Are You Using Or Abusing Your Online Recruitment?Mastering new media accelerates franchise growth Seven short years ago many of us could have mistaken a URL URL in full Uniform Resource Locator Address of a resource on the Internet. The resource can be any type of file stored on a server, such as a Web page, a text file, a graphics file, or an application program. for an electrical code An electrical code is a set of regulations for electrical wiring. The intention of an electrical code is to provide standards to ensure electrical wiring systems that are safe and unlikely to produce either electrocution or fires. . We viewed the Internet as some government computer network that students played with in school. Amazingly enough, this little understood novelty is now today's media showcase, impacting franchise communications, commerce and recruitment. Every week new developments expand our opportunities for doing business online. This summer, a new law that would allow approval of electronic signatures over the Internet was signed by the president. The measure has been given the go-ahead for an October 1 approval of e-signatures for real estate and loan transactions over the Internet. (See "Electronic Franchise Agreement Becomes a Reality October 1st, by Deven Klein and David Koch There are several people called David Koch:
Breakthrough in Franchise Sales The Internet has rewritten the script for franchise recruitment advertising You can improve this article by adding links to related material, within the existing text. After links have been created, remove this message. For more information, see the . (2) A message sent by an e-mail program. (3) A person or organization sending e-mail. , PostNet and Stained Glass stained glass, in general, windows made of colored glass. To a large extent, the name is a misnomer, for staining is only one of the methods of coloring employed, and the best medieval glass made little use of it. Overlay (1) A preprinted, precut form placed over a screen, key or tablet for identification purposes. See keyboard template. (2) A program segment called into memory when required. who led our way into this unknown frontier!) Today cyberspace Coined by William Gibson in his 1984 novel "Neuromancer," it is a futuristic computer network that people use by plugging their minds into it! The term now refers to the Internet or to the online or digital world in general. See Internet and virtual reality. Contrast with meatspace. marketing is the leading media source for franchise leads, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Franchise Update magazine's annual lead generation survey. This new, inexpensive recruitment medium is driving volumes of e-mail inquiries to our inboxes from around the globe. The ad playing field has been leveled, small companies now competing with large companies for prospects. Franchise advertising on the Web is quick, convenient and easy. Even before building a Web site, a start-up can launch their opportunity on commercial sites that will develop their promotional pages and response forms. Within 24 hours, a franchisor can solicit responses worldwide. New Media Planning Consequently, media campaigns must be rewritten to capitalize on Cap´i`tal`ize on` v. t. 1. To turn (an opportunity) to one's advantage; to take advantage of (a situation); to profit from; as, to capitalize on an opponent's mistakes s>. the sales success triggered by Internet recruitment. Savvy franchisors who have embraced online lead generation know how to integrate their print, trade shows and public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most into effective multi-media advertising that produces sales results. They also successfully avoid the confusion electronic media creates for many franchisors. Companies selling Internet prospects carefully follow core marketing principles to profit from this fast-moving phenomenon. Their advertising programs include the following essentials. High-Performance Tracking You'll instantly save money and increase leads by carefully analyzing your Internet leads and sales by each media source. It isn't easy, but if you don't start now "Don't start now" is a recut single by BoA. Track listing
Unfortunately, poor lead monitoring is a major challenge plaguing franchise development today. Forty-five percent of franchisors still don't have a good grip on sourcing their lead generation. What a costly problem! Drilling for Answers Smart Internet recruitment requires knowing how prospects get to your site. Have your web host or a service, such as Webtrends, monitor traffic coming from commercial Web sites, search engines, cross-linking sites, individual addresses, etc. Your payback Payback The length of time it takes to recover the initial cost of a project, without regard to the time value of money. in finding your best sources is priceless. To sharpen your analysis, connect all your Web site links for your franchise development directly to your franchise page, and create a special URL for all your recruitment marketing and advertising. By using this approach, a savvy marketing franchise solved their former tracking challenge of sifting through most of their homepage traffic for recruitment visitors. Continually record a prospect's response source(s) upon his or her initial inquiry, on your application, at Discovery Day and in new franchise training classes. Use a multi-source system which may credit two or three different media for the same sale. Was the Internet the originator or communicator of the lead? After constant use of suggestive probing, one service franchisor discovered a new franchisee attended a show, picked up their brochure, and used the Internet to communicate his interest. Short-Cut to Internet Buying A minimum of 34 commercial Web sites currently compete for your ad dollars. This vendor invasion can spin any mind. Who are the best and where do I invest? The solution is relatively simple. Save your sanity Reasonable understanding; sound mind; possessing mental faculties that are capable of distinguishing right from wrong so as to bear legal responsibility for one's actions. SANITY, med. jur. The state of a person who has a sound understanding; the reverse of insanity. by sidestepping the technobabble tech·no·bab·ble n. Technical jargon: "The playwright can send up the garbled technobabble of modern bureaucracy as expertly as anyone" Peter Marks. Noun 1. , and zero in on measurable results. Qualified lead generation is what matters in franchise advertising. Avoid getting romanced by sexy graphics and special effects special effects, in motion pictures, cinematographic techniques that create illusions in the audience's minds as well as the illusions created using these techniques. . Bottom line, five direct questions will deliver you the critical information you want. Your better sites will supply this information, or provide references to validate their direct-response rates. Beware and pass if they don't. Here's what you should know to make informed online buying decisions. * Which franchisors have sold franchises from your site's lead generation? * Which franchisors in my investment range and category are pleased with their results? * How many pre-qualified inquiry forms can I expect from your site? * How many click-throughs can I expect from your site? * Can you provide audit reports to verify your traffic? Working with Web Techies High-performance recruitment companies build successful relationships between their franchise development and Internet technology personnel. Techies can make or break you if your site isn't performing the way you want. Web developers may have intranet and e-commerce expertise, but can fall short in building response-driven recruitment sites. Franchise sales must often guide techies in developing their cyber-tools. Working as a team is critical to greater online success. As one seasoned technology officer advises franchisors, "stick to your fundamental principles of direct-response marketing. Don't let web developers intimidate in·tim·i·date tr.v. in·tim·i·dat·ed, in·tim·i·dat·ing, in·tim·i·dates 1. To make timid; fill with fear. 2. To coerce or inhibit by or as if by threats. you into deviating from the rules." Change Your Sales Process A sales process is a systematic approach for performing product or service sales. The reasons for having a sales process include seller and buyer risk management, achieving standardized customer interaction in sales and scalable revenue generation. New We all realize trade shows and national advertising require different sales approaches. Yet many franchisors must discover Internet selling also requires a special process. A training franchisor committing this error spoke at an industry event, promoting how the intranet was a communications godsend god·send n. Something wanted or needed that comes or happens unexpectedly. [Alteration of Middle English goddes sand, God's message : goddes, genitive of God, God , but the medium just didn't work in marketing their type of opportunity. One of their competitors applauded this news, as they continued reaping the sales rewards of their online efforts. The message is clear: adapt your sales process or lose the competitive advantage. How you handle initial inquiries makes the selling difference. Savvy online recruiters only work with pre-qualified online leads and immediately respond with "high tech-and-touch" follow-up. Here's how: Steps to Success First, interested prospects are required to call or complete online pre-qualifying forms on the franchisor's Web site as well as any commercial Web site. Get rid of "info@ ..." e-mail hyperlinks, that drive a sales rep crazy wasting time chasing unqualified responses. A common mistake is encouraging site visitors to e-mail senior executives with questions. The intention of this personal touch is good, but the outcome is typically disastrous. One service franchise stopped this when up to one hundred e-mails sent to their executive inboxes went unanswered two to fours weeks at a time. Secondly, Internet prospects are impatient and want information now. Respond instantly with an auto-response letter providing more value-building information, a link to your Web site, and what the next step is in reviewing your franchise opportunity. Call the inquiry within four business hours BUSINESS HOURS. The time of the day during which business is transacted. In respect to the time of presentment and demand of bills and notes, business hours generally range through the whole day down to the hours of rest in the evening, except when the paper is payable it a bank or by a . Twenty-eight percent to 32 percent of the time you are lucky enough to connect and give your initial presentation. When you get voicemail, acknowledge their interest, your e-mail letter and how to proceed further for consideration. When we recently shopped eight retail franchises, five e-mailed us within two to three days, five called within three to five days and one never responded. A recent Internet study confirms this mediocre to poor follow-up by most franchisors. With cyber-leads on the grow, sales departments need to adjust now before their follow-up performance slips further. The Future Grows Brighter As we continue our journey learning the power of Internet technology, ongoing discoveries will only enhance our abilities to access online tools for franchise development. Exciting, new opportunities through broadband, merging media and wireless technologies are just around the corner ... promising us greater selling applications. High-performance franchise companies will embrace these developments and further strengthen their franchise recruitment programs. Steve Olson is president of Olson & Associates of Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city located in southern Los Angeles County, California, USA, on the Pacific coast. It borders Orange County on its southeast edge. It is about 20 miles (30 km) south of downtown Los Angeles. . |
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