BUSINESS PLAN for GENERAL TRIAS
Customer Profile
a) Target customers:
General Trias, Cavite was formerly known as Malabon, Cavite, Locals are called Malabonians who earned by working at the Sangley Point in Cavite City, a US naval facility. Before the expiration of US Bases Treaty, Sangley Point closed and in the mid 80’s came the industrialization of Calabarzon. The EPZA and Industrial parks mushroomed in Cavite most of which were in General Trias or its neighbor Rosario, Cavite. Because of this, the town of General Trias has emerged to be one of the four fast rising municipalities of the province of Cavite, where transients have already settled in with the locals.
Our target market would be the Malabonians (town proper residents), residents of nearby towns, barangays, villages and subdivisions, students and teachers from the two De La Salle supervised high-schools, teachers and students of the municipal elementary and high schools, local officials and their staff plus other employees of the municipal government, balikbayan retirees, visitors and commuters passing through General Trias, and of course the transients/workers of the offices of MetroManila, factories at EPZA, Gateway and other industrial parks,who reside in dormitories, apartments or homes in the town proper and nearby villages.
b) Products:
Famous 7-11 products like the Slurpee , hotdogs, coffee of different flavors, delicious siopao, instant cup noodles, softdrinks, and clean tube ice will be the best sellers. Hot meals like the rice toppings, sandwiches, the scrumptious baked fresh products (pan de sal variants) mineral water, various chips and cookies, ice cream, cigarettes, chewing gums/candies will surely share in the top choices. Prepaid phone cards or e-loads in lower denominations will be a smash. These will be followed by the basic necessities for personal hygiene (toothpaste, facial wash, bath soaps etc), for the home (cooking/ condiments, cleaning agents/laundry), supplies for school and office and copies of leading newspapers for national and local news.
As a 24 hour shop, remedies or items for times of exigencies will also be a “must sell” product for a municipality like General Trias and these would include first aid items including over the counter medicines ( paracetamol, anti-diarrhea, insect repellants, bandages, rubbing alcohol etc.), sanitary napkins, disposable baby/adult diapers, flashlights, batteries, candles, matches, basic sewing kit materials, gift-wrapping supplies, greeting cards, basic party needs (paper plates and cups, etc) including all other items that will be of convenience to the customer.
c) Expected monetary value of a typical sale may average from P40 to P100 (e.g. P40 meal – a 7-11 “3in1” coffee and a pack “baked fresh” cheese pandesal)
d) Malabonians love anything American just like the 7-11 convenience store. American means stability, quality products and excellent service. This is also true with the transients who tend to depend on renowned convenience stores for their needs. The youth sector on the other hand finds 7-11 outlets to be “hip” for their genre. Name recall as in the case of a well loved and highly respected political family like the Ferrers of General Trias may bring about a special kind of patronage from the local residents. Aware of this kind of patronage, we expect our market to be steady with an upward trend. The store may expect regular visits of about 5 times a week.
e) The town has in the last 5 years metamorphosed from a typical provincial municipality to an urbanized one. A quiet town where people sleep at 8 p.m., now the town itself rarely or never sleeps. New infrastructures like the new municipal building and redesigned town plaza has become an added attraction to the residents and transients’ families making their weekends to be their “visit the town day”. If approved, this 7-11 outlet is going to be the first convenience store in the town so we can expect customers averaging 600 to 800 a day with an upward trend.
Management Profile
a) Store Manager Profile:
Maria Luisa Ferrer Yapjoco is a Senior Assistant Manager and Head of the Remittance and FCDU (Foreign Currency Deposit Unit) Departments of the International Banking Group of China Banking Corporation. Previously, she was the head of its Export Department.
She is the Chairperson of the Customer Service Committee of the International Banking Group. As such she attends to client inquiries and transactional needs including challenging issues. She also advises and educates clients and staff on the various products and services of the Group.
As the Head of the International Banking Group’s Social Affairs Committee, she handles the events budget and is in charge of company outings, religious events (Mass or sharings) and departmental parties (e.g. Mooncake festival, Christmas etc.) She is a Chinabanker for 15 years.
The Ferrers have a leasing business under the name “Flora and Fauna Apartments”. Under the business are apartments, condominium units, townhouses and other properties in Manila, Las Piñas and Cavite. Ms. Yapjoco is a co-owner and manager of the above-mentioned units.
A graduate of Bachelor of Science in Business Administration - Major in Accounting (1981) at the Philippine Women’s University, she passed the Licensure Examinations for Certified Public Accountants (CPA) in 1984.
Active in the social and cultural affairs of the Tropical South BF Executive Village Homeowners Association, She heads the youth committee that handles events where the children of the village is involved e.g. Easter egg hunts, Halloween trick or treats and Christmas parties. She also handles fund raising events for the village’s activities.
A lover of the music and the arts, she is a contributing writer to the Woman Today Magazine with articles for special issues e.g. Centennial Editions, Christmas, Mother’s day etc. She finished a course in Balloon Sculpture and Décor Business conducted by NegoSkwela in 2003. Her hobbies include Origami, Elegant gift-wrapping, handicrafts and décor making, needlework, oil-pastel painting, singing, dancing and piano playing.
Her monthly duties include the regular second Sunday of the week participation at the 7 A.M. Sunday TV Mass Ministry of ABS CBN. The Ferrer-Yapjoco family is a member-donor of the said Ministry since 1990.
ii. Job Responsibility:
Ms. Yapjoco will be the store operator and manager of the franchise. Her responsibility will include the effective and direct management of the franchise ensuring the smooth, accurate and timely delivery of the outlet’s product and services while maintaning quality customer service practices.
Second is the dedicated coaching and monitoring of the staff towards maximum productivity and excellent customer service. She will maintain adherence to the franchisor’s control procedures. Be proactive with other competitors in the area to ensure that service level commitments are met. Maintain a positive attitude towards change and dynamism for the continuing development of the outlet.
iii. Key skills:
In both her experience as a bank officer and as manager of the family owned leasing business, Ms. Yapjoco has developed the following skills:
Good Appreciation of Marketing. People Management/Coaching skills. Customer Service Oriented.
Interpersonal Skills.
Good Communication Skills.
Knowledge of Current Human Resource and Labor laws, policies and procedures.
Having been and still is a loyal 7-11 customer Ms. Yapjoco has a
Good knowledge and appreciation of 7-11’s best selling products and services including “clean restrooms” service to visitors.
Brought into the world as a member of the Ferrers, the first family of General Trias, Cavite, she is a pro-people person that is very sensitive and receptive to the needs of others. This trait and skill will make it easier for her
to resolve challenging situations she may encounter during the operation of the franchise in the future.
b) Family Participation:
Though the Ferrer family is a political family, most members including Ms. Yapjoco opted to shy away from the political arena and engage themselves in business here and abroad or have their own professions or careers. A well known landed family in the province of Cavite, the Ferrers have leasing business in the forefront followed by agribusiness/trade and the respective careers of doctors, lawyers, CPAs, bankers, food entrepreneurs and teachers.
Each member is able and competent in handling the franchise but they chose Ms. Yapjoco to be the store operator and manager. They opted to act as financial partners, consultants and simply assist in the supervision of the outlet. They intend to focus their eagle eyes on the store’s merchandise to prevent possible pilferage in any form. As consultants they will observe the market and assist in promotions or information dissemination to possible clients outside the business trade area (General Trias). They will attend brainstorming sessions for better operations of the outlet.
Understanding the 7-Eleven Franchise
a) 5 Key Responsibilities to 7-Eleven:
1. Effectively manage and direct the daily operations of the franchise. 2. Dedicatedly train and closely monitor the staff to maximize productivity
and preserve quality customer service practices.
3. Maintain strict adherence to operations and control procedures of 7-11 to minimize costs, deter possible losses and increase profits.
4. Keep up a pro-active attitude towards competition and have a positive outlook towards change to ensure that service level commitments are met.
5. With the 7-11 concept in mind, ensure the smooth, prompt and accurate delivery of quality goods and services to the customers.
b) 5 Key Responsibilities of 7-Eleven:
1. Provide business expertise and organizational support including merchandising assistance, advertising and standardized promotions mechanics.
2. Ensure the quality, appropriateness, reasonable price and prompt delivery of products for the outlet.
3. Extend continuous education to update and train the management and staff of the franchise on current trends in the retail business.
4. Ensure that a temporary source of energy will be provided to the outlet (eg. Generator set) in times of power failure due to typhoons, earthquakes etc. for the continued 24 hour service of the convenience store.
5. Assist and provide legal support in case of faulty products or other related problems
c) Business risks or limitations:
1. Spoilage and pilferage.
2. Price Control of Franchisor and limitation in Choice of products.
3. Carrying only one business name and a uniform image, the flaw of one branch may have an effect on other units.
4. Franchisee’s survival is also dependent on the mother company’s strength in the current retail business.
5. Possible temporary operations stoppage due to unforeseen/fortuitous events that may bring about power failure.
d) Advantage of 7-Eleven:
1. 7-Eleven is a popular, wholesome and highly regarded international name in the convenience retail business.
2. A responsible business partner that can be trusted.
3. Pioneer in the Convenience retail business in the Philippines, it has a tried and tested or established operating and automated/network system.
4. As partners, there is sharing in investment and expenses. 5. There is organizational support and merchandising assistance 6. As partners, there is collaboration to generate more sales and profit. 7. 7-11 shares the expertise in running a convenience retail business via
in-house and hands-on training and other corporate services for the franchisee and its staff.
Customer Relations
a) Plans for:
i. Speed of service – staff must immediately smile, greet and attend to the customer upon arrival and thank the client at the end of a transaction. Being a self-service outlet, staff must cordially orient first timers on the 7-11 conduct of business. Staff must be knowledgeable of merchandise for sale so they can answer all client queries. To facilitate posting of sales, price tabs must be affixed at all times. Price tab checking must be done during lean hours. To prevent delay in packaging sold goods, regular replenishment of supplies thereof will be done.
ii. Quality of products – Thorough and regular inspection of the goods must be done during lean hours. All goods should be in excellent condition at all times. Proper labeling is a must. Special attention must be made on the expiry dates. FIFO method of inventory will be strictly enforced. Included in the inspection is the maintenance of user-friendly and orderly products on clean shelves in the store.
iii. Variety of products – Maintenance of adequate and appropriate merchandise is a must. This will be effected by a regular and efficient replenishment of stocks. We must listen to client suggestions on variety of products. Popular requests must be referred to the mother company for consideration if the requested product is not included in the company list.
iv. Image of store – A self-service store must also be customer friendly. The staff including the guard, must practice quality customer service practices. Smile, greet and thank each customer. Cleanliness and Orderliness is a must for the outlet. Since we offer meals, the area must be kept clean, germ-free and hygienic. For the shelved items, these must be user-friendly where the merchandise is arranged in a systematic manner, properly grouped, tagged/labeled. The same is true for the supplies for use of clients (plastic bags for the food, napkins, sauces etc.) Proper lighting is also necessary for the image and security of the store.
b) What is customer service for you?
Customer service is when we fulfill the needs and expectation of the customer consistently. We shall provide whatever they want, whenever they need it, and after the delivery of the service we get to know how they are doing, or are they fully satisfied.
Excellent customer service does not stop at simply completing a sale or delivery of goods to the satisfaction of the customer. It also entails establishing a relationship that will be consistent and continuous. This means the product they want and need is available at all times and the kind of service extended to them will be the same or even better thereafter. Important ingredients to good customer service include, the quality of the product, the timeliness, the kind of service used, the character of the service provider and the kind of concern shown or reciprocated to the customer.
If the customer accepts our service and is fully satisfied they will come to us time and again which translates to a successful business relationship.
