1-800-Radiator is one of the fastest growing franchises in North America. It's a simple concept : 1-800-Radiator delivers brand-new radiators within two to three hours to it’s local customers and next day to customers outside of the same-day area. Customers love our service – in addition to our fast delivery, our radiators and air parts line come with a lifetime guarantee and are sold at the most competitive prices and from a local owner-operator who insures the best experience for our wholesale customer base. This extremely effective business model has enabled 1-800-Radiator to become the largest independent direct distributor in North America.
1. No Automotive Experience Required
A big part of the 1-800-Radiator marketing effort is the training and ongoing corporate support. 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.
2. No "Bad" Locations
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. Our state of the art marketing systems will help you work smarter so you know who to visit and how best to win and sustain their repeat business.
3. Canadian Territories
1-800-Radiator began expanding into Canada in 2006 and currently has 10 locations open with more schedule to open in 2008. Check out our website at www.1800radiator.com and view our “available territory” map to see if you’re area is open.
4. Fewer Employees Necessary
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.
5. No heavy investment in an expensive building or build-out
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 $16,000, which includes racking, computers and office equipment. The inventory requirement is usually $100,000.
6. State-of-the-Art Marketing System
Our computer systems have been designed to allow the franchisee-owner maximum time for marketing. We use our own proprietary web-based point of sale system that allows you to easily track your customer activity (CRM), accounting and purchasing. Many of our competitors use outdated systems and paper customer lists.
7. Existing Customer Base
1-800-Radiator has been marketing nationwide for years and start-up territories have an average of 200 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.
8. Six Million Radiator Replacements Per Year
In the United States, there were approximately six million radiator replacements last year. 1-800-Radiator is dominating this market, making it fast and easy to get a brand new radiator in the box delivered to your door. At an average price of $134, 1-800-Radiator sells its radiators to automotive repair shops and do-it-yourselfers - it does not install the radiators or perform any repair work. In 2007 we expanded out product line to include the air parts line, fan assemblies and have our sites on the crash parts market.
9. Limited Number of Franchises Available
To insure that each franchise has its own protected territory, 1-800-Radiator is limiting the number of franchises available in the United States and Canada to only 255. Currently there are 245 locations open with Letters of Intent on 12 more scheduled to open in the summer and fall of 2008. We have remaining territories for sale in Canada and the United States.
