It's That Franchise Development Time of Year

Franchise development and the fall season remain intertwined at Franchise Update Media. That’s because this is the time of year when we host our annual Franchise Leadership & Development Conference (FLDC), conduct the Mystery Shopping evaluation of brands, release the Annual Franchise Development Report (AFDR), and announce the STAR Awards winners. It’s a busy and exciting time for us.

We are coming down from the exciting, record-setting FLDC that topped 600 registrations for the first time ever. Franchising’s top sales and development leaders met in Atlanta in October for the annual event. The Networking Area was filled with suppliers, and topical educational sessions and presentations brought leading franchise experts together to engage and share their expertise. There were networking opportunities all around. This year’s theme was “Scaling Success,” and as Conference Chairman Tim Courtney so succinctly stated at the event, “It prompts us to consider how we can expand our businesses while staying true to our core principles and serving our communities with integrity. The franchise landscape is evolving, and those who are adaptable and forward-thinking will be the ones who continue to succeed.” Read a full report on the FLDC in this issue.

The Mystery Shopping “prospects” went to work this year secretly evaluating franchise brands and grading their responsiveness by phone, website, and social media. As always, there was good news and bad news for brands. Some rose to the occasion and performed well, but others showed there is room for improvement—not returning prospect phone calls in a timely manner, not listing phone numbers on websites, and even missing scheduled calls with prospects. It’s confounding.

The good, the bad, and the ugly can be found in this year’s Annual Franchise Development Report. The research and data are great tools to help franchise executives benchmark their brands and determine where they need to improve. You’ll find an overview of AFDR in this issue as well as information on how to order the full report.

Each year, the STAR Awards recognize the best in franchise recruiting, celebrating the brands that do it best and giving other brands the incentive to do it better. The awards are a great way to call out the sales and development teams that are excelling. Attendees enjoyed the revamped format for the STAR Awards at this year’s FLDC. Read about the winners in this issue.

Franchising is one of the best business models going. Thanks to increased public awareness and constantly evolving technology in the franchising space, executives have more resources and avenues to communicate with prospects than at any time that I can recall. There’s simply no reason the coming year can’t be one for the record books for franchise brands that take advantage of the moment by finding quality leads, signing deals, and opening more locations.