Franchise Update Magazine Issue IV, 2012 | Page 45

Website Response

Franchisee Satisfaction

Jeff Sturgis,

Michelle Rowan, Franchise

Franchise System Advisors

Business Review

I

submitted information on franchise
information request forms on franchisor franchise opportunity websites
(responding as a qualified lead).
The biggest finding is that of the
81 forms submitted (i.e., franchisors
shopped), only 41 called me, about half.
Seventy-two did send me an email, so I
know they got the form. Doing the math,
this means that 31 of the 72 people who
emailed me didn’t bother to call at all.
In the past, this “no-call rate” has been
closer to 25 percent, so for some reason
franchisors feel less need to contact leads
than in the past.
In addition to the lack of callbacks,
the other surprising finding was the
use of more links, videos, attachments,
virtual brochures, etc. in the email I
was sent. While I do believe it is good
to provide information to a prospect,
I would be concerned that franchisors
think this supply of information replaces
the need to actually pick up the phone
and call the lead.
Overall, the franchisors that did make
the calls seemed to do a pretty good job
of engaging the prospect on the first call
and asking some good questions. Most
did a good job of keeping that initial call
short and then setting up for the next step.
But it seems to me that most franchisors are still relying too much on
the next step in the process being an
application, rather than having a second,
more involved phone call. I understand
the philosophy of not wanting to waste
time with a lead that is not serious or
qualified, but I think franchisors are really missing an opportunity to engage
people on a personal level earlier in the
process. People still buy from people,
and in the current and recent environment where most franchisors are saying
leads are down, I don’t know why they
wouldn’t take time to engage on a more
personal level with a prospect.
n Recommendation: I would encourage franchisors to be more diligent
in developing a rapport with a prospect,
asking questions, getting to know them
through conversation and good questioning and listening rather than relying on
automated processes or administrative
steps, especially early in the process.

W
Telephone Response
Marc Kiekenapp,
Kiekenapp & Associates

F

irst, we searched company websites
for a franchise opportunity phone
number. We then called to speak with a
franchise salesperson and inquire about
general franchise ownership.
We were surprised by the increase
in “no callbacks.” We also were surprised by the decrease in the amount
of information salespersons gathered
on the first call: the percentages were
down in every category of information gathering.
Franchisors did pretty well at sending requested information, and also at
returning calls in a timely manner once
a message was left. This year, I was getting messages or callbacks more often
within an hour or a few hours after the
initial call (with the exception of the
increase in no callbacks).
The higher-scoring franchisors
seemed to stick to a guide for the first
call: they asked for initial information,
outlined next steps, and requested a
follow-up for a second conversation to
discuss the business and details. When
next steps were presented, most were
consistent with emailing general information and an application, wanting to
schedule a longer conversation, and then
sending the FDD with completed app.
However, franchisors did not do so
well at building rapport. They were
excited about the brand and shared
information, but conducted less information-gathering about the prospective
candidate: not keepin