If you’re opening a franchise operation, you cannot afford to skimp when it comes to choosing an awning company, because you’ll only get the right franchise information and top-quality results from a top-quality company. You’re not buying a pair of shoes you can take back if you don’t like them, you’re making a major investment in your franchise store – one that’s literally front and center of your operation, for all to see.
Ask around for recommendations.
There might be suggestions in the franchise information you already have on hand. If not, give a call to corporate headquarters and talk with their construction or marketing folks. And talk to your fellow franchisees. Who better to steer you in the right direction than people with directly-pertinent franchise information?
Check out online reviews on Google+, Angie’s List, etc. And check out social media – individual customer comments on each prospective company’s Facebook page, or endorsements on their LinkedIn business page.
Look around.
You want to see each candidate company’s actual work – from a distance and up close, too. Does the business stand out? Does it look great, not just good? Check out brand new installations but also awnings that are a few years old to see how they’re holding up.
Check out other stores in your same chain, to see first-hand how they translated corporate franchise information into individualized treatments for their store. And observe your immediate business neighbors. Look up, look down the street or across the road. What catches your eye and makes you want to go inside? How can you use your awnings to differentiate yourself?
Check references.
Don’t just assume a long list of clients means those people were unconditionally thrilled with their awnings and their experience buying them. Aside from product quality, ask about things like:
- Timeliness.
- Friendliness and communication.
- Attention to detail.
- Willingness to make suggestions.
Expect choice.
A top-notch awning company will have a showroom so you can see and touch framing and fabric options. They’ll also have a portfolio of photos of relevant work – especially projects where franchise information played a role. That way you can see a wider range of their work that you can’t reasonably visit in person.
The best awning company will have both willingness and technical capability to produce renderings, too, so you’ll be able to see and approve your store’s interpretation of franchise information before your awning goes into production.
Insist on experience putting franchise information into practice.
You want a company with a well-established reputation for unswerving quality and substantial experience designing, manufacturing and installing business awnings. But it’s absolutely essential that you choose an awning company whose staff can read and understand your franchise information, who have experience and a reputation for success working with other franchisees.
You don’t want to become an experiment for some awning company that has aspirations of corporate franchise connections. You should feel entirely confident that your work will be done by an awning expert that knows how to read between the lines of franchise information, whether it’s detailed specifications or general guidelines. That’s crucial, because your awning expert must be able to converse intelligently with your home office construction and marketing folks about pertinent franchise information details.
Look for all-in-one design and manufacturing capability.
It takes both structural engineering know-how and talented graphic design to transform your franchise information into something that upholds and promotes your franchise brand with a just-for-you twist that sets your store apart. So you want an awning company staffed by skilled, creative people who have state-of-the-art production at their fingertips.
Pick a company that has demonstrable experience turning franchise information into stunning awnings. One that offers across-the-board service, from initial consultation through installation. Your project will go faster, and it will be more enjoyable. And you’ll love the results.
