How MOOYAH optimized LinkedIn for franchise recruitment

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“More and more business professionals are joining LinkedIn, no more so than in the franchising segment,” Tachian said. “LinkedIn really has become Facebook for business, and it’s now integral to recruiting when you’re in the business of selling businesses.”

In fact, he added, the Plano, Texas-based fast-casual brand recently signed two franchisees Tachian recruited through LinkedIn. While the social network likely would never replace MOOYAH’s more traditional methods of finding partners, such as networking at franchise trade shows and industry conferences, LinkedIn has proved to be another useful, cost-effective tool at the disposal of Tachian and his area directors.

“My feeling is that the more direct communication and the more conversations you can have with your desired partners, the better,” he said. “With LinkedIn, I can speak directly with these people, as opposed to running an ad in a periodical or using a portal and wishing franchisees would see it. At conferences, I get that face-to-face interaction, and LinkedIn is giving me much of the same access without having to travel.”

MOOYAH currently has restaurants in 16 states and projects to finish 2014 with 80 locations. The brand has stated a goal to exceed 100 restaurants next year.

Tachian offered readers of 1851 the following tips for optimizing LinkedIn for franchisee recruitment.

Search for partners in a targeted manner
Franchisors can use LinkedIn to narrow their search for potential partners to people in targeted development markets, and Tachian suggested that recruiters start networking with not only franchisees but also high-level managers of other concepts.

“Many folks with whom I engage with an InMail are various levels of managers of other concepts, who often tell me, ‘I’m tired of making money for somebody else; I would love to work for myself,’” he said. “One of the agreements we just signed fits that bill. He is a regional director in the Midwest of another restaurant franchise for about 12 years and has saved some money, and knows the burger business inside and out. He just needed somebody to nudge him and say hello, and now he’ll be our newest franchisee.”

Tachian also filters some of his searches by the brand employing potential partners.

“I don’t want to look for a franchisee of a Smashburger or Five Guys, but I can look for an owner in the Mexican category or other noncompeting segments,” Tachian said. “I might target regions where I think that specific concept or category is already saturated. If I find multi-unit franchisees of noncompeting brands in that market, and they can’t open more units there, they’re probably interested in an opportunity with MOOYAH.”

Make the (affordable) investment
Tachian characterized the yearly subscription to LinkedIn Premium as well worth the investment of around $1,000, which allows him to contact potential franchisees on behalf of MOOYAH through the InMail messaging feature.

“Obviously that’s very cost-effective, versus running an ad in a periodical, which might run several thousand dollars,” he said. “It does take time, because you have to search, send an InMail and wait for a response.”

Even if prospects don’t respond right away, they might at least read the pitch, he added. Tachian waits 60 days before following up with another InMail, and sometimes it takes two or three pitches to get a response.

Make time for a LinkedIn program
Tachian now encourages all his development agents to use LinkedIn as part of their recruiting efforts.

“The amount of derived success is directly tied to how much effort you put into it,” he said. “Sending 200 InMails gets you far better results than sending 20 InMails.”

The key is to keep the initial contact with a prospect straightforward and to the point, Tachian said.

“Don’t make that initial InMail too cumbersome to read,” he said. “Just say who you are and why you’d like the opportunity to have them hear about the franchise. I try to keep it pithy.”