Franchise Update Magazine Issue IV, 2013 | Page 44

Grow Market Lead

By Helen Bond

The Song Remains
the Same
Franchise brands still failing to respond

W

hen it comes to franchise sales, it seems
the more things change, the more the development practices of many franchisors
remain the same. This was a key finding
of Franchise Update Media Group’s annual Mystery Shopping survey, unveiled at the 15th annual Franchise Leadership & Development Conference in Atlanta in October.
Across the board, our expert team of mystery shoppers
found that, despite technological advances that make it easier than ever to connect with qualified prospects, franchise
sales and development teams don’t always pursue promising prospects with the fervor, immediacy, and persistence
they would in a world of best practices.
“The constant frustration in the mystery shopping
results is the failure of franchisors to respond to qualified
inquiries,” says Steve Olson, president of Franchise Update.
“There is an epidemic. It’s just not happening.”
This year’s survey of 101 franchisors, representing 34,509
units (31,047 franchised units and 3,462 company-owned
units), is an annual conference extra for franchise brands that
pre-register. A team of franchising specialists pose \