Chances are that you’re already well aware of the importance your franchise development agreement holds, but have you taken the time to consider exactly why? Have you considered carefully all attributes that matter with this document?
There is far more at stake in this than one might realize, and far more to making it work than just the writing itself.
This document will show above all else how diligent and hard-working you are as well as how much attention to detail you have. When the parent company with which you are signing reads this, it will be sending a lot of signals about you. It will show how much attention you pay to quality and how devoted you are to running their business correctly.
Writing is of course important in a franchise development agreement, though. There should be a lot of time and effort put into the wording of this document, and there are a few facets to be considered on that topic.
First of all, organizing all of the clauses and subsections in a logical order is important. For instance, the order in which you address your mission statements, fiscal predictions and case for why a franchise needs opened in your location should be expressed in order of importance.
Nothing should be left unclear and easy to misinterpret, and this is for both your benefit and the company’s. Make sure that everything is to the point, and very professional. Opinions should be left out, even if they serve to be complimentary to the parent company.
Writing isn’t all there is though.
Other Important Aspects of a Franchise Development Agreement
Beyond writing, there are other aspects to take into consideration when addressing this document’s design. Appearance matters in this document, despite it being something the public will never see.
Remember, this document shows conveys much about you to the company, and they do consider appearance to be important.
The typeface, or font, of your franchise development agreement is important. It should be a legible size, and a good looking font which is not overly ornate, but not ugly and utilitarian. Fonts like Arial or Calibri are good choices, but there are a plethora of fonts to choose from.
Remember that nobody likes a ton of text crammed into a single page. People will instinctively skip parts of text if they feel overloaded with words. This is not a good thing, as it can result in critical information being missed and that never ends well. A good rule of thumb is that if the contract has more pages to allow a bit less text per page, that’s alright. There is a limit to this of course, as too few words per page can look sloppy.
Coloring matters, and the color of the backdrop, headers and letterhead should match or at least fit with the color of the body text. Choosing a good letterhead that is professional but not overdone is also a wise decision.
The material the contract is printed on, if being personally delivered to the company, absolutely matters. A heavier, more “expensive” looking paper shows how important you regard the document and those reading it.
Lastly, if there is to be a digital version of this document, be sure to choose a secure format that multiple platforms can freely read, and one that allows attractive formatting. A common recommendation for this is PDF, though there do exist other formats similar to it. Again, the choices are wide in this category.