Pros Provide Tips for Sidestepping the "Silent Void"

Franchise development doesn’t end when a prospect signs an agreement. Getting that new franchisee from signature to opening requires franchisors to maintain momentum through site selection, financing, construction, training, and other potential trouble spots.

A panel at the 2026 Franchise Leadership & Development Conference explored those challenges during “Franchisee Lifecycle: What Happens After the Sale.” Steve Dunn, partner at BDP Strategies, moderated the session with Matt Kelton, vice president of franchise development at Children’s Lighthouse; Michael Piermarini, chief operating officer at Bodybar Pilates; and Michael Rodriguez, director of franchise development at Christian Brothers Automotive.

“The bottom line for your brand is as fast as you get these open is as fast as your brands start to make money,” Dunn said. “If you can improve your process, that will absolutely be a bottom-line driver in the organization.”

Kelton said maintaining communication is especially important for Children’s Lighthouse, where opening a school can take two to three years and finding a site alone can take six months to a year or longer.

“We’re scheduling that cadence of regular calls,” Kelton said. “Even if you don’t have a lot to talk about, they’re scheduling those calls.”

Piermarini said Bodybar Pilates has cut its average time from signing to opening from about 65 weeks to 52 weeks. Part of that effort involves holding team members accountable for portions of the process they can control.

“Signing agreements are a liability until they’re open,” Piermarini said. “We never want to be the reason why a deal doesn’t get done, or something doesn’t happen, or there’s a delay.”

Bodybar ties bonuses to responsibilities such as timely construction approvals and lease reviews. “If nobody’s compensated and nobody’s pay depends on the middle, nobody owns the middle,” Piermarini said.

Rodriguez faces an even longer engagement challenge at Christian Brothers Automotive, where finding a site, securing permits, and completing construction can take 30 to 36 months. During that period, many franchisees return to their careers while waiting for their businesses to open.

“This is the best opportunity to keep the fire lit, establish clear expectations, get them engaged, welcome them to our system, and continue that momentum as best we can,” Rodriguez said.

Christian Brothers uses onboarding calls, learning programs, quarterly webinars, franchisee connections, and invitations to annual conventions to keep owners involved.

“We want to eliminate that post-signing silent void,” Rodriguez said.

Kelton said, “If your sales path time is 18 months and it’s really 24 to 36, it’s going to cause heartburn. If you’re not realistic, they think it’s a $4 million project; realistically, when it’s $5.5 million, that’s going to cause heartburn as well.”

Dunn said transparency can ultimately produce stronger franchisees. “The best franchisees are the ones that know everything about what they’re about to get into, warts and all, and they’re still committed,” he said.