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Franchisee Prospects Don’t Want to Take Your Call (and You’re Pissed)
Look at the lessons in life and rely on them for guidance in these non-call back situations.
People, life has given us a ton of lessons. Why don’t we believe life? Why do we continue to present a lack of trust against the signs?
Think I’m high? Let me continue.
Not being born with natural good looks, female bonding did not come easy for me at early ages. Slow and steady may win the race of business, but not in being an overweight high school teenager very interested in the opposite sex.
The lack of skills (or "game," as the masters call it), hibernated my studliness until later in life (I got massive game in my late 20s and married up #boomgoesthedynamite). Everything in life seems to go full circle (coincidentally, as I write this from Java Joe’s in Des Moines, Iowa, a place where I wrote my first book and launched my first adult business), where lessons and moments previously experienced in life provide ultimate guidance for life moving forward.
The same goes for franchising, as I feel franchisors are constantly stuck in the fat teenage bubble – not understanding why people just don’t love them.
No, it’s not because you are fat. It’s because people play games. Yeah, I said it, people play games.
Case in point: You get an inquiry on your franchise site from someone who appears to be financially qualified, interested in a market you have open and even wrote a little note explaining why they would love to be a part of your brand.
Then you call.
Oh, and then you email.
Oh, and then you call again. And again. And again.
Then, you put them on a drip campaign with the hopes that they may turn around someday.
Now, for life: You meet someone at the bar. She appears to be mutually scale (she’s a 6, you’re a 6) compatible. No, not ready to close yet, but certainly interested in some follow-up.
Overeager, you text. No reply.
Oh, and then you call. You leave a voicemail. Then you leave another voicemail apologizing for the previous voicemail.
Then you email.
Then you Facebook friend her. She declines.
You then follow her on Instagram. She follows you back. You hope that your drip campaign of photos of you with your hat to the side, hanging with your bros and jet-setting across the country, will influence her.
But, unfortunately, she remains a dead lead.
Dead leads are prevalent in life. They are all over the place. Why? Some people are too nice in person (aka don’t have the guts to be upfront). Some people are coy. And many people change their minds far too often.
If a lead is interested, they will show mutual interest. They will return your email or call. They will show an interest at the exact same pace as you. That’s what you want.
In today’s world, it is not about 1,000 leads, it’s about one good one (mine was my wife #points). Don’t go chasing those who don’t chase back – those, my friends, are called future 30 percenters, aka, bad franchisees.
Look at the lessons in life and rely on them for guidance in these non-call back situations.
And think a little differently. What if you added one more question on your lead form, as in, how do you want me to contact you? Or when do you want me to contact you? Help yourself set your own expectations.
Don’t be the fat kid. Out-game the competition.
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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.
