Technology Feature Articles

Technology Feature Articles

Franchise Sector Showcase

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

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
  • 6,822 Reads 1 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
  • 6,624 Reads
David Timlin of Yakety Yak discusses the changes of technology and it's effects on the franchise industry.
  • Inside Franchising Podcast
  • 6,547 Reads 5 Shares
This month I complete the discussion of Selling Skill #3. These three skills, essential for making new franchise sales, are part of my book, "Grow to Greatness: How to build a world-class franchise system faster" - and are appropriate for both new and emerging franchisors, as well as experienced sales pros seeking to brush up on their skills and/or improve the performance of their sales staff.
  • Steve Olson
  • 3,916 Reads 49 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 through master franchise deals.
  • Franchise Update
  • 6,675 Reads 93 Shares
One of the highlights each year at Franchise Update's Leadership & Development Conference is the presentation of the new Annual Franchise Development Report (AFDR). The 2010 AFDR gathered responses from 116 of the franchisors who attended this year's conference. Participants represented 38,800 units (28,300 franchised, 4,600 company-owned, and 5,900 international), and they plan to add 5,360 more franchised units this year through 3,400 franchisees.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 5,942 Reads 1 Shares
When it comes to generating leads and identifying prospects, it's important to act effectively and efficiently. It's a competitive market, with quality leads difficult to come by. Franchisors with aggressive recruiting strategies and practices are more likely to find the best candidates and turn them into successful franchisees. They're also more likely to be recognized as winners of Franchise Update Media Group's Annual STAR (Speaking To And Responding) Awards.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 7,465 Reads 1 Shares
Wingstop announced positive comps for the 25th consecutive quarter, dating back to July 2003. Wingstop ended its most recent quarter with a 1.6 percent increase and is up 3.8 percent for the year. The company predicts the positive trend to continue into the fourth quarter during the football and holiday seasons, when its sales are typically strongest. "This news is strong evidence that limited-service chains continue to deliver value during a difficult economic climate," said Darren Tristano, executive vice president of Technomic, Inc., an industry research firm. Wingstop, founded in 1994 and franchising since 1997, has 425 restaurants open in 34 states.
  • Franchise Update
  • 4,183 Reads
In the two previous newsletters, I discussed Selling Skill #1 ("Follow a successful sales process") and Selling Skill #2 ("Strong relationship-building skills").
  • Steve Olson
  • 2,907 Reads 5 Shares
By now you're most likely familiar with pop culture buzzwords like tweets, friending, and texting. But if you haven't had much firsthand involvement in these activities, chances are you will very soon. These ubiquitous and participatory endeavors are all part of a "social networking" trend that's spreading like wildfire online and, some say, is poised to create a new frontier in 21st century marketing.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 4,902 Reads 27 Shares
The economy hasn't been the only problem wreaking havoc across the nation. Most cities are also reporting a disturbing trend of crime increases that experts tie to rising unemployment and a pattern of thefts called organized retail crime (a.k.a. organized retail theft). Beyond the convenience store "beer runs" and juvenile candy grabs, prosecutors and retailers alike are feeling the impact of retail theft groups targeting specific merchandise--not for personal use, but for resale through household sales, community swap meets, flea markets, or most commonly, over the Internet through one of the large online auction sites or community resale forums.
  • Rollie Trayte and Gary Widman
  • 5,817 Reads
McAlister's Deli
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Social media has exploded onto the franchising - and business - scene with a fury not seen since the early days of the World Wide Web back in the mid-90s. As more and more franchisors and franchisees begin experimenting and utilizing tools like Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube, we've decided to report on some unique, progressive, and innovative ways in which they've embraced this technology.
  • Multi-Unit Franchisee
  • 3,681 Reads 12 Shares
Savvy franchise companies continue to flourish in this challenging economy. Each month FUSR will bring you good news, highlighting brands that are bucking the trend by adding units, increasing comp store sales, striking deals with investors, and continuing to grow despite the economy - maybe even because of it. And as you'll see below, U.S. franchisors continue to look overseas for expansion while the domestic economy remains slow.
  • Franchise Update
  • 5,785 Reads 93 Shares
If you are not experienced at effectively analyzing "tech talk," take the shortcut to better buying and zero in purely on sales results. Conduct your research on various websites using direct-response questions. The sole purpose of your online franchise advertising is to generate quality prospects to sell your franchise to, just as you normally do. If you can't get satisfactory answers to the following questions from a website in business six months or longer, hold on to your wallet!
  • Steve Olson
  • 2,913 Reads 1 Shares
Franchise Update Media Group (FUMG), the leading industry resource for franchise development, today announced that Franchising.com ranked in the "Top 5" in eMaximation's latest Franchise Benchmark Report for Franchise Portals. Franchising.com also ranked in the "Top 5" for completed franchise applications, an indicator of the quality of leads that are generated. Franchising.com has consistently ranked in the "Top 5" for more than two years.
  • Press Release
  • 7,981 Reads 193 Shares
What if there were a web-based tool that could help you create and organize your restaurants' menu quickly and accurately--while also collecting important data and ensuring consistent brand delivery? There is, and companies including Applebee's, California Pizza Kitchen, O'Charley's, Max & Erma's, and Papa Murphy's are now using the technology to create, design and order printed copies of their menus. The tool, MenuNet, is from Trabon Companies, which provides web-to-print restaurant technology and printing solutions.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 4,906 Reads 126 Shares
With the downturn in the economy, good old-fashioned customer service can be a major differentiator for businesses trying to keep their existing customers and attract new ones.
  • Greg Brashier, COO of Virtual PBX
  • 4,389 Reads 81 Shares
For a man in the hospitality business who's traveled widely, Ted Torres didn't fall far from the tree, nor did he want to. "My father, a first-generation hotelier, was my mentor, teacher, coach, and partner," says Torres, who at 43 has been in the business for 20 years. His most far-flung project, building hotels for Hilton across Russia, never came to fruition--through no lack of willingness on his part--but it was a fabulous month-long adventure just the same.
  • Eddy Goldberg
  • 4,805 Reads 49 Shares
The air conditioner at one of your Phoenix units has failed. The manager calls you and says it's so hot inside the store that customers are turning around and walking out. Your first thought is to call your local A/C repair business for what will most likely be a costly service call.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 4,331 Reads 22 Shares
Despite all the buzz about "rich media," the simple text ad is still one of the most effective ways of bringing prospective franchisees to your website, according to a report from market research firm iPerceptions. The study is especially intriguing, given its substantial number of participants: 14,000 people were surveyed about their ad preferences after they visited leading media websites.
  • Joe Dysart
  • 6,120 Reads 307 Shares
Standard operating procedure, or SOP, is a term widely understood by those who have served in the armed forces. SOP refers to a step-by-step method for how a mission or function will be carried out. Veterans understand the importance of implementing and following SOP for a task to be executed and the mission completed successfully. This systematic approach sounds very similar to the franchising model, and is why more and more veterans are finding successful post-military careers in the world of franchising.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 5,555 Reads 6 Shares
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Technology tools have become a mainstay for every multi-unit franchisee, used for planning, budgeting, forecasting, and many other daily activities. Today franchisees are embracing technology for demographic research and site selection.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 6,110 Reads 259 Shares
All franchisors place a high priority on gaining new recruits and responding to contacts from prospective franchisees. But who's setting the pace on performance? Once again, Franchise UPDATE's mystery shoppers hit the phones--and the websites--checking out franchisors from coast to coast to see which were doing the very best work. The best and the brightest were recognized in the 10th annual STAR (Speaking To And Responding) Awards--from the three top national performers to the companies that excelled at fielding telephone contacts or quickly getting back to website leads.
  • John Carroll
  • 4,196 Reads 12 Shares
For me, adapting to the highly specialized world of franchise development was a laborious, disjointed journey. During the early 1980s, I searched for a road map for recruitment success that could jump start my performance and help avoid costly mistakes. But there was no drill-down guide detailing the key benchmarks to successful growth--no books I could buy dedicated to the business of growing a franchise business. After years of unnecessary trial and error, I learned through the school of hard knocks--as many of you have--relying heavily on peer networking and by attending development seminars and industry conferences.
  • Steve Olson
  • 3,603 Reads 3 Shares
What does one of the most successful Subway multi-unit operators, and now multi-unit operator and area developer for LA Sunset Tan, do for his next trick? Make a horror movie, of course.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 9,091 Reads 1 Shares
I stand in awe of how much technology has adapted over the last few years and how much of it I have adopted. Just a few short years ago, franchise portals seemed innovative and the potential silver bullet for finding more qualified leads. That space has now been overrun with new and exciting technologies, known to many as Web 2.0.
  • Franchise Update Magazine
  • 4,856 Reads 8 Shares
Franchise attorney Brian Schnell said it all during a session on franchising sales fundamentals at Franchise UPDATE's Franchise Leadership & Development Conference in late September: "There's nothing fundamental about franchise sales right now."
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 5,284 Reads 2 Shares
There was a time when franchise site selection was as simple (not to mention as rudimentary and often random) as pushing pins in a map on a wall. Maybe they turned out to be good sites, maybe they didn't. But as technology continues to evolve and the tools are recalibrated to further refine the site selection process, the art is becoming a science.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 7,814 Reads
How Are You Toughing It Out In Your Industry/Category During These Lean Economic Times?
  • Barb Moran & Scott Haner
  • 4,132 Reads 1 Shares
Salt Lake City businessman Paul Hitzelberger was one of the owners of Del Taco for about 16 years. He'd also been a senior officer with General Mills and other large companies before retiring from Del Taco corporate in 2001.
  • Debbie Selinsky
  • 7,073 Reads 204 Shares
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