How to Franchise My Business: Lessons From This Week's Client Meetings #6
One of the privileges of my role is spending time each week with founders who are considering franchising their businesses. Every conversation is different, but almost every week a common theme emerges.
This week, it was the franchising expo, the annual event, where franchisors display their wares.
A client asked me the question I get all the time. In fact, every year I get asked the same question.
"Barry, should we exhibit at the Franchising Expo next year?"
My answer is always the same.
It depends.
Not because I'm trying to avoid giving a straight answer, but because the answer depends entirely on where your franchise system sits on its growth journey and what you're hoping to achieve.
Is the Franchising Expo Worth It? Here's My View.
The Franchising Expo has been part of the Australian franchising landscape for many years. It provides prospective business owners with the opportunity to compare brands, attend educational seminars, ask questions and begin to understand whether franchising is the right path for them. This year's event continued that tradition with more than 100 brands represented, together with seminars designed to help visitors understand the franchising model.
For many visitors, that's enormously valuable.
For many franchisors, it can be too.
But I think it's important to keep the Expo in perspective.
One Conversation Changed My Thinking
A number of years ago, I was talking to someone who had attended a franchise exhibition for the very first time.
They were genuinely excited.
They'd reached a point in their career where they wanted to explore business ownership, and the Expo seemed like the perfect place to begin.
Afterwards, I asked them what they thought.
They paused for a moment before saying something I've never forgotten.
"It felt a bit like walking through a haunted house."
Seeing my puzzled expression, they laughed.
"Not because it was scary, but because as I walked down the aisles it felt like people were reaching out from behind the walls of every stand trying to grab me and hand me brochures, start conversations and pull me onto their stand. Everywhere I looked someone wanted my attention."
It was a wonderful analogy.
They weren't criticising the exhibitors. Every franchisor had invested significant money, time and effort into exhibiting and naturally wanted to engage with prospective franchisees.
What they were describing was the buying experience.
Rather than feeling like they were exploring opportunities at their own pace, they felt overwhelmed by the urgency of the interactions. There was an unspoken sense that if they didn't stop now, if they didn't take the brochure or have the conversation immediately, the opportunity might somehow disappear forever.
The irony is that this is almost the opposite of how most people make major investment decisions.
Buying a franchise isn't an impulse purchase.
It's one of the biggest financial and lifestyle decisions many people will ever make.
People want to think.
They want to research.
They want to compare brands.
They want to speak with their partner, accountant and trusted advisers.
They want confidence before commitment.
That conversation reinforced something I've believed for many years.
The real work of franchise recruitment doesn't begin at the Expo.
By the time someone walks through those doors, trust should already be well underway.
The Expo Is One Marketing Strategy, Not the Marketing Strategy
This is where I think some emerging franchisors can lose perspective.
I occasionally meet business owners who see exhibiting at the Expo as the franchise recruitment strategy.
I don't.
I see it as one possible marketing channel within a much broader recruitment strategy.
No different to Google.
No different to YouTube.
No different to LinkedIn.
No different to podcasts, webinars, public relations, referral partners or educational content on your website.
Each channel has a role to play.
None of them should be expected to carry the entire weight of recruiting franchisees.
The days of believing that people simply wander into an exhibition, discover your brand for the first time and sign up for a franchise are largely behind us.
Today's franchise buyer is far more informed.
They've usually searched online.
They've watched your videos.
They've visited your website.
They've looked at your social media.
They've read your reviews.
They've researched your leadership team.
The Expo is often where they validate what they've already learnt, rather than where the relationship begins.
So, Should You Exhibit?
If you're an established franchisor with a recognised brand, a mature recruitment process and an appropriate marketing budget, my answer is quite possibly yes.
You've already invested in building trust.
You've created visibility.
Your brand has recognition.
Your website is generating enquiries.
Your recruitment systems are functioning.
The Expo becomes another opportunity to have meaningful conversations with prospective franchisees who may already know who you are.
That's a very different proposition from expecting an exhibition stand to create demand from scratch.
My Advice for Emerging Franchisors
If you're a new or emerging franchisor with a limited marketing budget, I'd probably take a different approach.
I'd still encourage you to attend.
Walk the floor.
Observe how different brands position themselves.
Listen to the questions prospective franchisees ask.
Attend the seminars.
Learn from the experience.
There's tremendous value in doing that.
Whether exhibiting is the right investment is another question altogether.
Before spending thousands of dollars on a stand, I'd first ask whether you've built enough trust for the Expo to amplify your recruitment efforts.
Do you have a strong website?
A compelling story?
Helpful educational content?
Social proof?
A structured recruitment journey?
A clear value proposition?
A professional follow-up process?
If not, I'd invest there first.
That's because one of the principles we teach through the Franchising Made Easy® Franchise Recruitment Workshop is that trust is earned long before someone submits an enquiry.
Every article you write.
Every video you publish.
Every client success story.
Every social media post.
Every educational resource.
Every exposure to your products or services.
Every interaction contributes to the confidence a prospective franchisee has in your brand.
By the time they meet you at an exhibition, they should already feel like they know you.
The Expo simply becomes another milestone in that relationship.
My Perspective
Will I be attending the Franchising Expo?
Absolutely.
Many of our clients exhibit there, and I genuinely enjoy catching up with them, meeting new people and seeing how the industry continues to evolve.
But I also attend with the perspective I believe the Expo deserves.
Not as the destination.
Not as the silver bullet.
Not as the place where franchise recruitment begins.
I see it as one touchpoint in a much larger web of interactions.
Because successful franchise recruitment isn't built over one weekend inside an exhibition hall.
It's built over months, sometimes years, of consistently earning trust, demonstrating credibility and creating a business that people genuinely want to be part of.
The Expo can certainly help accelerate that journey.
But it should never be expected to replace it.
Speak With a Franchise System Architect
If you are exploring franchising and want to determine whether your business is ready for franchising, it helps to speak with someone who understands the structural side of franchise development.
At Franchising Made Easy®, we specialise in helping founders design franchise systems that are commercially viable, operationally disciplined and built for long-term growth.
If you would like to explore your options, consider booking a consultation to discuss your business and expansion ambitions.
