Technology Feature Articles

Technology Feature Articles

Franchise Sector Showcase

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

How are technological changes affecting how you recruit, and how are the latest tools changing how your development department does its job?
  • Franchise Update
  • 7,258 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
  • 4,019 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
  • 5,179 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
  • 4,203 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
  • 5,989 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
  • 4,701 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
  • 3,874 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
  • 9,295 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
  • 7,273 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
  • 5,012 Reads 1,021 Shares
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
  • 5,793 Reads
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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
  • 5,414 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
  • 4,766 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
  • 4,121 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
  • 6,574 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
  • 6,119 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
  • 6,069 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
  • 4,313 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
  • 9,216 Reads 966 Shares
Tulsa resident Bill Ramsey had worked hard in the international manufacturing business all his life, and was a bit disappointed when he learned that none of his five children were interested in following him into that industry. He didn't have a lot of family growing up, so he was determined to keep his close.
  • Debbie Selinsky
  • 8,018 Reads 17 Shares
Over the past 25 years, franchising has continued to develop and become more sophisticated. The reins of the franchisor have passed from the pioneering founders to established management teams with significant industry experience. Today, many of these companies are publicly traded or majority-owned by institutional equity investors.
  • Dean Zuccarello
  • 5,973 Reads
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There are tweets and pokes, posts and check-ins, mayors, fans, friends, and likes. It seems as though every social media network has its own language and users--yet all of them are grouped together as the "shining light" of marketing for the year to come. Well, here's the truth. While social media is now a cornerstone for branding, sales growth, and PR, for multi-unit franchisees to successfully use social media to drive business into stores, you need to get the facts.
  • Lisa Wehr
  • 8,185 Reads 33 Shares
Innovative franchisors seeking to expand their offerings and attract a new pool of franchisees are breaking with tradition and instituting new ideas. Here are a few ideas that have proven effective for the systems that have used them to achieve specific goals as they developed
  • Steve Olson
  • 3,789 Reads 9 Shares
I am a big fan of sales processes. However, I am a bigger fan of buying processes. And when a company's sales process is inconsistent with their customer's buying process, breakdowns occur. Many of the tactics and techniques franchisors counted on in the past appear to be producing diminishing returns in the present.
  • Joe Matthews
  • 5,071 Reads 1,023 Shares
Aggressive growth companies measure the performance of their sales personnel just as they do their advertising. With high recruitment expenses you can't afford mediocre selling performance, which costs dearly in lost franchise deals. A policyholder survey by Prudential Insurance revealed that the greatest influencing factor in the buying process is the sales person.
  • Steve Olson
  • 3,479 Reads 7 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
  • 4,200 Reads 1 Shares
Social media platforms are now emerging as franchise recruitment tools. Granted, it's still early in the adoption process and only time will tell how successful these new channels are in generating leads and franchise sales.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 13,885 Reads 1 Shares
Those pondering a future in franchising face many important decisions. Beyond nuts-and-bolts basics such as raising capital, identifying a brand that fits, and completing the paperwork, are other – just as important – factors to consider. One such topic is what's known as unit economics. Anyone who has ever cracked open a business school textbook understands that the bottom line of the monthly financial statement of any company should reflect profitability – if the company is to survive. When the numbers are in the black the business is generating more than it's spending. It's simplistic but effective. But there can and should be a more sophisticated approach to operating a franchise in a fiscally responsible way.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 18,352 Reads 1 Shares
As savvy franchise companies continue to flourish in this challenging economy, FUSR will continue to 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.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 10,709 Reads 93 Shares
Franchise Update Media Group recently conducted a survey of social media usage by franchisors who are actively recruiting franchisees. The questions dealt not only with social media in consumer-oriented marketing, but more important for franchise development teams, its use in franchise recruitment.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 9,735 Reads
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