Franchise Update Magazine Issue IV, 2013 | Page 41

Judge Reinhold,
Tom Wood

the day included several group exercises
and presentations. Relationships formed
that the executives plan to continue well
into the future.
Elsewhere that day, the focus was on
franchise sales. An all-morning session on
“Mastering Franchise Sales Fundamentals” was led by Grant Kreutzer, director
of franchise licensing and recruitment at
Jack in the Box. Kreutzer led a panel that
included Steve Dunn (Denny’s), Scott
Nichols (Sears Hometown & Outlet
Stores), Brian Sommers (Jersey Mike’s
Subs), and Marc Kiekenapp (Kiekenapp &
Associates). Topics ranged from franchise
offerings to development agreements and
much more. One key message: franchisors
should be ready for large, sophisticated
multi-unit operators. They are looking
at your brand, they wield a lot of power,
and they make great partners.
Other sessions delved into topics such
as creating compelling content and capturing more franchise buyers; achieving
high-performance sales management; and
building first-class programs for multiunit franchise growth. The moderators,
panelists, and audience dug into the nuts
and bolts of franchise brand development

Jordan Belfort, keynote speaker

and the associated struggles and successes.
Martin Greenbaum, president of
Greenbaum Marketing, said, “You have
to get your prospects to picture themselves operating your store.” Steve Olson,
president of Franchise Update Media
Group, added, “Make sure your message
has facts, not just fluff.”
The first day of “school” concluded
with a “pep rally,” otherwise known as
the opening of the Exhibit Hall. Sponsors and suppliers leaned heavily toward
technology-based solutions, with products
and services ranging from lead generation and prospect management systems
to marketing, advertising, and financial
offerings.
Midterms

Jerry Darnell

The second day began with the school
“cafeteria” (Exhibit Hall) opening for
breakfast and an early-morning opportunity for attendees to continue discussions begun the previous evening and to
start fresh talks with additional exhibitors.
The opening bell drew everyone into
the first general assembly of the event.
Conference Chair Tom Wood opened
with a lively wake-up exercise asking

Grow Market Lead

Fast Times at Franchise High

attendees to define selling—and for attendees to cheer or heckle the responses.
Then it was time to get down to business.
Darrell Johnson, president of FRANdata, took the stage to deliver his latest
“State of Franchising” report. “We should
continue to see modest growth ahead,”
he said. Picking up on a theme that has
been a part of his recent reports, Johnson urged franchisors to present financial
institutions with “more than just unit
economics for your brand. Give them
information on your overall system and
how it performs.” Lenders, he said, are
financing older, establis