7 Ways Franchisors Need to Adapt Their Sales Approach

The franchise world is changing rapidly, and franchisors need to evolve their sales strategies to keep up. Over the past three years, we’ve seen a drastic shift in franchise buyers’ attitudes and expectations. If you want your franchise organization to survive and thrive in this dynamic environment, you must be open to change.

Here are seven key areas to focus on:

1. Persevere with Leads

Too many franchisors give up on new leads far too quickly. Research shows prospects need to see your message at least seven times before taking action, with 20+ touchpoints often required to close a sale. Develop an omnichannel nurture campaign with content tailored to each stage of the buyer’s journey.

2. Provide Timely, Relevant Content

Having great content isn’t enough – you need the right content unveiled at the right time. In addition to leading nurture content, prepare materials for deeper stages like reviewing the FDD, discovery day prep, conducting franchisee validation, and more. Their engagement metrics can indicate buyer interest.

3. Walk in Your Prospects’ Shoes

Understand the emotional highs and lows prospects experience from initial research, through evaluation and comparison, to their final purchase decision. Though your brand may differ, buyer questions and concerns are often universal. Ensure your content addresses these across multiple channels.

4. Realign Communication Hierarchy

The phone isn’t king anymore – prospects often ignore unknown numbers. Instead, leverage SMS text (295% higher response rates than calls) and email strategically. Record virtual meetings to review later and share recaps with prospects.

5. Allocate Marketing Spend Wisely

With franchisors spending $225K on average for franchise development, know your cost-per-lead and cost-per-sale by source. Stop spending on underperformers and reallocate funds to your best-converting lead sources.

6. Be Available When Buyers Want to Engage

68% of sales appointments are booked outside traditional hours, and 65% of closed sales engaged the prospect within 4 hours of their initial interest. Use technology like AI text messaging or staffing strategies to ensure rapid response times.

7. Monitor Leading Indicators

Look beyond typical topline metrics like leads and sales. Leading indicators like lead source, applications by source, and booked (and kept) appointments can help identify your strongest and weakest performers to double down or cut bait.

Implementing these best practices can seem straightforward, but developing the “muscle memory” for consistent execution is key. Ensure your team uses an effective franchise sales CRM and that you hold them accountable. As sales leaders, inspect what you expect from your processes and people.

The Top 7 Reasons Franchise Sales Teams Fall Short (franchising.com)