Technology Feature Articles

Technology Feature Articles

Franchise Sector Showcase

Informative Technology franchise articles to support business buyers, franchisees, and franchisors.

For more than 20 years Rick Huffman and his two partners--Sam Catanese and Marc Williams--have been building things. They've developed shopping centers, hotels, apartment complexes, a large stock of affordable housing units, and Branson Landing, a $400 million mixed-use project in Branson, Mo.
  • John Carroll
  • 6,593 Reads 2 Shares
Distinguish your franchise by knowing what creates steadfast customer loyalty to your brand. Franchisees profit from this consumer connection, which drives repeat business. At American Advertising Distributors I capitalized on our point of differentiation by arming our retail clients with marketing intelligence that was superior to any other service at the time, producing more successful campaigns for their businesses. I bragged to prospective franchisees about our powerful corporate research and development, which was instrumental in our 82 percent customer retention rate. Our retail market craved expertise for building their businesses, and our system delivered the goods beyond their expectations. We had raving customers who championed our brand because we provided them what they wanted.
  • Steve Olson
  • 3,345 Reads 1,023 Shares
Senior care is one of the hottest growth segments in franchising today. The demand for senior care services, both medical and non-medical, has been growing by leaps and bounds, in tandem with the growth of the country's aging population, who are living longer, staying healthier, and remaining more active than any seniors in history.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 5,109 Reads
There is no denying the impact technology has had on business. It has allowed companies to market and sell their products and services to customers in every corner of the world, and to do so 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
  • John Tschohl
  • 11,452 Reads 995 Shares
As many franchise professionals explore new methods of recruiting franchise candidates, there's been a great deal of discussion on how to incorporate social media into the mix. Sure, social media could be used to generate franchise leads, and, quite effectively... that, I have no doubt. But, it's what comes after generating the leads that concerns me more. So, let's take a look ahead, before jumping in with both feet.
  • By: Paul Segreto
  • 4,218 Reads 12 Shares
James Young, president of Spring-Green Lawn Care, describes his approach to marketing as tactical, because it "allows our franchise owners to do what they do well," he says.
  • Franchise Update
  • 3,261 Reads 11 Shares
The goal of customer experience management is to move customers from satisfied to loyal and, ultimately, to be advocates for the brand.
  • Jack Mackey
  • 7,764 Reads 1,014 Shares
Franchisee validation can make or break your franchise sales. Pow! Just like that and a once-supercharged prospect can deflate to nothing in 24 hours, bailing out of your process instantly. Validation is the most influential stage in the selling process. What franchise owners say means far more than what corporate sales execs tell them. Franchise operators are "doing it," and it's their experiences that count foremost to cautious buyers.
  • Steve Olson
  • 5,262 Reads 110 Shares
I certainly enjoyed successful broker relationships over the past 20 years. Discovering qualified franchise owners through the professional efforts of franchise and business brokers contributed to the growth of several franchise companies I represented. Based on my personal experience and the insights from hundreds of franchisors who have sold broker-referred prospects, here's how to increase your popularity and closing rates with broker networks.
  • Steve Olson
  • 6,214 Reads 324 Shares
Last month we discussed the shift in online behavior and how it is affecting the way we engage with our prospects and customers. Social engagement is a concept and term we are growing comfortable with, but what is its real impact on growing a franchise business? More specifically, what is its direct impact on us as individuals in our specific roles in franchise growth and development?
  • Tom Hochstatter
  • 2,712 Reads 27 Shares
Multi-unit franchising is one thing. Multi-concept franchising is something else entirely. Nevertheless, it's a place--and a choice--that many franchisees love, and where they excel. These determined operators look for growth opportunities and potential across several concepts, sometimes in wildly different sectors. The multi-concept franchising model offers power in numbers (units, brands, territory, and income potential), as well as the security of spreading their risk across different concepts in a diversified portfolio.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 9,054 Reads 1,023 Shares
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How are technological changes affecting how you recruit, and how are the latest tools changing how your development department does its job?
  • Franchise Update
  • 7,022 Reads
As the first in-home senior care franchise company, Interim HealthCare has always been on top of market trends. Successfully responding to those trends has allowed the company to steadily build its business for more than 40 years.
  • Linda Shaub
  • 3,886 Reads 2 Shares
In last month's Franchise Update Sales Report, I provided an introduction to working with brokers to increase your franchise sales, and highlighted some of the advantages of using brokers as part of your development strategy. This month I examine some of the risks and downsides, as well as how sign up with a broker that works for you.
  • Steve Olson
  • 5,005 Reads 245 Shares
Online behavior is maturing more rapidly than ever before. Social networking advancements from all the market leaders have, and will forever, change how we collaborate, communicate, share, and engage with any relationship online--whether it's the closeness of a family member or a first encounter with a franchise sales representative. Trust and transparency are the new operating rules, and engagement is determined by the initiator.
  • Tom Hochstatter
  • 4,094 Reads 10 Shares
Now, more than ever, is the time for every franchisor to look at opportunities to expand its system outside the United States. A bold statement, especially coming from a lawyer who, for the past 27 years, has cautioned clients and employers against moving too quickly outside the U.S. when the brand hasn't yet been fully exploited within the U.S.
  • Michael Daigle
  • 5,809 Reads 3 Shares
Truly great franchise sales and development teams are hard to find... and can be even harder to create. For franchise sales executives, attracting the right mix of people, passion, and experience, along with creating a positive culture and providing the right mix of recognition and reward, it's a delicate balance. Achieving that balance means the difference between a marginal brand and a great one
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 4,518 Reads 68 Shares
One of the most challenging problems in franchise recruitment is keeping prospects and candidates engaged throughout the sales process. That's what recruitment technology is for: not only to keep track of candidates in your pipeline, but to keep them moving forward through your sales process, even when the office is closed.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 3,700 Reads 1 Shares
When Indianapolis native Greg Willman and his friend Phil Salsbery talked years ago about forming a small investment company or owning and operating franchise concepts, they consciously omitted the restaurants category. "Neither of us knew anything about the food industry or had any experience in it," recalls Willman, who had worked in marketing and product development at large pharmaceutical, chemical, and medical device corporations.
  • Debbie Selinsky
  • 9,128 Reads 1 Shares
The incredible surge in outsourcing prospect generation to franchise brokers has reshaped the sales programs of many franchise systems. Once tarred by the horror stories of the 1980s, today's brokers are reborn and repackaged as the "franchise sales consultants" of the 21st century. This isn't surprising. Networks of professional consultants with years of franchising experience have swooped onto the franchise sales scene with extraordinary success. Today they deliver an estimated 3,000-plus new franchise owners annually to appreciative franchise companies. Franchise Update Media Group's Annual Franchise Development Report revealed that 57 percent of the 126 franchisors surveyed used brokers, with 67 percent closing deals.
  • Steve Olson
  • 7,073 Reads
For many franchisors with a December 31st fiscal year, now is the time to start preparing to renew their franchise documentation. The FTC rules require that the franchise disclosure document (FDD) must be updated within 120 days of the expiration of a franchisor's fiscal year. Registration states, such as New York, have an identical requirement. As a franchisor prepares to do so, that process presents an opportunity to review and improve franchise documentation, particularly the franchise agreement.
  • Terrence M. Dunn
  • 4,860 Reads 1,021 Shares
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Each year, for more than a decade, Franchise Update Media Group has surveyed hundreds of franchisors about their sales and development practices and compiled the results in its Annual Franchise Development Report (AFDR).
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 5,644 Reads
Being a part of YouTube is no longer something franchise businesses can control. Chances are, you're there, whether you created the content or not.
  • Lisa Wehr
  • 5,228 Reads 99 Shares
Jim Sullivan keeps an eye on business trends and market shifts. His livelihood depends on it. In fact, the very mission of his organization, Sullivision.com, is to design and deliver operations and leadership training programs for companies - including many franchises. He's worked with brands like McDonald's, Panera Bread, Regis Corp., Jiffy Lube, Applebee's, Domino's, and Dunkin' Brands.
  • Multi-Unit Franchisee
  • 4,657 Reads 1,023 Shares
When Emir Lopez was ready to open his first Domino's Pizza store, he could have done it anywhere. But after working his way out of the James Weldon Johnson Project in East Harlem, New York, Emir decided the best place to open that store was right in the neighborhood he had come from.
  • Multi-Unit Franchise
  • 4,008 Reads 32 Shares
As a franchisor, what are some things you are doing (or considering doing) to help give your franchise development people enriched selling opportunities in today's economy?
  • Franchise Update
  • 6,338 Reads
"Mystery shopper": two words that strike fear in the hearts of franchisors with poorly managed sales departments and weak sales processes. But for those on top of their development game, who always have a finger on the pulse of their sales team, it's simply a validation of what they already know.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 5,934 Reads
In my 20-year journey of understanding leadership fundamentals, I have found change to be constant and adaptability to that change as the number one indicator of personal success.
  • Tom Welter
  • 5,951 Reads 143 Shares
Just like any business, the franchising business is one that I have seen evolve tremendously over the past 30 years. While many of the cornerstones and crucial elements - product, simplicity, control, and support - remain the same, so much is changing.
  • Larry Feldman
  • 4,098 Reads
U.S. franchisor interest in Asia seems to be at an all-time high, yet from a legal compliance standpoint it has never been more difficult to enter into many of the various Asian markets.
  • Robert A. Lauer
  • 9,061 Reads 966 Shares
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