First, I want to provide a thought about fall. Often I hear franchisors talk about the slowdown at the end of the year. While this is probably true from a sales standpoint, it isn’t from the start-of-the-journey perspective. As I read through the hundreds of profiles we have now pulled, I keep diving into the trigger moment – what made the prospect decide that franchising was right for them?

99% of the time, it’s driven by something personal.

What happens during the fall? Halloween, Thanksgiving and the festive holidays. People are around their families, enjoying time off, thinking, contemplating, drinking too much, and ideating about what the future year will bring. The early holidays are where the New Year’s Resolutions ideas start to be created. The journey begins.

Often in franchising, the journey is overlooked, with the focus narrowing in on the last click. Journeys, however, are where all of the homework, research and decision-making process occurs. 

I started asking franchisees: Do you go into discovery/decision day as a "no" looking to become a “yes” or a “yes” looking to become a "no"? Often, it’s the first. Thus, imagine how much time and energy went into getting them to "no." There was no way, never, absolutely not – all before the moment they meet the team.

The more I read through the feedback of the journey, the easier it seems to win at the basics. Yes, you have to have a profitable business in a category that can win – BUT, after the business model is sound, then the journey impact is not overly complicated. Doing the basics goes a long way in winning at franchising.

Watch the discussion here on YouTube.