Who’s business is it? Is it your business or Head Office’s business?
Many franchisees join a franchise group, expecting leads from head office to be their only source of lead generation. This is a mistake. Even if head office does generate leads for you, then go out and get some of your own!
I think often times this happens because of fear rather than pure laziness (although I have seen that too). Fear that if you put yourself and business out there, you may not generate business through your marketing efforts.
It is essential that you don’t put the future of your business into only one lead generation source. You should have multiple marketing strategies to generate business because if for any reason, a marketing strategy stops working, then you have others on the go so that your business doesn’t just stop. Head Office leads – I’d consider this one source (even if they are using multiple strategies).
When I’m working with franchisees, I get them to actually see the head office leads as a bonus to their marketing, not even a source of leads. This stops you having an ‘entitlement’ attitude, which is not healthy for any business owner. Head office doesn’t HAVE TO generate leads for you and in the majority of franchise groups, they don’t generate leads for you. If you have a mindset that any leads you do get fro the franchisor are a bonus, you are more grateful for the leads, you don’t take them for granted. You haven’t had to work to get that lead so how great is that?
Often, when it comes to lead generation, there is a lot to be said for the energy around it. If you are grumpy and you are out trying to ‘sell’ your products or services to prospects, they won’t want to buy from you. If your energy, how you show up (and that of your team) is happy, grateful and giving in nature, more people will want to do business with you.
Be grateful for anything that head office gives you in terms of leads. It keeps your energy in the right direction to produce more leads. By the way, the franchisees that adopt this grateful, bonus mindset around head office funnily sometimes end up with even more leads from the head office… interesting how being thankful to a staff member at head office for anything they give you, makes them want to give you more.
Stop waiting for leads to come to you. It is your business. Even though you are in a franchise, and the franchisor and their team are going to do everything they can to help you succeed in your business, in the end it is your business and it is up to you to make it happen and succeed. If you are not out marketing and generating leads for your business in addition to those coming from head office, then I hate to say it, but you are on the path to failure.
In any business, you need to have about 10 marketing strategies on the go at any time. Some will be more passive such as your signage or website, things you are not actively working on, whilst others are direct strategies that will take your time, effort or money (or all three) at any given moment, such as networking, social media or certain promotions or campaigns.
Think of your head office leads as a bonus and be grateful for them, because for most franchisees, they don’t get any leads from head office.
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