PROGRAMS AND SUPPORTTHE COMPREHENSIVE BACKING OUR FRANCHISE MEMBERS RECEIVE

TO BUILD THEIR ENTERPRISES AND DRIVE GROWTH

WELCOME TO AN ALLEGRA FRANCHISE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Programs to Find & Retain Customers ..................................1

Programs to Build Your Expertise & Drive Growth ................4

Programs to Improve Efficiencies & Profitability ....................6

Programs to Keep You Informed & Engaged ........................8

An Allegra franchise is a professional services business providing the digital and print marketing communications needs of small and medium-sized businesses and organizations with direct mail, data management, website design, email marketing, signs, displays and other products and services.

This sales-driven franchise model is sustained by wide-ranging Allegra support programs, resources and strategic tools that position Allegra franchises as the go-to resource for high-value marketing and print communications in a local marketplace.

This guide is your overview of some of the comprehensive backing you will receive as an Allegra franchise owner. Additional, proprietary programs and services will be revealed to you once you become a member of the Allegra Network.

Alliance Franchise Brands is the parent company of Allegra Network LLC.

PROGRAMS TO FIND & RETAIN CUSTOMERS

Allegra Marketing & Sales Fund Contributions

Each Allegra franchise contributes a percentage of sales

to the Marketing and Sales Fund. These dollars are used

for many of the marketing support, sales programs and

training initiatives you’ll read about here. The hand-in-

hand approach combines marketing and sales activities

and works to satisfy three main goals:

• Generate qualified leads/requests for information

from prospects, along with a sales follow-up plan.

• Keep you top-of-mind and identify additional sales

opportunities with existing customers.

• Provide you with a strong, consistent brand identity.

Lead Generation Initiatives

Allegra Franchise Member WebsitesIndividualized and localized for each Allegra franchise

member’s self-promotion, member websites are turnkey

sites provided for you by the Allegra home office

Marketing Group. Their design is complementary to

the overall brand identity and print marketing materials,

and is intended to build a strong presence in both

online and offline channels. All Allegra franchise

member websites are optimized for improved search

engine rankings.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) ProgramSearch engine marketing involves placing paid

advertisements that run above or beside (and

occasionally below) the free search engine listings on

Google, Yahoo! and Bing. Typically, to get the highest

position among these ads, website owners place a

pay-per-click (PPC) bid. PPC advertising is a great

way to promote special offers as well as products and

services, in turn boosting website visibility and traffic.

At Allegra, SEM programs are sponsored by the Allegra

home office Marketing Group for national campaigns.

Local campaigns can be executed for individual

Allegra franchise members by the Allegra home office

Marketing Resource Center for a pre-determined fee.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) ProgramWhile all Allegra franchise member websites are

optimized for search engines with a tool called WordPress

SEO by Yoast, it’s important to remember that SEO

is a process, not a product. Updates in search engine

algorithms – as well as efforts by your competition – can

determine how prominently your individual website is

displayed on search engine results pages. Additional

SEO support and recommendations can be provided

by the Allegra home office Marketing Group.

Direct Mail Program Outbound marketing

strategies centered on

direct mail help us build

awareness for Allegra

franchise members and

generate new business with

qualified leads. Targeted

to local businesses in your

geographic area, direct mail

promotional messages are fully integrated with other

marketing channels and work on your behalf all-year

long, like digital ads and website optimization.

Lunch & Learn ProgramThe Allegra Lunch & Learn Program enables you to

invite local prospects to an event you host where

they’re briefed on a marketing topic and treated to

lunch. In doing so, you establish your Allegra center as

a resource for marketing expertise, make new contacts

and generate qualified leads for sales follow-up. Allegra

home office Sales and Marketing Team members can be

booked as your guest presenters.

Appointment Setting/Telemarketing ProgramThe Allegra Appointment Setting/Telemarketing

Program is a business-to-business teleprospecting

initiative that can do it all. Working with a third-party

partner, you can employ it to make discovery calls

to find decision makers, set appointments for you or

survey existing customers; the choice is yours.

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PROGRAMS TO FIND & RETAIN CUSTOMERS

Environmental CampaignThink. Act. Green.SM As marketing and print

communication professionals,

re-shaping some of the

negative perceptions about our industry’s impact on

the environment can be challenging. Doing so is within

the reach of Allegra. This turnkey educational program

includes a logo, brochure and educational presentation

to share with clients for whom sound environmental

practices are a priority.

Event Marketing Trade show appearances provide a great opportunity

for Allegra franchise members to generate sales,

build relationships and collect qualified leads. Make

memorable and lasting impressions with attention-

getting displays that

can be rented from the

Allegra home office.

They’ll work to build

brand awareness and

recognition – and

help you stand out

in a visually-busy

environment.

Public Relations/Community Involvement ProgramsFor Allegra franchise members, having a comprehensive

public relations program should always be an important

component of a marketing strategy, as it builds

brand awareness and reinforces marketing messages.

The Allegra home office Marketing Group provides

resources to assist you in gaining positive media

coverage through print and electronic media both on a

local and national level. News release templates, guest

articles and PR tutorials all help build brand awareness

and spread your news.

Make your mark on the community one step at a time

with the Allegra FootPRINT Fund®. This turnkey program

awards print and graphic communications services to

select nonprofit organizations to help enhance their

services and extend their printing budgets.

Customer Analysis ServiceThrough a strategic partner, Allegra franchise members

gain access to an automated, easy-to-use service that

statistically profiles best customers. House files are

matched against a comprehensive database of U.S.

businesses to create a customized market penetration

analysis. This enables Allegra franchise members to

segment existing clients to develop effective cross-sell

campaigns, up-sell promotions, loyalty programs and

other customer-focused strategies.

Marketing Materials Online/Marketing Collateral Resources Delivering a consistent brand image and message is

just a click away with the Allegra Marketing Materials

Online (MMO) system. The user-friendly portal is the

gateway to marketing collateral samples created by the

Allegra home office. With this online ordering system,

Allegra franchise members can review, personalize and

download print-ready files for in-center production.

On-demand Marketing Consultation/Center SupportThe Allegra Marketing Group is your resource for

support and consultation with any self-promotional

marketing efforts across media channels. We’re here

to help Allegra franchise members plan and strategize,

provide list recommendations for direct mail campaigns,

identify new market opportunities, review your center-

developed creative executions and more.

On-demand Customer Communications & Public Relations SupportThroughout the year, ongoing assistance for Allegra

franchise members with customer communications will

be provided to announce new ownership, re-branding,

relocations and mergers/acquisitions.

Public relations counsel, press releases, guest columns

and media research/distribution/monitoring will

continue to be available whenever you have the need.

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Customer Retention

Account ReviewsConducting Account Reviews on an annual basis with

key accounts is essential for Allegra franchise members

in identifying opportunities to protect and grow your

business with existing clients. A step-by-step annual

Account Review, associated tracking reports and tools

to capture information are available for you to use when

needed with clients on our Intranet site.

Email Marketing Program The Email Marketing Program helps Allegra franchise

members remain top-of-

mind to your customers

with consistent brand

messages and offers.

Participating Allegra

franchise members

supply their customer

email data for opt-in

email outreach with fully

drafted and designed

communications.

Marketing Insider MagazineMarketing Insider is an award-winning publication

intended to drive interest in and the understanding

of print and marketing communications trends. It’s a

value-added educational

tool for customers and

center sales staff – and a

powerful way for Allegra

franchise members to

differentiate themselves

from the competition.

Satisfaction SurveysThrough a strategic partnership,

Allegra franchise members

gain access to a full-service

customer satisfaction program

to provide timely feedback after

jobs, generate sales leads, gain

approval to use testimonials

on member websites and alert

you when customers are at risk

of leaving.

On-hold MessagingAllegra has teamed with a preferred vendor for an

affordable on-hold messaging service for Allegra

franchise members. The scripts are written by the

Allegra home office Marketing Group and work to

support campaign themes that are delivered via other

marketing channels throughout the year.

Seasonal/Milestone Marketing SupportAllegra franchise member business anniversaries,

relocations, seasonal Pie-in-July customer appreciation

promotions and more are supported by Allegra

with a variety of

branded marketing

materials to enhance

your business

relationships.

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PROGRAMS TO BUILD YOUR EXPERTISE & DRIVE GROWTH

Promotional ProductsThrough the franchisor’s

strategic alliance with

the Advertising Specialty

Institute (ASI), Allegra

franchise members can gain

access to the industry’s best

research and marketing tools as well as over 3,000 top

suppliers. ASI offers easy access to over 700,000 types

of promotional products for businesses through ASI

tools such as ESP, their exclusive database, as well as an

ESP website – a powerful sales and marketing tool that

enables your customers to browse product lines.

Wide Format PrintingAllegra provides franchise

members with the key

enablers for a successful

expansion into wide

format printing. Our

support includes

equipment reviews

and recommendations,

suggested pricing plus

basic and advanced

on-site training as well as

promotional materials.

Mailing Services Allegra Mailing Services includes education, training

and support encompassing pricing, postal regulations,

mailing software,

variable data software,

list acquisitions, mailing

equipment and more.

The Allegra Technology

Department offers

in-person training

at the Allegra home

office, as well as on-site

implementation and

training at your location

for mailing operations.

Marketing Services Allegra franchise members

have access to broad-

based support and training

programs needed for you to

offer small to medium-sized

businesses complete marketing

communication solutions. All

programs build the essential confidence and skill sets

you and your staff need to successfully promote, sell

and deliver high-value marketing solutions.

Web-to-Print SolutionsFor the past decade, the

Allegra home office has

provided technology,

tools, training and sales

support to Allegra

franchise members and

their customers with web-

to-print storefronts. As

capabilities have evolved,

so have our solutions to

meet the growing needs

of your clients.

The Allegra WorkStream™ e-Commerce solution is a

world-class storefront technology with front-end (MIS)

and back-end (automation workflow) integrations, and is

one component of our exclusive technology platform.

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Solutions-based Sales 101 TrainingThis Allegra on-site training session focuses on

introducing Allegra franchise members to the six steps

of the sales process along with prospecting and time

management techniques.

An overview of direct

marketing, direct mail

and list acquisition

is provided during

this session, as well.

Exercises and peer

interaction reinforce the

concepts presented, and

participants are provided

with proven sales tactics

to use once you are back

in your center.

Advanced Solutions-based Sales 201 Training This Allegra training provides a deeper dive into the

“whys-behind-the-what” of solutions-based selling

techniques. It exposes Allegra franchise members to

the resources available to assist in developing client

recommendations, and explains the capabilities of our

corporate locations.

Sales Skills on the Road Sessions Allegra Sales Skills on the Road sessions are designed

as one-day sales process refresher workshops to

reinforce and/or introduce Allegra franchise members

and their sales representatives to the six-step sales

process. Sessions are held across the U.S. and Canada.

S3 Sales Training WebinarsAllegra Strategic Solution Sales (S3) training webinars

support Allegra franchise members and their sales

staff in becoming more proficient in selling solutions

rather than “things.” Participants will learn how to build

credibility with key decision makers, win the sale and

understand the customer’s business objectives.

Sales Leadership Training WorkshopsThis Allegra training highlights the key ingredients for

an integrated Marketing and Sales Plan – focusing on

the basics of sales management and providing useful

tools that can be immediately put to use. With an

emphasis on visibility of sales results, accountability

for sales activities and consistency of communications,

this workshop provides Allegra franchise members with

action items to drive and monitor sales activities.

Virtual Sales Manager for Hire ProgramThis Allegra program is specially designed for the

Allegra franchise owner who is inexperienced as a sales

manager and/or has limited time to actively manage

his/her sales representative(s). Using vetted external

sales coaches, the program provides Allegra franchise

members with weekly sales management support, sales

metric tracking and evaluation, and a resource for client

strategy discussions.

One-on-One Sales Coaching SessionsSometimes, targeted training and coaching on a

particular technique can do wonders for getting a new

Allegra center employee off on the right foot or to

motivate and re-engage customer-facing employees.

The Allegra Sales and Training team can assess the

needs of Allegra franchise members and determine

what makes the most sense for your situation –

a formalized training program, one-on-one coaching,

or both.

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PROGRAMS TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCIES & PROFITABILITY

Regional Operations DirectorsAllegra Regional Operations Directors (RODs) deliver

individualized support to Allegra franchise members.

RODs have experience in operating a printing business

and are consultants who can provide a broad range

of support – including assistance in key personnel

challenges, sales approaches, diversification training,

financial analysis and marketing.

Marketing Resource Center The Allegra home office-based Marketing Resource

Center (MRC) is a professional, cost-competitive

planning, consulting and implementation resource

available to Allegra franchise members. The

MRC is staffed by highly-experienced marketing

communications professionals that can provide you

with a wide range of consulting, strategic and tactical

services, depending on your customer’s needs.

When your customers’ marketing projects require more

expertise than you have in-house, tap the MRC for

graphic design and copywriting, web-based marketing

solutions, direct mail, advertising, collateral materials

and public relations support as much as you need, and

pay as you go.

Operating Ratio Study (ORS)This yearly, system-wide survey compiles the financial

performance of all Allegra franchise members.

Published in book form, the ORS details results

in terms of profitability, sales volume and region.

Allegra franchise members also receive an individual

report that summarizes their financial information

and compares it to the

results for all centers

as well as high-profit

franchise members and

those in the same sales

volume group. Allegra

is the only print and

graphic communication

franchise that conducts

an extensive study of this

type on an annual basis.

Performance GroupsAllegra Performance Groups consist of five to seven

franchise members with similar center sales who meet

twice a year to discuss all areas of their business.

Each group follows a format and rules of conduct to

create the most effective meeting. Prior to meeting,

each Allegra franchise member submits their financial

statement to the Allegra home office. As a result,

operating ratios are created and made available to

discuss at the meeting.

Note: Performance Groups are consistently rated by

Allegra franchise members as one of the most

valuable support programs offered by Allegra.

Profit Mastery® AssessmentsThe Allegra Profit Mastery Assessment is a consulting

report prepared specifically for each Allegra center.

The in-depth report includes specific suggestions for

improvement and staff feedback as well as assistance in

implementation of improvements and regular follow-

ups. Components of the program address relationships

between income statements and balance sheets, ratios

to measure efficiency of business, how to manage cash

flow, break-even analysis as a decision tool, uses of

profit and the relationship between assets, earnings,

and the value of a business.

Education: Alliance UniversityAlliance University’s mission is to advance the expertise

and knowledge of our franchise network using a variety

of training outlets such as classroom training, e-learning,

webinars, webcasts and printed materials. These courses

have been created to accelerate

learning, reinforce concepts

and increase retention. Allegra

franchise members and staff have

the ease and convenience of

attending the on-demand, online

classes by logging in anytime at

their individual locations.

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Financial ConsultingThe corporate Financial Services Team provides an

expert opinion on your proposed business plan or

decision. Utilize this no-cost service on a yearly or

quarterly basis to ensure your center is on track to

meet or exceed your goals.

Market ResearchRecent customer and non-customer research from

Allegra provides insight into what print buyers want

from their providers, how many sources they currently

use, and what Allegra franchise members can do to

win more of their dollars. Additional studies identify

industries that produce the highest total sales, and

detail the number of jobs and the number of accounts

for Allegra franchise members.

Resale ProgramThe Resale Program helps Allegra franchise members

sell their business as an exit strategy. The Allegra

Development Department identifies purchase

candidates for you through advertising, referrals and

third parties, and qualifies them for ownership. They

guide both the Allegra franchise member and the

prospect through the necessary steps to successfully

complete a resale.

Acquisition ProgramThe Acquisition Program assists Allegra franchise

members in identifying suitable independent printing

businesses to purchase. Allegra franchise members

receive assistance in the entire process through

targeted mailing and telemarketing, as well as research

such as business and financial analysis and equipment

evaluations. Negotiation of the purchase price and

terms, writing an Intent to Purchase, a Purchase

Agreement, closing and transitioning are also facilitated

by the Allegra Development Department.

National Contracts ProgramContract pricing and other discounts or special services

are available to Allegra franchise members through

more than 125 selected supplier partners. Strategic

partnerships are evaluated regularly and new supplier

partners are added by Allegra as Allegra franchise

members’ needs evolve.

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PROGRAMS TO KEEP YOU INFORMED & ENGAGED

e-Communications Allegra franchise members receive regularly

scheduled e-newsletters – including Connections

and the Regional Report – that include briefs, Allegra

home office updates and member features. These

e-communications also serve as the gateway to the

comprehensive

programs and

services that can

be offered by

Allegra centers.

Online Meetings Regularly-scheduled live Web meetings are designed to

provide Allegra franchise members with an interactive

channel to receive information and ask questions

of Allegra leadership. All sessions are recorded for

convenient, anytime, on-demand viewing.

Members IntranetThis comprehensive Intranet provides weekly

updates, information and downloads on programs

and services for Allegra franchise members. Materials

include support documents in finance and franchise

compliance, franchise support, marketing, sales and

public relations, operations, technology and more.

All training resources are also housed on the

members Intranet.

Electronic Email Listings (Listserv)Allegra franchise members can capitalize on the

collective knowledge and expertise of their fellow

Allegra franchise members via an electronic “listserv.”

Here, questions are answered and resources shared

between and among Allegra franchise owners.

Conventions & Regional MeetingsTo help Allegra franchise members keep pace in a

rapidly-evolving industry, Allegra hosts live events to

help keep you in touch with each other and provide

exposure to new technologies, educational training and

franchise vision, goals and leadership.

Network Advisory CouncilThe Network Advisory Council

(NAC), established in 1983, is made

up of 10 network members who

are nominated by their peers and

selected by Allegra. The purpose

of the NAC is to participate in initial

program development, provide feedback on company

goals, increase program participation and promote

open communications between franchise members

and the management team. NAC representatives meet

twice a year and play a key role in strengthening our

franchise system.

Help DeskThe Help Desk answers Allegra franchise members’

questions about prepress, printing and bindery

operations, equipment selection, supplies, pricing,

computer systems and more, some of the many services

provided by the Allegra Technology Department. The

Help Desk not only operates during regular business

hours, but also offers after-hours support.

Annual Franchise AwardsTop performers in the network are recognized annually

for Allegra franchise member business benchmarks

such as sales and operational excellence. Other

opportunities to Allegra franchise members for special

recognition are based upon outlined criteria.

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Honors Sales Club The Honors Sales Club recognizes

the accomplishments of enrolled

direct outside salespeople,

account managers and inside

sales representatives employed by

Allegra franchise members. The

program is designed to recognize

the initiative of participants who strive for success

and the ongoing pursuit of sales excellence through

involvement and learning opportunities.

PODiAllegra franchise members can sign up for a free

membership with PODi – a leading organization that

provides ongoing updates regarding new digital

printing applications and other news in the world of

digital printing.

WhatTheyThink.comAllegra franchise members have free access to

WhatTheyThink.com’s corporate premium access

account. This printing and publishing media resource

offers a wide range of publications. They deliver

unbiased, real-time market intelligence, industry

news, economic and trend analysis and peer-to-peer

communications, as well as special reports on emerging

technologies and critical events.

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Take the Next Step

Call 800.445.5172

This advertisement is not an offering. An offering can only be made by a prospectus filed first with the Department of Law of the State of New York. Such filing does not constitute approval by the Department of Law. MN F-4115

Allegra Network LLC Franchise Opportunities

47585 Galleon Drive

Plymouth, MI 48170

800.445.5172

www.allegrafranchise.com

www.allegramarketingprint.com

2015 v2