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Browse our selection of franchise articles and features to help further your knowledge in opening and operating a franchise business. Our exclusive features cover the , , , , , , and site of the franchise business. Written by the editorial team that produces Franchise Update Magazine and Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine, the franchise industries premier magazines.

When the pizza giant asked consumers to tell the truth, it ended up back at the proverbial drawing board. (Or should that be cutting board?) There's a lesson in this story for all of us--and here are some insights on the art of really listening to customers.
  • Dan Adams
  • 2,617 Reads
Franchise Update Media Group (FUMG), the leading industry resource for franchise development, today announced that its website Franchising.com continues to be ranked in the "Top 5" in eMaximation's latest Franchise Benchmark Report for Franchise Portals. Franchising.com has also been ranked in the "Top 5" for completed franchise applications, an indicator of the quality of leads that are generated.
  • PRESS RELEASE
  • 8,235 Reads 193 Shares
Are you paying your sales team too little? Too much? And how do you know? Call the competition and ask what they're paying their sales execs, managers, and staff? Right.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 4,528 Reads 1 Shares
It's been more than 40 years since I took my one and only psychology course. I can't say the course changed my life or showed me the light. It didn't. In fact, the only thing I really remember from it is that there are six interpretations of any two-party conversation: how Party A and Party B each perceives what they said and what they heard (that makes four); and two more, which are what I might label the truth (what Party A actually [i]did[/i] say to Party B, and vice versa). The point, of course, is that what we think we said is not necessarily what the other party thinks they heard--and further, that what we think we said may not have been what we actually said.
  • Rupert M. Barkoff
  • 6,095 Reads 359 Shares
Access to capital is the number-one issue facing franchising in 2010. This isn't just an issue for new unit development--it is every bit as much of an issue for transfers. In both situations, franchisors have a large vested interest in ensuring that capital is there when a franchisee needs it.
  • Darrell Johnson
  • 3,673 Reads 1 Shares
Social media is more than a trend--it's a way of life. Take, for example, Facebook. According to statistics, there currently are 350 million active Facebook users. If Facebook were a country, it would be the third largest in the world. YouTube boasts more than 5 billion video views each month--and is the world's third largest search engine. And we can't forget Twitter, which just happened to be the most used word in the English language in 2009. One thing is very clear: social is here to stay.
  • Lisa Wehr
  • 3,187 Reads 16 Shares
The south-of-the-border spirit of great Mexican food and authentic art could soon spread throughout New England and beyond, thanks to a new franchising and area development agreement rolled out by Margaritas Mexican Restaurant.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 4,725 Reads 8 Shares
As savvy franchise companies continue to flourish in this challenging economy, FUSR will bring you good news each month, highlighting brands that are adding units, increasing comp store sales, striking deals with investors, and continuing to grow despite the economy - maybe even because of it. And, as the U.S. struggles through its "jobless recovery," growth-oriented franchisors continue to look overseas for expansion opportunities.
  • Franchise Update
  • 6,683 Reads 93 Shares
This last installment of a three-part series provides quick tips for greater success at the show, and the final ingredient for making the most of your trade show spend: what to do after you get back to the office to increase your franchise sales.
  • Steve Olson
  • 3,663 Reads 1 Shares
There are three essential areas of focus in a successful business: operations, sales, and financials. For the purpose of this discussion, let's assume you have a well-run operation and are doing as good a job as possible to maintain or increase sales. For most businesses, the easiest and most fun parts of the business are running it and having lots of happy and repeat customers.
  • Jeff Newcorn
  • 5,210 Reads 33 Shares
What is the definition of success? When it comes to franchise development, most of us would say that accomplishing our goals is success--especially after a very tough 2009. For 2010, setting realistic development and growth goals is key. Your sales goals (and associated budget) will be determined by several factors. Some of the important questions we should be asking ourselves and our executive team this year include: [ol] [li] How does our concept work in the current economy
  • Marc Kiekenapp
  • 2,650 Reads
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"The one with the most money wins the battle in recruiting new franchisees" is an axiom that means more now than ever. Emerging franchise companies have a difficult time getting the attention of serious franchise candidates in today's challenging economic environment. This is because new advertising and marketing channels are emerging, and more franchisors are chasing a limited number of qualified franchisee candidates.
  • Marvin Storm
  • 3,217 Reads 16 Shares
"In light of the current job market, how do you attract and retain top talent in your corporate office/sales development department?" As the leader of a franchise company, attracting, retaining, and motivating our team are among my very top priorities. After all, franchisors are service organizations and service organizations are only as good as their people.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 6,377 Reads
Just as you were getting comfortable with web analytics, here comes Social Media!, presenting a new set of opportunities and a new set of confusion. The overriding goal still is to integrate Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and any other social media tools into your marketing mix. However, following last year's overwhelm of social media as the latest and greatest, companies are now taking a more sober look at its ROI. That means finding ways to measure it, a new search for meaningful metrics.
  • Franchise Update
  • 4,115 Reads 4 Shares
As savvy franchise companies continue to flourish in this challenging economy, FUSR will bring you Good News each month, highlighting brands that are adding units, increasing comp store sales, striking deals with investors, and continuing to grow despite the economy - maybe even because of it. And as the U.S. economy struggles through its "jobless recovery," growth-oriented franchisors continue to look overseas for expansion opportunities - and this month, we report on an overseas franchisor set to open its first U.S. location, as well as several new entrants to franchising.
  • Franchise Update
  • 7,099 Reads 93 Shares
As franchisors prepare for the upcoming renewal season, increased efficiency is likely a top priority for your franchise system. Our franchise team at Faegre & Benson has identified 12 tips to help you save time and money in preparing for a successful 2010 renewal season.
  • Brian Schnell
  • 3,185 Reads 2 Shares
Every sales professional knows the power of face-to-face contact. Franchise shows and similar forums are the opportunity to shake hands and personally connect with business buyers. But as show veterans realize, the show venue requires a different sales process than working Internet, broker, or print leads.
  • Steve Olson
  • 3,222 Reads 17 Shares
A major problem for many franchise sales people is how to say [i]"No"[/i] to unqualified prospects early in the process (especially in today's highly competitive recruitment market).
  • Steve Olson
  • 2,502 Reads 4 Shares
Years ago, the Mayor of New York City became famous for asking the city's residents, "How'm I doing?" Your franchisees' comments and their feedback are some of the best measurements of how your system is doing. There are several third-party businesses that are skilled in interviewing your franchisees to determine their satisfaction level; and I do believe this exercise is helpful. In addition to this service, commit to a steady diet of keeping your ear to the ground, so to speak, by staying tuned in to what your franchisees are saying to candidates during validation. There are times when candidates will not share what they hear, but often they will.
  • Linda Burzynski
  • 3,826 Reads 1 Shares
"The world of franchise development has changed during the last year and will never be the same again," says Art Coley, vice president of global development for AlphaGraphics. "You can't just put up an ad, throw money at the portals, and sit back and wait for the leads to come in anymore." That's exactly why he has spent most of the last three years at AlphaGraphics assembling, training, inspiring, and leading his new sales development team toward system growth.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 8,659 Reads
What a difference a year makes! This year's Franchise Update Leadership & Development Conference was a welcome breath of fresh air. After all, it was just one September before that the financial and economic walls came tumbling down amid financial institution shakeouts, government bailouts, and an unending barrage of negative economic news chronicling this country's worst recession in decades. If you had been listening in or observing at this year's conference you wouldn't have known any of those catastrophic events had even happened. Optimism was in the air.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 5,650 Reads
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Ready for 2010? Who isn't? The recession, lack of available funding, and shaky consumer confidence hit hard around the globe this year--and franchising was no exception. You don't need me to point out that is has been a tough year, but enough of that.
  • Linda Burzynski
  • 3,384 Reads
Franchise Update Media Group (FUMG), the leading industry resource for franchise development, today announced that it is now offering executive recruitment services. The company's first client is a major franchisor looking for a new president, in an exclusive, confidential search.
  • PRESS RELEASE
  • 3,661 Reads 7 Shares
The Human Genome project, a rapidly developing area of genetics, is the subject of much conversation today. In classical genetics, the genome of an organism is a complete genetic sequence on one set of chromosomes. The ability to understand these building blocks of life will lead to medical breakthroughs that will transform our lives in the future. Metaphorically speaking, a "Franchise Genome" could be viewed as a manifestation of how a franchisor's DNA can be sequenced, understood, and passed along to franchisees.
  • Marvin Storm
  • 4,448 Reads 1,023 Shares
First Watch Restaurants Inc., a daytime-only restaurant group based in Bradenton, Fla., has begun franchising. Founded in 1983, the chain has about 80 restaurants open with expectations for 110 by 2012. The restaurants are open 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and store sales average about $1.2 million. Same-store sales were expected to be up 3 to 5 percent in 2009 and total sales up about $2 million to $85 million (the company reports 25 consecutive years of same-store growth). First Watch is looking for franchisees to develop areas near its existing markets, including Kansas City, St. Louis, Cincinnati-Dayton, and Orlando-Tampa.
  • Franchise Update
  • 3,720 Reads 13 Shares
Will local marketers continue to spend money on "traditional media" (print, radio, TV) in 2010, or turn increasingly to online channels including social media? Will "old-fashioned" direct mail make a comeback, or will local marketers turn to mobile advertising using smart phone technology?
  • Franchise Update
  • 3,116 Reads 5 Shares
Franchise shows have experienced an exciting rebirth during the past few years. The annual International Franchise Expo in Washington, D.C., as well as regional shows in the U.S. and international expos, have provided a valuable recruiting venue for generating qualified buyers. But not everybody is jumping aboard. Some franchisors confess they aren't interested in trying this successful, revitalized lead source.
  • Steve Olson
  • 4,880 Reads 1 Shares
Tracking unit economic performance effectively can take some doing. Generally, it involves 1) defining what constitutes comparable data across individual units, and 2) finding the right technology for recording and reporting it. Making it work requires not only strategizing and goal-setting at corporate, but also involvement and buy-in from franchisees - all in the name of improving system-wide profitability, one unit at a time.
  • Franchise Update
  • 6,865 Reads 1 Shares
As savvy franchise companies continue to flourish in this challenging economy, FUSR will bring you Good News each month, highlighting brands that are adding units, increasing comp store sales, striking deals with investors, and continuing to grow despite the economy - maybe even because of it. And as the U.S. economy struggles through its "jobless recovery," growth-oriented franchisors continue to look overseas for expansion opportunities.
  • Franchise Update
  • 6,135 Reads 93 Shares
The importance of the "Mission Possible" theme was not lost on attendees at the 2009 Franchise Update Leadership & Development Conference this past September 23-25 at the Drake Hotel in Chicago. Many had been at this same location, just one year before, when the simmering financial crisis came to a head and the federal government rushed in with billions in bailout funds.
  • Kerry Pipes and Eddy Goldberg
  • 6,655 Reads
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