Francorp Consulting

Francorp Upcoming Events
Francorp is the world leader in franchise development and franchise launches. As part of that, the ongoing responsibility for the firm is to provide information and up to date facts on the current franchise market and most recent happenings in the field of franchising.

Francorp has a podcast site for Francorp clients that can be accessed any time with continuously updated information and discussions on the franchise industry.

www.francorppodcast.com

With the most recent technology improvements in place this site will allow constant access to many informative video and audio recordings on franchising from Francorp's Chairman, Don Boroian and other Francorp professionals.

There you can also access Don Boroian's extensive discussion on franchising in today's economy and what strategies have worked best in the franchise field.

If you are planning on attending the International Franchise Expo in Los Angeles October 2-4, please come visit us at the Francorp Booth

Show Dates & Hours
Friday, October 2, 2009 11:00 am to 7:00 pm
Saturday, October 3, 2009 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Sunday, October 4 , 2009 11:00 am to 4:00 pm

Location:
Los Angeles Convention Center
South Hall H & J
1201 South Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA 90015
PH: 213-741-1151
Fax: 213-765-4266

Booth # 821

Francorp will have a number of staff members there at the booth to discuss franchising and hold consultations. Several members of the Francorp team who are based throughout California will also be at the show.

Francorp also has an office based in Mexico City that has been established for nearly 20 years run and operated by Mr. Ramon Vinay. Mr. Vinay brings almost 35 years of franchise experience around the globe to Francorp and will be available for business owners to discuss franchise strategies and implementation in Spanish.

If you would like to arrange for a meeting with any members of the Francorp team please call 708-481-2900. Please call us for a free registration to the show before October 1, 2009.

Francorp will be conducting Franchise Marketing Training with former Francorp Client, Todd Sullivan at the Francorp world headquarters.
Francorp Marketing Training is focused on lead generation, developing a franchise brand and efficient marketing strategies for a franchise company.
October 20th & 21st
Francorp, Inc
20200 Governors Drive
Olympia Fields, IL 60461

Francorp - Franchise India Client Meetings
October 12-14th, 2009
Francorp will be inviting select franchisors to the Francorp corporate headquarters for meetings and discussions with Francorp India to break down strategies and implementation for entering the Indian Market. Francorp India will have several Francorp team members in attendance including the Francorp India CEO Gaurav Marya.
Francorp, Inc
20200 Governors Drive
Olympia Fields, IL 60461


Franchise Management Training Module
This training module is run by Mr. John Dukach, Vice President of Strategic Planning with Francorp. He discusses current management strategies for new franchise companies, system management, franchise relationship building and other processes to effectively run and manage a franchise company. Mr. Dukach brings over 30 years of franchise management to Francorp.

October 21st & 22nd, 2009
Francorp, Inc.
20200 Governors Drive
Olympia Fields, IL 60461


Franchise Expo South
January 15 - 17, 2010
Francorp will be Exhibiting at the Exposition
Miami Beach Convention Center, Hall C
1901 Convention Center Drive
Miami Beach, FL 33139

Show Dates & Hours
Friday, January 15, 2010 11:00 am to 6:00pm
Saturday, January 16, 2010 11:00 am to 6:00 pm
Sunday, January 17, 2010 11:00 am to 5:00 pm

For constant updates on Francorp, Francorp clients and global updates on the franchise industry, follow Francorp on Twitter, www.twitter.com/Francorp

Francorp will be presenting at the Florida Restaurant Show in Orlando, Florida this weekend. For information visit the Florida Restaurant Show website for details.

Here are a list of the conference educators. Francorp is presenting on how to franchise a business and how to buy a franchise.

Don Boroian founded Francorp in 1976 and since that time, Francorp has cemented itself as the global leader in franchise development and franchise consulting.

Francorp is frequently brought into restaurant and trade groups to help their members and associates about franchising in order to help them evaluate whether franchising would work to expand their company.

Full Conference Schedule
Friday, September 11

10:00 – 11:30 AM
Knowledge Exchange – Invitation Only
Moderator: Larry Stuart, President, Larry Stuart Hospitality
Featuring Joel Cohen, Chief Experience Officer/Wizard of WOW, RestaurantMarketing.com
www.larrystuarthospitality.com

The Knowledge Exchange is 60 minutes of idea and solution sharing with peers on the theme topic:
Time is tight and business is challenging. How do you ensure growth in this economy? To kick-off the Knowledge Exchange, Larry Stuart will deliver a quick ten minute guide on the top 3 keys to surviving in a down economy – and then the knowledge exchange begins!
Sponsored by Tyson Foodservice.

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Marketing Recipes for Success in Challenging Times
Linda Duke, CEO, Duke Marketing, LLC
www.marketing-cookbook.com

Restaurant marketing expert and author Linda Duke will share some of her sales driving tips, tools and tactics of successful marketing programs and creative visuals of top restaurant brands in the country. The restaurant business has become highly competitive and with consumers ever changing demands and time constraints, it is imperative that restaurant operators have marketing programs in place to get their share of sales, awareness and frequency.
www.marketing-cookbook.com

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Email Marketing-How to Skyrocket Sales & Make it Your Best Weapon
Boris Bugarski, CEO and President mUrgent
www.murgent.com

From email marketing strategies to tactics, this session will demonstrate proven methods for stinging your competition, creating business and buzz in your neighborhood, and making your email marketing work harder to combat this slowing economy. Learn how thousands of restaurant locations across the U.S. have used Boris Bugarski's top email marketing secrets and tips for growing sales month after month by building a monster email list overnight and effectively leveraging email for higher ticket sales.

Take-Aways:
What components are necessary for a solid e-club program

1. Learn the differences between email marketing service providers
2. Know the secrets for building an email list overnight – and how to keep it growing
3. Discover how to create subject lines that command higher open rates – and the best tips on how to create higher click through rates

PLUS! Boris’s top tips on growing bigger ticket sales

12:30 – 1:30 PM
Disney's Approach to Quality Service
Tom Madden, Manager, Content Delivery and Quality Control - Keynote Speaker
The Disney Institute
www.disneyinstitute.com

Quality Service showcases how Disney is able to understand the psychographics and demographics of Guests’ needs, using a sound service infrastructure, ongoing research, and quality service standards that exceed Guests’ expectations. Discover how attention to detail creates a consistent, world-class service environment for both employees and consumers.

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Retaining Your Customers & Brewing Profits with Delicious Coffee
Michael Love, Ultimate Barista USA, Owner, Coffee Labs Roasters Inc.
www.coffeelabs.com

Join Mike Love, in a lively informative presentation about Coffee, its origin, Market trends and how to add to your bottom line with brewing “Tips and Tricks”.
New and Current Coffee trends will be discussed, along with how to implement these into your business. Don’t let your customers be “deserters”..(Patrons who leave an establishment after a meal to find delicious coffee). Adding quality coffee to your menu will increase profits and let your customers first, last and lasting impression be an excellent one.

1:30 – 2:30 PM
A Year in Social Media – Case Study
Paul Barron, SVP, Publisher & Chairman
Fast Casual Magazine
www.fastcasual.com/magazine.php

Building your brand and restaurant business is a challenge now more than ever. Why? It's simple you have lost control of the consumer. But wait that's a good thing in today's always on everything anywhere, anytime consumer social sphere. New media branded as social media, social web, and few terms yet to be named is really just about connecting to your audience. Problem is in requires high-tech tools and an understanding that we as restaurant owners and operators are not familiar or comfortable using. Fear not, as we take you into a real how to process of creating your own digital footprint and develop your Social Media Makeover!

2:00 – 3:00 PM
Pouring and Inventory Control
Brice Jones, Hospitality Consultant, Attrarre Group,
www.attrarregroup.com

2:00 – 3:00 PM
How to Keep Fine Dining Alive and Profitable
Larry Stuart, President, Larry Stuart Hospitality
Social media, communal tables, and tasting menus are just some of the ways restaurants have reacted to the change in consumer dining. When and how should your restaurant respond? Learn what some of the most successful restaurateurs and chefs are doing, to continue to bring in crowds without sacrificing their brand.

2:00 – 3:00 PM
Imaginative Resort & Restaurant Branding
Scott Ward, Vice President, Sales/Marketing, Scrub Island Resort, BVI, www.mainsailhotels.com
Tom DiGiorgio, CEO, DK-Group, www.dk-group.com
Andre' Capi, Director of Architecture, DK-Group, www.dk-group.com
In today's economic and competitive environment, there is a temptation to resort to short-term tactical pricing strategies to the detriment of your brand. Consumers have to be motivated and captivated so it is important to develop a brand with charisma and drive it home throughout the customer experience.

2:00 – 3:00 PM
Expanding Your Company Today Through Franchising
Christopher Conner, Vice President, Francorp
www.francorp.com

This session will highlight multiple ways companies look at to grow and how the present market conditions are affecting each. Growth strategies include: venture capital, licensing, franchising, debt, internally generated capital, and business opportunities. If you are serious about growing your company, this session is a must.

3:00 – 4:00 PM
Stand Out…or Step Aside
Larry Mersereau, CTC
PromoPower LLC
www.promopower.com

What do you think goes through a person’s mind when they’re thinking about eating out? Do they ask “Where’s the cheapest place in town?” Maybe it’s “Where can I get this over with in a hurry?” Or is it “Where can I go where I feel welcomed and appreciated, and will feel like it was well worth the money when I leave?” Actually, there are a number of questions. Your marketing and advertising should answer some of them. Your sales efforts answer more. And service controls whether they get the kind of experience that will leave them satisfied and likely to come back again…and again. You must understand each step of the loyalty-nurturing-continuum, and manage them all properly if you want to grow your business. This program gives you simple, doable…effective strategies and tactics you can use immediately to make that first thing that they think be: “Let’s go to ( your name ). Why would we go anywhere else?”

3:30 – 4:30 PM
Customer Service – When You Care, They Know
Richard Flint CSP, Chairman & CEO
Flint, Incorporated
www.RichardFlint.com

When the customer enters your establishment and doesn’t feel their business is valued, you lose! You talk about “service” and the customer talks about “satisfaction”: when the two aren’t connected through the feeling of “being appreciated”, business is lost. Join Richard Flint as he shares his insights into how to build the bridge between the concept of Customer Service and the experience of Customer Satisfaction through being able to define “Customer Appreciation.” The program – When You Care, They Know!

The Philosophy: Your product gets you noticed, your service gets you remember and when the two are tied together through quality, the customer feels appreciated: that creates Customer Loyalty.

3:30 – 4:30 PM
Common Sense Marketing For Independent Restaurants: How To Compete Against The Big Chains & Win!
Joel Cohen, Chief Experience Officer/Wizard of WOW, RestaurantMarketing.com

Designed for independent restaurants, this fast-paced workshop shows you how to do the little things inside and outside of your restaurant that win the hearts and wallets of your guests. Common sense marketing is simply about being the "mayor" and winning the campaign in your neighborhood.This workshop gives every attendee a direction and over 25 easy, inexpensive tactics to use that will make their guests say, "Wow!" For the restaurateur that needs simple ideas that are rewarding and easy to achieve, this workshop is it.

3:30 – 4:30 PM
100 Million Singles + The internet + Your Restaurant + Success Tom Jaffee, CEO/Founder, 8minuteDating.com and David Evans, President, Digicraft

Want to create a "buzz" for your venue, attract new customers on your slow nights of the week, or grow your base of regulars? There are more than 100 million singles in America, whose available time, discretionary spending, and appetite for premium brands represent a huge and untapped business opportunity for restaurants. This session will outline specific strategies for utilizing recent innovations in social networking, mobile services, event hosting, and online dating that you can employ right away with just a small outlay of time or resources, and in some cases with no expense to your business.
Saturday, September 12

10:00 – 11:00 AM
Common Sense Marketing For Independent Restaurants: How To Compete Against The Big Chains & Win!
Joel Cohen, Chief Experience Officer/Wizard of WOW, RestaurantMarketing.com

Designed for independent restaurants, this fast-paced workshop shows you how to do the little things inside and outside of your restaurant that win the hearts and wallets of your guests. Common sense marketing is simply about being the "mayor" and winning the campaign in your neighborhood. This workshop gives every attendee a direction and over 25 easy, inexpensive tactics to use that will make their guests say, "Wow!" For the restaurateur that needs simple ideas that are rewarding and easy to achieve, this workshop is it.

10:30 – 11:30
Tactical Marketing Workshop
Rob Crews, President
C Results Marketing

Hear from a former restaurant CMO who will give you 30 ideas in 30 minutes to drive your business and then spend 30 minutes answering your toughest marketing issues. Bring your questions and expect a lively, fast-paced discussion.

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
How to Sell More Franchises
Sponsored by The Franchise Edge & The Franchise Sales Solution
www.thefranchiseedge.com

Join Paul Samson, President of The Franchise Edge (The National Franchise Development Partner for Sysco foods) in an interactive session that will provide you with critical information on how to sell more franchises and grow your business. Key focal points will include: generating, managing and tracking leads, how to build a measurable and consistent sales process, creating a 10 Point-of-Contact Campaign, establishing a goal-setting dialogue with prospects and moving prospects through the sales process.

12:00 – 1:00 PM
Turning Your Vendors Into Partners
Moderator: Linda Duke, CEO, Duke Marketing, LLC
www.dukemarketing.com

Restaurant operators have numerous vendors to purchase goods and services from. Across the entire food and beverage industry there are thousands of product partners and opportunities that often go unnoticed or under utilized. This panel of restaurant Supplier/Vendors will discuss what type of support, promotional dollars and innovative programs are available to restaurant operators. Panelists will share several case studies and success stories, as well as discussing current opportunities for operators to take advantage and turn their vendors into partners.

12:00 – 1:00 PM
Culinary Cocktails Francine Cohen, Beverage Consultant

12:00 – 1:00 PM
Restaurant Operations for a Profitable Bottom Line
Darren s. Denington, CFBE
Service With Style
www.servicewithstyle.com

Systems, Systems, Systems. Implement tested and proven systems on Service, Hiring, Training, Cost Controls, Inventory and Daily Functions that will have your restaurant operating smoothly for a strong future.

12:30 – 1:30 PM
Retaining Your Customers & Brewing Profits with Delicious Coffee
Michael Love, Ultimate Barista USA, Owner, Coffee Labs Roasters Inc.
www.coffeelabs.com

Join Mike Love, in a lively informative presentation about Coffee, its origin, Market trends and how to add to your bottom line with brewing “Tips and Tricks”.
New and Current Coffee trends will be discussed, along with how to implement these into your business. Don’t let your customers be “deserters”. (Patrons who leave an establishment after a meal to find delicious coffee). Adding quality coffee to your menu will increase profits and let your customers first, last and lasting impression be an excellent one.

1:30 – 2:30 PM
Senior Hospitality: Gearing Up for a Graying America
Jeff Catrett
As life expectancy rises and baby boomers enter their retirement years, accommodating seniors is increasingly a fact of life for the hospitality industry. However, to date, not enough thought has been devoted to the needs of older guests. Mr. Catrett will provide an overview of the expectations of this important and growing market segment, while highlighting mistakes made by the healthcare industry to draw parallels on how the hospitality industry can avoid the same pitfalls. He will offer insight and advice on what the hospitality industry can do to prepare for and better service the growing number of aging baby boomers.

2:00 – 3:00 PM
Environmentally Sustainable Restaurant
Colleen Oteri, Communications Manager
Green Restaurant Association
www.dinegreen.com

Yes, it’s possible. The Green Restaurant Association, the leading organization for restaurants achieving restaurant sustainability will provide you with an overview of how your restaurant can become more environmentally sustainable in a way that makes sense for your business.

2:00 – 3:00 PM
Email Marketing – How to Skyrocket Sales & Make it your Best Weapon
Boris Bugarski, CEO and President
mUrgent
www.mUrgent.com

From email marketing strategies to tactics, this session will demonstrate proven methods for stinging your competition, creating business and buzz in your neighborhood, and making your email marketing work harder to combat this slowing economy. Learn how thousands of restaurant locations across the U.S. have used Boris Bugarski's top email marketing secrets and tips for growing sales month after month by building a monster email list overnight and effectively leveraging email for higher ticket sales.

Take-Aways:
What components are necessary for a solid e-club program

1. Learn the differences between email marketing service providers
2. Know the secrets for building an email list overnight – and how to keep it growing
3. Discover how to create subject lines that command higher open rates – and the best tips on how to create higher click through rates

PLUS! Boris’s top tips on growing bigger ticket sales

3:00 – 4:00 PM
Marketing Optimization
Rob Crews, President
C Results Marketing

Being good enough is no longer the benchmark. Come hear how the best marketers are now optimizing their ideas and not leaving money on the table. This is your chance to come see the future of marketing.

3:30 – 4:30 PM
Want To Own A Business? Need a Job? Franchise is Your Solution
Christopher Conner, Vice President, Francorp
www.francorp.com

In this session you will learn how buying a franchise is an excellent option to consider in today’s job market. It also will discuss the advantages to buying into a franchise instead of going into business on your own. If you are a job seeker or future entrepreneur this session is for you.

Francorp Presents at the Western Food Service Expo

This past weekend, the California Restaurant Association asked Francorp to present to it's members in San Diego on franchising a business and how to buy a franchise.
Tom DuFore attended the show over the weekend and presented on the topics.

Western Food Expo
www.westernfoodexpo.com
Sunday, 8/30/09
12:30 – 1:30
Expanding Your Company Today Through Franchising
Tom DuFore, Executive Vice President
Francorp
www.francorp.com

This session will highlight multiple ways companies look at to grow and how the present market conditions are affecting each. Growth strategies include: venture capital, licensing, franchising, debt, internally generated capital, and business opportunities. If you are serious about growing your company, this session is a must.

Francorp is regarded as the world leader in franchise consulting and franchise development. Don Boroian founded the firm in 1976 and continues to run and operate the international consulting firm out of Chicago, IL. Francorp has 22 offices around the globe and is the industry leader in start up franchise organizations.

www.francorp.com

Francorp - Don Boroian

Francorp has worked with 112 of the most recent Franchise 500 companies. This is important from the perspective that Francorp as a consulting firm has done work with these franchise systems, many of which Francorp developed from the ground up. Francorp is renowned as the world leader in franchise development and new franchise launches. The firm continues to develop successful franchise systems today after 34 years of franchise consulting work. Look over the Francorp corporate site for more information on the firm and the clients Francorp has developed.

www.Francorp.com

Should I Franchise?

Should I Franchise?
Whether you have a totally new concept or an established business in need of faster growth that is lacking the capital, time and people to expand the question is, “Should I franchise?”
Today more Businesses and greater variety of businesses are implementing franchising to distribute their products and services. Virtually any business can be expanded through franchising. Franchising a business is often the only viable source of capital available for expansion especially in today’s tight credit markets. In most instances, the cost of franchising is often a smaller investment that the cost of establishing just one new location.

After paying the initial cost of developing your franchise program, the remaining cost of expansion along with most of the business risk is assumed by the franchisees. Because the franchisee pays an upfront franchisee fee the franchisor is often able to recoup the total cost of franchise program development rather quickly while establishing a monthly revenue stream from royalties paid by the franchisees.

Franchising can provide the capital for rapid growth when your business doesn’t have the capital, the people, or even the time to establish a company owned growth program. Franchising solves the problems of slow growth, the problems of finding outside capital and the problems of finding the right employees associated with company owned units. Franchising a business is the solution for the problems of money, time and people.

Money

Franchising transfers almost the entire cost of expansion to the franchisees. Franchisees build the building or pay the rent, buy the inventory, pay the employees, do the marketing and provide the working capital until sales make the business profitable. In reality, the growth of a franchise system is limited only by the number of people willing to buy the franchise and the number of locations that can be sold.

Time

If you’re anxious to move quickly before the competition catches on with a hot new concept franchising provides solution. Franchising is the one growth system that allows businesses to expand exponentially. A franchise can grow rapidly simply by selling individual units. Some franchises can grow even faster by selling multiple units or territories to sub franchises. Either way, it is almost always faster to open franchises than company-owned units.

People
Franchisees make excellent employees and managers. They have a vested interested in making the business successful. They own it. A franchisor not only gets a dedicated manager they are relieved from the daily problems associated with hiring, firing and managing employees.

In summary, if you are looking to expand your business and lack capital, time or people, franchising is a viable solution to all three problems. If this scenario applies to you and your business the answer to the question, “Should I franchise?” is definitely yes.

Ice Cream Business Doing Well

NO COOLING OFF FOR ICE CREAM BUSINESS

Cape Cod Times
By Sarah Shemkus
May 24, 2009

As economic uncertainty encourages families to rethink how much they can spend on vacations, entertainment and dining out, the simple pleasures of the cream parlor seem to be a little luxury that consumers are unwilling to cross off their budgets.
Evidence from past seasons, in fact, suggests that ice cream vendors don't just survive economic downturns, they thrive, said Robert Bryson, the executive director of the New England Ice Cream Restaurant Association.
"In a challenging economy, in a down economy, ice cream shops do very, very well," he said. Business "actually increases because people are going to maybe not be buying a new television set "¦ but they will not be denying their children the treat of an ice cream cone during the summertime."
Across Cape Cod, ice cream purveyors are confident that this phenomenon will hold true this summer.
Last summer, the first hints of economic decline and soaring gas prices did nothing to deter ice cream enthusiasts.
Even with the widespread optimism, ice cream professionals are taking a few steps to ensure strong business in a recession-struck summer.
All of the shops surveyed have chosen not to raise their prices this year.
"Normally, we would have," said Bob Hannon, owner of Ice Cream Sandwich in Sandwich.
Because of the constantly rising cost of ingredients, he usually increases prices by about 5 percent each year, Hannon said.
"This year we're maintaining the prices," he said. "If we can keep a stable price, then hopefully it will make it a little easier for people to enjoy the treats."
Approaching Memorial Day weekend, most ice cream sellers said that their stores' performance during the informal kickoff to the tourist season probably won't provide much indication of how the rest of the summer will go.
Weather, the ice cream shop proprietors said, is easily the biggest factor in determining the success of the summer.

McDonald's

McDonald's same-store sales up, but shares fall
Mon Jun 8, 2009 9:50am EDT


CHICAGO (Reuters) - McDonald's Corp (MCD.N) on Monday reported a 5.1 percent increase in May sales at restaurants open at least 13 months, with demand strong in Europe and Asia/Pacific.

However, the growth was down from April, when global same-store sales rose 6.9 percent. McDonald's shares fell 3.3 percent in early trading.

May same-restaurant sales were up 2.8 percent in the United States, helped by new coffee drinks and snacks. That was significantly slower than the 6.1 percent growth in April.

The world's largest hamburger chain is one of the restaurant industry's top performers largely because its Dollar Menu has been attracting diners amid a lengthy recession that has sent unemployment sharply higher.

The stronger U.S. dollar -- which lessens the dollar value of overseas sales -- led to an overall 0.4 percent decline at worldwide McDonald's restaurants, the company said. Sales rose 7 percent in constant currencies.

Fast-food restaurants generally have held up better in a tough economy than higher-priced sit-down restaurants.

McDonald's May same-store sales increased 7.6 percent in Europe, and 6.4 percent in the company's Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa segment. In April, same-store sales in the two regions were up 8.4 and 6.5 percent, respectively.

McDonald's said the hit by the foreign exchange rates, if they remain around current levels, is expected to be 8 cents to 9 cents a share in the second quarter and about 20 cents for the year.

The company also said second-quarter results, which it is scheduled to report on July 23, are expected to include 2 cents to 3 cents a share of income due to a license deal in Indonesia and the sale of Redbox Automated Retail.

Its shares fell $2.08, or 3.3 percent, to $57.80 in early trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

(Reporting by Ben Klayman and Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles; Editing by Maureen Bavdek)

Francorp To Exhibit at the Atlanta Franchise and Finance Exposition

Francorp, the worlds oldest and most experienced franchise consulting and development firm will be exhibiting at the Atlanta Franchise and Financing Exposition on May 2nd and 3rd at the Cobb Galleria Center in Atlanta, GA.

Show Dates & Hours
Saturday, May 2, 2009
11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Sunday, May 3, 2009
11:00 am to 5:00 pm

Location: Cobb Galleria CentreTwo Galleria Pkwy Atlanta, GA 30339
(770) 953-4099
http://www.cobbgalleria.com/
Hall D
Booth # 215

Francorp has been developing successful franchise organizations for over 33 years and has a client list of over 2,000 franchise systems. Francorp is heavily involved with franchise exhibitions around the world including India, the Middle East and Latin America. Atlanta is a wonderful franchise market place and the Atlanta Franchise and Finance Exposition should be a great show.

Francorp has five clients exhibiting at the Atlanta show also including European Wax Centers, Monster Mini Golf, Patrice and Associates, Omega Learning Centers and Froots Fresh Smoothies. All of these companies are exciting brands that have continued to grow and work with new franchisees over the past year. European Wax Centers now has almost 100 locations in just under two years of franchising, Froots continues to set the trend for the smoothie industry with almost 100 locations as well and Monster Mini Golf has almost 30 locations in only a couple of years in the franchise business.

Froots
http://www.froots.com/
Omega Learning Center
http://www.omegalearningcenter.com/
Patrice And Associates
http://www.patriceandassociates.com/
Monster Mini Golf
http://www.monsterminigolf.com/
European Wax Centers
http://www.waxcenter.com/

Here is a great excerpt from the Atlanta show's site that explains the value and opportunity that the show brings to its attendees.
http://www.localfranchiseshow.com/atlanta/indexatt.cfm

The Franchise and Financing Expo is the perfect event for exploring and investing in opportunities that put you in business for yourself – but not by yourself. Because when you purchase a franchise, you're purchasing a proven business concept designed to help ensure your financial success. The Atlanta Franchise & Financing Expo will give you the opportunity to meet face-to-face with representatives from many of the top franchise concepts, at every investment level – looking to expand throughout Atlanta. All in one place, and at one time, you'll be able to learn about franchises in virtually every industry. Sample products. Attend educational conference tracks. And get all the information you need to find the franchise that matches you skills, interests and budget. Lenders will be on hand to answer questions about financing your venture, or you can start the financial qualification process now when you pre-register for the event. For More Information request to be contacted by the Lender(s) of your choice after Pre-Registering. If you want more information or have questions before you arrive at the Atlanta Franchise & Financing Expo please contact Rick Brunsman.

Attend These Informative Conference Tracks
The A to Z's of Buying a Franchise
How to Franchise Your Business
Financing Your Franchise
Opportunities in Franchising for Minorities & Women

For more information on Francorp please visit the corporate site, http://www.francorp.com/

Francorp - Franchise Business Planning

Franchise Business Plans

Franchising a company is a big decision and a major change in direction for most companies. The good franchise systems are ones that plan appropriately and put together the pieces before they get into this game. As the saying goes, you either “when you fail to plan you are planning to fail”. The same holds true for franchising. Good franchise endeavors have great franchise business plans. So what constitutes a good franchise business plan?
The key ingredients include several pieces, like any good recipe, if some of the ingredients are left out the final product just won’t taste right, which in franchise business planning that means big problems. The franchise business plan sets the stage for a franchise expansion program. It literally acts as the foundation upon which the house will be built. Everything in the franchise program should have uniformity and continuity with what is defined and determined in the franchise business plan.
The franchise business plan should begin with goals and objectives. What is the purpose of franchising? What is the goal for the company and where do you plan on being in five years? These goals will set the standards for the plan and identify how you intend to get there. You then should establish the buyer profile, who will be purchasing these franchises and opening up locations of your operation? The better franchise plans have more specific descriptions. Bad example: “middle aged person with income around $100k”. Good example: Female, ages 35-45, experience with children preferable age ranges between 5-12 years old, married, existing capital of $100k, sales ability, work ethic, married at least 5 years….etc.”. Get specific in the franchise business plan, that means you are honing in on your targets.
We then need to define the business issues of the franchise model. What will a territory look like for the franchisees? We don’t want to overcrowd markets and we also don’t want to give away business. Franchising is about saturation, take advantage of all market opportunities. After the franchisees have been established it will be extremely critical to have an ongoing support program for the people who have committed their futures to this franchise organization. Good franchise business plans clearly identify the training programs, processes and materials that will be used to get franchisees up and running and then to keep them happy and successful once in the system. With this comes hiring management and support staff. The franchise business plan should clearly identify who, when and what role they will fill in the franchise organization. The type of business will dictate how many people and at what times in the franchise expansion they should be brought on board.
The franchise business plan should also go into specifics regarding the franchise fee structure. What will the franchise fee be for this model? What will the royalty percentage be……and why? Will there be an advertising budget set to build the brand and if so what is the buy in for the franchisee to be a part of that co-op ad fund? If there are products included in the franchise system that the franchisor would like to sell through franchisees what is the distribution structure for delivering and supporting that part of the franchise system? All of this should be clearly outlined in the franchise business plan.
In the end, a complete set of pro-formas and financials should be established to define the ROI for both the franchisee and the franchisor. This can be used as an investment tool, to raise capital and most importantly as a road map for running and operating the franchise operation as the system grows.

Francorp Client Brake King

Despite the recession, Brake King aims to expand
By Ashley Kelly 247-4778
March 19, 2009

-->NEWPORT NEWS — Since Brake King opened in 1966, the company has gone from having two auto bays to 21.And customer demand continues to grow despite the recession. Now the Hutchisons are expanding the family business by franchising."We knew we had to expand for our customers," said company vice president Bubba Hutchison, who said Brake King currently serves more than 35,000 people. "In the past month we've had customers come from Richmond, Woodbridge and Dale City (near Manassas). It's almost like we felt obligated to expand."The company has received about 60 inquiries since January from people considering buying a store, Hutchison said. Current plans call for the company to license four franchises, located between Richmond and the Outer Banks, by the end of the year.
Each franchise is being sold for $50,000. Brake King will receive 5 percent of the gross sales of each store. Hutchison said the franchises will range from 4,000 to 10,000 square feet. The Jefferson Avenue shop is 15,000 square feet.The company originally wanted to award eight franchises by the end of this year, but the recession caused Brake King to scale the number down to four. In five years the company plans to have 50 stores operating, Hutchison said.The strain that the economy has put on banks has made it difficult for people to secure loans or get credit, a challenge that Brake King faces while trying to sell franchises."We're in the worst recession in years. There is such volatility in the market that a lot of people have the money, but they're just sitting on it." he said.Brake King expanding in the recession may seem risky to some, but is not uncommon."It's either expand or perish, that's the American way," said Patrick Callaway, president of Francorp, a franchise consulting company based in Illinois."There are businesses that are operating in spite of this recession. After all, we all have cars and need to replace our brakes, recession or no recession."Hutchison did not want to grow the family business by opening other shops locally and hiring managers."We realized we wanted owners, not managers," he said. "We wanted people that have real skin in the game. People who are vested in the business."Hutchison said it's also about putting the family business into the right hands."Just because someone has the money doesn't mean they have a franchise .... The challenge is finding the right people, not just people that have the capital."

Franchise Information

Franchise Information
Franchising is one of the most exciting and explosive growth industries in the world today. More and more industries have come to embrace and utilize franchising as a means to expand their companies. Each business day a new franchise operation opens in the US every 8 minutes!
The traditional franchise offering consists of a fixed location business that typically is related to food. As the amount of franchise information and the value of franchising has spread, other businesses have maximized their growth potential through franchising. For example, more companies in the past year have franchised who do not have a fixed location business. The franchise model is territory based and the franchisee many times works from their home. The advantages of franchising remain the same, vested owner operator, leverages system, brand equity, economies of scale, they all still hold true regardless of the model.
Franchise information is available everywhere today, it is rare that any American goes through a regular day without shopping or stepping foot in a franchised business, they are everywhere! The franchise industry has become a part of our everyday lives, and now that more and more of the world is becoming globalized, franchising is spreading to new countries and new areas of the globe.
More and more venues have become available for people, buyers, investors and franchise developers to access franchise information. The Internet clearly is the weapon of choice. Over 70% of franchise buyers access their initial searches for franchise information over the web. Trade Shows can also be extremely effective ways to discover and evaluate franchisors on the market. There are also several industry guides that provide information on the market, industry growth and specific franchise companies.
When franchisees commit to a franchise, they will want as many details as possible before committing their future to a new business endeavor. That being said, providing franchise information to a prospective franchisee is a delicate process in that the presentation must be professional and honest, it must clearly paint the picture of the business, the potential for the industry and the franchisees responsibilities once they open the operation. There are guidelines and rules that dictate how franchise information can be presented and in what format. The best franchise systems in the world are the ones that are the most forthcoming and disclose the facts up front.

www.francorp.com

How to Franchise - Franchise Sales

Franchise Sales

How do all of these franchise organizations manage their franchise sales process? It is remarkable how many franchise systems out there, in the United States a new franchise is opened every 8 minutes of each business day, that is an amazing rate of growth! So franchising works, I get it. How do you find franchisees once you have gone through this process of franchising a business though?
When evaluating franchise sales, it is critical to first identify who the franchise buyer is and who we are working to sell the franchises to. Franchise sales encompass a large array of different types of franchise offerings. The traditional franchise is the owner operator model where typically a moderately well capitalized individual buys into the rights to run and manage a single location of the franchise offering. This franchise sales approach is most effective when using an emotional sales presentation. Presenting the franchise to the buyer is not about the financial details, the minutia of the business offering or other particulars, it becomes an emotional decision for the buyer to get into business on their own with your help. Franchise sales is about creating that emotional connection with the buyer, similar to the process of selling a home, the buyer falls in love with the idea and the notion that they will be in that house, neighborhood, they picture their family being raised in that home and envision the future they will have there. The individual franchise buyer is typically not a former executive or highly educated individual with millions to invest, it typically is just someone who wants to get into business for themselves and they know they need someone’s help doing it.
The franchise sales process is typically a 30-120 day process with a potential candidate, some take much longer. The evaluation process takes place on both sides, the buyer judging whether the franchisor has the support, training and overall package to truly support them and the franchise sales person gauging whether the franchise buyer has the capital, experience and wherewithal to be a franchisee.
The second type of franchise sales is to sell to a multi-unit franchise owner. This franchise offering is someone who has much more capital and experience. In this franchise sale, the buyer purchases the franchise rights to a much larger territory with a larger responsibility. They then are put on a performance schedule by the franchisor who establishes how many units the multi unit franchisee will be opening. This franchise sale is a different sale than the individual franchise. This buyer is highly sophisticated and has most likely been in franchise development before. They look over the financials and make an investment decision based on the ROI and how quickly they will see a return on the investment. In order to make this franchise sale the franchise system probably needs to be somewhat mature and have a really professional package to offer the franchisee, they are typically being courted by many franchise systems. The offering needs to make sense, in many cases the only realistic way to attract this buyer is to present earnings claims and business plans, these people are making an investment when they buy into the franchise, not buying into a lifestyle.
When approaching the process of franchise sales, it is critical to have people, consultants and a system in place. The first step is planning out the stages and carefully preparing for how to manage the influx of leads and responsibilities that come with franchise sales. The beauty and excitement of franchising is that with each franchise sale a company is expanded.

Francorp Working with PMQ Magazine

Francorp works with many small business groups and within many business communities across the United States and around the globe to help business owners learn and evaluate franchising as a growth option for their business. Francorp is now working with PMQ Magazine, the industry leader in information within the Pizza segment. Francorp has worked with many of the Pizza Industry's most successful brands and continues to be heavily involved in this market.

http://www.pmq.com/francorp.php

Francorp clients in the Pizza market include Aurelio's, Uno's, Pizza Vito, Rosati's, Papa Murphy's and many others. For a complete list of clients visit the corporate site, www.francorp.com.

How to Franchise Your Business?

How to Franchise Your Business?
Tom DuFore, Executive Vice President at Francorp
Francorp – 1000 Words
10/22/2008
Revised/Edited on 3/6/2009
How to franchise? This is a question that is often asked by many small businesses of all kinds throughout the world. When looking into how to franchise a business there are a number of factors that need to be considered prior to franchising. First we need to further understand what a franchise is and then if our business has the ability to franchise. If after your franchise analysis you determine that your company is capable to franchise then the next steps are to decide whether or not to move forward with franchising and then how do you do it. Let’s take each of these one at a time.
What is a franchise
Franchising is governed by the Federal Trade Commission and according to the FTC Rule 436 a franchise is, “A method of doing business by which a franchisee is granted the right to engage in the business of offering, selling or distributing goods or services under a marketing plan or system prescribed in substantial part by a franchisor and which is substantially associated with the franchisor’s trademark, name, logo or advertising.”
Basically this means that if someone pays you a fee, upfront and/or ongoing for the use of your business name and your business system you most likely fall into the category of being a franchise. If that is the case you will need to comply with the federal franchise law which states you need to have a Uniform Franchise Disclosure Document in place. Please note that there are 23 states that require some form of additional franchise compliance beyond just the federal franchise regulations.
Are You Franchiseable?
To asses if your company can be franchised in the first place there are five criteria to use as general guidelines in assessing the feasibility of your business as a franchise. As always, these criteria are not perfect and may not always be accurate, but they are typically on point. As we always recommend you would do yourself a favor by speaking with a franchise consultant and other professionals regarding this issue. The five criteria are:
1. Do you provide a decent product or service to your customers?
2. Do you have a great system in place to run your operation by? This means the operations, marketing, management, etc.
3. Can you teach someone in a relatively short amount of time, say 1-4 months, how to run the business? Obviously the timeframes will vary based on the complexity of the business model, but the main focus is if you can teach someone.
4. Does your business have a market nationally? Even if you don’t go nationally or intend to do so today, you very well may change your mind five years from now.
5. Can you provide a 15% return on your franchisees initial cash investment and provide them the ability take a manager’s salary if they are an owner/operator?
Do You Want to Franchise?
One of the most important steps components to the entire process is to take a look at you in the mirror and ask, “What do I want to be when I grow up?” What is your is your dream, your aspiration, as a business person? Do you want to be an owner/operator running your one or two unit business for the rest of your life? Or, do you want to become the CEO of a regional, national, or international company? The decision isn’t always easy, nor is it to be taken lightly. This is why seeking proper guidance from a franchise consultant could prove to be useful.
Remember that getting into the franchise industry is a completely new business. You are no longer selling burgers, selling insurance, or competing with 10 other local companies for the same customer that is going to spend maybe $30 or $40. Your customer in the franchising business is going to quit their job, pay around $500,000 for a franchise (including a franchise fee, working capital, equipment, leasehold improvements, etc), and run a franchise. You no longer are in need of having hundreds of customers walk in your operation every day, week, or month. You now need to find just one, two, or three people to buy your franchise each month.
How to Franchise Your Business
So we are finally here, the point of no return. You have concluded from the previous topics that franchising is for your company and it is something that you want to do. Well, in order to franchise your company you are going to need to have a lot of pieces in place in order to make it work. These pieces include a well written franchise business plan, thorough research, legal documents to comply with the franchise laws, an operations manual, a thorough franchise marketing plan, a franchise brochure, and you will need to know how to market, sell, and grow a franchise company. Each and every one of these components is vital and important for you to have done by experts in the franchise field. Subcontracting this out to the lowest bidder or to other folks that outsource the project does not work well in setting up your franchise program the right way. You will want to work with experts that have a turn-key franchise program and that have a track record of success. Just like your franchisees will want to see that you have a good operation, you should look for the same from the franchise people you work with.
One of the most common mistakes business owners make when looking into how to franchise is contacting their local business attorney to have them draft the Uniform Franchise Disclosure Document. While your business lawyer has been good to you, chances are that they do not specialize in franchise law. The other problem this creates is that you will receive a questionnaire from your lawyer asking you what your franchise fee should be, your royalty, territory issues, demographics, initial training, ongoing support, which of franchise structures do you intend to offer, and so on. The point is that legal documents merely DEFINE your franchise program and do not DRIVE it. The business decisions that are made in the franchise business plan are the keys to your success. It is here that the future success of your franchise program can be made or broken. Having great advice at this stage of the game is critical to making your franchise work. This is an area that we at Francorp focus on intently and is one of the main reasons why an average client of ours will sell 33 franchises in their first 3 years of operation as a franchise company.
There are many ways to get the work done that is needed to get into the franchising business, however, this is something that has to be done right the first time! If you make a bad judgment call on your royalty or territory size, your franchise program could very quickly be in jeopardy. This is a brand new business you are looking into and you owe it to yourself to research and find out as much as you can prior to moving forward with franchising. Take the time to make a decision from an informed perspective and be sure to truthfully answer the question, “What do I want to be when I grow up?”
For more information on how to franchise your business you can download a free book called, “Franchising Your Business,” by Don Boroian and Patrick Callaway at www.francorp.com.


For 32 years, Francorp has been the industry leader in the franchise development and consulting industry. We have a unique approach that remains unmatched by any other firm in the world. We have assembled a team of experts whose talents are coordinated seamlessly to create customized materials that fit the specific needs of our clients. Successful systems create successful franchises, and our unique proven method maximizes your chances of success and minimizes costly mistakes. Francorp will handle your program development through your strategic planning, franchise agreement, franchise offering circular, state registrations and filing, marketing plan, internet marketing, operations manual, sales training and management training, all under one roof.

How To Franchise A Sales Organization

How to Franchise a Sales Organization.
Franchising is a unique entity. It is regarded as an industry, but is defined as a method of distribution. Most of franchising is associated with food oriented businesses, you know, the ones that line every street corner and you probably bought lunch from the other day. But franchising as permeated all industries today, we now see franchise companies in all industries that are successfully duplicating themselves across the country and around the world. Franchising is a dynamic, aggressive way to grow a business, there is no question about that. But what is the process? How do you franchise a business that typically is not associated with franchising?
In this article I will discuss How to Franchise a Sales organization and the process involved. Francorp is the world’s largest and most experienced franchise development and consulting firm. The company has franchised over 2,000 different businesses in it’s 33 year history. So needless to say I hear from plenty of business owners, many of which have products or services that they wish to sell more of to a larger customer base. Franchising can be a way to do this effectively and control the quality and effectiveness of the sales team. When discussing How to Franchise a Sales Team it is important to understand that franchising is a controlled mode of growth. The franchisor can control the quality, consistency and overall brand image of the company if a franchise system is managed correctly.
So, How to Franchise a Sales Team begins with setting the system. As a sales oriented franchisor your most valued asset is the sales system. The process you use to sell the product or service. That needs to be clearly defined, documented and tested. Once that system is in place, the marketing process makes sense, scripts have been put together, sales call procedures have been mapped, technology has been identified and all of the above is on paper and ready to go, then the franchise is ready. A Franchise system is only as strong as the system that is replicated through it. So if you’ve ever heard of the saying, “Garbage in, Garbage out, or GIGO”, that would apply here when considering How to Franchise a sales territory.
An interesting misconception about franchising is that the success depends on the quality of the product or service more than the surrounding business model. In fact, most franchise systems don’t have overly astounding products to offer, but the good ones always have great business models and ways of doing business. The product obviously should be a good one, but what will make a Sales Oriented franchise successful is the process to market the offer and close the deal.
The key for How to Franchise a sales business to think about how to replicate the sale, the pitch, the marketing, the lead generation all the way to the payment. That is where the secret lies. Many great sales organizations have been built through franchise systems, it is worth investigating if you are looking to sell something across larger territories or areas.

The Strength of Franchising

Unlike the exciting cliff hanger football game that is a Mecca for mass-marketers,
franchised businesses again dominated in advertising buys in 2009. During
Super Bowl XLIII, companies engaged in franchising outspent all other
combined enterprises by an estimated $14 million dollars.

These numbers are even more dramatic when 23 NBC network promotional spots
and 7.5 NFL spots are added to the mix. Both NBC and the NFL have
franchised affiliates, and if the value of these 30+ ads are factored in the
amount balloons to more than $100 million. In all, 64% (81.5 ads) of some
128 ads that aired during the 4 hour game broadcast came from businesses
engaged in franchising.

According to American Association of Franchisees and Dealers (AAFD) Chairman
Robert Purvin, who launched the organization?s Advertising Super Bowl survey
22 years ago, ?Super Bowl advertising continues to demonstrate the power of
franchising. How else can small business owners afford to share their
messages with almost 100 million households at one time??

Financial markets have been paying close attention to the willingness of
advertisers to embrace the high ticket cost of advertising on network
television?s grandest stage, with many concerned the Super Bowl advertising
would be yet one more victim of an economic meltdown. If anything,
franchisors have seemed to ratchet up marketing efforts to fight back
against slowing sales.

NBC reportedly charged a record average price of almost $3 million per
30-second spot ($100,000 per second). The higher cost didn't seem to impact
advertiser demand as NBC reported it sold out the available 69 national
network spots. (Each local network affiliate franchise sold about 30 local
spots). The total number of spots played during the game earned NBC an
estimated $270 million dollars.

Yet for a single 30 second spot of $1.5 million, the advertising cost for a
ubiquitous franchise such as McDonald's (who aired two ads this year) breaks
down to under $100 per store when divided among the approximate 15,000 US
restaurants in the chain. ?The collective marketing power among franchised
businesses is formidable,? adds Purvin.

Among companies that market through franchising, those companies that
manufacture products that are distributed through independent dealer
networks (called ?product franchisors? in the trade) easily dominated the ad
buys. A robust 37 ads were placed by companies who sell cars, beverages,
cosmetics and insurance through independent networks.

Business format franchisors -- those businesses that consumers traditionally
associate with franchising ? accounted for 21 commercials (double the number
from 2008), including spots from McDonald's, Taco Bell, Cars.com, and
regional entries (on the West Coast where the survey was conducted) from
Jack-in-the Box. The business format segment was even more active in the
pre and post-game markets.

Budweiser again led all advertisers with 4 minutes of air time (about 8
spots), earning it exclusive rights to broadcast during the game and
shutting out competitors Miller Brewing and Coors (both of which advertised
in the pre-game).

After Anheuser-Busch, only six advertisers ran more than one or two
commercial spots. Pepsi was second to Budweiser, buying several minutes of
ad time among its franchised soft drink brands and its non-franchised
Frito-Lay brands (primarily Doritos). Hyundai ran several spots during the
game as well during the Pre-game show. Honda and Toyota each ran multiple
spots for various brands.

American car manufacturers were missing from the prime time telecast. For
the first time in years, cooperative networks such as the California Cheese
Association, Ace Hardware and the Almond Growers Association all stayed
away.

Between 2:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. Eastern time, consumers were ?treated? to
almost 2 hours and fifteen minutes of thirty-second ads (approximately 270),
64% of which were placed by companies engaged in franchising. This was
about the same ratio as 2007 and 2008.

Entertainment related ads, primarily motion picture promos, led the
non-franchised segment with 16 spots. Manufacturers slid to second place
with 13 ads, including electronics, food producers and pharmaceuticals.
Retailers fell off dramatically, with one ad each from Best Buy and Kay
Jewelers, as compared to 9 spots placed in 2008. On the flip side, on-line
retailers showed a dramatic increase, with multiple spots run by
Monster.com, GoDaddy.com and E-Trade, among several others.

During the game approximately 67 different companies advertised. In
addition there were two public service announcements.

This year?s crop of ads were less striking than past years, with no
candidate seemingly destined for the Super Bowl Ad Hall of Fame, although
E-Trade?s infant stock trader was quite clever. Three other memorable ads
were delivered by Budweiser (with a Clydesdale pursuing love and the
American Dream) and an office mate being thrown out of a third story
building for suggesting that his company save money by no longer providing
free Bud Light. Coca-Cola offered a clever ?reincarnation? of the famous
Mean Joe Green encounter with a young fan, with All Pro defensive back, Troy
Polamalu, tackling a Coca-Cola executive to avenge his young fan.

About the AAFD

The American Association of Franchisees and Dealers is the oldest and
largest direct member non-profit trade association representing the
interests of franchisees and independent dealer networks throughout the
United States. The AAFD was formed in 1992 with a mission to define and
promote collaborative franchise cultures that the AAFD describes as Total
Quality Franchising. Stressing market solutions and franchisee empowerment
through independent franchisee associations, the AAFD has grown to represent
more than 50,000 franchised businesses nationwide, with members in all 50
states.

The AAFD's Fair Franchising Standards, Fair Franchising Seal, Trademark
Chapters, and emphasis on marketplace solutions led to the Association's
recognition as a growing force in franchising. The AAFD?s Branded Partner
programs add a new dimension to the value of AAFD membership. The AAFD
provides a broad range of member services designed to help franchisees build
market power, create legislative support of interest to franchisees, provide
legal and financial support, and provide a wide range of general member
benefits.

For more information about the conference or the AAFD, please call toll free
? 610-209-3775 or visit www.AAFD.org.

Francorp Client DirectBuy

Bart Fesperman announced as DirectBuy's new executive vice president

DirectBuy, the home improvement and home furnishings club with direct insider prices, is pleased to name Bart Fesperman as its new executive vice president.

MERRILLVILLE, IN, February 26, 2009 /Franchise PR News/ -- Mr. Fesperman has been with DirectBuy since 2004 when he joined DirectBuy's executive team as vice president of sales & marketing. Fesperman has nearly doubled DirectBuy's annual membership enrollments each of the last two fiscal years.

Mr. Fesperman's career with DirectBuy dates back to February 1995 when he and his wife LeaAnn, along with partners Lynn and Tammy Corbin, opened their first franchise in Springfield, Missouri. In addition to being recognized as top performers in the network, the Fespermans and Corbins were the recipients of the prestigious Founder's Award in 1998 in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the company.

In July of 2002, the Springfield ownership team opened their second franchise in Johnson County, Kansas. In 2003, at DirectBuy's International Sales & Service Conference in San Diego, both franchises were recognized as Top 10 centers in the network for the conference year 2002-2003.

"We congratulate Bart and look forward to a prosperous future as he leads DirectBuy's sales organization to even greater levels of success," said DirectBuy President and CEO Scott Powell.

DirectBuy offers consumers thousands of items, including kitchen cabinets, flat-screen televisions and major appliances from more than a thousand top manufacturers and their authorized suppliers throughout North America. At more than 160 clubs throughout the United States and Canada, DirectBuy members enjoy a comfortable, welcoming setting and design center where they finally have the financial control of buying direct.

To assist members with their home renovation projects, DirectBuy also offers access to interior designers and product specialists who are specially trained in one of five areas of merchandise: Home Furnishings, Home Improvement, Flooring, Entertainment/Outdoor, and Accessories. Additionally, members benefit from the use of a children's play area, cafe and a member's lounge to relax while shopping.

DirectBuy members also have access to renowned designer Christopher Lowell. Lowell has designed twelve room settings - created exclusively with products available through DirectBuy - using his Seven Layers of Design. An innovative approach to home decor, The Seven Layers of Design keeps homeowners on budget and from feeling overwhelmed by their project.

DirectBuy Membership
Consumers who are interested in joining DirectBuy are encouraged to attend an exclusive Open House event, which is designed to educate families about DirectBuy's unique business model. The Open House also helps consumers better understand how DirectBuy members avoid traditional retail markup when purchasing brand-name merchandise.

To request a "Free Insider's Guide to Buying Direct" and a Visitor's Pass to learn more about the superior value and benefits of a DirectBuy membership, call 1-800-DIRECTBUY or visit www.directbuy.com.

About DirectBuy
For more than 37 years, DirectBuy has been showing thousands of consumers unparalleled ways to save as they shop for virtually everything for in and around their homes - from furnishings, home improvement and flooring, to entertainment and outdoor products, accessories and much, much more. With more than 160 locations in North America, DirectBuy offers its members access to approximately 700 brand-name manufacturers and their authorized suppliers in the US, and more than 500 brand-name manufacturers and authorized suppliers in Canada.

Consumers interested in seeing DirectBuy's savings, service and selection up close may obtain a Visitor's Pass to attend an Open House by visiting www.directbuy.com or www.directbuycares.com.

Choice Hotels

Choice Hotels Plays Up Free Services
March 2, 2009

-By Elaine Wong

Choice Hotels International is going after money-conscious consumers with a new campaign highlighting the value travelers get by choosing its family of brands.

Three new spots, via Arnold Worldwide in Washington, show that Quality, Comfort Inn and Comfort Suites--among other Choice Hotels International properties--offer complimentary services like free breakfast and Internet access. Choice Hotels has 5,800 locations worldwide.

The spots, which show hotel guests dining, visiting an amusement park and taking a carriage ride, relay the value message via free amenities that Choice Hotels offers. In the past, however, ads played up the convenience of its locations with Johnny Cash's “I’ve been everywhere” serving as the jingle since 2005. The change in advertising strategy comes as Choice Hotels reported a 33 percent drop in fourth quarter profit.

“For us, it’s not an entirely new focus. Our brands have been known for providing the best value and convenient locations, but we are placing more emphasis on the value,” said Chris Malone, Choice Hotels CMO. “The message to our consumer is: ‘You don’t have to give up all the things you enjoy and love.’”

Choice Hotels, which spent $75.3 million in both 2007 and 2008 on advertising, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus, did not disclose cost of the campaign. Malone said the push coincides with the company's heavy emphasis on search and online advertising.

The hotel chain has ramped up its keyword search for all properties, as 60 to 70 percent of all hotel bookings are made online, Malone said. Malone also added that in 2009, the company would increase broadcast and online impressions by 4 percent and 39 percent, respectively.

Even during an economic slump consumers still want to travel, but they’re looking for value more than anything else, said Woody Kay, managing partner and chief creative officer in Arnold's Washington office. “If anything, this is the year of the deal. The staycation is becoming the nearcation. People are discovering that staying at home is not fun,” Kay said, adding that events like weddings and business trips will always call for a hotel stay. The only difference is that instead of seeking out more luxury brands, consumers will be focused on hotels that provide more bang for their buck.

McDonald's

McDonald's names new China chief executive
Mon Mar 2, 2009 8:30pm EST Email | Print | Share| Reprints | Single Page[-] Text [+]
Market News
Global stocks rise on China hopes
China hopes, oil's surge snaps Wall Street's 5-day rout
Oil gains nearly 9 percent on U.S. crude stocks drop
More Business & Investing News... BEIJING, March 3 (Reuters) - McDonald's Corp (MCD.N) on Monday named Kenneth Chan as its new chief executive officer in China, replacing Jeffrey Schwartz, the company said in a statement.

Chan, a Singaporean, has been with McDonald's for 12 years, most recently acting as regional manager in Malaysia, Taiwan and Korea, and managing director of its restaurants in Singapore.

Schwartz, a 40-year McDonald's veteran, will retire from the company, the statement said. (Reporting by Michael Wei; Editing by Ken Wills)

Francorp Client Schotzsky's

Schlotzsky’s Goes Web 2.0 for Sandwich Debut
March 3, 2009

-By Becky Ebenkamp

Schlotzsky’s is throwing out the first pitch for its initial major QSR deal this week with a spring baseball-themed program that supports the casual chain’s launch of three Big League Clubz sandwiches.

The creative challenge was to spread the word about the new Beef ‘n Bacon Club, Chick ‘n Turkey Club and Ham ‘n Turkey Club sandwiches among dads and their ball-playing kids by the bonding the sport brings—from Little League to the big leagues. (The promo has no affiliations with Major League Baseball or any other organization, however.) Austin, Texas-based Schlotzsky’s is owned by Focus brands (Carvel, Cinnabon, Moe’s Southwest Grill) and has about 350 restaurants in 35 states.

This is the largest promotion Schlotzsky’s has ever done, and the first time the chain has gone beyond the traditional TV, radio, FSI, POP route to communicate.

“We brought in all these [components] to help [Schlotzsky’s] understand the power of social media to drive sales and to show them how measurable it is,” said Van Vandegrift, executive producer at branded entertainment company Matrixx Pictures in Santa Monica, Calif., the agency that devised the promotion. “In Web 1.0, we used to care about the time visitors spent on the site and where they went; now, the sentiment is about the brand, how many times it’s mentioned in blogs and in what context, photos posted to Twitter, drive-by buzz. This is great because this is a brand new sandwich--there’s no buzz yet.”

At a microsite (Bigleagueclubz.com), fans can join a Big League Clubz club and enter a sweepstakes to win a trip for four to St. Louis (coincidentally timed around the MLB All-Star Game). The sweeps runs through May 31, and visitors who come back for extra site experiences—such as to play games or sign up for an e-letter—get bonus entries. Gameplay will be a main draw, as there are video games and a fantasy baseball league component that involves drafting friends for teams. The latter will also extend to social networking sites, such as Facebook.

A downloadable desktop widget lets players keep track of scores and other baseball info and gives Schlotzsky’s a conduit of communication. “We’ll know how many people download the widget, and when we push out an offer, we’ll know who we pushed it to and who responded,” Vandegrift said.

There are many more components: Codes from ads and POP can be texted to win additional sweepstakes chances, the sandwiches have their own baseball-type cards that factor in and fans who collect those can upload photos to a site to receive a mini engraved baseball bat premium. There’s a local market activation push to help restaurants connect with baseball entities in their communities through sponsorships, team nights and other touch points.

“It’s rare to see a 40-year-old brand take a shot at new media," said Vandegrift. Most are afraid to dip their toes in, and he believes the best way to introduce clients to Web 2.0 is to engage them personally. He added: “If you want to know how text messaging works, [we say to them,] ‘Text this message to this code and when you get a message back you can see if you like how it works. That’s better than sitting around all day saying, ‘We should have a better web site.’ It’s about building a better social experience.”