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FranX | Franchise Expos: Are they Worth It?
Franchisors want one thing -- leads. Thus, many sign-up to exhibit at franchise shows/expos. Is it worth it? How can you increase the value?
No?
Yes?
They can be...it all depends on your brand strategy, expectations, budget, and goals. It would be great to generate a franchise sale from an expo. If it happens, great. But for emerging brands the real value is the insights and understanding you can from the with prospective franchise buyers, other franchisors, and suppliers.Some thoughts:
- Before you decide to exhibit, first understand your annual franchise development budget and evaluate how the expo fits into your sales goals.
- At the expo, turn off your sales mode and turn on your listening mode. Understand that each individual walking the floor has a business goal he or she has in mind and a pain point they want to solve. So take a moment and before you start telling them about your franchise, engage in a thoughtful conversation about why they are there, what they are looking for, and what's motivating them, really motivating them, to quite possibly make one of the biggest life changing decisions of their lives.
- Franchise expo success doesn't end when the show ends.
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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.
