For Wild Birds Unlimited, Steady and Sustainable Growth Wins the Race

“You don’t know what you don’t know.”

That’s what Paul Pickett, the chief development officer for Wild Birds Unlimited, will tell prospective franchisees. And it’s a phrase that has everything to do with making sure each lead that comes his way has all the information needed to make the right decision

Since Pickett began his franchise development career back in 1989, he always kept a keen focus on intensely preparing new franchisees with realistic expectations. This meant creating a development process that provides a clear path of discovery to help potential Wild Birds Unlimited owners completely understand the brand’s system, how they support their individual stores, what it takes to be a strong franchisee, and ultimately answers that important age old question—“Is this franchise the right match for me?”

“As a franchise development professional, your job is to ensure that the match between your brand and your candidate is strong and that the foundation has been set for a long and successful working relationship,” Pickett said. “Becoming a Wild Birds Unlimited franchisee is a big decision. We decided that, in order to grow the right way, we needed to give people the ability to fully understand every single aspect of what it’d be like as one of our owners. We want to avoid the situation where people jump in and are unhappy—this has helped us grow in a very steady and sustainable way.”

At Wild Birds Unlimited, this starts with giving people all the information they might require in an easy and digestible fashion. That’s where the brand’s franchise development website comes in. Visitors can easily discover startup costs and financial performance while also getting a taste for the brand’s existing franchisees, systems and customers. According to Pickett, the website also includes a Decision Making Checklist, which was designed to walk prospective franchisees step-by-step through the entire development process before they even make the decision to come on board. As this story unfolds, qualified candidates begin to see how their objectives can be met as a Wild Birds Unlimited franchisee.

With that information readily available, people who are not a fit for the business self-select out of the sales process without any major time commitment from Pickett’s recruitment team. Those who are a fit are more likely to fill out a form and become a lead. They also enter the process more engaged and therefore more likely to invest. This has helped Wild Birds Unlimited generate less leads but drive their deal flow by an additional 50 percent.

“It’s so important to make your development website as rich as possible. You need to include as much information about your brand as early on as you can,” Pickett added. “You’re giving them the opportunity to truly understand what it’s going to be like to be a franchisee and where they need to put their efforts in order to be successful.”

Wild Birds Unlimited’s franchise development extends far beyond the initial research phase. Before prospective franchisees are even given access to the brand’s Franchise Disclosure Document, they’re asked to go through a validation process. This includes reviewing the Franchise Business Review Survey, calling a minimum of four to five existing franchisees and visiting a minimum of two to three existing locations. It’s a lengthy process, Pickett says, but it’s paramount to ensuring long-term success down the road. Fortunately, thanks to the unique nature of people who join the Wild Birds Unlimited system, it’s a long journey that most—if not all—are more than willing to see through to the end.

Pickett’s strong franchise development process for Wild Birds Unlimited hasn’t gone unnoticed by the rest of the world, either. In 2015, he received the first place honor of the Franchise Update Star Awards. In 2014 and 2013, the brand received second place honors.

“The wonderful part of our brand is that the people who join our system love people, they love birds and they love nature. They may come from different backgrounds, but what’s consistent is that they want a business that taps into that passion,” Pickett said. “That typically means they will stick through a longer franchise development process from beginning to end. And almost 100 percent will say that they were glad our process is so well designed, because it taught them so many important details they didn’t know. In the end, they’re easier to work with and easier to support because they’ve thought it through. They’re happy and confident in the decision to join Wild Birds Unlimited. And that will save you thousands of hours, tears and problems if you learn to do it the right way in the very beginning.”

To learn more about franchising with Wild Birds Unlimited, click here.