8 Reasons Why Our Garage Business Opportunity is Better Than a Franchise
When Redline garagegear was started in 2005, we thought long and hard about how we would get our products in front of consumers. We knew from the very beginning that our garage cabinets and storage systems needed to be sold in a showroom setting.
Sure, I could talk all day about the exceptional quality of our product. I would have no problem explaining how Redline Garagegear garage cabinets have been engineered specifically for the garage environment; and have a powder coat finish that is both protective and aesthetic. Heck, I could easily spend an hour just talking about how you can hear the quality difference of the doors on our cabinets as opposed to the flimsy metal kind because they close with a ‘thud’ rather than a ‘ting’!
But unfortunately, homeowners really aren’t interested in hearing us monologue about garage cabinets. What they really want is to be able to see and feel why what we have to offer is superior to the other options out there. They also want exceptional customer service from a local, trustworthy source.
Naturally, we spent quite a bit of time considering the franchise model first. A franchise offers a number of key benefits that we definitely wanted to be able to offer. We found, however, there were also a number of downsides to the franchise model that can make it more of burden than asset for the franchisee.
Our Garage Cabinets Dealer Program was designed to have all the positive benefits one would get from being a part of franchise without placing the local business under the thumb of a meddlesome corporate office.
We currently have approximately 100 authorized dealers in our network selling Redline garagegear garage cabinets in protected local territories throughout the U.S. and Canada. Our dealer network is constantly growing and we are actively recruiting local business owners and entrepreneurs to partner with.
I’m often asked what makes our dealer program different and ultimately better than many of the franchise opportunities available elsewhere. So let’s examine some of the advantages:
1. The chance to offer your customers a great product – All of the other benefits wouldn’t really matter much without this one. Redline garagegear garage cabinets are custom manufactured at our facilities in Northern Illinois. There are more than 500 different Redline cabinet options available; so you can help your customers create a storage solution that fits their garage perfectly and has a place for everything they need to store. Redline garagegear cabinets have a powder coat finish that protects them from temperature extremes, humidity, spills, rough handling, UV rays, and a variety of other damaging elements that may be present in the garage. The smooth and seamless powder coat is available in more than a dozen colors and looks great too. The cabinets use heavy duty hardware and dovetailed birch drawer boxes to ensure they will last. Even still, your customers can rest easy because we offer an industry leading lifetime warranty! The great thing about our product is that once people see and feel the quality as compared to the other options, they don’t need to be sold on its superiority because they’re already convinced.
2. No franchise fees or royalties – Yes you read that right! There is no fee or royalty for being a part of our Garage Cabinets Dealer Program. One of the biggest downsides of the franchise model are the huge upfront franchise fees and yearly royalties you have to pay just for being a franchisee. How can a local business expand, grow, and thrive when corporate is skimming a huge percentage of profits off the top? Simply put, it’s tough, if not impossible. Your prices would have to be insanely high just to cover your fee and royalties. We don’t charge you an exorbitant up front franchise fee and then saddle you with a monthly or yearly royalty for good measure. You only pay us when you sell product. This allows you to be competitive in your market and also pass savings on to your customers.
3. No inventory costs – Many franchises force you to have a inventory of product and make you meet certain monthly or yearly purchasing goals. Our dealer program doesn’t have such requirements. You don’t need a huge warehouse or tons of storage space to be a Redline authorized agent; and you’re free to run your business as lean as you’d like. We do not have any “stock cabinets”; so when orders come in we’re not just pulling cabinets off a warehouse shelf and packing them up for shipping. All of our garage cabinets are custom made “just in time” after the order is placed.
4. Short lead times – Even though all of our cabinets are manufactured “just in time”, we still ship out orders within 3-5 business days. Most manufacturers offering “custom” solutions for just about anything will need at least six to eight weeks (maybe more) to get an order ready to be shipped. Over the years we have been able to develop very efficient manufacturing processes that enable us to cut lead times significantly. We realize that making the customer wait is never good for business; so we’re doing our part to make sure orders are shipped quickly and accurately.
5. Design and pricing software – In the modern tech world, few things can be more unimpressive for your customers than presenting them with a hand sketched drawing of their storage system. So if you’re also giving them a price quote that is basically just your best “guestimate”, you’ve pretty much just ushered the ‘Wow’ factor out the door. Meanwhile, Redline garagegear dealers have no problem dazzling their customers with realistic 3D garage cabinet designs and giving them price quotes that are far more exact. The robust 3D design software includes all the cabinets and powder coat colors we offer; as well as cabinet parts and components for creating additional custom solutions. The pricing software seamlessly integrates with the design software to make creating proposals and purchase orders easy and efficient for you!
6. Exceptional customer service – Unlike many of the manufacturers or suppliers you may work with, we are committed to providing you with great customer service. When you work with Redline garagegear, you don’t have to worry about us missing parts, or shipping your orders late, or making any other mistakes on your orders. We want to help you succeed and those are the sort of things that can cost you time and money. We’re committed to making sure your order is right the first time and shipped on schedule. And on the off chance we do mess something up, we get it fixed for you right away. We’re not afraid to admit a mistake, make an apology, and make it right. Making you and your customer happy will always come before our bottom line. We care about the success of every entrepreneur in our Garage Cabinets Dealer Program and we are committed to helping you take full advantage of this opportunity.
7. Protected sales territory – A brand competing against itself in the same general area has never really made very much sense to me. And can you imagine how the entrepreneur getting encroached on by the company store must feel? Every dealer in our Garage Cabinets Dealer Program is set up in a protected territory to prevent internal competition and inefficient overlaps. You’ll never have to worry about competing with another dealer offering the same thing at a slightly cheaper price point just up the street. And you’ll never see a company store open up in the new strip mall across town.
8. Hands on training – Once you complete the application process and officially become an authorized dealer of Redline Garagegear; we don’t just leave you to figure things out on your own. We provide hands on training that helps you learn how to use the software, how to market the product, how shipping works, and Redline standard operating procedures. Most of the training takes place over two days at our training and manufacturing facilities in South Beloit, IL. We provide additional training (if necessary) via phone and / or webinar as well.
9. ***BONUS REASON*** Website and Marketing Support – Our goal is for you to hit the ground running after you come to training with leads and appointments, that is the reason we have developed a very comprehensive marketing program including a fully SEO’d website, PPC, and ongoing SEO so you can dominate your market.
That completes the list of the 9 reasons why our Garage Cabinets Dealer Program is better than a franchise and that just about does it for this post. I think I’ve said enough already. But before you run off to the next shiny object, click the button below to learn more about our dealer program. We just might be looking for a qualified authorized dealer candidate in your area.
Still not convinced? Maybe we should talk. Give Bill a call (815-543-0017) or send me a quick email (bill@redlinegaragegear.com). Perhaps there is an unanswered question or maybe you just need to be reassured because you’ve been burned before by other suppliers. I promise we’re different.