The Pipeline Review: More At-Bats or Better At-Bats? The Franchise Development Pipeline Debate
The Pipeline Review is our inside look at franchise development trends, pulled directly from our monthly insider newsletter, Franchise Unfiltered.
As I’m sure you might imagine, conversations about AI-generated search have absolutely flooded my inbox, dominated my conversations, and have my office abuzz nowadays. After all, we have found ourselves in an era being dubbed “earned media’s savior.”
On the whole, I should be happy about this sudden change in fortune. For years, PR has been grappling with no longer being a lead generator, but a lead educator. Without any concrete data to show for our efforts, until recently, the earned media space was stuck being vanity data, lead education, and the first thing cut from the budget. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and all of the other AI-generated search tools changed all of that overnight.
So, why are franchise developers still strategizing like it’s 1997?
More At-Bats or More Quality At-Bats?
This week, we’re covering a major philosophical argument constantly being had in the halls of FLDC: are more at-bats or more quality at-bats what you optimize for?
Considering I am a loyal follower of all things Moneyball, and Brad Pitt in arguably his best performance, I am choosing quality over quantity all day.
So, loyal reader, how do brands build a pipeline around this philosophy? By doing these three things:
Put a Franchise Development Marketer on Your Roadmap
Treat your franchise candidates like a completely different channel by putting a “Franchise Development Marketer” on your headcount roadmap.
As the franchise industry becomes more professionalized by the month, I’m seeing a major trend of institutionally backed franchisors hiring a marketer specializing in all things franchise development marketing. By having someone only thinking about filling the pipeline with qualified candidates, they will have the time to think about customizing your approach versus overstuffing your pipeline for the sake of keeping your sales team busy.
Use Big Tech’s Systems for What They Do Best
Use the systems made by the trillion-dollar tech companies for what they’re good at: innovation.
When I first started learning about franchising, the industry was optimizing for raw lead count through janky franchise portals, old-school trade shows, and print advertising. As I’m sure you may imagine, there was not a whole lotta data to back up really any of those strategies.
When digital advertising mediums like Meta and Google came onto the scene, they provided more data and customization than anyone had ever seen. Unfortunately, the industry’s discomfort with innovation pushed digital marketers to optimize for raw lead count, rather than a tailored approach with lead quality in mind.
As more innovative CDOs enter the space, franchise developers have finally started to customize their approach. They have structured their FranDev teams to prepare for more impactful, and not just more, conversations by using more in-depth candidate profiling and lookalike audience capabilities.
Take Care of Leads From Origination to Close
Don’t make top-of-funnel your only focus. Taking good care of your leads from origination to close is more important than ever.
Time and time again, I hear franchise developers focusing on “lead this, lead that” without focusing on the candidate experience once the lead has been sourced. Communicating with candidates in a variety of ways, communicating with them in a tailored fashion, providing ample evidence from every angle as to why they should feel comfortable investing, and making them feel like family at a Discovery Day are all part of lead quality over quantity.
As Millennials become the dominant franchise buyers, I can speak on my generation’s behalf by saying this: there is nothing we hate more than being treated like a number. Millennials like to feel special. You can thank the trophy-giving generations before us for that behavior. So lumping 35 candidates into a Discovery Day without making it feel experiential is not going to do the trick.
Someone looking to jump into franchise ownership is a tough person to find. Don’t blow your shot.
Want More Franchise Insights?
This conversation is just one example of what we share in Franchise Unfiltered, our monthly newsletter for franchisors who want real perspective on what’s changing, what’s working, and what actually matters in franchising right now, including:
Unfiltered perspectives from certified franchise experts embedded in franchise systems every day
Sharp insights and fresh perspective you won’t find anywhere else
No fluff. No vendor spin. Just practical insights you won’t find in press releases or panel soundbites
If you’re building, advising, or supporting franchise brands and want a sharper lens on where the industry is headed, subscribe to get Franchise Unfiltered straight to your inbox.
