Franchising 101

There's More To Selling Franchises Than Just Salesmanship
Selling a franchise is more complicated than selling a mere product or service. As a result, it requires very different skills sets than the ones it took to launch your first operation. Among other things, you’ll need expertise such as:

Consultation – Timing is everything. Is your organization really at a point in its growth where selling franchises would be a success? Franchise Greenhouse can help you with this all-important reality check. We’ll take a look at your business plan, financial statements and franchise concept and give you our candid assessment about whether we think you’re ready to play in the national franchising arena or whether you need to give your growth a little more time.

Exhibit Assistance – Trade shows are often an ideal place to introduce your franchise opportunity to prospective franchisees. Even if you’re not able to be there yourself, Franchise Greenhouse can attend some of the industry’s key events for you with relevant literature, displays and other helpful tools that will help maximize your trade show investment.

Lead Management – Just how serious – and qualified-- is that person who sent your company request for information? And how can you turn a truly hot prospect into a new franchisee? Let Franchise Greenhouse do the footwork and homework for you by working your leads with the utmost of expertise.

Financial Savvy - You may not be a bank. But some of your prospects may need you to have the qualities of one in order to buy a franchise from you. Through our corporate connections, Franchise Greenhouse can offer financing to your prospects that qualify.

Franchise Site Location Assistance – A business’s location can play a key role in its success, which is why it’s important for you to be able to offer your prospects the guidance and assistance they’ll need to find the franchise site for them. Franchise Greenhouse offers you easy access to a variety of site selection tools and experts who can do everything from analyzing traffic patterns to negotiating a lease.

TO OUTSOURCE OR NOT TO OUTSOURCE? THAT IS THE QUESTION.

Successful franchising is about more than developing a great business concept. It’s also about having the right person – or group of people – helping you with your sales.

One option many companies use is an in-house sales manager. To help you weigh the pros and cons of this approach vs. using a company such as Franchise Greenhouse, here are several questions you might wish to consider.

Do you have enough funding to pay an in-house sales manager? Qualified sales managers at many national companies command anywhere from $100,000 to $200,000 . Does your company have the kinds of revenues to fund a position such as this – and for how long? If not, you can get the same caliber of attention at Franchise Greenhouse for considerably less money.

Are your company’s expansion plans ambitious enough to justify an in-house resource? It’s one thing to hire an in-house sales manager if your franchise expansion goals are aggressive. It’s another to hire one if you’d like to take a slower, steadier or more rationed approach. If you’re not quite sure where your company skews, Franchise Greenhouse has the ability to help you grow your global business at either pace, so you can right-size your expansion goals to match your organization’s long-range plans.

How many companies and franchises has your sales manager worked with? We’re living proof that you don’t necessarily have to have sold franchises in a particular industry to be successful there. (After all, there’s a first time for everything.) However it’s definitely easier for someone to be effective in venues where they’ve achieved success before.

“I’ve seen many companies use in-house sales managers with great success,” said Tony Foley, president of Franchise Greenhouse. “And there are times when that approach makes perfect sense for a company. However Franchise Greenhouse offers a cost-effective alternative for those companies who aren’t completely ready for this approach or who prefer to leverage their resources and share the cost of our expertise with several other companies.”