Thinking about taking on a franchise? 

How do you grow a client base when all you have ever known is teaching?

Building and growing a client base is crucial for the success of any franchise. Franchisors play a crucial role in supporting you and this is pivotal to their success and, by extension, the overall brand. 

We spoke to 3 of our trusted franchisors, Pyjama Drama, Nature Makers and Fun Science to create this blog on how franchisors can effectively help their franchisees build and grow a strong client base:

Comprehensive Training Programmes

Initial training provided by the franchisor should cover not only the operational aspects of running the franchise but also effective marketing and customer acquisition strategies. This foundational knowledge is essential for franchisees to hit the ground running. When researching your potential franchises, it’s worth asking for comprehensive details about their training programme.

Some franchises offer ongoing education, continuous training opportunities to keep you the franchisees updated on the latest marketing trends, customer service techniques, and industry developments. Webinars, workshops, and e-learning modules can be effective tools.

“The truth of building a robust and active client base is that it takes time and tenacity! Our franchisees have full training on how to grow their customer lists as part of their onboarding training and it really is a multi-pronged approach; from offering free taster to settings, hosting launch parties, getting involved in charitable events, sending correspondence that has value (rather than just a sales pitch!) – but ultimately, when all’s said and done, the reason why Pyjama Drama franchisees build such fabulous client networks is because our customers can see how passionate they are about what they do, and how sincere they are in their desire to use drama to make a demonstrable difference to the lives of the children they work with – when that’s in the mix, you can’t help but build up trust and great relationships with your customers, and from there, word of mouth is king!” Pyjama Drama

Marketing Support

Franchisors should provide you with localised marketing materials and strategies. To help you tailor marketing efforts to suit the specific demographics and preferences of the local market.

“It is important to consider who your client is, where they are going to be, what their pain points and desires are and then how you can provide value to them. When you know all of this then you can create a plan around how to attract the right customers for your service. We provide lots of support on this part and have a whole day talking about business and sales strategy and launch plan including ongoing support.” Nature Makers

They will support you in setting up and managing digital marketing efforts such as social media accounts, Google Ads, and email marketing campaigns, provide templates and guidance on creating engaging content.

Centralised CRM Systems

CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. It’s a technology used to manage interactions with customers and potential customers. A CRM system helps organisations build customer relationships and streamline processes so they can increase sales, improve customer service, and increase profitability. 

Some franchises will provide you with their CRM, but you can easily build your own on a spreadsheet. Implement a robust CRM system that franchisees can use to manage customer relationships. This helps in tracking customer interactions, preferences, and feedback, leading to better service and targeted marketing.

“We have databases of contacts for all the schools in the UK so we start by contacting schools local to the new franchisee. Because what we offer raises the profile of science in the school at no cost to school we find that often this is enough to get schools interested and we often end up fully booked for the term after one email! We also have links with the home education community across the UK so will use these to set up a home education group in the new area. We frequently get enquiries from areas that we don’t yet cover and we save all of these so a new franchisee always starts with a few keen customers that are delighted that Fun Science has finally come to their town/city!” Fun Science

5 Top Tips On Growing A Client Base

• Coordinated Promotions: Plan and execute promotional campaigns with other franchisees, these coordinated efforts can create a larger impact and drive more traffic to each franchise location. Plus you can share the wordload depending on your strengths.
• Customisable Promotions: You can run your own promotions tailored to your local market and in line with the franchise brand.
• Community Engagement: Participate in or sponsor local events, including fairs, sports events, or community festivals. Being visible in the community helps in building a local client base.
• Partnerships: Form partnerships with local businesses and organisations. Cross-promotions and collaborations can attract new customers who may not have discovered the franchise otherwise.
• Customer Feedback and Improvement: Implement systems for collecting and analysing customer feedback and use it to improve your services and customer experience. Positive feedback can be shared on your social media platforms.

Franchisors play a crucial role in helping franchisees build and grow a client base, by providing comprehensive training, robust marketing support, effective CRM tools, and fostering community engagement, franchisors can empower their franchisees to succeed. Additionally, maintaining brand consistency and offering a supportive network further ensures that franchisees can thrive and contribute to the overall success of the brand.

With these strategies, franchisors and franchisees can work together to create a loyal and growing customer base.

Teachers have fantastic communication skills, and building and growing a client base is all about forging good relationships with your clients and potential clients. You have honed these skills in the classroom, staffroom and during parents and open evenings. It’s important not to think of growing your client base as a hard sell but as a way to highlight your sessions or activities that could benefit your local community. So choosing a franchise that you passionately believe in their service/s is a really good start.

Thank you to Pyjama Drama, Nature Makers and Fun Science for your input with this blog.

Please visit our Franchise Board to find your perfect franchise with organisations that truly value teachers’ skills.