Franchise Fear?

Everyone is afraid right now of where this economy is headed. Going into Thanksgiving, many folks in the franchise industry are experiencing their own type of 'gut check' - (and its not because they know they will soon be indulging on turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes).

As a Franchisor, what do you do?

As a Franchisee, what do you do?

As a potential franchise owner, what do you do?

We would really like to hear from some of those who are a part of (or looking at one day being a part of) the franchise industry.

If you don't mind our posting your opinions, feel free to email us your thoughts at blog@FranchiseBaby.com

Thanks and we will post the results soon.

Franchise use of Promotional Products

Franchisees wanting to make the most of their marketing budgets can increase their bottom line with promotional products. Below are six areas where promotional products

can be used to enhance marketing efforts:

SALES CALLS: Support sales calls by leaving a promotional product with the buyer keeping the advertising message alive.

TRADE SHOWS: Use promotional products to encourage attendance at the
booth prior to the show, at the show and in post show follow-ups.

BUSINESS ANNIVERSARY: Use this event to thank customers, employees,
vendors and the community for their part in making this event
possible.

CUSTOMER RELATIONS: Now is the time of year to say "Thank You" with
an appropriate gift. Make sure customers are not among the 7 out of
10 lost customers who are lost because of indifference.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF SALE: Let customers know their business is
appreciated by sending a "Thank You" at the time of a purchase in the
form of a letter or card with an appropriate promotional product. This is especially true with big ticket items. A realtor who uses a business card holder as a thank you gift with favorite local household business resources would be invaluable to a new homeowner unfamiliar with area services for homeowners. The realtor's card certainly would be one of the cards in the book.

REACTIVATE DORMANT ACCOUNTS: Revisit those firms who were once
customers, find out what went wrong, ask for their business again and put a promotional product in from of them to keep the message alive. Their new source may not be performing to expectations.

These same concepts would work for franchisors to attract or retain new franchisees. With budgets being tweaked for the marketing dollars, any way to leverage those dollars to be more effective is a plus!