franchisee best practices - fastframe€¦ · franchisee best practices best practices are those...

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Franchisee Best Practices Best practices are those practices most important in the pursuit of excellence and those most financially rewarding with respect to owning and operating successful FASTFRAME franchises. This document is designed to be dynamic rather than static. As such, we encourage and welcome the sharing of Best Practices from our network of dedicated and knowledgeable franchisees to make our system stronger and our stores more successful and profitable. As a business format, FASTFRAME offers an abundance of competitive factors to exploit as business owners and, thus, many opportunities to excel. Traditional retailing has very few competitive factors to exploit (location, exclusivity, and price being the dominant ones). Competitive factors associated with FASTFRAME store operations include these plus retailing, design, consulting, light- manufacturing, inventory management, effective pricing strategies, creative problem solving, and even some engineering. Competition is much less a concern if you can beat your opponents in most or all available competitive factors. The more competitive factors available to you, the more opportunities you have to excel in your marketplace. How do we apply competitive factors? In other words, how do we differentiate ourselves from our competitors? Generally speaking, we can: 1. Turn a competitive factor into a competitive disadvantage, a negative differentiator, i.e. disappoint and lose the customer to a competitor. 2. Accept competitive neutrality with no differentiation. We all see too many businesses that are competitively neutral and non-differentiated due to lack of awareness and/or lack of action. Many differentiate solely on price and/or location value (being in the right place at the right time). 3. Turn a competitive factor into a competitive advantage, a positive differentiator for the business, i.e. a focus on outperforming the competition. At the implementation level, this is achieved through

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Page 1: Franchisee Best Practices - FastFrame€¦ · Franchisee Best Practices Best practices are those practices most important in the pursuit of excellence and those most financially rewarding

Franchisee Best Practices Best practices are those practices most important in the pursuit of excellence and those most financially rewarding with respect to owning and operating successful FASTFRAME franchises. This document is designed to be dynamic rather than static. As such, we encourage and welcome the sharing of Best Practices from our network of dedicated and knowledgeable franchisees to make our system stronger and our stores more successful and profitable. As a business format, FASTFRAME offers an abundance of competitive factors to exploit as business owners and, thus, many opportunities to excel. Traditional retailing has very few competitive factors to exploit (location, exclusivity, and price being the dominant ones). Competitive factors associated with FASTFRAME store operations include these plus retailing, design, consulting, light-manufacturing, inventory management, effective pricing strategies, creative problem solving, and even some engineering. Competition is much less a concern if you can beat your opponents in most or all available competitive factors. The more competitive factors available to you, the more opportunities you have to excel in your marketplace. How do we apply competitive factors? In other words, how do we differentiate ourselves from our competitors? Generally speaking, we can:

1. Turn a competitive factor into a competitive disadvantage, a negative differentiator, i.e. disappoint and lose the customer to a competitor.

2. Accept competitive neutrality with no differentiation. We all see too many businesses that are competitively neutral and non-differentiated due to lack of awareness and/or lack of action. Many differentiate solely on price and/or location value (being in the right place at the right time).

3. Turn a competitive factor into a competitive advantage, a positive differentiator for the business, i.e. a focus on outperforming the competition. At the implementation level, this is achieved through

Page 2: Franchisee Best Practices - FastFrame€¦ · Franchisee Best Practices Best practices are those practices most important in the pursuit of excellence and those most financially rewarding

operational excellence, commonly described as Best Practices. By developing Best Practices and sharing them with others in our franchise network we strengthen both our system and our individual store operations.

What are these Best Practices and how do we, as FASTFRAME owners, exploit them? Best Practices can be broken down into Inclusive Best Practices (which come with the franchise) and Conditional Best Practices (in large measure these are up to the franchisees themselves to exploit).

INCLUSIVE BEST PRACTICES FOR FASTFRAME FRANCHISEES:

1. BRAND: The “FASTFRAME Expert Picture Framing” brand conveys speed, expertise and quality. Further, our Guarantee Program conveys confidence and reliability. Demonstrate and communicate these characteristics at every opportunity. Convey to clients that we’re focused and efficient, not “quick and dirty.”

2. LOCATION: Location very much matters as customers want convenience. Especially since it generally requires two visits by the customer for every store transaction—once for placing the order and another for picking up the finished product. Visibility is a major source of new customers for us as franchisees. If allowed by your city and/or center, obtain a small, tasteful, and portable form of signage or display which can be placed outside to draw attention to your store. Change up your displays regularly with artificial flowers or plants, balloons, or a large visible bow…something tastefully unusual and eye-catching. Consider leasing a slot on your center’s marquee, if available.

3. OWNER/OPERATOR PRESENCE: We’re in a relationship business. Relationships form on first customer contact (by phone, coming into the store, or at networking events). Make it count! Let customers know when they are working with the owner and that you personally will be involved in giving them a great experience and quality product. Show that you’re proud of what you do.

4. HIGH MARGIN SALES: High margins give operators latitude to compete on price, and, more importantly, offers tremendous profit potential when operating above break-even. As an example, at 14-15% Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) plus 10.5% in Royalty and Marketing fees implies that about 75 cents of every dollar above Break Even (the point at which Fixed Costs are covered by sales) goes to the owner. Extrapolating, that’s $75 of every $100 in sales.

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On the contrary, discounting removes $75 from the owner’s pocket for every $100 in awarded discounts. Keep this in mind when tempted to discount.

5. MARKETING: We have professional-looking online and print marketing materials available to us as franchisees. Augment FASTFRAME USA’s efforts with local programs and initiatives of at least 2% of sales for a 5% minimum total marketing investment. Smart marketing is not the place to cut back on costs as it can be a downward spiral. Spend your marketing funds carefully and wisely. Your local marketing dollar has the potential of yielding more long-term profitability by spending to attract new clients rather than just re-marketing to existing clients. Your loyal existing clients already know you and your creativity and will come back to you often. They shouldn’t need re-enticing with “fat coupons”, so use your local marketing budget and incentives to primarily mine for new clients rather than having a primary or exclusive marketing emphasis on existing clients. Maintain your local website and social media presence with up-to-date local content. Highlight your capabilities and share your interesting projects with your followers. Promotion can be less costly than marketing and can achieve effective or superior results; however, it may require more time and effort on the part of the owner or responsible employee.

6. PRODUCTION AND WORK PROCESSES: Our value-added processing (converting materials into something greater than their original value) creates enhanced profit potential versus traditional retail key-stoning. Production materials should be pre-positioned for framer optimization. Special order materials should be clearly marked with client’s name, ticket number, and due date. As a general rule, tickets should be fully documented for the framer and should stand alone as sole documentation for framing production. Anticipate framer questions to minimize framer judgement calls and be specific in both the instructions and original condition of art. You can either make a sketch of multiple openings, image placements or jersey foldings or, even better, take a photo during the design process and attach the printed photo to the job ticket. Job stream your production with 3-7 simultaneous tickets to enhance productivity. So, rather than taking one ticket and working on it to completion tackle all the production day’s mounting, then all of the mat cutting, next all of the frames, and finally all of the glass cutting and cleaning, ending up with all of the fittings.

7. TECHNOLOGY AND EQUIPMENT SELECTION: Our franchise provides experiential guidance to avoid over and/or under investment in equipment

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and technology selection such as saws, under pinners, worktables, and point of sale and visualization technology. Use of our version of LifeSaver technology helps in minimizing price objections, gives us a readable standardized format, as well as access to a multitude of reports for successfully managing inventory, costs, average ticket, and usage, just to name a few. If you need to purchase new equipment consult first with FASTFRAME USA Support Staff to be sure you’re making the best purchase for your needs.

8. MULTI-STORE PRESENCE: The fact that we are part of a network of franchisees both nationally and internationally validates us. Further, the ability to open satellites or full line stores in our exclusive territory elevates our presence and stature as business owners in our local area to leverage purchasing and gain economies of scale. If there are multiple stores in your area, it’s rewarding to socialize at least annually so the staff and owners get to know each other while having a picnic. Consider having a local framing competition where each store frames the same chosen print. Share with your vendors what you’re doing and request that one of their representatives judge the framing competition. Also, ask the vendor to sponsor either the gathering or supply products necessary to frame the chosen piece. Award a trophy to the first, second, and third place designs. Take a photo of the framers and their store owners holding the trophies alongside their framing entry and put the image on social media, your cash wrap, and in your photo album. People enjoy being recognized for a job well done. Keep the trophy on your cash wrap and proudly show clients.

9. LIMITED STAFF: Because we generally are owner-operated, open sociable hours, and operate a single shift 6 days a week we have a much smaller need for employees. Confer with FASTFRAME USA Support Staff to be sure you’re not over or under staffed as both have undesirable consequences.

10. NON-PERISHABLE INVENTORY and STYLE/FASHION RESILIENCY: Our inventory doesn’t ripen or otherwise go bad so our investment in inventory is preserved. Many of our framing projects involve common/standardized materials so these are great materials to buy in larger quantities for a better price. Employ the Usage Reports provided in Lifesaver to figure out which materials are your best sellers and to determine which should be bought in larger quantities as well as which materials to phase out.

11. MATERIALS & CRAFTMANSHIP GUARANTEE: FASTFRAME USA is the industry leader with its Guarantee Program. Very few other custom crafted products offer a guarantee that the client will be delighted with their choices in the final product. Using the Guarantee Program removes a client’s fear/hesitancy and

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solidifies in their mind that you care about their project enough to re-do it, if necessary. Oftentimes the re-do results in an upgrade of materials for additional revenue and, if not, the net cost is at your COGS for all the re-work materials. If the rework was because of the frame choice, then you have a frame to re-use for a Gallery piece. Remember to use the Guarantee in the design phase, too. For example, if a customer balks at Museum Glass because of cost, tell them they can try the less expensive Conservation Clear and if glare is indeed a problem, don’t just “live with it.” Remind them that they can bring the piece back for a Museum Glass upgrade and they only pay the difference in the cost of the two glasses as if they had purchased the Museum Glass initially. Be sure the client understands there’s no pricing extras or add-ons for labor within the guarantee interval.

12. PRICING GUIDELINES: FASTFRAME USA provides experiential out-of-box pricing to both cover costs and be competitive. Owners should adjust certain parameters consistent to local market conditions, overhead and other costs, as well as prevailing customer demographics in the immediate area.

CONDITIONAL BEST PRACTICES BY FRANCHISEES: 1. RESPONSIVENESS TO CUSTOMERS: We define the FAST in FASTFRAME to

mean “when you want it” framing services. Anyone walking into your store for the first time has encountered the verb FAST in FASTFRAME a minimum of 3 times and likely as many as 7 or more times. Our name is on the building, the door decal, the front door logo mat, decals on the interior, front desk “Guarantee” pamphlets, logo glass weights, etc. Further, by the time they leave your store with a purchase they’ve been exposed to FAST 3 to 7 more times…on invoices, imprinted bags, logo pens, more signage, etc. Don’t mislead your customer…give them FAST service. FAST can mean 1 hour or same day turnaround, but not necessarily and, in fact, not usually. To the customer and to you, FAST should mean “when you want it” framing. Say “When would you like it”, then “Let me see how I can make that happen for you”. Give a hard “ready by” commitment date printed on their invoice and meet or beat that date whatever it takes. Call the customer when the order is ready. If earlier than required, say “We’ve gotten this done early for you and thought you’d appreciated knowing”. Keep your Special Order materials such as mouldings, fillets, specialty glass or plexiglass, mats, and fabric drops well-organized, accurately cataloged, and up-to-date with sizes or footage so you know if you already have that Special Order material safely in the back and

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won’t need to order. Check your list of cataloged Special Order materials before quoting dates to avoid artificial “ready by” delays. Staffing (or being very busy) should never be an issue for the customer who desires fast turnaround. Make it happen…it pays off both in customer loyalty and word of mouth. Maintain a “Client Want Book” in a spiral notebook or three ring binder to note and remind yourself and/or staff to be aware of client requests for items you don’t currently have in your store. For example, a client wants a large abstract using blues and peaches for their living room. Take note of the date, client name, contact information, specifics on what the client is searching for, and the resolution. Promise to look for the requested item and get back to them with the results of your search. Do what you promised and document what you found and where it was found so that you or your staff can speak to their request when the client phones back or comes in while you’re away from the store. The client will be pleased you searched, found what they needed, and, potentially, you will have a sale.

2. FULL SERVICE FRAMERS: We are full service framers to a broad spectrum of customers. We can, and should, handle various repairs, broken corners, canvas stretching, mat refreshing, and interior/exterior cleaning of framed pieces. For services out of our domain, we should be a client resource of referral services such as for canvas and art on paper cleaning and repair, restoration services, shipping services, as well as delivery and hanging services. Especially for potential customers that call on the phone do your best to get them in the store and then let YOU (your #1 competitive advantage) do the rest. When a potential customer calls asking “Do you change broken glass” or “Can you fix a damaged frame?” or even “Do you frame photos?” your answer should be “We are full service framers and do everything from glass or mat replacement to repairing frames. If it involves frames, we can do it.” Actively market your capabilities and be proud of what you’ve chosen as your life’s work.

3. SPECIALTY SERVICES: Promote and display techniques that few competitors in your market want to “bother with” such as hand-wrapped fabric mats, archtop or other multi-angle frames as well as tempered and/or beveled glass table tops. Be the caliber of framer that handles the difficult projects that require thought, creativity, and engineering…not just “bread and butter” framing. Maintain a photo album of previous projects to show clients the creative ways you handled other clients’ projects and to expose them to new ideas as to what can be framed.

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4. SERVICE PERSONALIZATION: You are in a relationship business, so build and then strengthen that relationship over time. A reputation of good design, quality of work, and service will bring clients into your store, but it is relationships that will turn your customers into clients for life. Offer curb and backdoor pickup and delivery as well as offer to carry the finished product and load it into their car along with verbal instructions on how to safely transport and then remove the framed piece to avoid glass breakage at their destination. Offer “appointment framing” where clients bring in valuable or irreplaceable art on the day-of-framing with same day pickup. Stand on the same side of the counter with the client as it reinforces that there are no barriers between you, and that you are working together through a thoughtful and honest consultation process. The sale isn’t the only goal, but rather building a long and mutually beneficial relationship. Sales follow as your clients gain confidence in you and experience your professionalism and creativity. Spoil your clients by treating them like the valued long term clients that they potentially can be. Make a note in the LIFESAVER “Alerts” section of how to properly pronounce their name if it’s challenging, their correct title, a significant project you worked on together, their pet/spouse/children/grandchildren’s names mentioned to you casually during the design process, their wedding anniversary or birthday, and trips they’ve been on or are planning to do. It may be weeks or even years in between visits so you don’t want to rely on your memory. Be sincere in your shared excitement over their finished project. If you took a photo of the project for your store album, give them a copy, too, and show them that they’re in your “Brag Book.” If you have a coffee shop or deli in your center, keep a pre-loaded coffee card in your cash wrap drawer to offer clients who must wait to be helped. You could say, “I’m sorry you have to wait a bit. Would you like to borrow our coffee card and have a coffee on us while you wait? When you return the card, please, ask for a receipt so I’ll know how much is left on the card just so the next person isn’t shorted.” Keep attractive gift wrap and bows in the back and offer to gift wrap their purchase if you know the purchase or project is a gift. Offer to cut and attach cardboard panels to protect the front and back of the framed piece if you know they are going to transport it longer distances. Keep any art tubes you receive to give to clients to safely carry or mail flat art purchases. Spoil them with kindness and thoughtfulness!

5. CREATIVE DESIGN & WALL DÉCOR PROFESSIONALS: Put your best foot forward by using your store windows and gallery walls to showcase your

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creativity and framing capability. Make sure to change window décor at least every 4 to 6 weeks (or more often if you have a heavy foot traffic). You don’t want to pay all that rent for boring or tired looking windows. Be creative with themes when you change the windows instead of only doing calendar-based themes. Some examples of themes include: dog and cat images, florals, mirrors, travel, “Frame Your Memories”, modern/abstract, lighthouses, landscapes, humorous, beach, snow scenes, collectibles, music, art deco and/or art nouveau, figures, sports, boating, children, automobiles, or trees. Accessorize the windows with themed objects (i.e. a beach ball, suntan lotion, beach pail, and beach towels in a beach window), moulding samples, and for sale decorative items. Place complimentary draped or puddled yards of fabrics underneath the displays to make your display cohesive. Let your creative juices flow! Keep track of when you decorate the windows so you know when to change them and to have a rotation list to refer to for future window displays. Use your gallery walls to showcase your creative talent and framing capabilities. Display only nicely framed examples, no closed frames without stacked mouldings, fillet, multiple mats, fabrics, Museum Glass, or a liner. Remember, it’s much harder to sell upgraded designs if you don’t feature them in your gallery and windows. Here’s some of the side effects of displaying too many corner samples rather than displaying nicely framed Gallery pieces: increases the volume of Special Orders which may raise average tickets and COGS but not necessarily profitability, erodes potential cash and carry Gallery sales, creates a “kid in a candy store” effect that can overwhelm clients and sales staff with too many choices, and makes you far less nimble in offering FAST turnaround.

6. PURCHASING LEVERAGE & INVENTORY MANAGEMENT: Drive down your COGS by exploiting FASTFRAME vendor discounts, minimizing waste, buying length, box or mixed-box quantities, and stocking 100-120 moulding profiles and then committing yourself and your staff to prioritize the selling of these. Catalog and maintain an up-to-date inventory of usable drops/shorts and commit yourself and sales staff to sell from this selection. As mentioned previously, this takes time and effort but is financially and emotionally rewarding because you are using something you’ve already paid for and have in-house, ready to use. At least annually, review LifeSaver reports to cull slow-selling profiles and to determine which recurring special order profiles should be stocked. Purchase your most popular 5 or 6 mat selections by the pack of 25 and stock 5-6 fabric selections in 5 to 10 yard quantities. Buy closeouts at

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the WCAF or from vendors who specialize in box quantities at reduced prices. Always ask vendors to see their specials or closeouts before agreeing to see the “new line”. Price based on what a profile “competes with”, not what you paid for it via closeouts and bulk purchasing. Effective purchasing and careful inventory management should be a profit generator for your business, not an incentive to lower prices and share the savings with clients.

7. STOCK WHAT YOU SELL & SELL WHAT YOU STOCK: Foremost, frame to customer desires and to the art. But commit to selling from stock whenever possible as it minimizes your COGS, gives you more control over the finished product and its timing, allows faster turnaround (which, by the way, pays you quicker than slower turnaround), and enhances inventory leveraging. Studies have shown that most businesses operate on the “80/20 rule” which, as applied to your stocked mouldings, means approximately 80% of your moulding sales will come from 20% of your mouldings. In this case the “Pareto Principal”, as it’s also referred to, translates to stocking enough mouldings in sufficient quantities to allow for the feeling of choice and stocking larger quantities of the most productive/highest selling mouldings. For the best inventory management and lowest COGS, Special Order mouldings should be just that…a SPECIAL case, not the routine/standard. When you have to Special Order mouldings it takes time and energies away so your productivity suffers. You have to correctly and in a timely manner place the order, track the order, unpack and inspect the moulding…or worse you were sent the wrong or damaged moulding or it’s out of stock… all leading to wastage of your limited time as well as having to call the client to disappoint them.

8. ORDER PROCESSING & FULLFILLMENT: Make sure there are no “surprises” in the framing that is presented to the customer. Framer work order tickets must be fully documented, as time fuzzes memory and the designer/owner may not even be present when frames are produced. Further, be proactive and keep in touch with your client if there is some unexpected hurdle in successfully completing their project by the promise date. Clients are excited about the timely completion of their project, so do your best to make it happen for them even if, occasionally, you have to pay upgraded shipping or drive to pick up your materials from a local supplier to make it happen for them. Reward special clients by making a gift of a small mirror using your client’s same moulding as was used for their order. You know they’ll love that moulding, after all they chose it for their piece. Clients are surprised and grateful that you’ve gone beyond their expectations. They will proudly show

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multiple people and share your unexpected kindness they received. It’ll be a proud moment when your client compliments you by saying, “You always under promise and over deliver”.

9. EXTENDED RETAILING: We are custom picture framers, first and foremost, but we’re also retailers of art on paper (displayed in your browsers) and large art on canvas too large for the browsers. For oversized art, have photos on your point-of-sale computer that can readily be reviewed and emailed to a customer. Additionally, strive to make your store THE place clients think of first for higher-end photo frames, eye-catching gift items that are relevant to your locale, and tasteful décor items…all of which should also be featured in your store window displays.

10. PRICING STRATEGIES: Always design to what looks best on the art. Politely ignore “I don’t want to spend a lot” declarations. After all, one person’s “a lot” may be radically different from another’s. Be sure during the sales process to describe for the client the features, attributes and benefits of each of the selections made so they have a sense of their value, can see why the selections are necessary and integral to the finished look and, then, let them internalize for themselves that there is good price-value in the selections. The process for price quoting is: reiterate what you’re doing for them on their project, calmly state the price looking directly at the client, and then DO NOT SPEAK. Studies have shown that whomever speaks first after money/price is mentioned is the “loser” in a negotiating process. Don’t apologize for an expensive project. To address price objections, ask the client what compromises they’re willing to make and allow them the time and space to answer. Don’t be tempted to jump in and lower the price or offer a discount. Remember that using similar in stock materials should lower the cost as there’s no Special-Order upcharge in the price. Always maintain your price integrity. Seldom, or better yet NEVER, run sales.

11. BUSINESS PROMOTION: We are strong proponents of affinity networking. Some examples include: NAWBO, Rotary, Chamber of Commerce, City/Country Club, etc. People want to do business with people they know and trust. Participate in local art festivals or other community events as it’s good exposure for your business and can bring in business. Use your drops/shorts to nicely frame small pieces of art to offer when local groups or branches of charities ask for a donation for an auction to help the group raise funds. A business must form a mutually beneficial relationship with its community in order grow and prosper. No business can simply take from a community…it

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must give back to succeed. Set yourself and your business apart in this age of texts, emails, and general decline in civility by handwriting your store’s Thank You notes. Your note should mention the client’s specific project and/or another topic you spoke about during the sales/design process. Don’t tarnish the sincerity of your personalized and hand-written Thank You note with an enclosed discount coupon. They are truly personal Thank You notes to the customer and will be appreciated as such.

12. SECURITY: Be sure your clients know that you do the framing on the premises, under owner/operator supervision, that you have a security alarm, and that you and your staff are responsible, licensed, and insured. Take the time to carefully place their precious project in a clean plastic sleeve in front of them, attach their work order to the inside of the sleeve, and then place the sleeve safely and securely away. This process reinforces that you’ll be careful with their work and have safe guarded it. NEVER leave a client’s artwork sitting out on the design table after they have left the store as it shows disregard for their art.

13. MOTIVATING EMPLOYEES: As owners of a small business we spend nearly as much time with our employees as with our own families; hence, our employees become our work life family and should be treated as such. As the family’s leader, your employees need to sincerely be recognized, made to feel appreciated, trusted, and valued. Offer each interested client a tour of your back-room facilities because we are proud of our clean, well-organized facility, and our team members. Displaying our team members’ skills is a confidence-builder and cost-benefit value is ultimately linked to consumer confidence. Team members can thrive by being paid fairly, thanked, and treated respectfully. For a special piece that the framer has worked extra hard on, have the framer present the piece to the client or, alternatively, call them out front to share in the client’s accolades first hand. Thank them for a job well done by occasionally giving them something unexpected such as a pat on the back, a “high five”, small monetary reward, gift card, paid time off, gift of a small Gallery piece they’ve admired, snacks or other food rewards. Remember and celebrate their birthdays and work anniversaries. Do a “happy dance”, buy an inexpensive tiara/crown and ceremoniously place it on their heads temporarily to acknowledge significant accomplishments, or take a victory lap jog around the room with them…CELEBRATE TOGETHER. Take a photo of them with their accomplishment and post it in the back room or send a card to their home and thank them in writing. Following is a proven motivational sales

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staff tool that can be personalized depending on what you want your staff to focus on during a fixed time-period. If you’re able to also provide a financial incentive so much the better. The Tic-Tac-Dough challenge provides competition and longer lasting results because team members experience that they CAN sell these desired items.

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Tic Tac Dough Gallery piece Fillet Framing Componet

$400+ $700+

cust: cust: cust:

invoice: invoice: invoice:

Fabric Mat Finished Triple Mat or

Corner Frame Double w/foam

spacer

cust: cust: cust:

invoice: invoice: invoice:

Museum Glass Museum or Framed

60+ ui Preservation Framing Mirror

cust: cust: cust:

invoice: invoice: invoice:

Effective Dates: xx/xx/xxxx - yy/yy/yyyy

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SHARING BEST PRACTICES: As a franchise network, we can be smarter and stronger than we could be individually. Being part of a franchise involves the sharing of ideas, methods, and techniques that have been proven to be successful. Additionally, it involves access to other franchisees and their experiences and expertise. Franchisees are like individual Giant Sequoia trees within the Giant Sequoia grove. Here’s how:

In volume of total wood, the giant sequoia tree stands alone as

the largest living thing on Earth. Some 75 groves of sequoias

grow naturally on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada

mountain range in California. Sequoias continue to grow each

year so they achieve impressive sizes. One of the largest of these

trees, General Sherman, is thought to be between 2,300 and

2,700 years old. It is approximately 275 feet tall and its trunk is

estimated to weigh in at 1,385 tons and is 103 feet in

circumference. Its largest branch is almost seven feet in

diameter. As impressive as these gargantuans of the tree world

are, they have a fatal flaw. Sequoias have a shallow root system

with no taproot. The main cause of death for sequoias is

“toppling over”. Hence, the most successful sequoias grow in

groves where their roots can intertwine with the roots of others

to lend strength and support. A franchise community is like a

grove of sequoias. They give and get support from each other

because their roots are intertwined for mutual support.

Being part of a franchise involves the sharing of ideas, methods, and

techniques that have been proven successful in the field, in other

words Best Practices. Certainly, we look to FFUSA Support Staff for

leadership and as the source for valuable new ideas and ongoing

services to assist in our success, to leverage our existence at the

national level, but it is in the greatest measure up to each of us to

understand and consistently exploit ALL competitive factors at our

disposal, under our control, in our market, at the local level. Be

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ready and willing, when asked, to share your own Best Practices…we

all gain by it.