Global Franchise- Issue 35

INS IGHT 20 GLOBAL FRANCHISE | ISSUE 5.6 At global giant Neighborly, where Dina Dwyer-Owens was chairwoman, the company offers every franchisee a unique program titled Design Your Life. In what may be the ultimate personal touch, the course teaches franchisees how to live by design not by default. During the course, franchisees “get clarity about their personal values, understand the six areas of life and how to harmonize those areas to achieve greater peace, build a dream list and leave with two dreams they’ve converted to targets with clear and actionable steps. And then it’s all about execution; progress not perfection,” said Dwyer-Owens. De Jesus at Massage Heights said he prefers the personal touch as a way of building relationships with franchisees. He said every franchisor should set aside one day a week to speak with franchisees. A.J. Titus, president of Signarama, frequently reaches out to franchisees via text messages as well as phone calls “just to check up with them personally.” At Card My Yard they call themselves “joy bringers” and they look for opportunities to celebrate with their franchisees. Stanley said: “Bringing joy connects us even more with our franchisees”. 7 Building an online presence After years of insisting that prospective franchisees show up in person at the home office for a day or two of discovery, franchisors discovered something themselves: It wasn’t necessary. In- person discovery days may still be preferred, but every franchisor that hoped to continue selling franchises in the pandemic quickly learned how to recruit using online tools. Of everything that’s changed as a result of the pandemic, franchise development seems to be affected most. And in a good way! Online discovery reaches more people faster and without the interruption and cost of travel. But franchisors found many others ways to “go virtual”. They introduced weekly video updates and conducted Franchise Advisory Council meetings via Zoom. Tucker at Homewatch CareGivers explained that early in the pandemic she introduced weekly webinars but then gradually decreased the frequency. However, the company moved its annual meeting to an online format and benefitted from increased participation. “We plan to use this format again,” she said. Matthias H. Lehner, CEO and founder of Bodystreet, explained his staff worked “day and night” to transfer their brand from physical studios that customers could no longer visit to the “web and (then into) the living rooms” of customers. In that process, the company achieved a 600 per cent sales growth by selling healthy products via their eStore. “These products are only additional sales and not our core business,” he explained, “but a 600 per cent (result) is simply incredible.” In some instances, franchisors moved to online out of a sense of responsibility and safety. At TBC Corp., franchisor of Midas and Big O Tires, Lenny Valentino, vice president of franchise development, explained: “We have moved our traditional in-person activities to video conferencing platforms. Our franchisees have embraced this change as it allows them to remain in their stores and service the customers. We look forward to the future when we can do a mix of in- person and virtual events to get our franchise family together." Indeed, every franchisor is looking forward to the future with the pandemic discussed as past tense. Lehner has already planned the Bodystreet Brand Festival, an outdoor event comparable, he promises, toWoodstock (but in Munich, Germany)! Post-pandemic, he said: “we simply have to make our brand, the brand values and everything that belongs to our culture tangible and experienceable again.” But until then, and even then, savvy franchisors will continue to make changes to build and maintain strong relationships with franchisees. “Of everything that’s changed as a result of the pandemic, franchise development seems to be affected most. And in a good way!”