Look Local - bucking the trend

As other local business directories have come and gone Look Local, established in 1999 and first franchised in 2005, is proud to boast a distribution in excess of 180,000 copies per month helping local businesses serve their local community. In this difficult economic climate it is even more important that local traders continue to advertise as they realise the only way out of a recession is to sell your way out!

At the same time they are only too aware that their means of advertising must be cost effective and with no compromise on distribution. Look Local meets the needs of its customers by offering a magazine dedicated to advertising local businesses in a format that local communities find extremely useful. A business directory designed for the sole purpose of reaching its intended local market and at the same time meeting its objective of creating a recognised national brand.

In April 2008, the Look Local directors approached their existing franchisees and asked them what they needed to help them grow their individual franchise businesses. The response, overwhelmingly, was that the burden of administration and debt collection should be minimised. As a result, a new Look Local Franchise Package was formulated, based on the existing tried and tested model. All franchisees can now benefit from not only the original full training on all aspects of the business, the Look Local website, including a franchisees personal login section, all supported by a comprehensive operating manual; but now in addition, the company has developed a bespoke integrated customer relationship management and accounting system. The new system has been developed to hold and monitor all of the franchisees' customer data allowing easy access for managing their sales activity and campaigns together with an invoicing and accounting package which relieves the individual franchisee from creating invoicing, chasing payment and managing the bookkeeping, allowing them more time for customer service and development leaving them totally in control of their business.

Thanks to the new system, franchisees will now be able to devote more of their time focussing on their existing and potential customer base creating growth and value in their own franchise.

The Package

• The Look Local Operating Manual which includes step by step processes from joining to first delivery
• No previous experience necessary
• Your own Look Local domain name and hosting
• Your own Look Local website
• All templates for letters/order forms and marketing material
• Templates containing existing ads for you to edit
• Full training on all aspects of the business, including how to approach customers
• On going remote news and support from our head office team through our 'state of the art' franchisees personal login website
• Opportunity to purchase additional territories
• Bespoke Customer Relationship Management database
• Accounting package
• Full retention of profit earned from leaflet distribution
• Up to £500 rebated off the print cost on production of your first book
• Money Back Guarantee after nine months*

*subject to terms and conditions

No other franchise company offers this level of support and management for an initial investment of under £5,000, which is proven to return a profit after three months trading. In year two, you can expect to return between £20k-£30k per territory.

The biggest little advertising directory