Franchise Update Magazine Issue IV, 2011 | Page 6

From the editor’s desk Franchise update|Q4 CHAIRMAN Gary Gardner BY Kerry Pipes CEO Therese Thilgen President Steve Olson Vice President Operations Sue Logan Vice President Marketing Kimberlie Guerrieri Building a Growth Machine F ranchise brands drive growth through building customer counts and loyalty. But customer acquisition often is not the primary focus of brands. That distinction goes to the art of franchisee acquisition. However, as successful, growth-oriented franchise executives know, the two go hand in hand. These two important themes (missions, really)—which in the Digital Age have more in commo n than ever before—are the focus of this issue of Franchise Update. Whether it’s a quick stop for a frozen yogurt or a cup of coffee, or a weightier decision such as daycare for your child or home care for an aging parent, customers have choices, and they make them every day. That’s why franchise brands spend millions of dollars to attract and retain customers—including helping their franchisees do the same at the local level. Increasingly, brands are targeting and engaging customers through powerful tools such as social media and loyalty programs. While franchisors need a solid operating system, products and services, and a brand identity that differentiates them from the competition, they also need a corps of dedicated franchisees who will work tirelessly to market those products and services by developing ongoing relationships with customers—and it’s these often far-flung 4 Franchiseupdate Iss u e IV, 2 0 1 1 franchisees who hold the key to true brand success. Your franchisees—and their front-line employees—are the face of your brand in cities and towns across the country. Throughout this issue, you can read about franchise executives who understand the importance of recruiting customers and franchisees. Their backgrounds may be different and their brands diverse, but successful franchisors understand the importance of these two critical groups, and how they work together to deliver brand growth. They also understand that experimenting with unique and innovative methods and strategies can help them improve the ways they simultaneously attract customers and recruit franchisees. At the end of the day, successful brands know how to generate the best leads, recruit the best franchisees, and help them build customer bases with stateof-the-art tools and marketing strategies, and the support they need to get the job done on the local level. These are the cornerstones of great franchise brands. This has been a challenging and exciting issue to organize, and I hope you find a little something in this issue’s group of franchising experts and executives that makes you sit up and take notice. That “little something” just might be the flicker of an idea that changes the way you find new franchisees and build raving customer fans. n Vice President Business Development Barbara Yelmene Business Development Executives Jeff Katis Lorena Leggett Judy Reichman Executive Editor Kerry Pipes Managing Editor Eddy Goldberg ART DIRECTOR Franchise Update media group Samantha Calden DESIGN & PRODUCTION FRANCHISE UPDATE MAGAZINE www.petertucker.com Internet Content Manager Benjamin Foley Sales and Subscription Department, Office Manager Sharon Wilkinson Senior Project Manager, Media and Business Development Lyola Shybanova Contributing Editors Tom Epstein Keith Gerson Darrell Johnson John Jorgenson Marc Kiekenapp Jack Mackey Joe Mathews Steve Olson CONTRIBUTING WRITERS John Carroll Debbie Selinsky Tracy Staton Helen Bond Advertising and Editorial Offices Franchise Update Media Group 6489 Camden Avenue, Suite 108 San Jose, CA 95120 Telephone: [phone] Fax: [phone] Send manuscripts and queries about story assignments to: [email protected] franchiseupdatemedia.com franchiseupdate.com franchising.com mufranchisee.com Franchise UPDATE magazine is published four times annually. Annual subscription rate is $39.95 (U.S.) For subscriptions email [email protected] or call [phone] For reprint information contact Foster Printing at [phone] www.fosterprinting.com