If you own a retail franchise, you already know that increased sales leads to increased bottom line. And exactly how does a sales representative increase sales? They go up to people and sell them the products. The same holds true for a franchise sales representative: the more people you make aware of your franchise, the more customers you will get. And how do you make them aware? The way you want them to sell is to draw them into your store.
Theoretically, that’s what a good base training plan should do. But often it doesn’t work that way because training plan is implemented from the sales team’s perspective, not from the client’s. Let’s consider some of the factors that affect the client’s view of franchise training.
WeMain tried to thoroughly list all of these and a few more in our article Franchisor Training: Busy CEOs and Their Staffs. But we couldn’t. Or, we already know all of the things getting in the way of smart training. But we didn’t want to overwhelm our readers with so many changes, so we limited our coverage instead. You should keep in mind that, though these are only five of the elements that affect the client’s view of training, we are in no way covering all of these equally.
As a result, we recommend a slightly different approach. The following, by no means, is the precise response someone needs to make, but they all are reflection of the position you will be aiming to reverse.
Franchisor: The Sales Team is their own, even if they’re temporary.
Client: You are representing us here.
At first glance, the following positions held by the client may look unworkable. But, ironically enough, some of these positions resemble name badges that might have been given, not just to our salespeople, but to everyone from the owner to janitors. Here are the position we utilize:
1. The CEO: I use this position to make contacts to help the staff find new clients.
2. Us: The sales team is dedicated to the growth of the brand, they are here to help support our team.
3. The warehouse: The obvious mission of a warehouse is to store inventory.
These positions are taken over by the client to sell. This does not imply that the CEO or the Head of Marketing or the Head of PR isn’t their role in the process. They are, in fact, essential to the message, “walk the talk.” But this is only a tenuous correlation.
For each position, consider whether this is one that you can or cannot implement. If you can’t implement one then we need to come to a new discussion about whether you really want to sell.
At the end of the day, you’ll lose a salesperson if you lose that customer for a competitor. And theBut… You will also lose the client whether you win their business or someone else wins it.
Direct those who head to evaluate you as a franchisor’s decision to contact us for assistance in promoting your company.
Weight your Magic Number with regularity and consistency in your hiring decisions. Considering the lag between candidates making contact and the decision to email actively about buying a franchise.
Learn your employee’s names and end up developing a trust relationship as a result.
Create useful graphics for your campaign, and learn all you can about which colors are key to the right response rates.
Engage employees in the same conversations they are having with clients.
Share with employees the conversation they should be having with their clients, and how important it is to them that they have made the right choice.
Get employees to follow using the same 1001, 1, 2, 3 formula for qualifying leads.
Create a system to follow up calls from inquiries that lead to qualified leads.
