Franchise Update Magazine Issue II, 2012 | Page 48

Grow Market Lead

Sales
smarts
By Marc Kiekenapp

Get the Word Out!
Using PR as part of your sales process

W

e’re all in search of the
“golden leads” year after
year. We all say we are
willing to pay whatever
it takes to speak with qualified candidates
who have an interest in our business. And
we know that franchisee referrals and the
customers who use our products or services rank as the top leads in any franchise
organization. Getting the word out in the
community is a great way to get more
customers for your franchisees, make
your franchisees feel good about being
known, and to create a system with great
validation and attitude.
PR is a great opportunity to promote
your franchisees and build franchise sales.
Public relations efforts have always been
thought of as an expense, rather than an
investment in your franchise system’s
branding and expansion. Franchises are
purchased because candidates spoke with
happy franchisees.
When your brand and local franchisees
are featured in the media, everyone wins!
The cost of a PR firm producing quality
inquiries is not that far off from other lead
generation techniques! It doesn’t produce
as many leads, but the cost per sale is very
much in line with others. If you are considering a PR firm I would suggest you
include the following in your research:
1. Interview PR firms that understand
franchising.
2. Prepare for these calls as if you were
selling a prospect on the excitement of
your business. They need to know why
people want to be part of your system.
Yes, speak with the PR firms about how
they can best promote new openings and
human interest stories. But most important, can they spin those into development

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Franchiseupdate Iss u e II, 2 0 1 2

and recruitment stories to help build your
brand with increased unit sales?
The interview
Over my years in franchising I’ve worked
with numerous PR firms. I’ve found that
local PR firms are less expensive, but they

Getting the
word out in the
community is a
great way to get
more customers for
your franchisees,
make your
franchisees feel
good about being
known, and to
create a system
with great validation
and attitude.
are stretched and out of their league on a
regional or national campaign. National
PR firms not affiliated with franchising are
generally more expensive than franchisefocused ones, but since they may not understand franchise recruitment messaging
they will need more education. Franchise
PR firms have years of experience working
with several different types of franchises,
and they have the media contacts needed to
get stories in front of the right audiences.
Ask for references of past articles and
of companies they’ve worked with, both
previously and currently. When asking
for past articles, request articles that have

produced franchise inquiries, and the publications in which they appeared. For references, ask to speak with companies that
are in the same business sector as yours.
If you are in the home cleaning business
ask for referrals from other home service
providers such as painters, handymen, etc.
Finally, check with the IFA Supplier
members for firms affiliated with franchising.
Before the interview
Make sure you are prepared to tell your
brand’s story and history. The PR firm will
supply you with a document to prepare
for the call. You should talk about what
your service does to change people’s lives;
how it frees up their time to be with their
families; and how your brand is active in
their communities. Also be sure to tell
any family or career stories about your
franchisees that are unique, and how the
business has positively affected their life
and the lives of others.
Because development is one of your
goals, make sure you have information
prepared regarding expansion plans, target markets, and any new openings on
the horizon. Gathering all this information—and much more once you engage a
firm—takes a lot of time and resources. It
is well worth the effort at the end.
Don’t expect instant