One of the best ways to effectively jump-start awareness and interest in your franchised business is to hold a grand opening. A successful grand opening can often result in a short-cut to sales and revenues that otherwise might have been longer in the making. A well-thought-out and successfully executed grand opening can greatly assist with your ultimate goal: matching your company's products and services to the people in your community who would most need and benefit from them... and increasing your profits along the way.

Franchise Trade has queried some of the biggest and best franchises in the country about their tips for having a successful and profit-producing grand opening. Here's what some of them had to say:

Liberty Tax Service
With over 2000 offices in 2006, Liberty Tax Service is a retail income tax preparation firm serving the United States and Canada. The company and its founder/CEO John Hewitt enjoy many accolades and high rankings from both industry experts and their own franchisees.

Vice President of Marketing Martha O'Gorman shared the following tips for grand opening success:

What franchisors can do to plan a successful grand opening:
"Create a memorable and unique event with a focus beyond the staged ribbon cutting approach. A cause-related grand opening can generate a lot of attention. Liberty Tax Service is a National Premier Partner with Cell Phones for Soldiers, an organization that collects used cell phones and recycles them to provide calling cards for soldiers. We often tie this cause into grand openings and our 'roadside parties' during tax season.

"Have something for everyone, including the children. Our costumed Lady Liberties are waving and handing out foam crowns to children of all ages during our events. Often we have the inflatable "bounce houses" on site for kids, a DJ playing music, and we serve food and refreshments. It's a family event where everyone feels welcome."

What franchisees can do to assist in maximizing the success of their grand opening:
"Be sure and send media alerts and press releases about your grand opening. Find a unique approach to boring ribbon cuttings to make your grand opening different from the hundreds of similar events these reporters have covered in the past. Invite your business neighbors to the event by conducting business-to-business visits.

"Invite the media and local dignitaries as well as taking a somewhat non-conventional approach. Join the Chamber of Commerce and enlist their help in letting the community know that you're open for business. Your grand opening is an excellent opportunity to let your community know that your office is open for business. Announce that you are a new employer, and an active and concerned business citizen.

"Plan to maximize your visibility with high-flying cloud buster balloons, signage, wavers, banners and pennant streamers."

FASTSIGNS International, Inc.
FASTSIGNS is a recognized franchise leader in the sign industry, and has nearly 500 locations in the United States and six other countries. Their experts create effective graphic designs and signage for all types of businesses. FASTSIGNS ranked a very prestigious #2 in the Franchise 50 of Franchise Business Review's 2006 Franchisee Satisfaction Awards.

Director of Field Marketing Bryan Theis shared the following:

What franchisors can do to plan a successful grand opening:
"The key is to begin planning early. It usually works out best to plan the Grand Opening event a month or so after the actual opening. This allows for the unexpected; i.e., delays in opening, working out the kinks once up and running, and giving staff time to get comfortable in the operations.

"The Marketing and Operations departments need to work closely together and with the new franchisee to coordinate efforts leading to the event. This includes lining up a ribbon cutting ceremony with the Chamber of Commerce, announcing the event with PR and other advertising (i.e., a promotion on the Grand Opening Mailer), and inviting other area franchisees to come and join in on the celebration.

"The franchisor can also help by outlining the checklist of things that need to happen and who will be responsible for executing. Outline a budget so that any needed funding can be earmarked early in the planning process."

What franchisees can do to assist in maximizing the success of their grand opening:
"The first thing they can do is invite their sphere of influence; i.e., past business contacts, friends, and family. You need your core support group there as well as influential business people that you've fostered relationships through other endeavors. To save on costs, they can negotiate discounted or donated food for the event from a local restaurant. We are in the position to provide signage in return, but every business has something to offer. It may also lead to a new customer.

"Use all of the 'grassroots' marketing efforts that are at your disposal to promote the event. Telemarket, send out invitations, put a blurb on all advertising/direct mail announcing the event, have give away items with your logo on it, and have a grand prize that can be entered using business cards at the event. We have also found it effective to send out an electronic invitation/media alert to the local media, summarizing the grand opening details a few days before the event. This is not really an invitation, but more an email advisory about when, where, etc."

Martin Murphy and his wife Maria own and opened a FASTSIGNS franchise in September 2005. Murphy's grand opening tactic in a nutshell was: "Put you name in front of the community, bombard it from the day before you go to training and don't stop." As a result of this approach, the Murphy's enjoyed a large and successful grand opening.

Murphy feels that their "efforts to bombard the community with the FASTSIGNS name simply made this instant awareness that FASTSIGNS was in the area." Some of the ways he accomplished this included: getting involved right away in the chamber of commerce and other networking organizations, approaching all the local schools and universities about working with them, getting the company name in front of the community; i.e., lettering vehicles with the company name, and participating in community events with banner sponsorship signage. Murphy also feels "news travels fast" when a business does a good job and provides good customer service.

Stay tuned for Part II of "Grand Opening Success Tips from Some of America's Top Franchisors".
Author: Patricia Schaefer

Source: Franchise Trade

Copyright 2006, Attard Communications, Inc.