At this fall’s Franchise Leadership and Development Conference in Atlanta, Ty Brewster of LocateAI got to town a bit earlier than the rest of us. Ty and our friend Kater Danford of Northeast Color, activated “Operation Sugarbomb.” They spent a day dropping off baked goods at various franchise companies and locations. What were they selling? Actually…nothing. By Jack Monson

At this fall’s Franchise Leadership and Development Conference in Atlanta, Ty Brewster of LocateAI got to town a bit earlier than the rest of us. Ty and our friend Kater Danford of Northeast Color, activated “Operation Sugarbomb.” They spent a day dropping off baked goods at various franchise companies and locations. What were they selling? Actually…nothing.

Ty and Kater are part of the International Franchise Association (IFA) Membership Committee. Their objective was to spread the good word about franchising and perhaps meet some franchisors and franchisees who don’t often attend franchise conferences or expos.

I asked Ty if he was expecting people to sign up for IFA membership on the spot. He said: “No. I always perform three acts of service before I ask for anyone’s business.”

I love this idea! In a world where business development people are leading with a fast pitch, this is refreshing. Here are a few ideas that may help build interest and trust prior to a business conversation.

  1. Share Valuable Content: Create or reshare relevant articles, blog posts, videos or podcasts that can help your community solve problems.
  2. Offer Free Workshops or Webinars: Host informative sessions to educate everyone on a subject where you’re an expert.
  3. Ask for Opinions: Request feedback on how you can improve your service to better meet the industry’s needs. Let people know you value their opinion.
  4. Send Personal Thank You Notes: People are buried in texts and emails; sending a good old-fashioned, hand-written note to express your appreciation for them will stand out.
  5. Follow-Up: After initial contact, follow up on their needs and answer any questions.
  6. Partnerships: Collaborate with complementary businesses to provide added value to each other’s communities. Ty, Kater, and I are part of a semi-formal partnership of franchise suppliers who share ideas regularly, called the Lean In Network.
  7. Deliver Cinnamon Rolls. It can’t hurt!

Jack Monson

Jack Monson is the host of Social Geek, home of the No. 1 podcasts in franchising and the CEO of Brand J. He has been working with franchises brands and small businesses in marketing for 15 years. socialgeekradio.com