Are Franchise Shoppers Driving You Crazy?

If you are a franchise broker or franchise consultant who gets leads from the internet or tradeshow, you may be getting a bit frustrated by all the shoppers out there.  We’ve all heard the saying, “it’s a numbers game” or comments from buyers like, “I was just looking”. I want to take a minute to give you another perspective on these non-committal browsers.

If you find a buyer that’s “just shopping” here are 3 things to remember:

1. Buying a franchise can be scary. If a buyer took the time to fill out the form they have interest. They are most likely wary of being sold anything and so they are nervous about talking to you because they don’t yet understand who you are.  Help them get comfortable by being casual and lighthearted in your conversations with them. Don’t be too serious right away. Match their mood and pace and help them to feel safe talking with you.
2. Educate them by giving them a free tool that can help them discover what they want for themselves.
3. Always give them several franchises to compare within the same industry. It’s very hard for the buyer to know what is a good franchise and what isn’t unless they can compare two systems side-by-side. This is a business where buyers ALWAYS want to know what the options are. Great franchise brokers give options within the same industry so the broker can educate the buyer on what is important to look out for.

To recap, three ways to turn shoppers into buyers are:  1) be casual, 2) educate them, and 3) give them something to compare. If you can do these three things you will start to see more shoppers take you to the register to close out their purchase.