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Ever really feel such as you’re courting your leads? They present curiosity, ask all the proper questions and arrange a follow-up name. Then, nothing. No e mail. No response. Simply silence. Folks purchase from folks, not faceless manufacturers. In case your content material is chilly, robotic, or generic, they will disengage. In case your outreach appears like everybody else’s, it is simple to disregard. And in case you’re not persistently displaying up in a means that grabs consideration, another person will.
And this is the painful reality: If a lead ghosts you, it is your fault. The excellent news is, you may repair this. The answer is not extra follow-up emails — It is storytelling. I’ve seen franchise manufacturers battle to transform leads, doing all of the “proper” issues — operating adverts, sending emails, following up — however after we inform the proper story on video, every little thing modifications. Leads do not simply come again, they have interaction and join. Not as a result of we pushed more durable, however as a result of they felt one thing.
Franchisee success tales
A couple of years in the past, I sat throughout from a Glory Days Grill franchisee as she shared her story. Simply 5 years prior, she was homeless. Now, she’s a multi-unit proprietor. As she spoke, the load of every little thing she had been by means of poured out. She cried, I cried, the whole set fell silent. This wasn’t nearly enterprise. This was about transformation. And that is precisely why one of these video works.
Franchise leads aren’t simply shopping for a enterprise mannequin. They’re shopping for a future for themselves. A well-crafted franchisee success story ought to observe a transparent emotional arc: Who they have been earlier than franchising — the true struggles they confronted. What made them take the leap — why this franchise, and why now? The challenges they confronted—as a result of success tales with out battle do not feel actual. How their life is totally different now—the transformation. In case your franchise is not capturing these sorts of tales, you are lacking probably the most highly effective gross sales device you’ve.
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Behind the scenes video
I’ve sat in rooms with franchise sales groups who could not work out why their numbers weren’t transferring. That they had robust FDDs. That they had nice financials. That they had an unbelievable product. However they weren’t displaying the folks behind the model. Franchise leads aren’t simply evaluating a enterprise mannequin. They’re evaluating management, help, and tradition.
A behind-the-scenes video provides them an actual take a look at the folks they will be trusting with their funding. What to incorporate: Leadership interacting with franchisees — not simply sitting in an workplace. Coaching groups working one-on-one with house owners. Candid moments that replicate the true tradition — not company fluff. If a lead does not belief the folks behind the model, they will by no means transfer ahead.
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Franchisee validation movies
Some of the emotional shoots I’ve ever been a part of was for Batteries Plus. The franchisee’s father had abruptly handed away, and his son and daughter have been stepping in to run the enterprise. Through the shoot, they regarded immediately into the digital camera and spoke to their father. “We’re doing this for you. We’re retaining this legacy alive.” Everybody in that room felt it. And that is precisely why one of these video works.
Leads do not belief spreadsheets or sales pitches — however they belief different franchisees who’ve walked this path. An ideal franchisee validation video ought to embrace: A franchisee sharing their actual expertise, not a scripted testimonial. The second they realized this enterprise was altering their life. What they might inform somebody contemplating the chance. For those who’re not letting your franchisees inform their tales on video, you are making your gross sales course of more durable than it must be.
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Day within the life
I’ve filmed franchisees who got here to the U.S. with $2 and a backpack. In the present day, they personal multiple locations, make use of dozens of individuals, and have constructed a life they by no means thought attainable. That form of transformation is unbelievable — however what does the day-to-day actuality appear to be? That is what day-in-the-life movies reply.
Leads want to have the ability to image themselves within the function. A well-produced documentary-style video follows an actual franchise owner by means of their day, from their morning routine — together with opening the shop and organising operations — to the top of the day. The objective is not to make it look good, it is to make it really feel actual. If a lead cannot see themselves within the function, they will not take the following step.
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Meet the gross sales crew
Franchise sales can really feel chilly and transactional. A lead fills out a kind. Then, abruptly, they’re getting calls and emails from somebody they’ve by no means met, asking them to make a six-figure resolution. That is overwhelming. A Meet-the-Gross sales-Crew video modifications the dynamic.
As an alternative of a stranger reaching out, it is a acquainted face saying who they’re, why they love serving to franchisees and what the primary steps appear to be. There isn’t any strain, only a dialog. Leads are much more possible to answer somebody they really feel they already know.
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Cease promoting, begin storytelling
I’ve filmed franchisee tales that made whole rooms cry. I’ve watched management groups get emotional as they understand the impression of what they’ve constructed. I’ve seen hesitant leads signal on the dotted line — not as a result of they have been pressured, however as a result of they lastly believed. That is the ability of video storytelling in franchise improvement.
In case your franchise is not telling these tales, you are not simply lacking conversions. You are lacking the prospect to encourage, join, and produce folks into one thing greater than only a enterprise. In case your leads are ghosting you, do not simply observe up. Inform them a narrative they will always remember.
