Making Sales or Making Excuses? Turn Every Lead into a Real Prospect

A craftsman never blames his tools. But when it comes to selling franchise units, increasingly both mature and start-up franchises are falsely blaming the "junk" quality of portal and Web-based leads for their poor numbers. Undeniably, every now and then there are what coincidentally turn out to be

exceptionally-strong leads that end up converting to a sale faster and with less effort. But this is not to say that every lead, regardless of where it came from, does not have the same chance of turning into a profitable hit. Ask any successful salesperson and he'll say that if he only pursued leads from one or two sources, he'd be out on the streets in less time than it takes to say, "Brother can you spare a dime?"

Is the quality of sales leads dropping or are franchising companies getting fewer results because of their lack of diligence and follow up? Are salespeople only reaching for the low-hanging fruit? In today's busy society--and with so much noise from portals in the franchising industry--it is more important than ever to reach out to prospective buyers personally and repeatedly.

Remember when most homes had one phone in the kitchen and it was a big deal if it rang? Technology has changed that, making prospects more immune to phone calls and e-mails, and requiring salespeople to step up and own the process. Saying, "If they were interested, they would call me," is archaic thinking and a poor excuse for follow up. Lack of response does not mean the prospect is not a qualified lead, only that he is busy or very possibly responding to other solicitations and the responsibility needs to go back to the salesperson.

The franchising industry's perception is that the leads have gotten weaker, but the reality is that the sales process has. Franchisors have convinced themselves that the leads are not as good, so they do not follow up as aggressively, and when the prospect does not step up screaming "I want to buy," the franchise organization blames it on the lead. It becomes the perfect self-fulfilling prophecy.

Utilize core competencies

Are the reasons for a sales team not producing based on perception or reality? The reality is that franchise companies have seen no change in the quality of leads and continue to see healthy growth in all different segments of franchising at all investment levels. The change they are seeing is that they want something for nothing and are making excuses for their own flawed sales process. The sales process has to be varied from time to time, but core competencies never change: Franchisors must respond early and often with an exact agenda that follows a concise system.

Here are 10 steps that could be worked through with every sales lead, regardless of its origin. While reading through them, honestly evaluate the company's performance or that of its sales team and ask if they are on their way to making more sales--or more excuses.

(1.) Master list

Develop a master list of leads to call. Each prospect record should include phone numbers for the appropriate time of day, e-mail addresses, and a space to make personal notes about the conversation. Using this list, schedule a time to make calls and to conduct prospecting.

(2.) Speed to lead

Franchise prospects receive an abundance of information very quickly. If a franchise company does not get to them early in the process, it will be forgotten. Respond to prospects by calling within hours--no matter what.

(3.) Move in, or move out

There's no such as a "pending lead." A prospect is either moving forward in the process or moving out. If it is bad timing for the buyer, due to lifestyle issues such as needing to wait until children are out of college, or a pending retirement, keep them on the list for making monthly contact.

(4.) Diligence or die

If the franchise firm has three numbers for a prospect, call all three. That means if the organization has 20 prospects, it has 60 calls to make, period.

(5.) Timely calling, follow-up

If one calls every day at 9 a.m. and never gets an answer, try a different time. Leaving messages is okay, but do not count on the prospect to return the call. Follow up should be customized phone conversations, other e-mails and phone messages so that each prospect is worked according to a system. Referring back to previous communications and being accurate shows that the franchise system is composed of critical thinkers and values relationship building.

(6.) It's a numbers game

If salespeople don't have a legitimate reason for calling a prospect again and again, they should make one. Also consider different forms of promotion that will garner varying results, including a comprehensive advertising campaign that includes a mix of public relations, Web site, search engine optimization, referrals, trade shows and print advertisements in national publications. Call and e-mail at least five times before a prospect is put on a "dead sheet." Refer back to a master list to find gems of information that give the franchisor a reason to be back in the client's face: did she mention it was going to be her birthday? Did she talk about a retirement date? Did she just return from vacation? If there isn't good follow up, seek out a screening company to ensure all leads are called aggressively and properly worked.

(7.) Reap what you sow

If one expects a prospect to be a "tire kicker," then he will be. Lose any preconceived notions about who is on the other end of the phone or computer. Remind yourself that if someone was interested enough to inquire about a franchise, then it is worth it to call him back.

(8.) Be a robot

Free forming does not work. Like a Broadway actor, use the same script every time, but always deliver it like it is the first time.

(9.) Squeeze it dry

A prospect in the lead pile will move forward if the franchisor wrings out every opportunity listed above as one sets the stage for the steps of the sale. It is a matter of being a better salesperson, believing that calling leads is part of the job, having a set program and system for working leads, knowing what one is trying to accomplish and finding out the two most critical pieces of information while one is getting to know leads: do they have the money and is the timing right?

(10.) Know your industry

In addition to having previous sales experience, make sure the franchise company and its sales team know about the intricacies of the franchising industry. Full effort needs to be put toward properly-trained and skilled salespeople long before blaming the leads.

Mario Altiery is president and CEO of Upside Group. He can be reached at 480-626-0788 or mario@upsidegroup.biz.