The Federal Trade Commission is assisting competitor to cheat and encouraging this unethical behavior thru their disclosure rule on franchisors. Competition in the market place is far more competitive and the stakes are high enough that Over Disclosure Regulatory Rules cause competition to take the advantage and cheat. And before you say I am off base on these comments, let me tell you that 20% of every single inquiry to buy our franchise comes from a competitor. That's right 20%.
So with 70% misrepresenting themselves on applications (consumers often lie about their financial where with all) and 20% being competitors, that leaves 10%. Only one in ten is actually a possibility of becoming a franchise buyer and then they have to like us. One in ten is not a good ratio. That would mean out of twenty inquiries that we contact and talk to we would send out 18 UFOC franchise disclosure documents in vain at a cost of $8.00 or $144.00. That is not cost effective for a small franchisor and it when multiplied times ten is not cost-effective for large ones either. Please, oh brilliant grand Pooba, at the Federal Trade Commission enlighten us as to how this is so darn "cost-effective" will you? After all this is what they proclaimed in the most recent franchise regulatory report on the franchising industry.
Well the current franchisees, the consumers pay for it in the market place due to competitive information leakage and we as franchisors pay for it in real time lost and $144.00 per 20 leads. For our company that is times five per week or $720.00 per week and over a year you just added $37,440.00, and just think we are only getting 100 leads a week, what about those who spend a lot in advertising their franchises, what are their costs? And here is one for the Liberals out there reading this who want to save the planet by stifling the free enterprise that our ancestors died to protect and give you the standard of living you now have. Our franchise agreement and UFOC with attachments was 115 plus pages in 1995, some were 235 pages at that time. Other franchisors have larger documents. Companies like Dwyer, Grow Biz, Service Master, etc., have over 280 pages with all the disclosures and attachments.
So how many trees are we going to cut down to disclose people who are not even legitimate, do not have the money, are simply looking for free information to attack their competitors? Yes we can cut down the number by further scrutinizing the buyers, who are more and more reluctant to give out personal information in the first place because of the Federal Trade Commission's failure to curb identity theft. If you think my figures are too high you are wrong because long about June 2002 the United States Post Office is raised rates and there is talk they are going to raise them again in 2005? Why? Because people are using SPAM instead (which is costing American Business 35 Billion a year in lost productivity, wake-up FTC), because the Federal Trade Commission has not been able to stop it and therefore the junk mail or commercial mail that pays the bills at the USPS is dwindling. Did you know that $37,000 pays for our entire annual meeting for our franchisees, yet this over disclosure you call cost-effective is eating up real profits and monies we could use helping our franchisees.
Where will I as an entrepreneur cut costs to cover this increase in paperwork that the added pages in the UFOC will need when the Federal Trade Commission enacts these additional rules? Hmm? How nice of the Federal Trade Commission comment on my costs and the cost-effectiveness of the insanity of over disclosure? How dare they copy the comments of Lawyers who specializing in suing franchisors as factual, this shows how out of touch our regulatory bodies are and it is unforgivable and unacceptable, we need to take these disclosure laws back to the drawing board. These current disclosure laws and this trend is a plague against America, which more resembles a Smallpox laced Ebola virus than anything else.
The Federal Trade Commission needs to think on these things before making any more laws or franchise rules.
"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.worldthinktank.net/wttbbs
efficient cleaning crew Northbrook ..When starting a business, you have to determine the method... Read More
When you feel like you're always busy working on your... Read More
Your product is dying. With the same inevitability that we... Read More
How a donation is different from a sponsorship and what... Read More
Many physical therapists in private practice have the appearance of... Read More
Your on-line success is based on your efforts and yours... Read More
You can provide affordable health care plans to your employees.... Read More
What is a guru?A guru is a teacher. A mentor.... Read More
Let's face it, we all tend to get stuck in... Read More
One of the biggest excuses franchisees of home based and... Read More
Most small business owners are faced with so many responsibilities... Read More
Here are just a few ways to increase and diversify... Read More
Experts urge small business owners to "brand" their business ?... Read More
Treat your business as a serious, full-time business and be... Read More
Business consulting opportunities might be just what your are looking... Read More
Do you have all the customers your business can use?The... Read More
Discover How Specialized Cost Containment Creates A New Win-Win Position... Read More
Where would a business be without a business plan? A... Read More
Fuel prices these days are quite high and they take... Read More
I was floored! I couldn't believe what they were saying!... Read More
It's a commonly quoted statistic: 80% of all small businesses... Read More
In the world today, many people are further in debt... Read More
Think the best way to get more customers is to... Read More
There are many factors to be considered when you are... Read More
Paul Leonard's BirthdayCards2Go.com paid greeting card service offers convenience when... Read More
cleaning lady near Wilmette ..The employer / employee relations environment has been constantly evolving... Read More
One of the best marketing strategies a business or organization... Read More
If you're looking for start-up capital for your business, but... Read More
Gather round while I tell you the story of Kennebec... Read More
You want to know more about making money with your... Read More
How to identify future solutions and opportunities?Your power page, if... Read More
What does it take to grow a business and run... Read More
If you intend to franchise your company you will need... Read More
"If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't... Read More
The success of your business is critically dependent on how... Read More
You've always liked flowers and you think the idea of... Read More
You've come up with the best idea since sliced bread,... Read More
You only have so much time in a day right?So... Read More
Every business plan book tells you how the Executive Summary... Read More
Starting and managing a small business is no fun chore,... Read More
A cherished business doctrine is that growth must be a... Read More
A successful joint venture marketing effort is the goal of... Read More
Should your business have a toll free number for customers... Read More
Cleaning concrete is tough and there is an easy way... Read More
Since you own a business you probably have liability insurance... Read More
Most businesses accept checks as form of payment for goods... Read More
When do annoyances in a relationship become too much to... Read More
Competition in the business world is often viewed as a... Read More
Aside from the fear of losing a spreadsheet or research... Read More
What is in an information plan?Before you even meet with... Read More
Small Business |