Franchise Development

From a vast and growing proprietary data set of U.S. franchise prospects, startup and business-for-sale inquiries, we use the tools of data science to discover franchise development trends and explore the impact of buyer location and demographics on franchise lead generation. Further, we survey franchise prospects and franchise systems periodically to gather buyer behavioral and benchmarking insights.

Our focus is on the growth of franchise systems through the acquisition of franchisees, particularly benchmarking in the lead generation aspect of franchise development, which includes franchise portals, search marketing, email, and social media, along with best practices for franchise development sales teams.

Franchise Buyer Research and Behaviors

  • Motivations - From monthly surveys, we glean what motivates franchise buyers, with "being your own boss" a perennial favorite.
  • Preference for Franchises - We ask them about their preferences for franchises over pure startups or established businesses that are for sale.
  • Desired Franchise Characteristics - We regularly aspiring business owners to discover and share rankings among several characteristics they might desire in franchises.
  • Expected Sources of Franchise Funding - These range from loans of various types, equity, and many forms of personal capital.
  • Why Portals Generate Significant Leads at Franchise Development Websites - Surveys show consistently that consumers researching franchises are interested to know more before talking with a franchise representative, highlighting the role and value of the frandev website and the importance of telling a clear brand story therein.
  • Franchise Prospect Strengths - Aspiring franchise owners share with us the attributes they believe they possess which would qualify them for business ownership. Factors such as "grit" and "willingness to follow a proven system" are consistently at the top of the list.

Geographic Franchise Development Trends

  • Franchise Interest by State - Demographics, population and perceptions about local business conditions are among the factors that give some states interest for new locations disproportionate to population.
  • Migration of Franchise Interest Over Time - using large volumes of lead flow data, we see patterns in geographic interest for the location of new franchise locations.

Franchise Development Marketing and Franchise Lead Generation

  • Franchise Lead Generation - "Top Ten" Lead Generation Topics
  • Getting Prospects to Franchise Development Websites - among paid sources, franchise portals aid in the discovery and consideration of franchise brands, but moreover generate a significant source of franchise development website traffic and leads.
  • Lifetime Value of a Franchise Lead - When calculating the return on investment of an advertising alternative, it is important to look at the conversion rate over a relevant time period.
  • Paid Search and Social Media - We try to stay abreast of these prolific sources of franchise leads, and find ways to navigate the changing privacy constraints and impact on Google, Meta and LinkedIn.

What Franchise Prospects Say about the Franchise Sales Process

  • Preferred Initial Contact Channels - How do they want to be reached? While we survey monthly, a wealth of data shows that email, text, then voice is the most effective sequence.
  • Prospect Feedback - by categorizing open-ended responses, we arrive at suggestions, some of which are obvious - like following up as agreed upon, and others that reflect the style of approach that various sales teams have chosen.

Periodically we use inferences from our own data industry sources to make predictions for franchise development towards preparing growing franchise systems for threats and opportunities on the horizon.

Many Franchise-Seekers Already Own Other Businesses

September 30,2026 – In over seven years of monthly surveys, the data show that  15-25% of franchise prospects researching on franchise directory websites (portals) already own at least one business.

Franchises Win Again Among Options for Business Ownership

September 23, 2026  – Aspiring entrepreneurs preferred the option to “buy a franchise” over acquiring an existing business by a wide margin in recent months. While over 51.4% indicated interest in the franchise purchase option, only 40.5% were interested in buying an existing business for sale in the July and August 2026 Startup Sentiment surveys. 

What Prospects Say about the Franchise Sales Process

By: Michael Alston for Franchise Insights

August 19, 2026 – Individuals submitting inquiries about franchises were mostly satisfied with their experiences, according to franchise prospect surveys over the six months ending July 2026. Almost half (48.9%) said they were either “satisfied “or “very satisfied”, up from 43.4% over the same period in 2025

Individuals Researching Franchises Quickly Focus on a Few Options

August 12, 2026 – Despite the hundreds of franchise options across dozens of categories on franchise directory websites, most individuals narrow their focus during a website visit and ultimately inquire about only one or two concepts. This franchise buyer behavior has been consistent over more than six years of customer journey analysis of websites and mobile apps. 

Work Schedule Flexibility Tops Cost of Entry in Recent Polls of Franchise Prospect Preferences

July 1, 2026  – In over six years of survey data on characteristics that make franchises most attractive to individuals seeking franchises, “low cost of entry” and “higher earnings potential” have consistently been ranked the highest. But in recent months, “flexibility of work schedule” has risen to second most important by individuals seeking business ownership, surpassing “low cost of entry.”

The Top Three Sources of Franchise Funding According to Today’s Prospects

June 24, 2026 – Since our last review of expected business startup funding sources, many of the smaller categories changed by a few percentage points. But while maintaining their rank order, two of the top three sources – personal savings and SBA loans – dropped in the range of ten percentage points each.

Franchise Prospects Now More Likely to Respond to Voice or Text for Initial Contact, But Email Plays Important Role

June 17, 2026 – Since our last review of preferred initial contact channels in July 2025, more franchise prospects are saying they prefer a phone call for initial contact, and marginally fewer franchise prospects have been indicating that they preferred to be emailed first by a franchise they have expressed interest in. This preference is seen in surveys from January to May 2026 by Franchise Insights.

Scaling Franchise Growth: Why Lead Generation Alone Isn’t Enough

Scaling Franchise Growth: Why Lead Generation Alone Isn’t Enough

At Franchise Ventures, we work with brands that are focused on scaling growth across multiple locations, where marketing success depends not just on generating leads, but on how those leads turn into real business outcomes. We sat down with Joe Yakuel, founder and CEO of WITHIN, a leading creative and marketing agency. WITHIN helps brands …

How AI is Changing Consumer Search Behavior

May 20, 2026 – Along with the rest of consumers, persons searching for businesses have now had more than two years of experience with Google’s AI Overviews along with chatbots and AI-enhanced browsers. How might this have changed the process of finding the right franchise and thereby franchise lead generation? There may be clues in the preferences of the general population for chat over traditional search.

Learnings From Google and Meta Earnings for Franchise Lead Generation

May 13, 2026 – Now that first quarter earnings reports from Google and Meta are behind us, there are a few hints about how the franchise lead generation ecosystem is changing. One insight is that franchise development teams have embraced Google AI Ad Tools ahead of Google’s advertiser base.

2026 Franchise Development Lead Generation Strategic Summary

April 29, 2026 — For anyone who found the series of articles on the 2026 Franchise Development Lead Generation survey too long to consume, or missed some, we are providing a very brief summary with references to the sources for deeper inquiry.

Solutions to the Enigma of Failed Initial Contact With Prospects

April 15, 2026 – In the first three months of 2026, only 40.2% of individuals submitting inquiries to franchises said they were contacted within seven days by all of the (one or more) franchises they expressed interest in via an inquiry form. These results were from surveys conducted by FranchiseInsights.com from January through March 2026.

Two Thirds of Franchise Prospects Say AI Impacts Their Interest in Business Ownership

April 1, 2026 – The 2026 Franchise Development Lead Generation Survey showed that more than 88% of franchise brands surveyed will be using at least one AI tool for lead generation by the end of 2026. But what are prospects themselves thinking will be the impact of artificial intelligence on their path to business ownership? The Franchise  Insights Small Business Startup Sentiment Index™ (SSI) survey completed the last week in March revealed that two thirds of respondents believe AI will have an impact on their interest in business ownership (34% said there would be “no impact”). 

LinkedIn and TikTok to Grow in Usage for Franchise Development Lead Generation in 2026

March 18, 2026 – Franchise systems responding to the 2026 Franchise Development Lead Generation Survey reported increased overall spending on lead sources in 2025. When asked about 2026 plans, more than 45% of teams reported increasing budgets for one or more of their chosen sources as they seek to diversify and assure a stream of qualified prospects for franchise growth.

Forecast for Top Four Franchise Development Lead Generation Platforms by 2026 Usage

March 4, 2026 – When asked about 2026 plans, more than 45% of teams reported increasing budgets for one or more of their chosen sources.  Franchise directories or “portals” as a category grew in 2025 usage to 74.4% and are expected to grow further in usage to 78.8% in 2026. This difference of 4.4% is the highest absolute growth in usage among the top four source platforms. Among sources surveyed, only Google is expected to decline in usage in 2026.

AI Usage Ubiquitous in Franchise Development Lead Generation in 2026

February 24, 2026 – If you are not using AI tools to enhance your franchise lead generation process, you will be in a small minority by the end of this year according to the 2026 Franchise Development Lead Generation Survey. More than 88% of brands surveyed will be using at least one AI tool by the end of 2026.

2026 Forecast for Usage of Top Franchise Development Lead Generation Sources

February 18, 2026 – Franchise systems responding to the 2026 Franchise Development Lead Generation Survey reported increased overall spending on lead sources in 2025, along with changes in usage. When asked about 2026 plans, more than 45% reported increasing budgets for one or more of their chosen sources. Among sources surveyed, only Google is expected to decline in usage in 2026.

Changes in Usage of Major Platforms for Franchise Development Lead Generation

February 9, 2026 – For lead generation sourcing in 2025, franchise development teams coalesced around four major platforms, after much experimentation in 2024. From the 2026 Franchise Development Lead Generation Sources Survey, however, respondents reported abated experimentation in TikTok, while LinkedIn continued to grow in usage.

Why Are There Record Referral Percentages from Portals to Franchise Development Websites?

January 21, 2026 — An astonishing percentage of prospects who request information on franchise portal websites become a referral visit to a franchisor’s website afterwards. In our December 2025 survey, about 89% of portal lead submitters made post-inquiry visits to the corresponding franchise development websites of their interest. This referral percentage historically ranges from about 65-75% in over six years of monthly data.

A Reliable Source For Franchise Development Website Referrals

January 12, 2026  — When interested buyers submit inquiries at a franchise portal, only a fraction of them end their searches there. The vast majority of prospects who are exposed to and inquire about your brand on these franchise directory sites go on to continue their research while awaiting your response.

How To Avoid Looking Like Spam, and Get Through to Legitimate Franchise Prospects

December 17, 2025 – This week, we attempt to provide a concise review of the basics of how franchise development teams can get through to interested prospects. A comprehensive action plan is beyond the scope of this article, but we are attempting to provide a “first aid” list of the 20% of suggestions that might yield 80% of the results, by channel.

How Do the Options for Ownership Stack Up in the Eyes of Business Buyers?

November 12, 2025  – Individuals seeking business ownership preferred the option to “buy a franchise” over acquiring an existing business by a wide margin in the October 2025 Startup Sentiment survey. While over 60.7% indicated interest in the franchise purchase option, only 41.8% were interested in buying an existing business for sale.

Layoffs Propel Skilled Workers to Business Ownership

October 28, 2025 — Headlines this week report layoffs at Amazon, UPS, and Paramount, while a government shutdown continues for almost a month. Tens or hundreds of thousands of skilled workers will be looking for better opportunities, with many taking advantage of this opportunity to take control of their destinies and “be their own boss.”

Texas, Florida and New York Gain the Most In Franchise Development Interest

October 22, 2025 – In a year-over-year analysis, interest in franchises migrated southward and selectively eastward according to new data from FranchiseInsights.com. By comparing quarterly shares by state of inquiries about franchises for the third quarter of 2024 to the third quarter of 2025, there were shifts in the mix of where aspiring franchisees were expecting to locate franchises – from north to south, and west to east.  

Sizing The Lost Opportunity in Franchise Prospect initial Contact Attempts

September 10, 2025 – Over the summer of 2025, only 35-46% of individuals submitting inquiries to franchises said they were contacted by all of the franchises they indicated interest in within seven days, as reported by the FranchiseInsights.com “mystery shopping” surveys from June to August 2025.

Top-of-Funnel Franchise Prospects Quickly Focus on a Few Options

August 27, 2025 – After perusing among hundreds of options across multiple categories on franchise directory websites, most individuals narrow their focus and ultimately inquire about only one or two concepts. This franchise buyer behavior has been consistent over more than five years of customer journey analysis of websites and mobile apps.  

Self-Reported Strengths Shared by Aspiring Franchise Owners

August 20, 2025 – In the July 2025 Startup Sentiment survey, Grit, or “persistence towards a goal despite obstacles” was cited by 58.5% of respondents. In this survey of individuals seeking franchises, 55.4% also attested to their “willingness to follow a proven system”, an essential ingredient for succeeding at franchise ownership. 

The Preferred Sequence of Channels for Initial Prospect Contact

July 30, 2025 – According to a 2020 study by Pew Research, only 19% of Americans will take a call from a number they are unfamiliar with. In April 2021, Apple launched its “block unknown callers” feature, followed by “live voice mail” in September 2023, which allows recipients to screen unknown calls without picking up.

Referrals Are A Key Source of Value in Franchise Lead Generation

July 16, 2025 — With AI-induced changes to consumer behavior and the search marketing ecosystem, alternate channels of lead referrals become even more essential and valuable. Referred visits to your franchise development website yield informed prospects who demonstrate clear intent – they are aware of your offering, and want to learn  more. 

Feedback from Prospects on The Franchise Sales Process

July 2, 2025 – Individuals submitting inquiries about franchises were mostly satisfied with their experiences, according to franchise prospect surveys over the five months ending in June 2025. Almost half (44.4%) said they were either “satisfied “or “very satisfied”, and only 22.2% said they were “unsatisfied or very unsatisfied.”

Most Franchise Seekers Are Gen-X, But the Future Belongs to Millennials

June 18, 2025 — Interest in franchise ownership spans all adult ages, but the most likely cohort for taking the leap is around middle age. Self-reported demographics of prospective franchise owners from January through April 2025 show that the most popular ages for exploring business ownership range from the mid-40s up to 60.

Google’s AI Mode and Franchise Lead Generation

June 11, 2025 — Almost exactly a year since we wrote about the introduction of AI Overviews and generative AI to franchise search, Google introduced AI Mode, its generative AI offering to the search experience in browsers and the Gemini app which began rolling out to all U.S. desktop and mobile users on May 20, 2025.

Advertising Your Franchise Brand In the Dawn of AI-Enhanced Search

May 20, 2025 — With the growth of chatbots and AI-enabled research, the pathways that lead to discovery of your franchise are certainly changing. Since Google’s launch of AI Overviews just over a year ago, search queries have grown by almost 50%, yet click-throughs have dropped by 30%. 

2025 Franchise Development Lead Sources Survey Highlights

May 13, 2025 – Business news is bustling with headlines about tariff negotiations, the disruption and opportunities presented by AI, antitrust claims and remedies potentially impacting Google, and content freedom vs. moderation on many platforms, and a pending outright ban of TikTok in the U.S. along with separate actions TikTok brought by several states. Meanwhile, franchisors must navigate these waters to successfully grow their systems.  

2025 Franchise Development Lead Sources Survey

April 30, 2025 – Franchise development teams are largely maintaining or increasing their expansion plans in 2024-2025. They have responded to changes in the lead generation ecosystem by aggressively diversifying their paid sources, in the face of rising cost per lead, to achieve growth goals and complement organic growth.

Record Optimism a Tailwind for Franchise Development

By: Michael Alston for Franchise Insights April 16, 2025 – Franchise development teams should enjoy a new tailwind in prospect optimism. Surveys in the last week of March 2025 showed a record 87.5% of persons exploring ownership agree or strongly agreed that “now is a good time for startup”. In the same survey, 74.1% of …

Changes in Cost Per Lead for Top Paid Franchise Development Lead Generation Sources

April 9, 2025 – Most systems responding to the 2025 Franchise Development Lead Generation Survey anticipated increased spending in 2025, to which higher costs per lead were a factor for most sources. In 2025, 87% of franchisors expect to employ Google paid advertising (including YouTube), up from 82.5% in 2024, despite 24.6% of them reporting that lead costs increased somewhat, and 7.3% significantly.

Changes in Franchise Development Lead Generation Paid Sources Planned for 2025

March 26, 2025 – When asked about advertising plans for 2025, 100% of franchise development teams already using the major franchise lead generation sources expected to increase their spending somewhat or significantly in 2025.
This is following a difficult 2024 where, despite challenging business conditions and the distractions of an election year, more than 58% of franchisors surveyed either stuck to their growth plans (50.0%) or increased them. Franchises increasing their expansion plans (8.3%) included all  tiers of system sizes, and 98% of them increased their spending in 2024 across the four largest third-party advertising platforms.

Full January Impact — Franchise Lead Generation Throttled By Natural Disasters

February 25, 2025 – Retail sales dropped 0.9% in January 2025, the largest drop since March 2023,  given that much of the country was covered with snow and the Palisades fires raged from January 7-31. If your franchise development team noticed a marked decrease in lead generation and prospect responsiveness in January, weather across the U.S. and fires in California were key among the reasons.

Franchise Development Propelled by More Prospects Leaving Full-Time Jobs

February 5, 2025 – Franchise development faces reduced competition from employers for the best candidates. Return-to-work mandates, cost-cutting, and increasing automation by employers are compelling more individuals to conclude that now is the time to buy a franchise and move forward on the path of “being my own boss”, the leading motivator for business ownership.

Are You Betting On The Best Practices For Reaching Franchise Prospects?

January 29, 2025 – Franchise prospects want to know who is calling before accepting a call. More than thirty-seven percent (37.2%) of respondents indicated that they preferred to be emailed first as an initial contact by a franchise they have expressed interest in, according to the recent December 2024 Franchise Insights Mystery Shopping survey. 

Natural Disasters Significantly Impact Franchise Lead Generation

January 14, 2025 – If your franchise sales team is noticing a decrease in lead generation in recent days, they are not alone. Despite a great start to the year, California is experiencing a significant drop in inquiries – down 21.3% through January 13, according to proprietary data from the Franchise Ventures lead generation platform of franchise investment inquiries in the United States. 

Record Share of Business Startups Planned Within 2025

January 1, 2025 – Monthly surveys of buyers actively seeking franchises and businesses for sale have shown an increasing inclination to start businesses in the ensuing twelve months when asked about their time frames. In late December 2024, a record 93.0% said they planned their business startups for within the next twelve months, in continuation of an upward trend since the beginning of 2023.

Franchise Prospects Report Improving Contact Attempt Rates In Recent Months

November 26, 2024 – Initial contact attempts by franchisors to inquiring prospects rose substantially over the last six months  as reported by the latest FranchiseInsights.com “mystery shopping” surveys from June to November 2024.  In November 2024, over 60% respondents reported that they were contacted by all of the franchises they inquired about.

Texas, Illinois and New Jersey Gain the Most In Franchise Interest as California Decreases

November 20, 2024 – In a year-over-year analysis, interest in franchises migrated eastward and selectively southward according to new data from FranchiseInsights.com. By comparing quarterly shares by state of inquiries about franchises for the third quarter of 2023 to the third quarter of 2024, there was a continuation of the shift in the mix of where aspiring franchisees were expecting to locate franchises

Franchise Development Prospects Share Their Perceived Strengths

November 13, 2024 — Almost 57% of franchise prospects in recent surveys attested to their “willingness to follow a proven system”, an essential ingredient for succeeding at franchise ownership.  Grit, or “persistence towards a goal despite obstacles” was cited by over half (53.2%) of respondents, followed by “team leadership experience” at almost 40%.

Most Franchise Prospect Journeys Begin With A Narrow Focus On Just A Few Concepts

October 30, 2024 – One consistent observation on franchise buyer behavior over almost five years of website journey analysis is how quickly researchers parse among many options to narrow their focus to a few for further inquiry. Most prospects only focus on a single concept when requesting information about franchises, despite the thousands of offerings across dozens of categories in the franchise directories of the Franchise Ventures lead generation platform.

With A Billion Political Texts Per Week, How Are You Most Likely to Reach Prospects?

October 23, 2024 – Both political parties have discovered the effectiveness of blanketing mobile phones with fundraising texts. According to YouMail, which offers call and text-blocking apps, political texts alone may be approaching one billion per week in October 2024. How do legitimate franchise representatives get through to sales prospects who want to hear from them?

Insights Into the Buyer Search Path to Franchise Development Websites

October 16, 2024 –We routinely ask prospects why they visited franchisor site(s) after submitting an inquiry at a franchise directory website, or portal, to gain insight into this behavior. The overwhelming response, at 49.4%, was “I was very interested and just wanted to learn more.” Another 34.2% wanted to “prepare before having a conversation” with franchise representatives.

Prospects Sound Off on Their Satisfaction With the Franchise Sales Process

September 25, 2024 – Persons inquiring about franchises were mostly satisfied with their experiences, according to recent franchise prospect surveys over the five months ending in September 2024. Almost half (43.5%) said they were either “satisfied “or “very satisfied”, and only 19.2% said they were “unsatisfied or very unsatisfied.” 

Many Franchise-Seekers Already Own Businesses

September 18, 2024 – Data from over five years of surveying aspiring franchise owners shows  that about 15-20% already own at least one business. The percentage has varied month-to-month over this time span, which includes the pandemic-affected years, but consistently represents a significant slice of aspiring candidates for franchise development. 

Franchises Preferred Over Startups from Scratch or Legacy Businesses For Sale

September 10, 2024 – Individuals interested in business ownership preferred the option to “buy a franchise” over acquiring an existing business by a significant margin in the August business buyer survey. While almost 60% indicated interest in the franchise purchase option, only 42.3% were interested in buying an existing business for sale.

With Lots of Options to Choose From, How Do Prospects Find Your Franchise Brand?

August 28, 2024 — Only about seven percent of aspiring franchise owners are already “very familiar” with the franchises they inquire about on franchise portals, and another 19% are “already somewhat familiar” with them, according to recent surveys of interested franchise seekers on the FranchiseVentures lead generation platform in July 2024.

More than Financial Rewards, ‘Being My Own Boss’ Motivates Franchise Seekers

August 14, 2024 – What motivates franchise seekers? Since we last reported on the motivations of aspiring franchise owners at the end of 2023, wars in Europe and the Middle East have continued, and concerns about political change have risen among individuals wanting to own their own businesses. But the primary drivers for business ownership have changed little.

Two Strong Months of Prospect Contact Attempt Rates Precede a Dip in June

July 17, 2024 – After two successive months of higher prospect initial contact attempts, rates dipped  as reported by the latest FranchiseInsights.com “mystery shopping” survey in June 2024.  More than half of respondents say they were contacted by all of the franchises they inquired about in April and May, at 50% and 57.1% in April and May, respectively. 

Today’s Franchise Development Prospects Desire to Follow a Proven System

July 2, 2024 — In our June 2024 survey, almost two-thirds (66.3%) of respondents claimed  “willingness to follow a proven system”, an essential characteristic for succeeding at franchise ownership.  Grit, or “persistence towards a goal despite obstacles” was cited by over half of respondents (50.6%) of respondents, followed closely by “team leadership experience” at 47%.

Franchise Interest Resumes Migration To The South and East for Franchise Development

June 26, 2024 – In a year-over-year analysis, interest in franchises shifted to the south and east according to new data from FranchiseInsights.com. By comparing quarterly shares by state for the first quarter of 2023 to the first quarter of 2024, there was a continuation of the shift in the mix of where aspiring franchisees were expecting to locate franchises.

Franchisee Prospects Continue to Focus on Just a Few Concepts for Research

June 19, 2024 – Franchise buyer behavior has changed in many ways in the four years since the global pandemic began. One aspect, however, has stayed the same: most prospects still only focus on a single concept when requesting information about franchises, despite the thousands of offerings across dozens of categories in the franchise directories of the FranchiseVentures lead generation platform. 

Do You Know Where Lead Referrals to Your Franchise Development Website Are Coming From?

May 29, 2024 — Cost per lead is often a key decision factor when evaluating franchise directory websites (portals), assuming quality standards are met. But leads submitted at franchise  directory websites also result in substantial referral visits to franchisor websites, in addition to being a significant source of leads submitted at development websites…

Franchise Lead Generation Search Results Get an AI Facelift

May 22, 2024 – “AI Overviews” have arrived for Google search results, after months of testing. Announced at Google’s I/O conference May 14, the experience will become available for most searchers over the next few months. The impact on Google’s $200 billion advertising is unknown, but presumably they would have thoroughly tested the impact on paid search revenues.

Can the Franchise Sales Process be Improved? Just ask Prospects.

May 15, 2024 – Persons inquiring about franchises were mostly satisfied with their experiences, according to recent mystery shopping surveys over the six months ending in April 2024. Over  half (50.9%) said they were either “satisfied “or “very satisfied”, and only 17.4% said they were “unsatisfied or very unsatisfied.” 

What Kinds of Businesses Do Aspiring Franchisees Already Own?

May 8, 2024 – From over four years of surveying aspiring franchise owners, data show that between 15-26% already own at least one business. The percentage varied over the pandemic years and exhibits some seasonality, but consistently represents a significant slice of aspiring franchisees. 

A Best Practice For Better Contact Results With Franchise Prospects

April 24, 2024 – In four months of survey data from January to April 2024, only 14.4% of respondents are “very likely,” and another 15.4% say they are “likely” to take a cold call from you. The traditional “call first” approach will likely lead to your frustration with about one third of franchise leads, and reduce the chances of more productive conversations with informed prospects.

Employment Data Bodes Well for Franchise Development – Fewer Applicants Coming From Full Time Jobs

April 10, 2024 – Franchise developers have been swimming upstream against a tide of employers clinging to full-time workers since the post-pandemic return to work. Over the last year, fewer aspiring franchise owners were leaving full-time jobs. In our March 2024 Small Business Startup Sentiment survey, franchise seekers who say they are leaving full-time jobs reached a four year low at 36.9%, as U.S. employers shed full-time workers.

Franchise Prospects Indicate Preferred Sequencing for Initial Contact Channels

March 27, 2024 – Most franchise prospects (42.4%)  prefer to be emailed on initial contact by a franchise they have expressed interested in according to fresh data in the March 2024 Franchise Insights Mystery Shopping survey. Another 30.6% indicated a desire for a phone call for the initial contact. This order preference is consistent with prior monthly “mystery shopping” surveys, including when we last shared franchise prospect contact preferences data.

Best Practices For Initial Response to a Franchise Informational Inquiry

The optimal order for following up with franchise prospects is about playing the odds. Segments of the pool of franchise leads prefer one of the nine permutations of three contact methods (email, voice and text), but to have the highest expectations of fruitful contact, especially given the 24/7 nature of lead flow, it pays to listen to what prospects want overall. 

Aspiring Business Owners Choose Franchises Over Startups or Businesses For Sale

March 13, 2023 – In a February 2024 survey, aspiring business owners preferred the option to “buy a franchise” over buying an existing business by more than a two-to-one margin. While 65.3% indicated interest in the franchise purchase option, only 31.6% indicated an interest in buying an existing business for sale.

Franchise Development Teams Expect to Increase Google Spending More than Meta and LinkedIn in 2024

February 28, 2024 – When asked about advertising plans for 2024,about a third of franchise development teams expected to increase their spending somewhat or significantly at Google, Meta or LinkedIn. This is following 2023 wherein, despite tumultuous business conditions and shocking news headlines, more than 58% of franchisors surveyed either stuck to their growth plans (50.0%) or increased them.

Middle Tiers of Franchise Systems Revved up Their Expansion Plans the Most in 2023

February 21, 2024 – Despite sagging consumer confidence, tighter credit and labor, and a volatile year in the financial markets, most franchise systems either stuck to their growth plans and ad budgets for 2023 according to a December survey by FranchiseInsights.com. But the adjustments to expansion plans varied significantly by the size or maturity of the franchise system.

Franchise Development Teams “Lean In” To LinkedIn for Franchise Lead Generation

February 14, 2024 – Signs from a number of metrics (time spent, monthly active users) and media reports are that we may have reached “peak” social media as measured by postings, monthly active users and time spent. The Wall Street Journal posits in a recent article that users are doing a lot more lurking than posting these days and foresees more of the same in this election year, along with mounting concerns about privacy.

Small Business Startup Sentiment Surges to Highest in Over a Year

February 7, 2024 – Prepare for launch! January startup sentiment data show 84.5% of aspiring franchisees plan their launches in the next twelve months, the highest percentage seen since December of 2023. The first of our Predictions for Franchise Development and Lead Generation for 2024 is looking very much on target.

Predictions for Franchise Development and Lead Generation for 2024

January 31, 2024 – The most reliable options for franchisors to directly acquire prospects in recent years – email and text marketing, paid search and social media – are all undergoing significant change, as are the dominant mobile and desktop platforms offered by Google and Apple (and a few others hardly worth mentioning).

Franchise Development Teams Face Growth Headwinds in Paid Search

January 24, 2024 – In our last article, we highlighted some of the headwinds facing advertisers who generate franchise leads from Google. Traffic exclusivity from Apple, antitrust and regulatory court proceedings threaten Google in 2024, along with greater competition by other players like Microsoft who aim to use artificial intelligence to get a bigger piece of the search marketing pie.

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Review our cookies information for more details.