Are You Feeling Franchising?

Empathy comes in bulk with some, and seemingly absent in others. In Sales, I hold that solid footing on being able to slip into shoes of another is paramount to building trust and a sustainable relationship. Standing on the firm ground of a business, product or service you believe in, and then extending yourself out in that way will reward you.

All of us agree that Franchising is a unique industry. Navigating it successfully hinges on reliable partnerships, building rapport with seasoned professionals, being a resource to new kids on the block, and an understanding that many leads have the same goal but with different ways to get there. A recent post from a colleague and client shines a light on very important things to remember when selling franchises. I will touch on a couple, and I encourage you to follow the link at the bottom to read the full post.

In his first point, the author poses that the prospective new franchisee’s fear of failure tends to break apart the deal in the 11th hour. In the fourth point, he writes that the same person often desires to join into franchising—into a successful franchise—as a way to offset that fear because there exists a system of support.

You may draw that these two are always diametrically opposed, and without the nurturing of an intuitive salesperson they may start and remain that way in the mind of the lead. If the ideas of fear and security are left in an uncooperative relationship, the stress of that is enough to make most throw their hands up and walk away.

But that lead, the potential new franchisee, with your patience and guidance can learn to have fear and security play together nicely. As a lead, for me, fear is a good thing. Fear can keep me from making big mistakes or putting myself in dangerous financial situations. Then security felt from you, my trusted guide, and your brand helps mitigate fear in what becomes a healthy, and hopefully long, relationship. Success naturally follows.

The original post, The Distinctiveness of Franchise Development, was written by Michael Peterson, founder and President of the franchise consulting firm Franchise Beacon, and author of the Amazon best-seller How and Why To Franchise Your Business.

Alfonso Flores is the Director of Strategic Growth at FranchiseHelp, and a proponent of applying consultative sales techniques to strengthen client relationships.