Format: PDF
Pages: 13
Audience: US
Excerpts:
“Famous Dave’s is a “specialty” casual dining restaurant franchise creating environments that transcend current restaurant offerings by serving the highest quality, flavor‐intense foods in surroundings that are stimulating, interesting and fun!

“We continue to grow! As of December 31, 2009, Famous Dave’s has 177 restaurants open including 45 corporate and 132 franchised locations in 37 states. We have been ranked #1 in our restaurant category by “Entrepreneur Magazine” in 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. Consumer Reports has listed Famous Dave’s as one of the hottest chain restaurants.

“We are committed to the growth of our franchise system and are seeking franchisees experienced in owning and/or managing casual dining, full‐serve restaurants, in or near the desired territories.

“A visit to Famous Dave’s is like going back home to a good old family backyard barbeque, complete with slow-smoked St. Louis-style ribs with a family secret sauce, large sumptuous portions of real Southern grilled chicken, honey-buttered cornbread, creamy cole slaw, homemade bread pudding, and that hard to find Southern hospitality that makes you feel like you’re one of the family.”

“What do I get when I purchase a Famous Dave’s Franchise?
♦ Famous Dave’s creates the best concept, prepares the best food, develops the best brand and
executes the best sensory experience for our guests!
♦ Training for Principal or Principal’s designee (minimum 3 days)
♦ Training for Director of Operations, GM, Kitchen Manager (minimum 25 days)
♦ Opening Assistance (up to 21 days)
♦ Operations Manual provided
♦ Training Manual provided
♦ Provide written schedule of all foods, food items, beverages, clothing, FFE
♦ Provide approved supplier list
♦ Provide designated supplier list
♦ Provide advertising and marketing recommendations
♦ Provide “Grand Opening Celebration” package
♦ Will make available basic business and accounting procedures”

“Happy Anniversary, Famous Dave’s!

“The year 2009 marks 15 years of the most mouthwaterin’ BBQ in all the land and we’ve been celebrating Famously…
Fame comes from humble beginnings. Famous Dave’s never forgets that its award-winning slow-smoked ribs came from one man’s quest for great ‘que with tasty fixin’s served by friendly folks in a down-home atmosphere. The very first Famous Dave’s, nestled among the northwoods of Hayward, WI was celebration central onAugust 1st when over a thousand BBQ fans gathered from across the nation to share in the fifteenth anniversary cheer.

“The celebration proved pigs can fly and dreams do come true when a flying Wilbur parachuted from a plane overhead to join the fun of live music and sauce-slathered BBQ.”

Download the Famous Dave’s franchise brochure here.

Format: PDF
Pages: 12
Audience: International
Excerpt: “Since Maximilian D. Berlitz founded the company in 1878 Berlitz International, Inc. has become the world’s premier language services company. At more than 500 Berlitz language centers in over 60 countries around the world – both
corporate and franchised locations – we serve clients with our expertise in language training and cultural consulting.

“Confidence is our goal for our clients: for them to build their confidence in using their language skills in a variety of settings and in functioning in a new cultural environment – and with these abilities to achieve their own professional and social goals.

“With worldwide headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey, USA, Berlitz continues to expand both in countries where we have been for more than 100 years and in completely new markets.

“The launch of Berlitz Franchising Corporation activities in 1996 has brought our name and services to over 75 new locations on five continents. Functioning as integral members of the Berlitz global network, franchises share the same Berlitz standards and approaches. These elements have created millions of successful Berlitz students over nearly 130 years.

Berlitz has been a member of the Benesse Corporation of Japan since 1993. “Benesse” means living life to the fullest (from bene = good/well and esse = life/living). This philosophy harmonizes perfectly with our business and training goals for the student experience at Berlitz.”

“Owning a Berlitz franchise just may be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for. And, as a member of the Berlitz franchise community, you will be encouraged to participate actively in the exchange of ideas and best practices.
“So now that you know something about us, why not investigate the possibilities further?
“We urge you to read the accompanying inserts for more information and then fill out an application form.
“We’re confident you’ll like what you hear. At Berlitz, opportunity is knocking…
“Maybe it’s time to open the door.”

Download the Berlitz franchise brochure here.

Sometimes it’s the little touches that make a sale, yet it’s the little touches that are so easy to forget to provide.  An active franchise shopper forwarded me a short email he received last week from Jerrod Sessler at Hometask Handyman Services.  It read:

Hi there. I just wanted to send a quick note. I hope you have a wonderful weekend and a Happy Fathers Day! HomeTask is all about family and I hope that you get a chance to enjoy yours this weekend!

The franchise prospect knew it was sent to every prospect on the list, but still thought it was a thoughtful message.  He said of the ten or so franchise companies he’s speaking to, this was the only email of it’s kind he received.

A quick visit to the HomeTask site reveals that the personal touch from Jerrod Sessler is a theme in HomeTask’s franchise marketing.  While I’ve never met Jerrod Sessler nor worked with HomeTask or its franchisees, the emails and site give the impression of a down-to-earth, honest guy who takes pride in his business and is thoughtful enough to say “Happy Father’s Day.”

How hard is it to send a thoughtful email?  How often are you sending them?  Little touches can mean the difference between a prospect becoming your new franchisee, or your competitor’s new franchisee.

CONTRIBUTE A COMMENT OR IDEA ON THIS POST!

For a great resource for learning more about the effective use of email communications, visit the award-winning Chris Baggott’s Email Marketing Best Practices blog at chrisbaggott.com.  Chris is a leading expert in opt-in email communication, is co-founder of ExactTarget, and is a valued Expert Member of FranchisorMarketing.Com and FranchiseeMarketing.Com.

Recently, a newly signed franchisee gave me a stack of franchise brochures from the concepts he had considered and dismissed.

On the top was a plain pocket folder from a small wing franchise with a lively enough name and a distinctive, foil embossed logo. Here were the contents:

• a 2-paragraph form letter,
• a 7-page “Confidential” application form
• a 1-color takeout menu,
• an initial investment sheet ($145,200 to $327,000).
• A sheet of hazy photographs of starkly empty stores,
• A sheet listing generic franchise advantages (Ops manual, training, etc.)

The 7-page application required a signed background investigation consent form, 5 references, social security numbers and detailed banking and financial information. The information sheet did not even clearly explain the concept.

The prospect dismissed the franchise immediately upon perusing the folder contents. He said: “I couldn’t even tell how the concept worked. It said it was a delivery concept, but it just looked like a store.” He had visited the website, which was no better. It required prospects to fill out a massive form to even receive its ineffective package.

Franchisors need to think about the package they send to franchise prospects. It doesn’t need to be printed with gold leaf, but it should be written by an experienced franchise copywriter who knows how to tell the unique story of the franchise in a compelling way. Is a professionally produced franchise brochure expensive? Not nearly as expensive as letting a potential multi-unit franchisee walk away. That folder will probably cost the small wing franchisor $1 Million in lost franchise fees and royalties over the next ten years… just from that one lost prospect. That’s an expensive brochure.