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 | 1-800-RadiatorThe Nations Largest Aftermarket Cooling Parts Distributor |
Business Type
FranchiseMin Liquid Capital
$100,000 to $150,000Total Investment
$172,000Required Net Worth
$250,000Number of Units
245In Business Since
1985* For Current Info See:
Franchise Disclosure Document
Overview
It's a simple concept -1-800-Radiator delivers brand-new radiators
within two hours. Customers love our service – in addition to our fast
delivery, our radiators come with a lifetime guarantee and are sold at
a competitive price. This extremely effective business model has
enabled 1-800-Radiator to become the largest independent direct
distributor in the country.
A hard working Franchisee can break even, delivering as few as 5 radiators per day. A new location can operate with no employees other than the Franchisee. A “delivery vehicle” will not be necessary because the average radiator weighs just 20 pounds. Franchisees can use their own cars and can deliver as many as 15 radiators per day in them. The main fixed expense will be rent – usually less than $2000 per month. To determine your break even point, it is recommended you review the UFOC and question the franchiser and other franchisees.
A hard working Franchisee can break even, delivering as few as 5 radiators per day. A new location can operate with no employees other than the Franchisee. A “delivery vehicle” will not be necessary because the average radiator weighs just 20 pounds. Franchisees can use their own cars and can deliver as many as 15 radiators per day in them. The main fixed expense will be rent – usually less than $2000 per month. To determine your break even point, it is recommended you review the UFOC and question the franchiser and other franchisees.
Products & Services
Each franchise operation is typically comprised of a 1,000 to 3,000
square foot warehouse stocked with approximately 1,200 radiators. You
and your staff of 1 to 3 people will make field sales calls, take phone
orders, manage inventory, dispatch drivers and deliver products within
3 hours of orders being taken. You will typically be open 9 hours per
day, 5 1/2 days per week. Your ability to call on new prospective
customers and service them to high levels will be the key to your
success.
Training & Support
A big part of the 1-800-Radiator marketing effort is the training. The
franchisee will spend up to three weeks learning how the radiator
market works. You will also learn about the 1-800-Radiator lifetime
guaranty. 1-800-Radiator will train you how to use the computer systems
to maximize your time spent marketing to customers and minimize time
spent in the warehouse. Franchisees will be taught how to grow their
territories quickly and efficiently.An account manager will be assigned to each franchisee on an ongoing basis. The manager will personally contact local shops that are not regular customers and explain the benefits of using 1-800-Radiator. This will be done 3-4 times in the first year, and will be ongoing thereafter. The integrated computer system will also remind franchisees on a daily basis who should be contacted and ideas on what should be said to help increase sales.
The marketing department is constantly developing new programs for corporate owned and franchise territories. These programs will be available to the franchisee. Local advertising will be comprised of direct mailings, yellow pages advertising, and other special promotions.
Why 1-800-Radiator?
The only location requirement for a 1-800-Radiator franchise is that
the warehouse be reasonably close to the center of the territory. There
is no such thing as a "bad" location as there often is with a bad food
franchise location. The 1-800-Radiator franchisee, not being confined
to the "store", is free to travel all day seeing customers. The more
customers he or she sees, the more chance of success they have. The
food franchisee has no choice but to wait at that location day after
day hoping enough customers will come by.
The 1-800-Radiator franchisee has just three employees -- two delivery drivers and a warehouse manager-order taker. A food franchise often has upwards of 15 employees, usually teenagers who require lots of management and supervision. The 1-800-Radiator franchise is open just 5 1/2 days per week versus all 7 days for the food franchise. The 1-800-Radiator location is open 9 hours per day Monday thru Friday and 4 hours on Saturday. The food franchise is open often 19 hours per day, 7 days per week. A 1-800-Radiator franchisee works very hard, but time is spent much more in market planning and in contacts with customers, as opposed to constant recruiting, training and disciplining of young workers.
Our computer systems have been designed to allow the franchisee-owner maximum time for marketing. For instance, each franchisee carries a Blackberry cell phone linked to the company's computer order system, so the franchisee can maximize time spent marketing to customers because he or she knows they will be automatically paged by "the system" whenever a new order comes in.
1-800-Radiator has been marketing nationwide for years and territories have an average of 100 automotive customers who have purchased from the company in the past 24 months. In the first weeks of operation, 1-800-Radiator sends in two of its Franchise Coordinators to call on each and every one of these customers and to introduce the new franchisee. These customers will learn that 1-800-Radiator now has a location right in their own backyard which will be able to give much better service than they have been getting before. Many customers will happily find out that they will now get their radiators in 2 hours instead of 24 hours. In areas where a location already exists, the customers will learn that they now have a closer location run by an owner-operator who cares about them and is easily accessible.
The new franchisee will also be pleasantly surprised at the flow of retail business (do-it-yourselfers) which is constantly coming in. This is a result of yellow page ads which have been operating in the territory for years. 1-800-Radiator also is the dominant marketer of radiators on the Internet. These orders also will be constantly coming in. The franchisee does not have to worry about generating these sales --- they just happen automatically and provide an immediate and welcome cushion of cash flow. This business is fairly predictable and 1-800-Radiator will provide the prospective franchisee with its historical records by week, month, and year, showing how much of this business has occurred in the past.
The 1-800-Radiator franchisee has just three employees -- two delivery drivers and a warehouse manager-order taker. A food franchise often has upwards of 15 employees, usually teenagers who require lots of management and supervision. The 1-800-Radiator franchise is open just 5 1/2 days per week versus all 7 days for the food franchise. The 1-800-Radiator location is open 9 hours per day Monday thru Friday and 4 hours on Saturday. The food franchise is open often 19 hours per day, 7 days per week. A 1-800-Radiator franchisee works very hard, but time is spent much more in market planning and in contacts with customers, as opposed to constant recruiting, training and disciplining of young workers.
Our computer systems have been designed to allow the franchisee-owner maximum time for marketing. For instance, each franchisee carries a Blackberry cell phone linked to the company's computer order system, so the franchisee can maximize time spent marketing to customers because he or she knows they will be automatically paged by "the system" whenever a new order comes in.
1-800-Radiator has been marketing nationwide for years and territories have an average of 100 automotive customers who have purchased from the company in the past 24 months. In the first weeks of operation, 1-800-Radiator sends in two of its Franchise Coordinators to call on each and every one of these customers and to introduce the new franchisee. These customers will learn that 1-800-Radiator now has a location right in their own backyard which will be able to give much better service than they have been getting before. Many customers will happily find out that they will now get their radiators in 2 hours instead of 24 hours. In areas where a location already exists, the customers will learn that they now have a closer location run by an owner-operator who cares about them and is easily accessible.
The new franchisee will also be pleasantly surprised at the flow of retail business (do-it-yourselfers) which is constantly coming in. This is a result of yellow page ads which have been operating in the territory for years. 1-800-Radiator also is the dominant marketer of radiators on the Internet. These orders also will be constantly coming in. The franchisee does not have to worry about generating these sales --- they just happen automatically and provide an immediate and welcome cushion of cash flow. This business is fairly predictable and 1-800-Radiator will provide the prospective franchisee with its historical records by week, month, and year, showing how much of this business has occurred in the past.
Are You a Good Fit for 1-800-Radiator?
To insure that each franchise has its own [protected territory,
1-800-Radiator is limiting the number of franchises available in the
United States to only 250. Currently there are 190 locations across the
country with 25 more scheduled to open by the end of 2007. We expect to
have commitments on the remaining 35 by the end of 2007. We have two
locations in Canada as well and plan on further expansion into Canada.
A 1-800-Radiator warehouse is a simple, low-cost 2,500 square foot space located in primarily industrial parks, stocking approximately 2,000 radiators to enable delivery within two hours. The total cost to set up a warehouse is $13,000, which includes racking, computers and office equipment. The inventory requirement is $100,000.
A 1-800-Radiator warehouse is a simple, low-cost 2,500 square foot space located in primarily industrial parks, stocking approximately 2,000 radiators to enable delivery within two hours. The total cost to set up a warehouse is $13,000, which includes racking, computers and office equipment. The inventory requirement is $100,000.
