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(Continued from page 22) salesmen (very similar to the Century 2l goldjackets) o Their concept ofthe synergistic effect of national and local advertising (one and one equal three) r The concept of their blitz promotion when all the local franchises are sold. o Their proposed use of the TV media r The bonding ofeveryjob. r The promise of better pricing for the purchase of some building materials.

I do not like: o The commission demanded on every job. r The fact almost all the people connected with the sub-franchisers are experienced only in selling franchises and are not seasoned in the remodeling business. o The fact that to date they did not show me; o A national or regional advertising campaign o A video tape of the TV spots that they will be viewing in each of their sub-franchise markets. o The print advertising campaign for individual franchisees local media. r The fact that I have not been able to catch one TV commercial from the LA TV stations that I have been monitoring at home, and that, in spite of my 3 requests, they have not been able to supply me with a TV schedule in either the Orange County or L.A. markets. e The obvious indication that the initial contacts the new franchisees make may no longer be available as the subfranchiser organization will be moving on to new territories when the current market is completely sold. r The "dummy" layouts of the proposed local print advertising that was shown during a slide presentation appeared no better than current remodeling ads.

. A produced copy of the marketing plan they will be offering to franchisees.

In spite of the dislikes I've listed above I still told my two callers that this concept is good. I suspect that at present the franchisers have concentrated more on the production of the materials to sell the franchisees they'll deliver. I expect that to change.

Right now franchises are being sold for approximately $7,000. It's possible that some weaker Mr. Build franchises will fail during the formative years. It's also probable that the more successful ones will command many times their initial buy-in price when they choose to sell.

That's the evaluation I gave my two callers last week. Today I read in a marketing publication that Bartlett has announced that he has organized a company to sell a franchise concept to used car dealers. Hmmmm!

Shingles Split Market

"Fiber glass roofing shingles now represent approximately 45s/o of the asphalt shingle market. This is an increase from their 22s/o share in 1980 and a l49o share in 1979," says Robert D. Dickenson, general merchandising manager, roofing products, for Manville Building Materials Corporation.

The dramatic conversion to fiber glass shingles is outpacing all industry predictions, according to Dibkenson. Their increased acceptance by builders, contractors and homeowners can be attributed to the shingle's fire resistance, durability and low life cycle cost.

"Because they are inorganic, fiber glass shingles provide superior fire protection, " says Dickenson. "They earn an Underwriters Laboratories Class A fire resistance rating, the highest attainable. By contrast, organic-based shingles earn only a UL Class C rating, offering just minimum fire protection for the homeowner."

CHAMPI0iISHIP wrist wrestlino event matched Ben "Joliet Jake" CassinErio (left) against Tim "Mongoose" Morie at the Black Bart Hoo-Hoo Club Transportation Night. Keeping a close count (loft to rlght) are Gary lsland, Ross Ingraham, Refereelim Dolcini, a three year world champion himsell, Rich Stolz and Lloyd Buckingham. Cassinerio and Morie pose after tne nout, tne climax of a year of training, with Rich Stolz and Rich Doss, chairman of the event, which attracted a crowd of over 50.

The fiber glass base is also rotresistant, so the shingles last longer than organic cardboard-based asphalt shingles. As a result, fiber glass shingles have lower life cycle costs than organic-based shingles with equal or greater installed costs.