Your honor, no, I am not leading the witness.

Then a wink. 

But really, we are not.

The most important and most damaging question a prospect will ask during their due diligence process with existing franchisees is, “Would you buy this again?” When prompted with this question, current franchisees who hesitate can kill your deals. While they are not wrong for their opinion, there are a few things you can do to make sure you are arming your business development story with the best tools for winning.

1. Talk with your franchisees and ask the question first. Do you know what they would say? For those who may be experiencing a little frustration, ask them why and how you can make it better. Those who are expanding their portfolios with you are most likely your solid validators.
2. Armed with the validators, build stories about them on your website. Start with the question, “Would you buy this again?” Connect the first reference of their name to LinkedIn.
3. Take those stories and go tell them to the media. Get them talking in the public.
4. Armed with a content piece and a story, email it to all prospects (cold and warm) as well your team, asking them to share the great press/story on LinkedIn and Facebook (the social referral).
5. Film a video chat with them.

You are not leading the witness. You are simply giving them the stories of people who they will be excited about. You want them to get excited about becoming a franchisee who will validate and drive more attention to your brand.

Explore our case studies to experience the importance of validation and gather some ideas for your own brand.