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Ever really feel such as you’re courting your leads? They present curiosity, ask all the proper questions and arrange a follow-up name. Then, nothing. No e-mail. No response. Simply silence. Individuals purchase from folks, not faceless manufacturers. In case your content material is chilly, robotic, or generic, they’re going to disengage. In case your outreach seems like everybody else’s, it is easy to disregard. And when you’re not constantly displaying up in a approach that grabs consideration, another person will.
And here is the painful fact: If a lead ghosts you, it is your fault. The excellent news is, you possibly can repair this. The answer is not extra follow-up emails — It is storytelling. I’ve seen franchise manufacturers wrestle to transform leads, doing all of the “proper” issues — working adverts, sending emails, following up — however once we inform the proper story on video, every thing adjustments. Leads do not simply come again, they have interaction and join. Not as a result of we pushed tougher, however as a result of they felt one thing.
Franchisee success tales
Just a few years in the past, I sat throughout from a Glory Days Grill franchisee as she shared her story. Simply 5 years prior, she was homeless. Now, she’s a multi-unit proprietor. As she spoke, the load of every thing she had been by means of poured out. She cried, I cried, the whole set fell silent. This wasn’t nearly enterprise. This was about transformation. And that is precisely why one of these video works.
Franchise leads aren’t simply shopping for a enterprise mannequin. They’re shopping for a future for themselves. A well-crafted franchisee success story ought to comply with a transparent emotional arc: Who they had been earlier than franchising — the true struggles they confronted. What made them take the leap — why this franchise, and why now? The challenges they confronted—as a result of success tales with out wrestle do not feel actual. How their life is totally different now—the transformation. In case your franchise is not capturing these sorts of tales, you are lacking essentially the most highly effective gross sales instrument you’ve got.
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Behind the scenes video
I’ve sat in rooms with franchise sales groups who could not work out why their numbers weren’t transferring. That they had sturdy FDDs. That they had nice financials. That they had an unbelievable product. However they weren’t displaying the folks behind the model. Franchise leads aren’t simply evaluating a enterprise mannequin. They’re evaluating management, assist, and tradition.
A behind-the-scenes video provides them an actual have a look at the folks they’re going to be trusting with their funding. What to incorporate: Leadership interacting with franchisees — not simply sitting in an workplace. Coaching groups working one-on-one with homeowners. Candid moments that replicate the true tradition — not company fluff. If a lead does not belief the folks behind the model, they’re going to by no means transfer ahead.
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Franchisee validation movies
Probably the most emotional shoots I’ve ever been a part of was for Batteries Plus. The franchisee’s father had out of the blue handed away, and his son and daughter had been stepping in to run the enterprise. In the course of the shoot, they seemed straight into the digicam and spoke to their father. “We’re doing this for you. We’re preserving this legacy alive.” Everybody in that room felt it. And that is precisely why one of these video works.
Leads do not belief spreadsheets or sales pitches — however they belief different franchisees who’ve walked this path. An excellent franchisee validation video ought to embody: A franchisee sharing their actual expertise, not a scripted testimonial. The second they realized this enterprise was altering their life. What they might inform somebody contemplating the chance. Should you’re not letting your franchisees inform their tales on video, you make your gross sales course of tougher than it must be.
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Day within the life
I’ve filmed franchisees who got here to the U.S. with $2 and a backpack. Right now, they personal multiple locations, make use of dozens of individuals, and have constructed a life they by no means thought attainable. That type of transformation is unbelievable — however what does the day-to-day actuality appear like? That is what day-in-the-life movies reply.
Leads want to have the ability to image themselves within the position. A well-produced documentary-style video follows an actual franchise owner by means of their day, from their morning routine — together with opening the shop and organising operations — to the top of the day. The purpose is not to make it look good, it is to make it really feel actual. If a lead cannot see themselves within the position, they will not take the following step.
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Meet the gross sales workforce
Franchise sales can really feel chilly and transactional. A lead fills out a type. Then, out of the blue, they’re getting calls and emails from somebody they’ve by no means met, asking them to make a six-figure choice. That is overwhelming. A Meet-the-Gross sales-Workforce video adjustments the dynamic.
As an alternative of a stranger reaching out, it is a acquainted face saying who they’re, why they love serving to franchisees and what the primary steps appear like. There is not any strain, only a dialog. Leads are way more doubtless to answer somebody they really feel they already know.
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Cease promoting, begin storytelling
I’ve filmed franchisee tales that made complete rooms cry. I’ve watched management groups get emotional as they notice the influence of what they’ve constructed. I’ve seen hesitant leads signal on the dotted line — not as a result of they had been pressured, however as a result of they lastly believed. That is the facility of video storytelling in franchise growth.
In case your franchise is not telling these tales, you are not simply lacking conversions. You are lacking the prospect to encourage, join, and convey folks into one thing larger than only a enterprise. In case your leads are ghosting you, do not simply comply with up. Inform them a narrative they’re going to always remember.
franchise, advertising
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