20 Years of Surveys, Lead Generation, & Franchisee Satisfaction: Celebrating FASTSIGNS
We’re celebrating 20 years of FBR Insights by featuring some of our long-time brand partners that continue to stand out in their franchisee satisfaction results, like FASTSIGNS!
Franchise Business Review is celebrating 20 years of reliable, third-party surveys and insights, helping companies improve franchisee, consumer, and team experience to make the franchise industry a better place to be.
This is a major growth milestone, and we couldn’t be more proud and excited to showcase the brands that have trusted us with their franchisee feedback since the beginning of this journey.
We sat down with Mark Jameson, Chief Development Officer at Propelled Brands, to discuss their beginnings with FBR and how they’ve leveraged their survey results over the past 20 years.
Meet the Brand: FASTSIGNS
The FASTSIGNS franchise brand started in 1985 and has grown into the largest sign and visual solutions company worldwide, in an industry earning $29 billion annually. With their success and proven business operations systems, they started Propelled Brands, a multi-brand franchisor that acquired My Salon Suite and Camp Bow Wow.
FASTSIGNS has been working with Franchise Business Review (FBR) since 2006, when the franchisee satisfaction surveys launched. Jameson talks about the early days of using the franchisee satisfaction surveys:
“It’s neat that the process hasn’t changed a lot over time for us. We survey our brands every 12-14 months and share the results with our owners at the end of the year to ensure transparency,” explains Jameson.
“The surveys really help us to set the tone for the culture of our company and to continuously improve. Franchisee satisfaction, profitability, and growth are huge core pillars of Propelled Brands—both now and back then!”
The team has especially focused on leveraging survey results in their lead generation and nurturing processes, and tracking how their company measures up against the overall franchise industry benchmarks.
The Greatest Lessons From 20 Years of Surveys
After 20 years of working with FBR for franchisee satisfaction surveys, lead generation, and validation programs, the team from FASTSIGNS shared some really insightful lessons for brands that are looking to grow using franchisee satisfaction surveys and feedback.
Leverage the Custom Questions
Whenever the FASTSIGNS team is ready to launch a new program, improve conference attendance, or better support franchisee field support, they always leverage the custom questions in the FBR surveys. “We love the honesty and we genuinely learn from them,” shares Jameson.
One example of how they’ve leveraged custom questions was the launch of a new sales program to help innovate their business model.
FASTSIGNS used to be a largely retail, walk-in business model, but over time, the model has evolved to focus more on direct and online sales. To innovate, the brand launched an “Outside Sales Program” that requires the FASTSIGNS franchisees to hire an outside salesperson to help grow their business.
“We obviously needed to provide a lot of resources for things like training and hiring for this outside sales role, and the FBR surveys, especially the custom questions, really helped us work out that program,” shares Jameson.
Pay Attention to the Industry Benchmarks
Learning from your own franchisee feedback is hugely valuable, but FASTSIGNS has also really loved being able to measure its brand against industry benchmarks.
By understanding how you measure up to other franchise brands, you can gain new ideas for evolving your system and see the areas that need improvement. “There’s a lot of important information to be found in the benchmarking of the FBR surveys,” says Jameson.
Use Surveys and Data to Help With Acquisitions
Franchisee satisfaction surveys have become a regular part of the companies under Propelled Brands, so now whenever the Propelled Brands team looks at acquisitions, they either help facilitate getting survey data or ask to review any existing data.
“We recognize how key FBR has been to us in driving our current brands. So now if we’re looking for a brand to acquire, we expect that level of data from them as well,” shares Jameson.
The FASTSIGNS team knows that franchisee feedback and satisfaction are a huge part of assessing whether they could help grow the brand they’re looking to acquire. If brands have survey data, be sure to add the results to your due diligence.
Marketing FBR Survey Results to Grow the Brand
In addition to the franchisee satisfaction surveys, FASTSIGNS uses the FBR lead generation and validation programs to attract and nurture leads.
“Once we have the survey results and data, it’s helpful to know how to package and market that data to help us drive leads, nurturing, and development,” explains Jameson.
The FASTSIGNS team understands that gathering data is just one part of the process. Taking action on the data and marketing the results are both essential to a full circle of franchisee development, satisfaction, and growth.
Transparency is a great way to stand out in your franchise development. Jameson explained that the FASTSIGNS team shares their full franchisee surveys with candidates as a way for them to understand the good and the bad of the business. It helps with validation and offers an honest look at the opportunity.
When asked about the quality and volume of the lead generation and nurturing through FBR, Jamson says:
“FBR may not be our biggest lead source, but we definitely get more sophisticated, educated candidates through them. We really do stand out, and the FBR services, like the lead generation and validation programs, help us showcase that to prospective candidates.”
FASTSIGNS Survey Results
We’re beyond impressed with the way FASTSIGNS prioritizes franchisee feedback, growth, and quality lead generation. They have been a loyal partner for 20 years, and we can’t wait to watch them continue to thrive.
Here are just a few of the impressive survey results from FASTSIGNS:
- Honesty & Integrity: 87% franchisees agree; 12% higher than benchmark
- Respect the franchisor: 91% agree; 12% higher than benchmark
- Enjoy being part of FASTSIGNS and enjoy operating their business: 91% agree; 9% higher than benchmark
- 85% of franchisees are likely to recommend FASTSIGNS; 16% higher than benchmark
Interested in getting results like these for your own system? Franchise Business Review helps franchise brands at all phases of growth to understand franchisee satisfaction, lead generation, and validation. Schedule a free demo today to get started!
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