The most important ingredients to the success of a sales franchise, such as a Brooke Insurance franchise, are the ambition, skills and perseverance of the business owner. However, the location and appearance of a franchise office are essential parts of franchise advertising, and the selection of a good office location improves the odds for the success of most sales franchises.

Because franchise office location is a component of franchise advertising, Brooke’s facility department has been included as part of the company’s new advertising center. The facility department’s responsibilities are separated into two categories; selecting new locations that Brooke leases or purchases for the purpose of renting to its franchisees and providing location setup and support services to Brooke franchisees through an office rent agreement.

New Location Selection
Brooke’s facility department selects new office locations and offers these locations for its franchisees to rent. The facility department professionals responsible for selection of new franchise locations have expertise in researching and evaluating the components that contribute to retail location success including demographics, market opportunity, visibility, security, accessibility and more.

“The number one priority for our team is finding good quality, reasonably priced retail locations that put ambitious and motivated franchisees in a situation to be successful,” said Chuck Decker, manager of the Brooke facility department.

The neighborhood analysis professionals utilize sophisticated software to analyze and evaluate
neighborhoods for prospective franchise locations. They compile a customer targeting report which examines who the profitable customers are and where they can be found. They also conduct market screening, which ranks and sorts targeted markets based on demand for insurance products,
market share and surrounding competition. Conducting a neighborhood evaluation provides better predictions of the potential success of a location by using the location models available in the software programs the team utilizes. These models are compiled using the data that has already been collected pertaining to current customers and locations and combining this data with the information pulled
from the software’s extensive databases.

“The research that we conduct on neighborhoods, in conjunction with specific location analysis, gives
motivated Brooke franchisees a head start to the success of their agencies,” said Casey Orr, location analysis professional.

After a neighborhood analysis is completed, a specific location analysis is compiled. Facility department professionals work with networks of real estate brokers and property managers in addition to professional supply vendors once an area of interest for a possible location has been identified. These professionals take an in-depth look at key factors that must be analyzed for each agency location. They are responsible for assisting with location selection, office setup and ongoing facility support to franchisees.

The facility team members research numerous locations before making a recommendation with respect to a specific site. It’s not uncommon for them to investigate as many as 20 locations in a particular neighborhood before making a final recommendation. When a suitable location has been
identified, a detailed analysis for the proposed location is compiled. Upon final approval of the location, the facility professionals begin negotiations with the property managers. Brooke’s facility personnel have negotiated hundreds of leases and have the experience needed to negotiate a fair deal.

Office Rent Agreement
Many franchisees rent locations from Brooke that have been identified by facility professionals. Brooke offers a comprehensive office rent agreement to its franchisees that encompasses initial location setup and ongoing location support.

If a franchisee enters into an office rent agreement with Brooke, facility department professionals coordinate the details associated with getting the office established. The facility department has personnel available on site to coordinate tasks such as carpet installation, furniture set up, computer equipment wiring and utility and communication hookups.

The office rent agreement includes a license for franchisees to use a specified list of equipment that is purchased by Brooke. This list typically includes printers, copiers, scanners, fax machines, chairs, desks, storage and file cabinets, phones, computers, tables, partitions, etc. If franchisees want to purchase additional equipment or supplies that are not provided through the office rent agreement,
they may do so and utilize a corporate discount the facility team has negotiated with Staples. Other
professional supply vendors that the facility department works with and provides discounts through include UPS, AT&T, Cingular Wireless, Alltel, Protection One Security, Cynthia Ayers & Co. and Integrated Cabling Services.

As part of the initial office setup, the facility professionals also provide suggestions to franchisees for interior decorating using banners, displays and other advertising and promotional materials available through Brooke’s logo center.

The office support provided to franchisees doesn’t stop after initial office setup. The facility department provides ongoing office support during the term of the office rent agreement. They contract for and pay facility-related bills (such as bills for utilities and communication services) on behalf of each franchisee and charge these expenses to the franchisee’s statement. This saves the franchisee the associated time and hassle of paying bills. In addition to bill paying, the facility team assists with building and
landlord issues that may occur. Each franchisee is given an emergency assistance number to call in the event of a location-related emergency such as a fire or break in. A respondent is available at this number to provide emergency assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week.