GROWING YOUR SYSTEM
Salessmarts
Listen Up!
Candidates have a lot to say, if you let them
BY JIM BENDER
I
n the life of a franchise sales professional, never a day should go by when
we do not learn (or relearn) a selling
skill. We are the tip of the spear when it
comes to representing our brand to future
franchise owners. We possess the sales skills
to guide candidates from every conceivable
background through a selection process that
ultimately causes them to embrace risk and
make a life-changing decision. And we are
accountable to select only those candidates
who will make positive and valuable contributions to the brand.
Wow! That is a lot of responsibility.
However it is an accurate description of the
contribution franchise sales professionals
bring to their brand. It is also what brings
us to the office day after day, year after year
(or decade after decade).
Given the enormous implications of
what we do, there is irony in the fact that
there is little uniformity across the industry
regarding franchise development. While
there is similarity of intent, execution varies
dramatically depending upon the business
category, investment, and past experience
of those on the front lines. Some brands
manage the process in-house, others outsource. Some use qualifiers while others
use a single salesperson. Some qualify during discovery day while others use it as a
closing event.
Whatever the process employed at your
brand, it begins with an introductory call
to the candidate. Everyone in the industry
approaches this call with one goal in mind:
to capture sufficient information to decide
whether to invest time and energy over the
next 30 to 90 days. Typically that means
providing a brand overview sprinkled with
a few qualifying questions. Most times it is
90 percent brand overview and 10 percent
qualifying—and that is just wrong.
In many ways the initial phone conversation is the most important call of
the many you make during the franchise
development process. It sets the stage for
what happens next. Along with gathering
basic qualifying information, the initial call
must achieve the following:
1. Convince the candidate we are not
telemarketers but professionals seeking
to match strong partners in a long-term
business relationship.
2. Identify the candidate’s strengths and
weaknesses and what specific support we
may need to provide.
Never a day
should go by
when we