Growing a Franchise
Franchise Growth Is Messy. Lead Gen Is Uncomfortable. Let’s Fix It.
Here are 10 truths to confront the messy, uncomfortable reality of lead gen and start building a more effective growth pipeline.
Be sure to sign up for FranCamps this year (www.1851francamp.com) to gain peer-to-peer franchise growth consulting and planning (Chicago is in September).
Welcome to the back half of 2025. I know what you are all thinking – where did the year go; or how did the year go by so quickly? Truth is, it goes fast every year. Welcome to adulting. Welcome to hard work. Welcome to a life full of pressures.
For this month’s note, I have decided to focus on speed. Speed of content versus long-form. Why? Absorbing content is changing fast. You will engage in the video/Webinar. You may even read a few of my paragraphs. But that’s where our attention stops. We live in a TMZ world.
Thus, I expanded on my call. Here are the notes/topics for discussion.
It’s All About the Money: Candidates want to know numbers, then passion/culture connections.
The Funnel is Not Created Equal: Brand X may have higher AUVs. That drives different candidate responsiveness.
Applications > Leads: We want quality candidates. All monies should be directed toward that.
Leads Make Us Feel Good, Though: I could tell you how things work, it doesn’t mean leads don’t feel good.
KPIs are Created by You: You have to build a story that aligns to the success metrics of leadership/boards.
Discovery Day Failures Can Tell You a Lot: You should be at 100 percent. If not, you have a gap.
An Unresponsive Lead Doesn’t Mean Cold: They may not be ready. What tools can you give them.
The Louder the Drumbeat, the Higher the Chances at Winning: You want candidates feeling FOMO.
Call 1 is the Most Important: It’s your active pickup line. Your website is your wingman.
Celebrate the Value of the Deal: Build out a tracker to showcase performance of franchisees. Do you enjoy a blowout win or a close victory more?
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About the Author
Nick Powills
FollowNick Powills, CFE, founded No Limit Agency in 2008 and serves as Chief Brand Strategist for the Chicago-based firm. No Limit is a full-service communications agency that establishes and elevates brands by bridging Public Relations, Social Media, Marketing, Advertising, Digital, and a lot of creativity, to best strategize well-rounded and successful campaigns for 50+ global franchise brands. By presenting visionary ideas and building real relationships, No Limit is able to create effective media branding strategies to help companies grow. Nick currently leads a staff of writers, media strategists, designers, social media experts and digital producers in an office think-tank where brands are humanized for strong, compelling media stories. Prior to starting No Limit at the age of 27, Nick spent four years working at a franchise PR agency where he mastered the art of building rapport with media outlets and creating newsworthy pitches for earned media placements. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Drake University in Iowa.
