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Ever really feel such as you’re courting your leads? They present curiosity, ask all the appropriate 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’re going to disengage. In case your outreach seems like everybody else’s, it is easy to disregard. And if you happen to’re not constantly displaying up in a approach that grabs consideration, another person will.
And here 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 wrestle to transform leads, doing all of the “proper” issues — operating advertisements, sending emails, following up — however after we inform the appropriate story on video, every thing adjustments. Leads do not simply come again, they interact and join. Not as a result of we pushed more durable, however as a result of they felt one thing.
Franchisee success tales
Just a few 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 burden of every thing she had been by way of poured out. She cried, I cried, your entire set fell silent. This wasn’t nearly enterprise. This was about transformation. And that is precisely why such a 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 comply with a transparent emotional arc: Who they had 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 wrestle do not feel actual. How their life is completely 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 instrument you’ve gotten.
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Behind the scenes video
I’ve sat in rooms with franchise sales groups who could not determine why their numbers weren’t shifting. They’d sturdy FDDs. They’d nice financials. They’d an unimaginable product. However they weren’t displaying the folks behind the model. Franchise leads aren’t simply evaluating a enterprise mannequin. They’re evaluating management, assist, and tradition.
A behind-the-scenes video provides them an actual have a look at the folks they’re going to 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 mirror the true tradition — not company fluff. If a lead does not belief the folks behind the model, they’re going to 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 out of the blue handed away, and his son and daughter had been stepping in to run the enterprise. In the course of the shoot, they appeared instantly into the digicam and spoke to their father. “We’re doing this for you. We’re conserving this legacy alive.” Everybody in that room felt it. And that is precisely why such a video works.
Leads do not belief spreadsheets or sales pitches — however they belief different franchisees who’ve walked this path. A terrific franchisee validation video ought to embody: 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. When you’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. As we speak, they personal multiple locations, make use of dozens of individuals, and have constructed a life they by no means thought doable. That type of transformation is unimaginable — 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 position. A well-produced documentary-style video follows an actual franchise owner by way of their day, from their morning routine — together with opening the shop and organising operations — to the tip 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 position, they will not take the subsequent step.
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Meet the gross sales staff
Franchise sales can really feel chilly and transactional. A lead fills out a type. Then, out of the blue, they’re getting calls and emails from somebody they’ve by no means met, asking them to make a six-figure choice. That is overwhelming. A Meet-the-Gross sales-Group video adjustments the dynamic.
As a substitute 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 is not any stress, only a dialog. Leads are way more doubtless to answer somebody they really feel they already know.
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Cease promoting, begin storytelling
I’ve filmed franchisee tales that made total 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 had been pressured, however as a result of they lastly believed. That is the facility 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 possibility to encourage, join, and convey folks into one thing greater than only a enterprise. In case your leads are ghosting you, do not simply comply with up. Inform them a narrative they’re going to always remember.
