Top 10 Franchise Sales Organizations (FSOs)

Overview

In this article, I’ll attempt to identify and highlight some of the top outsourced Franchise Sales Organizations (FSOs) within the greater franchise development industry.  Outsourcing your franchise development to other organizations has its pros and cons.

On the pros side of things, it allows you to focus your energies on the parts of the business that you enjoy the most.  It also provides you with an opportunity for other more experienced individuals to do the heavy lifting of selling your franchise opportunity instead of hiring 1-2 sales reps in-house and hoping that they can deliver you the results that you are seeking.

On the cons side of things, it’s expensive.  And, Franchise Sales Organizations are going to take you out of your comfort zone by encouraging you to spend even more money on leads with franchise ppc agencies like us here at Lead PPC, franchise broker networks, and franchise portals.  Our core competency here at Lead PPC is providing PPC for franchises.  So, on top of paying hefty fees to the FSO, you will likely also be spending money paying franchise brokers, ad platforms like Google and Facebook, and testing various franchise lead portals like Franchise Gator, Entrepreneur.com, BizBuySell, etc.  So, be prepared to spend much more money than just what it costs to pay the FSO.

Having said all of this, here are some of the top Franchise Sales Organizations out there:

#1 – Rain Tree

We may be a bit biased on this one, but we have been partners with Rain Tree since 2017 and worked with them on around 40 different brands.  Brent and Linton Dowling are some of the most passionate, professional people that we have met in the space.  They are non-stopped focused on one thing, and that is helping you sell more franchise units.

Based out of Denver Colorado, these Nugget-loving Aussies are extremely innovative and use many data driven techniques to maximize the amount of deal flow that they can bring for your franchise system.

Some of their clients include: Jamba Juice, Teriyaki Madness, Footprint Floors, Dog Training Elite, British Swim School, Maui Wow, Rush Bowls, Hounds Town, Doc Popcorn, Cheba Hut, Screenmobile, Voodoo Brewing, Toastique, Shuckin’ Shack, Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control, and United Water Restoration Group.  They tend to do best with brands that are fast casual restaurant, home service, or pet franchises.

#2 – Pinnacle

Pinnacle Franchise Development is voted a top Franchise Supplier by Entrepreneur.com just about every year. 

Some of their brands include: B Nutritious, All American Pet Resorts,Man Cave For Men, C3 Wellness Spa, Go! Go! Curry!, Vanity Fur Mobile Pet, 2ndFamily Home Care, ManageMowed, Chick’nCone, Cookie Cutters, The Closet Trading Co., and Clothes Bin.  So, if you are a franchisor in the fast casual restaurant, pet, hair cut, health and wellness, or clothing industry this might be a good group for you to reach out to.

We have worked with Pinnacle on around 10 different brands and our experience has been positive with them thus far.

#3 – Franchise Evolution (FranEp)

Franchise Evolution is a group that we have worked with on 5 different brands.  They do not publicly list who their clients are on their website, but the industries that we have worked with them in include home services, salon suites, restaurant, and health and wellness franchises.

They are a bit of a newer entrant into the market (established in 2019), but they seem to have a good handle on things and seem to be focusing on delivering results for their existing book of business rather than trying to build an empire.

#4 – The Revenue Catalyst

We’ve worked with Tim Johnson and The Revenue Catalyst team on around 5 brands as well.  They are very focused on building successful sales funnels and track a lot of metrics starting with leads and going all the way to franchise sales.

Some of their brands include: PuroClean, RealLiving, Rita’s, Robeks, Snap-on, SportClips, Tim Horton’s, Togo’s, Valpak, Visiting Angels, VooDoo BBQ, Wild Birds Unlimited, Wireless Zone, Amada Senior Care, Arby’s, Batteries Plus, Bennigans, Bruster’s, Budget Blinds, Charles Schwab, Cici’s Pizza, Cruise Planners, Expedia Cruise Ship Centers, Express Employment Professionals, Hoodz, Fiesta Auto Insurance, Goddard Systems, Granite Transformations, Great American Cookies, Home Care Assistance, Jiffy Lube, Junk Works, Marble Slab, Martinizing Dry Cleaning, Mooyah, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Planet Fitness, and PostNet.

What I don’t know is how many of these brands are actually active clients and how many of them they performed their Franchise MRI service on (a funnel analysis) and left it at that.  They’ve only been around since 2018, so to actively have that many clients for franchise development sales seems unlikely given the amount of sales reps that they would need to handle that many clients.

#5 – United Franchise Group (UFG)

United Franchise Group is one of the biggest and most reputable franchise development organizations in the industry.  They themselves do very well for themselves.  The have been in business for 35+ years and have sold 1,600+ locations.  And they have done all of this with just 10 brands.

Their primary focus is to basically own a big chunk of your company and then make it grow significantly.  So, if you engage with them make sure that you understand ahead of time that they are more of a partner type of a group than an outsourced vendor.

Their brands include: Signarama, Fully Promoted, Venture X, Transworld, Graze Craze, The Great Greek, Office Evolution, CoWorks, Network Lead Exchange, and Accurate Franchising.  So, keep in mind that UFG is highly related to Transworld and Accurate Franchising.

We have heard some horror stories from clients who were with UFG and then had to go and buy their businesses back from them.  And, our own personal experience was pretty horrific as well.  They required us to pay for all of the ads ourselves to do a “test” and then never followed up with the leads.

But, don’t let our own experiences taint yours.  For the right group, perhaps they would be a great fit.

#6 – Rhino7

Rhino7 has been around since 1999 and has helped sell 2,000+ franchisees on a total of 5,000+ locations.  Of all of the FSOs on this list so far, it’s the only one that we do not have any direct experience with and have never done any advertising for.  Part of this is probably because Rhino7 primarily uses brokers from networks including: FranChoice, FranNet, The Entrepreneur’s Source, SunBelt Business Brokers, Business Alliance, Inc., IFPG, FBA, FCC, The Entrepreneur Authority, FranServe, Personal Business Advisors, International Franchise Association, First Choice Business Brokers, Success Franchise Advisors, Fransave, FranBrokers Consortium, The Entrepreneur Option, The You Network, and Your Franchise Success.

Similar to UFG, Rhino7 only works with a few select brands, some of which include: QC Kinetix, DoodyCalls, Fetch! Pet Care, The Donut Experiment, Planet Beach, Storm Guard, Great Clips, Doctors Express, and Senior Helpers.

I don’t know much about Rhino7, but I have heard several people in the industry say that similar to UFG, they push hard to own a part of your franchise company not just help sell franchises as a service.  So, this would be something to be aware of prior to speaking with them.

#7 – Franchise Performance Group

Franchise Performance Group sits somewhere between being a marketing agency and a Franchise Sales Organization.  On their website, they state that they have worked with 120+ brands and typically have 15-20 brands that they are either offering franchise consulting services to or helping with franchise sales.  They are not an FSO that we have had any experience working with.

#8 – Oakscale

Oakscale is an FSO that we have had some phone conversations with but have never fully engaged in doing any joint advertising for any of their brands.  Similar to both UFG and Rhino7, they tend to want a piece of your company in order to work with you.  One unique thing about them is that they can also help with VC funding to help get more capital to grow your brand more quickly.

Their brands include: DogDrop, Floozie Cookies, PetWellClinic, and Xpresso Delight.

#9 – Franchise Beacon

Franchise Beacon offers both franchise consulting and franchise sales outsourcing services.  Their website is pretty basic, but it does look like they have some experience.

Beyond these 9 listed above, there are many other franchise consulting companies that dabble with franchise sales outsourcing.

#10 – FranSmart

FranSmart is one that I completely forgot about but had written some information about in our “Top Franchise Lead Generation Sites” a few years back.  So, I wanted to make sure that I came back to this article here and included it.  They are a smaller group with around 12 brands listed on their website.  Many of their brands are restaurant brands, and one of them is actually my favorite fish & chips spot called SlapFish.  If you’re a restaurant brand, these guys might be one to consider as well.

 

The Other “FSO” Definition… “Franchise Sales Outsourcing”

Franchise sales outsourcing (sometimes also called FSO… I know it’s confusing) is the process of engaging an outside professional to help with your franchise’s sales efforts, typically to increase revenue. FSO involves working with a third-party organization to manage all aspects of your franchise’s sales program, from lead generation and marketing to training and customer service. By leveraging the expertise of an experienced FSO provider, franchises can significantly increase their sales success rate.

A key component of FSO is the use of sophisticated software tools to track, identify and capitalize on opportunities. With modern technology, FSO providers are able to capture customer data in real time and deploy targeted campaigns that help maximize returns on investments. For example, by analyzing buyer behavior and patterns, FSO providers can create highly customized campaigns that reach potential customers more effectively than traditional marketing methods. In addition, they can also anticipate customer needs and develop strategies for upselling or cross-selling products or services that will result in higher revenues over time.

Another benefit of using a franchise sales outsourcing provider is they often have access to specialized resources such as databases with detailed information about potential leads and buyers. This enables them to conduct more efficient market research and develop strategies tailored towards specific geographical areas or target segments. Furthermore, they may also have access to comprehensive customer service solutions for problem resolution or support inquiries which can save money on staffing costs associated with this area of operations.

In addition to providing advanced analytics capabilities for market research purposes, FSO providers may also provide training materials for franchisees or employees who will be managing day-to-day operations for the franchise organization. These materials can cover topics such as best practices in customer relations management, techniques for closing deals quickly and effectively, tracking lead sources efficiently and other tips which could improve overall productivity levels within the organization.

Finally, FSO providers bring a level of expertise around compliance issues which may be useful when dealing with increasingly stringent regulations related to consumer protection laws or industry standards related to advertising practices across different markets. This ensures that franchises remain compliant while ensuring legal considerations are taken into account when deploying campaigns or pursuing certain business objectives such as expanding into new markets outside of their current operational footprint.

As one of the most effective means of supporting a successful franchise business model today, FSO provides a variety of advantages that help organizations achieve their goals quickly and cost-effectively while reducing risks associated with non-compliance issues throughout various markets worldwide. By utilizing experienced teams equipped with cutting-edge technologies and comprehensive services tailored towards specific needs within each unique business environment, franchises can capitalize on opportunities while avoiding costly mistakes in the long run – ultimately improving profitability at every step along the way!

 

While franchise sales is not a service that we offer, we do provide franchise lead generation for many of the Franchise Sales Organizations listed above.  If you would like to hop on a quick call to discuss your needs regarding franchise leads, please go to our Contact Us page and schedule a call online with us there.  Thanks!