Detailed Description of Franchise Services
As our client and partner, we will provide your company with virtually all of the resources and services necessary to successfully franchise your business.
Services for Companies Starting A Franchise Program
Our experienced in-house staff of consultants and attorneys will develop the entire franchise program for your company.
Business/Franchise Concept Formulation
Franchise Consultants will analyze your current business concept and determine what the best approach is for your expansion initiatives. For your franchise you may need a license, dealership, or distributorship scenario.
Franchise Consultants will determine the best ways to structure your franchise. We determine the controls, policies and contracts for operating your franchise, and can recommend target cities for your business that is based on current standards in franchising, legal criteria, efficiency and profitability.
Additionally, based on your model and product, we can determine the financial terms of your franchise relationship (such as initial franchise fees, reoccurring royalties, advertising fees, and more) and lay out the guidelines for the franchisor/franchisee relationship.
We can also determine a typical franchisee’s investment to get started and a realistic return on investment.
Business Planning
Franchise Consultants is part of a global company that specializes in business planning, capital raising and legal protection. We offer our clients first-rate business plan development and consulting (visit our business plan development site, www.businessplana.com). We will develop a franchise plan for your company that includes the necessary support services you will need to provide the franchisees both in their start-up and then later stage phase of your relationship.
Franchise Consultants will determine how your assistance and support services will evolve as the number of your franchises grows. In this respect, we will structure your documents to allow for these changes and protect your future options.
Additionally, our experts will determine a realistic pace of expansion, the organization structure you will need in place to support this growth, and develop financial projections for your franchise program.
Market Research
Franchise consultants will research other similar franchise concepts including those that may appeal to your ideal franchise buyer. We will analyze their strengths and weaknesses, and position your franchise offering so that you can effectively compete for buyers.
Additionally, we can determine the financial benefits of buying one of your franchises versus being an independent or, if applicable, belonging to a competing franchise system.
Disclosure Documents
Franchise Consultants will prepare the documents you will need in order to legally franchise your company, such as the contract (Franchise Agreement) and the disclosure document (Uniform Franchise Offering Circular.)
Franchise Agreement
The Franchise Agreement defines the relationship between you and your company (the franchisor) and each franchisee. The Franchise Agreement is meant to protect your image and reputation. It helps ensure a uniform, consistent and smooth operation from one franchisee to the next. It helps protect an individual franchisee from adverse actions by another franchisee. By necessity, the Franchise Agreement is quite extensive. Additionally, the language and tone of the agreement is created to protect and favor you.
Since the Franchise Agreement is usually in effect for a minimum of five to ten years, it is extremely important that potential problematic scenarios are covered that could arise in a franchise relationship. The agreement must reflect the latest in franchise law and be capable of accommodating future business changes.
Uniform Franchise Offering Circular
This Uniform Franchise Offering Circular document is required by law before you can sell a franchise.
The Uniform Franchise Offering Circular provides the potential franchisee with detailed background information on the franchise company, including:
• Specific details about the franchisee officers, including their backgrounds;
• The organization structure of the franchise company;
• The business concept;
• Funds required by the franchisee;
• Training provided;
• Termination provisions; etc.
Franchise Consultants will determine the best way of structuring your franchise corporate entity in terms of regulatory acceptance, limitation of liability, financial disclosure requirements, tax implications, auditing standards, trademark usage, future spinoff possibilities, and Federal Trade Commission and state regulatory requirements.
The Uniform Franchise Offering Circular and Franchise Agreement are more than just legal documents - they cover financial aspects of a business, including quality control, operating systems and procedures, marketing, future options/alternatives and many other business aspects. The work is extensive; an attorney alone doesn’t possess sufficient knowledge or experience to develop these documents. All the work that we do is interrelated; our entire staff works together to develop these document for your company.
(If appropriate, we can develop license, dealership, or distributorship agreements and make sure they comply with Business Opportunity Laws.)
Regulatory Approvals
Franchise Consultants will deal with the regulatory authorities that require approval of your franchise documents before you are allowed to offer franchises for sale. This, like the Uniform Franchise Offering Circular, is paramount for a company to successfully be allowed, legally, to market its company as a franchise opportunity. Our relationship with these regulators should help smooth the way and overcomes obstacles. Substantial civil and criminal penalties can be imposed if the state and federal laws are not properly followed. Franchise Consultants will ensure that all legal documentation is properly created and filed.
Franchisee Control Manual
Franchise Consultants will review your existing company structure, including its systems, procedures and controls and determine if they need to be modified or strengthened for a successful franchise operation. In order for you to be a successful franchise opportunity with long-term clients, the franchisee must have all systems, procedures and methods in place. Additionally, franchisees must learn and run the franchise operation, quickly and smoothly. More importantly, the franchisee must be taught how to operate the business the way you created it. For both your company and the franchisee, being able to monitor the franchisee in order to determine success or non-compliance is paramount for mutual success.
Our firm will develop a Franchisee Control Manual and training schedule for you. The Franchisee Control Manual is an extension of the Franchise Agreement. Its style, format and tone must be such that it enables you to enforce your rules, regulations, policies and procedures.
Marketing Strategies
Franchise Consultants will develop the marketing strategy for selling your franchises. We will prepare a geographic expansion plan, and determine the best methods and approaches for attracting your ideal franchisee. Many new franchisors fail because they do not have the proper marketing approach and do not know the secrets to selling their particular franchise concept. Due to our international team of business plan writers and researchers, Franchise Consultants has the necessary tools to ensure that a solid and strategic marketing plan is in place for your company.
Marketing Materials
Franchise Consultants will develop the overall design and copy for newspaper ads, sales brochures, and web sites, while complying with federal and state laws and at the same time be attractive to prospective franchisees.
Franchise Consultants will develop an advertising and promotion plan for selling your franchises. Franchising advertising and promotion requires specialized knowledge that most advertising agencies do not possess. Our knowledge of the effectiveness of different media worldwide can prevent wasting valuable dollars on the wrong ads in the wrong publications. We have successfully implemented such marketing and advertising promotions for hundreds of companies around the world.
Sales Programs
Franchise Consultants will develop a complete franchise sales program and train your staff in the following:
Franchise selling
- The psychology of the franchise buyer
- Planning, organizing and controlling the sales effort
- Handling and controlling leads
- The sales process and steps to be followed with prospective buyers
- Typical questions and answers
- Scheduling and organizing meetings
- Selecting the right people — the first few franchisees are critical to your future success
- Closing/Selling ratios for your concept
- Complying with the franchise laws — avoiding problems
Our selling techniques, methods and secrets have enabled our clients over the years to collectively sell thousands of franchises.
Feasibility Studies
Some clients have questions concerning their return on investment, their ability to compete in the franchise marketplace, the organization needed to support a franchise program, the advantages of franchising, and. Drawing on a wide range of research sources, Franchise Consultants, can help answer these questions with an in-depth feasibility study and business plan. These reports can also be used for presentations to potential investors. We are straight-shooters with our clients: if we do not think that your business is feasible, either to enter new markets or franchise out, we will let you know. If the report is negative, we will recommend ways to remedy the situation at hand in order to maximize your business potential.
Services for Established Franchise Companies
Our Clients
Once your franchise program is developed, we can consult on an ongoing basis in many areas of franchise growth and various marketing and business strategies as well.
Coaching
Franchise Consultants can provide an ongoing coaching so that you never feel alone in building your franchise company.
Strategy Sessions
Franchise Consultants can establish a strategic game plan or budget for your franchise division followed up by monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual progress meetings.
Franchise Marketing and Selling
Franchise Consultants can provide continuous guidance in marketing and selling your franchises. We can train new sales personnel for your company. We can assist in the negotiations during the sale of a franchise.
Growing the Company
Franchise Consultants can consult on a number of issues concerned with growing the company; building an organization, developing support services, setting priorities, delegating, and time management.
Regulatory Updates
Franchise Consultants can amend or update your documents as needed.
Manuals
Franchise Consultants can develop the procedures, methods and forms used to train and control your master franchisees and sub franchisees.
Marketing
Franchise Consultants can manage your franchise advertising program. We can develop a complete public relations press kit including press releases and media contact lists for your use in generating publicity.
What If We Did Not Create Your Franchise Program?
We can help companies clean up a ‘mess’ that another firm, consultant or those who attempted to franchise themselves got into.
International Franchising
Franchise Consultants helps set up our clients in and out of the United States. We assist U.S. companies in going abroad as well as help foreign companies come to the U.S. We offer our full range of consulting services to these companies.
We have offices in ten countries with local representatives on the ground in each ready to help in the franchise, business planning or capital raising sphere for your business.
Please contact us for more information regarding our Franchise services.