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We know that franchise prospects are attracted to entrepreneurship because they like what the business concept represents.
A prospect buys into a pet concept because of their affection for animals…or a wellness concept because they’re committed to health.
We like that our prospects are passionate about our concepts.
But we want them to be able to sell these concepts, too!
And that’s a whole lot tougher.
Most prospects come with a firm belief in the product or service…but a limited strength in sales and marketing.
That’s just the way it is.
Yet sales and marketing skills are the very skills they need to sell themselves and their services…the skills they need to keep the business alive!
If your franchise prospects and franchisees are like most…they are lacking the ‘selling gene’.
Here are 2 steps guaranteed to give your franchisees the courage they need to begin getting comfortable with selling…immediately:
Step 1: Be sure your franchisees know exactly who they’re selling to, what it is they’re selling, and what problems they solve for their target markets
· The elder-care services sector presents a booming example.
It’s obvious that franchisees in this sector are selling affordable and quality health and housing services to senior citizens.
In reality, they are also selling viable and comforting solutions to the baby-boomer children of these seniors.
So, in the bigger sense, franchisees in this sector are really selling emotionally-laden promises to boomers and their aging parents.
These are two very diverse target markets.
And each of these markets has its own set of problems.
They each have the typical problems that we all have…problems with time, money, and relationships.
And because we are living in the 21st century, they are faced with problems around frustration, isolation and overwhelm, too.
But on top of that…these groups are dealing with the more immediate problem of finding suitable living and/or medical arrangements…and the even bigger problem of dealing with death and dying.
It doesn’t get much tougher than this!
Wouldn’t it be smart if these franchisees could articulate exactly what problems they solve and why they do it better than the rest?
So that when they are contacted by a prospect…or attend a networking event…they will be able to quickly and effectively say what they do.
Take the Coaching Challenge
Help your franchisees to clearly identify their target markets. Have them make a list of every single problem they are solving for their target markets, from the obvious to the less obvious. Then have them write the answer to these 2 questions: What does their business do? How does it do it better than the rest?
Step 2: Help your franchisees to re-define the word ‘selling’ so that it is comfortable for them and for their customers.
· As mentioned, many franchisees do not come to the table with sales and marketing skills.
Some of your franchisees will be born extroverts, but just as many will be introverts or somewhere-in-between.
It’s scary enough being the new owner of a business without having to approach prospective customers and sell them on the business too.
It is a fact that many franchisees are uncomfortable with the notion of selling their concept to others.
Especially when the business is their own, because then rejection feels more personal.
Wouldn’t it be great if franchisees could understand that selling is nothing more than the creation of a new relationship?
And that this is something they already know how to do.
Franchisees can be armed with positive solutions to the selling dilemma.
Help them to locate resources such as books, seminars, and audio programs dedicated to relationship selling.
And watch their confidence grow!
Take the Coaching Challenge
Have your franchisees look up the definition of the word ‘selling’. Notice that there is nothing nasty in that definition at all. Now have them list every quality and characteristic that contributes to a positive sales experience. Help them to take on the challenge of creating a sales process that is comfortable for both them and for their customers.
The first is fear.
The fear that you'll have to implement whatever you dream up.
The fear that you will fail.
The fear that you will do something stupid and be ridiculed by your peers for decades.
There really is "healthy fear." For example, it's very healthy to fear drinking before you drive. However, fear should not be allowed to run rampant through our lives so that it becomes such a devastating factor ...
Dear Jane,
I’m re-taking a short seminar and then starting my own business. But something is holding me back. I know it's fear, but so what!
Good for you for recognizing that it’s fear and for not making excuse...
Flo Schell
(Visit Flo's Website)
Flo Schell, EdM, Former VP of Franchise
Sales, Sylvan Learning Systems, Inc. is
Founder of Franchise Coaching Systems
and can be found at www.FloSchell.c
om. She holds distinction as a
Certified Coach from the Thomas Leonard
School of Coaching. Flo is adept at the
nuts and bolts of selling and at helping
sales professionals to deal with the ups
and downs of their work. She is author of
the new business book, Stop Selling Start
Clicking, available at
www.StopSellingStartClicking.com. Sign
on to her website for free Tele-Gatherings
on topics related to selling and
franchising.
Flo Schell Video - This is a live chat with Flo Schell, Author of the highly acclaimed new business book, Stop Selling: Start Clicking! Flo knows how hard it can be for small business owners to sell themselves and their services. Bringing 20 years of sales experience and featured in Success Magazine, Certified Coach Flo Schell, bases her process on the human connection that she calls the magic click. Listen in as Flo describes why we must master the art of selling...and exactly how to create the magic click.
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The first is fear.
The fear that you'll have to implement whatever you dream up.
The fear that you will fail.
The fear that you will do something stupid and be ridiculed by your peers for decades.
There really is "healthy fear." For example, it's very healthy to fear drinking before you drive. However, fear should not be allowed to run rampant through our lives so that it becomes such a devastating factor ...
