A prospect is comparing two franchises. Both describe comprehensive training and ongoing support. One means two weeks in head office and a phone number. The other means six weeks, someone on site for the first fortnight, monthly visits and a marketing team that does the work.
The brochures are almost identical.
What prospects ask
They usually ask what the initial training covers, how long it lasts, where it takes place, whether accommodation is included, what happens at launch, whether someone is on site, what ongoing support means, how often they see anyone, what marketing is done centrally, what the technology includes and what happens when something goes wrong.
Separate the three phases
Initial training before opening, launch support in the first weeks, and ongoing support thereafter. Brands describe them as one thing and prospects cannot evaluate any of it.
Example conversations
These scripts use information a brand might publish. Your answers should come from your own pages.
Prospect: What training do I actually get? Assistant: The support page sets out the initial programme, including its length, location, what it covers and what is included such as accommodation. It also explains the launch support in your first weeks and the ongoing arrangements afterwards. Could you tell me your territory of interest so the team can go through it with you?
Prospect: What does ongoing support mean in practice? Assistant: The page describes the field visits and their frequency, the support line and its hours, the marketing provided centrally and what you run locally, and the systems included. It also explains the franchisee network and how often people meet.
Prospect: Can I speak to someone already running one? Assistant: The page explains at what point in the process candidates meet existing franchisees and that you can ask them anything. I can pass your details to the recruitment team so they can arrange it.
Be specific about frequency
Monthly visits, quarterly reviews, an annual conference. A number is evaluable and comprehensive support is not.
Explain what marketing is done centrally
National campaigns, the website, social content, local marketing materials and what the franchisee is expected to do themselves. Prospects consistently underestimate the local marketing burden.
Explain what the levy buys
Where a marketing levy is charged, what it funds and how it is reported. Franchisees resent a levy they cannot see the benefit of more than almost anything else.
Describe the systems included
Point of sale, booking, stock, reporting and whether they are included in the fees. These are real costs a prospect should not discover separately.
Explain what happens when a unit struggles
Additional support, a recovery plan, a field visit. How a brand handles a failing unit tells a prospect more than any success story.
Let them meet franchisees
Unfiltered access to existing operators is the strongest thing a confident brand can offer, and the most conspicuous absence when it is missing.
Territory and investment come first
They are covered in territory availability questions from prospective franchisees.
The recruitment process generally
It is covered in franchise enquiries from prospective franchisees.
Buyers evaluate professionals the same way
The pattern appears in what clients ask before choosing a solicitor, and publishing answers before being asked is the approach in proactive support answering questions before customers ask.
Getting started
Publish your training programme, launch support and ongoing arrangements with frequencies, then capture and qualify enquiries at any hour. SpideyChat for multi-location brands answers from your published pages. Try SpideyChat on your own site, or read about capture on the features page.