Survey Shows That Members Are Strong Promoters Of Inner Circle Peer Groups For Business Owners

CLEVELAND, OH - Inner Circle®, a franchisor of peer advisory groups exclusively for CEOs and owners of privately held businesses, has released the results of its nationwide Member survey patterned after the book, The Ultimate Question: Driving Good Profits and True Growth, by Fred Reichheld. Reichheld’s approach is grounded on the theory that the strength of customer relationships, a metric he calls the Net Promoter Score (NPS), is the true basis of an organization’s profitability and long-term growth prospects. Inner Circle’s Member survey returned an NPS of 64%, a figure well above the 5-10% that Reichheld states most companies run at. A full whitepaper describing the survey methodology and results can be downloaded from the ‘About Us’ section of the Inner Circle website http://theinnercircle.com or by clicking here.

“According to Riechheld, great companies such as Dell and Amazon will have an NPS between 50-80%, so we’re pleased with our score and believe it’s a strong indicator that we’re successfully helping business owners achieve a Better Business, Richer Life,” stated Kylene Golubski, VP of Business Planning and Development at Inner Circle corporate headquarters. Improved decision making ability; an end to the sense of isolation that comes from ‘being at the top’; and the emphasis on business/life clarity and balance were amongst the top reasons current Members would encourage other business owners to join Inner Circle.

Jean Matua, Owner/Editor of the Tri-County News and Member of Inner Circle Central Minnesota, stated in her survey response, “Inner Circle has helped me solve urgent problems, sort out priorities, discuss new ideas so I can focus on the workable ones, set more realistic goals, and be accountable for all of this at the next meeting. It's something that I can't get anywhere else, at any price!”

Members also offered candid feedback on what would enhance their Circle experience, with many statements validating several company-wide initiatives currently underway and scheduled for release in 2010. These include more ways for Members to connect with each other between monthly meetings, and more resources/tools to help business owners implement the advice the Circle provides. “As proud as we are of our survey results, we want to score even higher next time so we will remain focused on value-add enhancement and continuous improvement,” stated Golubski.

About Inner Circle

Inner Circle is an international peer advisory group franchise. Each Circle serves as an interactive think tank, a place where its Members come to challenge one another and be challenged. By tapping into the wisdom and objectivity of the Circle, Members find they are able to overcome obstacles faster and with greater confidence. Inner Circle’s proprietary Vision Quest process, focus on Member accountability and professional meeting facilitation strongly differentiate it from other peer group concepts. Founded in 1985, Inner Circle began franchising in 1997 and was acquired by Cleveland-based franchise investment firm, Merrymeeting, Inc. in 2008. For more information about Inner Circle and to access an online press kit, please visit www.theinnercircle.com. For more information about the Merrymeeting, Inc. family of franchised brands, please visit www.merrymtg.com.