Doesn’t the saying go, “don’t trust anyone who cold calls you”? Let’s say you have been operating your business for some time and have experienced some level of success. One day you get a cold call or an unsolicited email from someone positioning themselves as an “opportunity agent” saying how great your business is, how they have been watching it, how you fit the profile and that your business would make a terrific franchise opportunity. Despite the fact you typically ignore cold calls and delete unsolicited emails, this has piqued your interest. Perhaps at one point you considered franchising your business or maybe this cold call put it on your radar. Either way you are now interested in franchising your business. However, before you jump into a relationship with any person or company that cold calls or sends you unsolicited emails there is one important element to consider: WHY are they cold calling you?
The Problem with Cold Calls or Unsolicited Emails
One huge problem with a person or company that has cold called you or emailed you soliciting you to franchise your business, is that they have never been to your business and really know nothing about it (for more things to be aware of about when franchising your business and companies that claim to provide franchise development services read this warning message from our President). How can they be so sure it makes sense for you to franchise or you fit the perfect profile when the only exposure they have had is some list they purchased or what they see online? They have never experienced your services, used your products or heard from you about what makes your business so special. Learning about your business directly from you is an extremely important element when determining if franchising makes sense. Companies who are starving for work, blindly soliciting businesses and convincing them to franchise is a recipe for disaster because if a business is convinced to franchise when not ready, it sets them and future franchisees up for failure.
It is very likely this person or company cold calling you (dialing for dollars) is making the exact same phone call or sending the same emails to TONS of other businesses including your competitors just to see who will bite. The truth is that these people or companies who are cold calling you are probably buying lists of businesses to call, just like those calls or emails you get to purchase office supplies (you know those calls). To top it all off, if you are getting unsolicited text messages, that is a whole different arena. Now we are talking about companies that could be violating telecommunications law and we suggest you report it to the proper governmental agency.
What is Happening Out There
There usually is an underlying reason why these people and companies are cold calling or soliciting you by email to franchise your business. You may want to consider that if these people or companies are as good at what they do as they say, why are they resorting to desperate tactics to secure work? One reason could be that there are problems that are camouflaged with the company, with the owner, or with the service that they claim to provide (this could include possible fraud or ongoing litigation). Some of these people or companies who are cold calling or sending unsolicited emails are actually franchise sales companies (franchise brokers) that are not busy enough selling franchises and are trying to make up lost revenue by adding on services offering to franchise businesses (by the way, they do not like to refer to themselves as franchise brokers anymore so they are switching up their titles and refer to themselves as either: consultants, advisors, coaches or counselors). These franchise sales companies slop together franchise documents with the hidden agenda of threading themselves into your program to piggyback on your success (for more on this topic see “Franchising Companies That Claim to Do It All Including Sales”).
There are also some already in existence franchises out there struggling to get their own franchises sold who are aggressively hunting for smaller businesses (like yours) that they try to convince to franchise (take a look at “I Just Want Someone to Make a Franchise for Me No Scams”). This is all with the intent of swallowing businesses up like yours to cover their own overhead expenses and satisfy their shareholders (leaving you with less control of your own company). So what are they really good at doing… their own business or franchise development? Last we checked a company offering franchises like McDonald’s, is not trying to franchise other businesses. They just focus on what they do best (a testament to their success).
Whatever the case may be with this person or company that is cold calling you, the bottom line is franchising is not a “cold call solicitation” type of business transaction. Franchising your business is complex. It takes someone that fully understands how to thread all the different nuances of franchising into a program that protects you and everything you have created because ultimately you are held accountable for what you are offering (check out “What to Look for in a Franchise Development Company”).
The Franchise Maker Difference
You may now realize that any person or company that cold calls you may NOT have your best interest in mind, yet franchising is still on your mind. So now what? A quick Internet search turns up tons of companies that will claim to franchise your business (know who you are talking with about franchising your business). As a legitimate franchise development company The Franchise Maker NEVER cold calls businesses or sends unsolicited emails to franchise your business. Business owners come to us because we are recognized in the industry for our franchise development work. We are the ONLY ones ever recognized for our integrity, transparency and ethics in the marketplace with the prestigious Better Business Bureau Torch Award (read more about us). We have no skeletons in our closet. We take the time to fully understand your business to determine if franchising makes sense through a series of phone conversations, NOT by simply looking at your website or getting your information off some list. And we have had 100% success rate with our clients, taking each one to franchise from start-to-finish (see a list of our clients and reviews).
So if you get a cold call one day or open your inbox to an unsolicited email from some person or company claiming they are certain your business makes sense to franchise and they will do it for you, remember this newsletter and don’t be so quick to jump into such a relationship. Be sure to ask the tough questions and really peel back the onion to determine if this company or person is as great as they say. Call us directly at 1-877-615-5177 and we will answer all your questions and learn about your business to determine if franchising makes sense for you.
- Things You Should Know When Looking to Franchise Your Business
- Beware of Gimmicks When Setting Up a Franchise
- Do You Need a Local Franchise Development Company
- Don’t Make a Deal with the Devil When Franchising
- Our Commitment as a Franchise Development Company
- Why Choose The Franchise Maker
- Understanding How to Franchise
- Franchising a Restaurant
