Franchise Update Magazine Issue IV, 2011 | Page 44

Grow Market Lead
and Mystery Shopper survey. As they have been for several
years now, many of the results were sobering, and some eyeopening (see related stories in this issue for details).
Three concurrent sessions followed focused on benchmarking for service, food, and retail brands, plus another on site
selection and build-out programs that drive sales. Lunch was
provided in the Exhibit Hall to digest a
very full morning of statistics and data,
inspirations and strategies, and practical
tactics and tips.
The afternoon kicked off with a keynote address by futurist Scott Klososky,
whose message centered on embracing
newer technologies for operating and
growing a business. “Either we’re teaching our competitors how to do things, or
our competitors are teaching us how to
do things.” He made a case for franchise
brands fully deploying social media as
part of their recruiting efforts, encouraged franchisors to actively manage and
differentiate their brands online, and to
respond quickly to incoming queries and
comments.
His address was followed by concurrent sessions delving
into lead and sales process automation and metrics; online
lead generation; presenting compelling opportunities through
marketing and sales channels; and qualifying and closing more

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Franchiseupdate Iss u e IV, 2 0 1 1

deals. The day wrapped up with business solution roundtables
addressing more than a dozen topics. The evening offered a
welcome chance to relax and enjoy at the annual STAR Awards
banquet, which recognizes the best in franchise sales and development (see page 48).
The last day of the high-energy conference began Friday
morning with legal roundtables hosted by franchise attorneys
well-schooled on topics such as multi-unit franchise agreements,
franchise referral fees, and international expansion. A panel on
franchise finance followed, moderated by FRANdata’s Darrell Johnson. Panelists Ron Feldman, CEO of Siegel Financial
Group, Mike Rozman, co-president and chief strategy officer
at Boefly, and multi-unit franchisee Aziz Hashim, president
and CEO of National Restaurant Development Corp., took
on the 800-pound gorilla of how franchisors can help their
franchisees find capital for growth.
The conference wrapped up on a lighter (but still serious) note with a group session where attendees helped plan
the startup and development of a fictional franchise business,
FranZoo. Franchise Update’s Steve Olson and PostNet CEO
Steve Greenbaum were the faux franchise leaders in need of
growth and development advice—which they got in spades
from the group.
Throughout the three-day event, the inter-related themes
of lead generation, unit economics, and validation continued
to crop up in every session. These issues will continue to have
legs in the year ahead. Whether for incoming prospects, existing franchisees, or the health of the franchise system, they will
carry a lot of weight in the minds of franchise development
teams and executives.
Planning for next year’s Leadership & Development Conference is already under way, and will return to the InterContinental Buckhead in Atlanta. n