Hey, Franchise Developers: Pick Up the Phone!

Hey, Franchise Developers! Did you know that it might be worth your while to pick up the phone and call your consultants from time to time? Today we chat with Lana Nuss, Senior Brand Manager at Raintree, about how the personal aspect of a phone call can go a long way toward building professional franchise development relationships.

When it comes to building positive relationships with franchise consultants, it’s hard to top Lana Nuss, Raintree’s Senior Brand Manager. Lana has created a vast network of industry connections by prioritizing one-on-one engagement and always making sure to incorporate a human element into her many daily interactions with consultants and other franchise development professionals. 

Lana sat down with us to discuss how the highly underestimated and shockingly simple act of picking up a phone and calling a consultant can help a franchise brand developer gain a significant advantage over the competition. 

“Most consultants, depending on the network they’re in, work with hundreds of different brands,” Lana explains. “They’re getting hundreds of emails a day. The key is to stay above the noise and remain top of mind, so that when their client comes to them you’re one of the first brands they think of.”

Lana accomplishes this by opting to talk to consultants over the phone rather than send an email whenever possible, and taking the time to establish positive business relationships with her network of industry professionals so that she can stand out from competitors and build real connections instead of being just another name in a franchise consultant’s inbox. 

Lana also mentioned the importance of providing the personal touch in an age where emails, social media, and other digital forms of communication can often seem overwhelming.  “What helps to stand apart is to pick up the phone and call consultants to have a one-on-one conversation with them,” she says. “Taking time to make a phone call also helps strengthen personal relationships and build connections. I’m always thinking they’ll remember me and think, ‘I should show Lana’s brands instead of some of the other concepts out there.”

One of the biggest advantages of building connections through phone calls, says Lana, is the opportunity for getting to know people on an individual basis- something that can be a little more difficult if emails are your only form of correspondence. “I’ve gotten to know a lot of really cool people through making the phone calls,” she says. 

Of course, in the digital age, it’s virtually impossible to rely on phone calls alone, something Lana is quick to point out. “Don’t get me wrong, we definitely still email,” she clarifies. “It’s now just a two-part process. We have seen much more traction with consultants since [we began] calling.”

As communication via email, text, and social media have become the go-to methods for interacting with business contacts, both in franchise development and across other industries, the potential for missing a truly important message amidst all the white noise has grown. The emphasis Lana places upon making phone calls to consultants not only personalizes the interaction on both sides, but helps elevate her brands in the eyes of consultants, making them more likely to recommend them to potential investors whenever possible. By taking the time to make a call instead of only connect over email and social networking, you can take your brand visibility to a whole new level!