Franchisor Marketing

Recently, a newly signed franchisee gave me a stack of franchise brochures from the concepts he had considered and dismissed.

On the top was a plain pocket folder from a small wing franchise with a lively enough name and a distinctive, foil embossed logo. Here were the contents:

• a 2-paragraph form letter,
• a 7-page “Confidential” application form
• a 1-color takeout menu,
• an initial investment sheet ($145,200 to $327,000).
• A sheet of hazy photographs of starkly empty stores,
• A sheet listing generic franchise advantages (Ops manual, training, etc.)

The 7-page application required a signed background investigation consent form, 5 references, social security numbers and detailed banking and financial information. The information sheet did not even clearly explain the concept.

The prospect dismissed the franchise immediately upon perusing the folder contents. He said: “I couldn’t even tell how the concept worked. It said it was a delivery concept, but it just looked like a store.” He had visited the website, which was no better. It required prospects to fill out a massive form to even receive its ineffective package.

Franchisors need to think about the package they send to franchise prospects. It doesn’t need to be printed with gold leaf, but it should be written by an experienced franchise copywriter who knows how to tell the unique story of the franchise in a compelling way. Is a professionally produced franchise brochure expensive? Not nearly as expensive as letting a potential multi-unit franchisee walk away. That folder will probably cost the small wing franchisor $1 Million in lost franchise fees and royalties over the next ten years… just from that one lost prospect. That’s an expensive brochure.