As you process your franchise sales inquiries, you can identify a future franchisee from a tire kicker a mile away, right? After you contact them, certainly. But how about before? Some inquiries do look more promising than others – for example, their information form is filled in completely, you have a working phone number, a generous investment range, and a target purchase date. Yet when you get them on the phone, they either haven’t heard of you, or they are not comfortable with the required investment. What happened? They "said" they were interested, meaning, they filled in the form, and included a "best time to call". They practically attached a check for the cash payment!

Alternatively, some sales inquiries include partial information – perhaps just a name and email, if they are allowed to stop there, they will. They do not want you to have one more piece of data about them than is necessary for some follow-up. They may even specify their preferred contact method – "No phone calls, please", or "Send information in the mail". These prospects certainly avoid disclosing financial data if possible, or they choose the lowest possible investment range. Maybe this inquiry is not in the "right" state or country for your opportunity. Maybe you feel inquiries don’t "count" when the same name appears multiple times in your database. Despite your hesitation, you follow-up with this type of inquiry, and you close a franchise sale. You have begun to uncover the irony of prospect inquiries – they do not always reflect a clear picture of the prospect – or their ability to invest in your opportunity.

Before pro-actively filtering online sales inquiries based on the data points mentioned above, consider the following factors that go into the prospect’s decision to submit their personal information to franchisors:

• Prospects are not always comfortable disclosing financial information online. Often, those with the highest investment ranges, understate their situation – and vice versa! Successful franchisors are clear about how much their opportunity costs in their online advertising, and confirm investment requirements when they make personal contact.

• Partial information is not "invalid" information. Serious prospects want to be contacted in their preferred format, which may be different from your preferred format. Even an email address alone indicates interest and gives you permission to communicate - on the prospect's terms - so communicate immediately! Send an autoresponse email in real-time and, when a phone number is provided, make the call within an hour of receiving the inquiry.

• Prospects often inquire to franchises in different states or countries because they are planning on moving, or they live near borders. This discourages the dismissal of leads based on current mailing address or phone number.

• Serious prospects often re-submit their information if they don't hear from a franchisor quickly. Prospects are online for immediate information, and often expect immediate (same hour!) follow-up. If they don't get it, they will submit multiple times, and then move on. Every day Franchise Solutions receives email from prospects requesting follow-up to their inquiry. As part of our service to franchisors, we email these messages directly to our clients for immediate attention.

Today's successful franchisors engage their prospects fast and furiously, but professionally, transitioning inquiries into leads and setting the stage for an information exchange and qualification progression. The days of mailing expensive kits, such as brochures, videos, paper applications, and waiting by the phone or fax machine are over. Franchisors that most highly value online lead generation understand this explicitly.

What Franchise Buyers are Saying:

When I submit my contact information online to franchisors, I want to be contacted on my terms, in my preferred timeframe – which is usually immediately.


Suggested Franchisor Response:

Serious prospects want to be contacted in their preferred format, which may be different from your preferred format. Even an email address alone indicates interest and gives you permission to communicate - on the prospect's terms - so communicate immediately! Send an autoresponse email in real-time and, when a phone number is provided, make the call within an hour of receiving the inquiry.