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Ever really feel such as you’re courting your leads? They present curiosity, ask all the correct 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 feels like everybody else’s, it is simple to disregard. And in the event you’re not constantly exhibiting up in a approach that grabs consideration, another person will.
And this is the painful fact: 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 adverts, sending emails, following up — however once we inform the correct story on video, every thing adjustments. Leads do not simply come again, they interact and join. Not as a result of we pushed tougher, however as a result of they felt one thing.
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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 load of every thing she had been by means of poured out. She cried, I cried, your complete 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 observe 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 essentially the most highly effective gross sales software you’ve.
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Behind the scenes video
I’ve sat in rooms with franchise gross sales groups who could not determine why their numbers weren’t transferring. They’d robust FDDs. They’d nice financials. They’d an unbelievable product. However they weren’t exhibiting 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 will be trusting with their funding. What to incorporate: Management 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 would 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 all of the sudden handed away, and his son and daughter had been stepping in to run the enterprise. Through the shoot, they appeared instantly into the digicam 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 such a video works.
Leads do not belief spreadsheets or gross sales pitches — however they belief different franchisees who’ve walked this path. An amazing 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. In case you’re not letting your franchisees inform their tales on video, you make your gross sales course of tougher 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 a number of places, make use of dozens of individuals, and have constructed a life they by no means thought attainable. That sort 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 proprietor by means of their day, from their morning routine — together with opening the shop and organising operations — to the top of the day. The aim 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 subsequent step.
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Meet the gross sales crew
Franchise gross sales can really feel chilly and transactional. A lead fills out a kind. Then, all of the sudden, 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-Group video adjustments 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 stress, only a dialog. Leads are much more possible to reply to 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 notice the affect 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 growth.
In case your franchise is not telling these tales, you are not simply lacking conversions. You are lacking the prospect to encourage, join, and convey 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.
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