Do you feel like Franchise Recruitment is harder than it used to be?
If so, you’re not imagining it, and you’re certainly not alone. It’s something we hear from almost every franchisor we speak to.
We work with more than 20 brands at any one time across a wide range of sectors, so we get to see a very informative cross-section of what’s happening in the recruitment world, and we’re now able to see the numbers which back this up right across the industry.
The British Franchise Association and WorkBuzz have just published their fifth annual Recruitment & Support Benchmark Report and it’s made for fascinating reading. Yes, it shows the challenges very clearly, but it’s also a lot more hopeful and positive than you might imagine.
Franchise recruitment isn’t broken – it’s changed, and the brands that understand how are still doing very well indeed.
However, it’s not always easy to see where the problem lies. It’s very easy to assume that its down to a shortage of interest, that fewer people want to buy a franchise than ever before. The data paints a very different picture. In fact, leads are at record levels, and the “average” franchise generated nearly twice as many leads this year as they did last, and each one tends to cost less to generate than in previous years, too.
The top of the funnel has never been busier, or cheaper to fill.
The true problem is that the rate at which leads are converting into franchisees has definitely fallen, while the cost to franchisors or recruiting each new franchisee has nearly doubled. More people are coming forward, but turning that interest into a signature is harder, and more expensive, than it used to be.
What does that mean for you?
Lead generation still matters – of course, it does – but simply pouring more money and time into the top of the funnel doesn’t produce results in the way that it used to.
So, if your enquiry numbers are healthy, but your recruitment rate is falling, you don’t have a lead problem. You have a conversion problem, and that requires a very different kind of fix.
It means taking a closer look at how today’s prospects behave.
Most have already done a great deal of research before they ever fill in a form. They’ve researched you across Google, reviews, and social media long before they ever make contact, and they’re growing more capable with AI tools all the time. That means your messaging has to be sharper, your responses quicker, and your whole process more polished, than it needed to be even a couple of years ago. Every email, every call, every touchpoint becomes part of a recruitment journey where the decision to sign with you can be won or lost.
Not your lead count.
None of this means franchising has stopped paying off. Far from it. Many brands are recruiting more franchisees on average than they were a year ago, and most are actively targeting further growth over the next twelve months.
The reward is very much still there. It’s simply now going to the franchisors who have built a recruitment process sharp enough to earn it.
So, before you spend another pound trying to put more people into the top of the funnel, let’s find out what happens to the ones you already have.
We’ll take an honest look at your current franchise recruitment strategy and give you a free, no-obligation audit of where your leads might be leaking, what’s working, and what could be sharper before your busiest weeks begin.
It’s completely confidential, and you’ll come away with a clear view of where you stand, whether or not you even choose to work with us.
Click the button below to pick a time that works for you. It takes around 45 minutes, and you’ll leave with a clearer picture of what your recruitment process is really doing with the leads you’re already generating.
Nothing more than that.
John Overdijking
Franchisee Recruitment Specialist & Partner
