GROWTH
Amped
for Growth!
Captain D’s STAR Award winners Michael Arrowsmith and Jennifer Benjamin with Therese Thilgen (center)
In the audience, attorney Joyce Mazero of Gardere also contributed her expertise to the discussion. As a sign of the times, the questions about external threats kept on coming long past the session’s end time. The third afternoon track, Lead Generation, delved into programs and ideas to bolster franchise recruitment in today’s highly competitive market and how to get the most out of a recruitment budget. The first session, “What’s New in Lead Generation?” was facilitated by Jeff Sturgis, vice president of franchise development at McAlister’s Deli. The session explored new lead generation ideas, tools, and technologies, how to budget more effectively, and how brands can use brokers, print media, trade shows, and online portals to generate leads. Panelists were Mark Cairns, director of franchise development at Topper’s Pizza; Zeb Hastings, vice president of franchise development at Quaker Steak & Lube; and Marcia Mead, vice president of franchise development at PuroClean. The second session on this track, “Managing Social Media and Its Role in Recruitment,” grappled with the growing digital world and ways to use Facebook ads, Youtube, LinkedIn, and other social media tools to reach potential prospects. Facilitated by Jack Monson, director of digital strategy at Qiigo, the panelists were Aaron Goldberg, vice president of franchising at Zips Dry Cleaners; Grant Kreutzer, director of franchise licensing and recruiting at Jack in the Box; and Philip Schram, CEO of Buffalo Wings & Rings. Keynote and STAR Awards A business roundtable general session led by keynote speaker Seth Mattison closed out the afternoon. Mattison, founder and CEO of FutureSight Labs, is an expert
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on workforce trends, generational dynamics, talent management, and the future of work and has worked with companies worldwide. He urged franchise brands to tap into the rich, hidden brainpower within their organization, establish an ongoing system to nurture and harvest the best ideas, adapt more quickly and proactively to changes in the marketplace, and to foster a culture of stewardship and values (think “soft edge”). As evening approached, it was time for everyone to enjoy an evening of familystyle Italian cuisine, drinking, and conversation at Maggiano’s Little Italy, along with the presentation of this year’s STAR Awards for best practices in franchisee recruitment. See page 48 for the full story.
velopment strategies at a brand should be in alignment with the corporate strategy, setting targets and goals for the year, marketing and lead generation strategies, having the right team, and establishing a budget, process, and system. A big mistake many brands make, said Sugrue, is to view development as its own entity. “It should be part of the leadership team of the whole organization, integrated,” he said. Sugrue, who came on as CEO of Salad Works in 2015 when the brand was in bankruptcy, said the founder and funder were battling and needed “adult supervision.” He said the brand had no credibility or trust with its franchisees, thus no validation. The role of the CEO, he said, is to take action— and he did. He fired the entire development team and visited 80 of the brand’s 100 stores and all of its franchisees. “It’s important to have the courage to say, ‘Your baby’s a little bit ugly’ before you start selling 100 a year.” Echoing a story Mattison told the previous day about artisan saddlemakers who took so much pride in their craft that they signed each saddle they made, Sugrue urged the roomful of salespeople and franchise executives to remember that beyond all the strategizing, budgeting, and investing in technology and social media, there’s a higher purpose to their work: creating a franchisee who can support their family and hire 10 to 15 people who can then support or contribute to their own families. “That’s the nobility of our work,” he said. The session, and the conference, ended with a rollicking finale led by Coley. (Just ask anyone who was there.) To learn more about this year’s FLDC, view photos, and register for next year, visit www.franchisedevelopmentconference.com. ■
Amped to go The final morning featured a packed room for the closing session, “Build Your 2017 Plan.” Art Coley, CEO of InXpress very energetically led a panel consisting of Patrick Sugrue, president and CEO of Saladworks; John Teza, chief development officer at Corner Bakery Cafe; and Dave Wells, director of franchising at Sport Clips, who shared their thoughts and experience on mapping out a brand’s development strategy and recruitment budget for the coming year. “Our goal here today is to provide the essential components of development planning and to offer hands-on planning and discussion,” said Coley. And they did, through presentations and group exercises that produced in-depth questions and a lot of fun for the roomful of marketers and franchise executives. Panelists discussed how the de- Toasting victory at the closing roundtable session
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