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In the world of franchising, expansion and growth is the name of the game; creating leads and identifying prospective franchisees is a pivotal part of the corporate operation. This means that franchise executives learn quickly to stay on top of the latest techniques for marketing, generating leads, and recruiting new franchisees.
Eight years ago, Franchise Update began evaluating franchise lead generation and recruitment efforts and best practices industry-wide. They recognize outstanding achievements in these areas with the annual STAR (Speaking To And Responding) Awards.
For the study, researchers use a standard list of criteria that is evaluated by a mystery shopper who makes contact with franchises by phone and via the Internet. Posing as a prospect, these mystery shoppers phone franchise 800 numbers and document how long it takes to get franchise information and reach a sales representative. The shoppers log onto franchise web sites to analyze online content, accessibility, site readability and ease of navigation, online request forms and applications and most crucially, the amount of time it takes to make contact with a franchise representative.
'08 Overall Winners
1st Place - FASTSIGNS International, Inc.
2nd Place - Wireless Zone
3rd Place - PostNet International Franchise Corporation
'07 Overall Winners
1st - Comfort Keepers
2nd - Synergy Home Care
'06 Overall Winners
1st - Handyman Connection
2nd - Volvo Rents
3rd - TRC Staffing Services
'05 Overall Winners
1st - 1800 Water Damage
2nd - Meineke Car Center
3rd - FASTSIGNS
'04 Overall Winners
1st - Express Personnel Services
2nd - (TIE) Chem-Dry and Molly Maid
3rd - Floor Coverings International