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quickly and simply, what you do, how you do it, why you are good at it and why it is relevant to them. In short this process goes through four stages: 1. Clarity 2. Credibility 3. Relevance 4. Believability


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Where would I use this in the franchise world? • At exhibitions • At networking events • To train staff • On the telephone • In any type of copy • In social networking and on your website


It is common for a company to have a perfect 90-second style pitch that they use at networking events or to train the sales team. They understand the value of having it, the power it provides in consistency of approach and how it helps engage their target audience, however, many franchisors do not adopt a ‘Perfect Pitch’ approach to engaging with prospects.


It is essential that franchisors spend time developing their perfect pitch, especially in franchising where so many franchisors attend exhibitions. The first question visitors ask as they casually walk up to your stand is: ‘So, tell me about what you do.’ The response is often a mixture of product and service information, usually delivered with too much detail and then something vague about the franchise, which is then usually followed with an invitation to fill in a form. Not a good start to a potentially long-term relationship. By utilising a ‘Perfect Pitch’ approach, you can train your staff on the phone, email and at shows to engage more effectively with prospects.


Maximise your exposure at a franchise show


Getting to the show with an innovative stand design, appropriate merchandise and plenty


ood marketing begins with the ‘Perfect Pitch’. This is a psychologically proven method of engaging with someone to help them understand


of enthusiasm is a great start, but there are a few more tricks to a successful show. I always prefer to have at least two people working on a stand, or more depending on stand size. Brief your stand team on what you want them to do and how you want them to record the number and details of visitors to the stand, remembering to cover any data protection issues. Set your team individual goals. For example, if you want 100 leads over a two- day show and you have five people working on the stand, that is 50 leads a day, 10 leads per person. So, five before lunch and five after lunch each, per day. Breaking it down like this makes it less daunting for the team.


By scheduling a few speaking slots on your stand, you attract prospects to you


“ ” You can also grade leads in quality and


relevance. By having a ‘one, two, three’ system you can prioritise calling the ‘one’s’ first once the team is back in the office the week after the show.


You might also like to give your team an extra added motivator, such as a bottle (or case!) of wine for the person who achieves the most grade one leads.


Multi-media


An exhibition provides an excellent opportunity for you to showcase any videos, testimonials, events, discovery days, case studies and product demos on a screen. Visitors naturally stop and watch and this gives your team a chance to approach them.


On-stand speaking


Some of our most successful clients adopt a system for attracting visitors onto the stand in a non-threatening way. A great way to do this is through the use of speaking slots. By scheduling a few speaking slots on your stand, you attract prospects to you. Prospects like to speak to people who have already been in their position, so have a


franchisee on the stand. You can also use this in your pre-show marketing activity to invite hot prospects along to the show to meet you and your franchisee.


Speaking at the show


Most shows offer seminar sessions. At the point of booking your show stand, you should consider booking a speaking slot. These slots can really help to increase your presence at the show.


There is another whole system and strategy behind making the most of these speaking slots and how to capture visitor data after you have spoken. Next time you are at an event, pay particular attention to the speakers and what they do at the end of their talk.


Don’t forget the press Another important target audience at exhibitions is the press. Leave your media pack in the press room for any interested journalists to pick up to find out more about your franchise.


End of the show – not the end of the work!


Details of interested prospects who have actively opted in to receive further details on your franchise should be followed up fast. An eye-catching branded email and personal phone call works best.


Overall, franchisors should consider exhibitions as part of an integrated approach to marketing – a joined up approach. By linking up exhibition attendance with LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, your database, magazine and newspaper adverts and editorials, you amplify the impact of all of the marketing and advertising you do. n


Author’s note


sarah Cook is founding partner of Coconut Creatives, a marketing company accredited by the bfa.


For more information, email sarah@coconutcreatives.co.uk. Franchisor news’ readers will receive a 20 per cent discount on all Franchisor Marketing Workshops.


Franchisor News | 29


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