“The sign business is a multi-billion dollar industry that primarily caters to the business customer,” says Helen Spencer, Signwave‘s franchise development manager. “Companies large and small will always have the need to sell, inform and direct their customers and employees, even in the toughest of economies. That makes the sign and graphics industry a robust, high-growth industry that is exceptionally-well positioned to withstand changes to the economy, world events, or corporate dynamics. For instance, throughout 2009 when the global financial crisis was forcing the local economy into a downturn, our sales were higher than those of the previous year.”
Signwave is part of the Fastsigns sign and graphics franchise system, which has over 525 stores in six countries. There are currently 19 Signwave outlets across four states of Australia and the company plans to have sustainable network coverage in all capital and regional cities by 2015.
“Each store provides a wide range of signage options including full digital output, banners, vehicle graphics and full wraps, trade show displays and dynamic digital signage,” says Spencer. “Thanks to evolving technology, the range of product and service offerings is continually expanding.”
The more sophisticated the technology becomes the more franchisees can reduce costs, increase production and broaden their client base. Technology has also opened up the industry to people with no previous sign, graphics or design experience.
“We look for people who are self-motivated and personable, ideally with some experience in sales or marketing,” says Spencer. “Exceptional people skills and a desire to succeed are a must – successful franchisees manage a small number of employees, enjoy involvement in their communities and build business-to-business relationships with companies of all sizes and nearly every industry.”
Customised products and a very low cost-of-goods make signage a high-margin business with a solid base for building profit.
“We have a proven sales and marketing model operating in a ready-made and expanding market,” says Spencer. “We are also extremely proud that, in a recent franchisee satisfaction survey, we rated in the top four for passion, opportunity, support and lifestyle.”
New franchisees train for a week in an existing store, two weeks at the Fastsigns head office in Dallas, Texas and two weeks in their own store. They then receive ongoing production, IT, and management support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“In addition to the national marketing co-operative, Fastsigns International began a national transit advertising campaign in March,” says Spencer. “This combines franchise development strategies with lead generation – the graphic features our logo, our new 1300 SIGNWAVE number and our TOP 10 Australian Franchise result. The 1300 number will route franchise inquiries directly to our head office and sales inquiries to our stores on a consumer choice basis, in a similar way to our store locator.
“The campaign runs over 12 months and focuses on specific geographic areas, providing saturated presence throughout the major capitals.”