  
 
Assuming you are able and interested here is what we need: 
Identify the ATM provider – specifically we are looking to see if the ATM provider is TBTI. This can be done by sliding your card and going through the transaction process until you get to the screen where it notifies you what company will be assessing the surcharge and what the surcharge is.  At that point decline the fee and write down the information. 
 
  • What is the Surcharge? 
  • Is the ATM ADA compliant? 
  • ATM type – model, condition, cleanliness or lack thereof, is there a cabinet or not.
  • Ask the front desk if they’ve experienced any service issues with the ATM. 
  • Print the attached form and take it with you when you visit the locations. The form will organize the information and make it easy to report back to us quickly. 
 
Let’s make this a priority and benefit$ 
 
Some of you have already jumped on this and sent back valuable information and as a result we are in the final stages of closing a deal on a 1200+ room property that will yield huge dividends.  Surprisingly though many of you have not responded so please jump on this opportunity ASAP.  Also keep in mind that TBTI provided service to other locations besides Starwood branded hotels so when viewing competitor machines be sure to point out any that are listed as TBTI and for that matter please communicate with us to provide the name of any ATM company you discover on a competitor machine. 
 
What you can you do to help yourself out? 
 
Be directly involved.  The detailed 5 step process outlined earlier should be performed while making a drop at every location that has an ATM.  Make sure to write this information down and include it in your notes on the drop.  The majority of you are not doing this and your/our closing ratio is not where it could be because of it. If the location does not have an ATM I encourage you to ask the person who you are leaving the packet with if they have ever had to send someone outside of their business to use an ATM.  
 
You will be pleasantly surprised to see how much information most people will share with you when asked this question. 
 
In closing I’d like to announce that two new members have joined our Marketing team. You may have heard from them already and if not you will shortly.  Their names are Eric Harris and Jason Atkinson. Both bring solid backgrounds of relevant sales experience in tough, competitive markets.  They have great attitudes and the necessary hunger to achieve fantastic results. I’ll leave you with the following quote which should be remembered and acted upon often. 
 
“For every disciplined action there are multiple rewards.”
 
Jim Diltz
VP of Marketing
ACFN • 111 West Saint John Street, Sixth Floor • San Jose, CA 95113
http://www.acfnfranchised.com
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