December 2013 Archives

The Week In Review

Many of our readers have asked us to explain why certain stories were read, to give more context to the rankings.  We rely on more than the straight reader numbers, although we report those also. Many of the conversations started, are appearing all over LinkedIn, so we are going to summarize those comments.  (If we have got your idea twisted around, feel free to correct us!)

Most Read Update:  1899 LinkedIn Views 

Jason Duncan's article summarizing the SEI's attempts to unionize McDonald's was the most read update, attracting 1899 LinkedIn views.  My update in LinkedIn can be accessed by clicking here, by his first connections.  David P. Daniels brought some needed background history to the problem.  

The minimum wage question is likely to be a big issue in 2014, if our readers are good judges.

Most Commented on Story - 22 Comments

Michael Webster's original article in Metro Franchising, The Confidence Man in Franchising, available to all members of the Metro Franchise Assocation LinkedIn group, attracted 22 comments.  

The basic theme is that FDD's have grown too large, no longer disclose the basic information needed for a buyer to make an informed decision.  Both Ed Teixeira and Cheri Carroll contributed to the ongoing discussion about the evolving uses of Item 19s - a needed move away from previous sales practices.

Most Engaged Article Published on Franchise Info

- 225 Readers who spent 3:51 minutes Reading

Gerald Woodgate's article syndicated to Franchise Info, under our Creative Commons Licence, was the top article in terms of Engagement metrics.  Gearld wrote a very technical, but easy to read article, looking at Domino's Coupon advertising program in the U.K.  Gerald works with Drayton Bird -whose ad copy has sold more products and services more than all the people claiming to do content marketing! (Ok, I am making this up - but it seems plausible.) 

The reason you want to hire Gerald is that he knows how to write long copy that sells your product or service.  Give it a try & ask for the Drayton Bird money back guarantee.

When You would like to be more Influential on LinkedIn & Get More Sales, Customer or Clients, Look at What Franchise Info can Do for You to Get You People to Pay Attention to You. 

The Week In Review

Many of our readers have asked us to explain why certain stories were read, to give more context to the rankings.  We rely on more than the straight reader numbers, although we report those also. Many of the conversations started appear all over LinkedIn, so we are going to summarize those comments.  (If we have got your idea twisted around, feel free to correct us!)

1st Place With 2034 Readers

Matthew Kreutzer's Why You Cannot Hope To Negotiate Your Franchise Contract.

Matthew Kreutzer's article on negotiating a franchise agreement created a lot comments in the Franchise Attorney group, in these two threads, here and here.  

One commentator stated: "This has been one of the best linkedin conversations I have participated in in a long time."

My sense of the thread was that a) franchisors will add an amendment, include a side letter, or comfort letter to their franchise agreement rather than change THE franchise agreement, b) franchisors need to negotiate sometimes or miss out on qualified operators, but c) there are a lot of bad or naive negotiators working for franchisees.

What this shows is that there is a lot of interest in how to craft better franchise offerings for qualified individuals, but that most practitioners lack the skill to negotiate - especially on the franchisee side.  (There was a fun dialogue between Steven Rinaldi and I showing the franchisor's standard moves when asked for a concession and how to respond to them.)

There are a lot of issues that could be good follow-up articles.  

2nd Place with 1777 Readers

Jason Duncan's What Are the 5 Components of a Good "Bring Your Own Device" Policy For Your Franchise Owners?

Jason had a more technical contribution, this week.  While everyone agrees that the mobile platform is increasingly important to franchising, Jason summarizes some of the problems when your employees bring different devices to work & expect them all to play together.

This is an area which is developing, and I expect to see some insurance offerings protecting and/or indemnifying a franchise operator for loss of privacy due to his or her staff violating the franchisor's "BYOD" policy.  Employees and franchise operators are all picking their own security policies by using their own device & this is not a practice that will have a happy ending. 

3rd Place With 1603 Readers

 Gerald Woodgate's Two Marketing Mistakes Domino's is Making You Can Avoid with My Help 

This was a good analysis by a pro in direct response marketing.  Domino's wants people to take action, and Gerald pointed out some of their missteps.  Ramon de Leon, the former Domino's social media guru, jumped in on the thread and agreed with Gerald.

Joe Caruso and I see mistakes like this all the time, when we review a franchisor's auto-repsponder scripts for selling franchises.  Franchisors need to hire writers with proven direct response copy writing skills, check out the pool of talent at Drayton Bird's LinkedIn group.  Lurk for awhile and then hire someone. 

Top 3 Stories in Franchising & The Most Influential People this Week in Franchising

-As Measured by  LinkedIn Readers

-Stories Produced & Distributed by Franchise Info.  

When You would like to be more Influential on LinkedIn & Get More Sales, Customer or Clients, Look at What Franchise Info can Do for You to Get You People to Pay Attention to You.