Technology Feature Articles

Technology Feature Articles

Franchise Sector Showcase

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

In April 2010, McDonald's helped cement the realization that if franchises want to continue succeeding in this consumer-driven world, they must get involved in social media.
  • Lisa Wehr
  • 4,289 Reads 1 Shares
One of the significant consequences of the Internet's development is that we can gather opinions from a diverse group with minimal effort. I did so recently through a posting on the American Bar Association Forum on Franchising listserv.
  • Rupert M. Barkoff
  • 90,897 Reads 3 Shares
The other night I told one of my daughters, who is in college, that I was going to the IFA convention and would be gone about a week. She asked me why even have conferences, and why business people travel anymore, because with all the technology out there people can communicate almost like it was in person (we Skyped with her for the last five months when she was in Argentina).
  • Darrell Johnson
  • 6,688 Reads 72 Shares
Market dominance is the measure of the strength of a brand, product, or service relative to the competition. Emerging franchise companies that are the first movers in their market niche need to be agile to establish their market presence before more aggressive or better capitalized companies move into their niche and overtake their first mover advantage.
  • Marvin Storm
  • 7,577 Reads 2 Shares
"Explain your development strategy as it relates to recruiting single-unit versus multi-unit franchisees. Do you look for both? Why or why not?" During the past five years, most franchisors have changed their concept of the ideal franchise candidate. Today larger franchisors are focused more exclusively on recruiting multi-unit/multi-brand players, rather than the single-unit operators most systems were built on. As an established, nearly 40-year-old brand, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen markets franchising opportunities toward the top-tier multi-unit/multi-brand category franchisees, while simultaneously considering single-unit candidates. We currently have more than 1,900 locations in 44 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and 27 foreign countries.
  • Franchise Update
  • 6,749 Reads
I keep hearing Baby Boomers moan, complain, and quite frankly, just whine about Gen Y. I am sick of it. If you are whining, then you are not a leader. If you are a leader, you will look at this situation and say, "Okay, we have 70 million super-sharp young men and women coming into the workforce, and we are going to get them ready for early leadership positions..." instead of sitting around saying, "They are so entitled, they are so into their own thing, they are always on Facebook, blah, blah." If you are saying this, then maybe you are the one who is entitled. As I always say, "If you spot it, you got it!"
  • Bea Fields (adapted with permission from her blog)
  • 3,743 Reads 116 Shares
Brian Klaubert spent 19 years as an engineer before entering the franchising world. Not surprisingly, he had very little financial background for running a business. That's where his franchisor, Christian Brothers Automotive, stepped in.
  • Multi-Unit Franchisee
  • 3,280 Reads 29 Shares
Business buyers evaluating a prospective purchase want answers to key opportunity factors. If you don't provide these answers, their relatives, CPA, attorney, or armchair advisors will! During my career I've had the enviable position of gaining insight into these major decision-making criteria, which could make or break the attractiveness of a franchisor's concept with discerning buyers. I've listened to, learned from, and consulted with hundreds of print and Internet advertisers seeking ways to accelerate their response rates. This included providing in-house creative services to increase lead generation performance. What we discovered were the critical factors that attract prospective franchisees--whether you're a $50,000 cleaning franchise or a $1 million restaurant concept.
  • Steve Olson
  • 3,602 Reads
I keep hearing Baby Boomers moan, complain, and quite frankly, just whine about Gen Y. I am sick of it. If you are whining, then you are not a leader. If you are a leader, you will look at this situation and say, "Okay, we have 70 million super-sharp young men and women coming into the workforce, and we are going to get them ready for early leadership positions..." instead of sitting around saying, "They are so entitled, they are so into their own thing, they are always on Facebook, blah, blah." If you are saying this, then maybe you are the one who is entitled. As I always say, "If you spot it, you got it!"
  • Bea Fields (adapted with permission from her blog)
  • 3,981 Reads
Social media is an ingrained part of people's everyday lives. How many people? Well, according to Facebook, there currently are 350 million active users. And by active, Facebook is accounting for those who log on to the site every day. eMarketer anticipates the number of U.S. Twitter users in 2010 to jump to 26 million. That's 15.5 percent of all adults online--and that's huge. What do these digits have to do with growing your multi-unit franchise? Close to everything.
  • Lisa Wehr
  • 4,760 Reads 24 Shares
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
  • 8,423 Reads 193 Shares
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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.
  • Franchise Update Media
  • 7,125 Reads
The most fundamental business strategy calls for black numbers on the bottom line. In simplest terms, it's proof the business is generating more cash than it is spending. All too often, though, entrepreneurs get involved in businesses without employing a proper system to help them keep a watchful eye on what they're earning and what they're spending. Managing day-to-day operations can be so time-consuming that it leaves little room for financial analysis. Or perhaps key individuals lack a basic understanding of how to read and interpret financial statements. Combine these factors with the down economy, and you'll likely wind up with a troubled business.
  • Kerry Pipes
  • 8,329 Reads 518 Shares
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
  • 4,226 Reads 4 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
  • 8,986 Reads
When people chat with Dustin Winkle about the economy's effect on their business, he doesn't say much. He doesn't want to make anybody feel bad. Because the truth is that the economic downturn has been very good for his 11 dry cleaners in the Boise, Idaho, area. "Dry cleaning is pretty recession-proof, so we're doing fine money-wise," Winkle says. "When I bought the company two years ago, the economy was already starting to slide down. Things have been a little slower, but not a lot."
  • Debbie Selinsky
  • 6,846 Reads 1 Shares
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
  • 3,497 Reads
Cell phones have become big business and the competition in the market can be fierce. Not surprisingly, social media tools are finding a niche in this industry, too. One example is three young entrepreneurs in the Northeast who have found a way to use Facebook and other social media tools to give them a competitive edge.
  • Multi-Unit Franchisee
  • 7,545 Reads 105 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
  • 3,181 Reads 5 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
  • 7,026 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
  • 6,825 Reads
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David Timlin of Yakety Yak discusses the changes of technology and it's effects on the franchise industry.
  • Inside Franchising Podcast
  • 6,624 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
  • 4,048 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
  • 6,842 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
  • 6,092 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
  • 7,642 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
  • 4,356 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
  • 2,982 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
  • 5,067 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
  • 5,968 Reads
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