We are going to discuss why prospects ghost you and why you have so many no shows. What is with the crickets? That is our topic of conversation. The fact that you don’t provide them with enough value and cause them to continue answering your calls is quite succinct. The process you are managing or leading them through isn’t enough about them and is too focused on what you want to know and offer rather than on them.
It is all about you when you call the process down. Eliminate the phrase “check-in call” from your vocabulary since you want to quit constantly checking in with them and making the call all about you. Furthermore, they have nothing to do with it. In other words, “Just stop it, make it about them, give them value,” as Bob Newhart once remarked.
So how do you go about doing that? Setting expectations is something I always advise doing, even before you start doing it. How do you interpret that? To achieve this, just let them know that you are a professional and that you respect their time by being present when you say you will be and by doing as you have promised. And you want to request that they follow suit.
Since you’re working with professionals most of the time, it’s only normal to be able to ask: Would you kindly confirm for me, and would you reciprocate the professionalism and politeness by arriving on time, communicating when things will change, and communicating when you can’t do anything? Can you still communicate if you can’t join one of our calls? So why not establish such goals and really inquire about them? Is it alright? Is it alright if that’s how our journey together proceeds? If that’s how we do our joint business, one of the first things you need to do is set expectations. By doing this, you’ll eliminate or significantly lower the number of no shows you’re getting.
Educating them is one approach to additional value right now, which is another action you may take. What do I mean by it, exactly? You see, 80 to 90 percent of the people you will be dealing with have never gone through a procedure like this and have no idea what they are doing. They are really terrified because of this. You want to educate them, and I’ve been saying for more than 20 years that doing so is the best way to combat fear. Additionally, you will constantly be providing them with value on every call by educating them along the way. As a result, they will want to attend to hear what you have to say as well as to learn more. Education is crucial, then.
What are some of these things that you ought to teach them about? You should be aware of these, but allow me to mention a few while we are all present here. One of them is to discuss the safety of franchising, and one aspect of that safety point is, you know, the advantages of starting a business through franchising, but one of the keys is the FTD; you obviously want to educate them about what an FTD is. If you don’t, I can assure you that this will increase their fear levels rather than lower it. Therefore, you want to define the FTD and state that this is a safety precaution for them. It serves to safeguard them. You want to inform them so they won’t feel overwhelmed by it and you want to explain what the FTD is to them. And you want to make it very apparent to them what to look for in the document.
Another thing you can do is to let them know that they will have the opportunity to meet franchisees, or people who are currently operating the business, as some people may inquire. Once more, if you take the initiative to educate them, you will come off as the authority. By responding “YES,” you will make yourself appear to be the wise counselor who has their best interests at heart.
You know, one of the advantages of purchasing a franchise or considering doing so is that you will be able to speak with those who are currently operating the business; specifically, you will be able to speak with the franchisees. Therefore, it’s another reason to call them and another aspect of that educational point that you want to convey to them. So again, reiterate that they will go through this experience and instruct them on how to make the most of these calls with the franchisees. Also, keep in mind that they are unsure of what will happen next. You should therefore inform them that there is a structure and a method in place. Call me so we can discuss how to put up a process if you don’t already have one.
Once more, you can lessen their level of dread if you let them know what’s coming and educate them about it. You should explain to them what kind of information they will be receiving and who they will typically speak with during the process. I already mentioned the franchisees, but they will also likely speak with the founder, executives, and possibly franchise support staff. You should also describe the experience they will have while going through the process. As a result, as you share more with them, their protective barriers and levels of fear are lowered.
Therefore, you should educate them to increase their value and set professional standards for them. This will encourage them to show up. The last thing you should do is to show them that you actually care about them. Avoid giving them the impression that you are just forcing them through a procedure. Don’t let them feel that they are simply another customer or another sale; instead, you want to give them the impression that they are the only person in the space where they will be and that they are the most significant individual in your eyes.
So, talk more about them and less about the franchise. I believe that this is because we spend a majority of our time discussing the advantages of a consultant or the opportunities you are presenting to them, and we spend very little time discussing the needs and aspirations of our clients. As a consultant, you want to portray a vision of business ownership via franchising, through their eyes, and through their lives. You also want to paint a picture of owning your brand.
What would their lives be like after they became franchisees of a business? As a result, you want to cut down on or stop ghosting and cut back on no-shows. You want the crickets to cease. Make it about them, give them greater importance. Set the bar high.
