Franchise Update Magazine Issue II, 2014 | Page 58

Grow Market Lead

It’s closing
time
BY STEVE OLSON

Valid(ation) Concern
Tune up your process to improve sales

F

ranchisee satisfaction and unit
profitability are the essentials
for brand development success, according to more than
100 brands participating in Franchise
Update’s 2014 Annual Franchise Development Survey. (The three other keys
for brand growth, in descending order,
are: quality prospects, the salesperson,
and the sales process.)
It’s no surprise that buyers’ decisions
are greatly influenced by their conversations with franchisees. They’re in the
trenches operating the business. It doesn’t
matter how talented and persuasive the
salesperson is—poor validation will kill
deals, and rightfully so. Boom! Just like
that and a once-supercharged prospect
can deflate to nothing, instantly bailing
out of your process.
• Stop selling when your model
isn’t working. Shut down your franchise
program if you continue losing deals
through poor validation. Then make
the needed changes to revitalize your
franchisee success. Unfortunately, this
doesn’t always happen when it should,
and brands burn more marketing dollars,
frustrate their sales team, and further
cripple their system.
• Why aren’t you selling more
when your validation is working?
Surpri ͥ