Every franchisor, franchisee and supplier should write a book. Given the accessibility of ebooks, audiobooks, and on-demand paperbacks, everyone without a book is missing a huge opportunity to promote their brand. Brochures, videos, articles and other forms of media are all important in marketing an opportunity, but a book is a keepsake. People don’t throw away books.
Books build businesses! In the early 1980s I wrote Franchising: The Inside Story, the first book about how to buy a franchise. A franchisor hired me to write that book and I thought of it as a one-time opportunity. I’d write it and move on to the next book. I had no business experience and at the time hardly knew how to spell the word franchising. But I knew how to research and write.
Once the book was published, fake media introduced me as a “world authority on franchising.” First lesson: Book authors are considered authorities. Second lesson: The public believes the media. As a result of the book’s publicity, which included some television and a lot of radio and print in magazines and newspapers, franchisors hired me to for various projects related to writing, speaking and training and overnight a business was born. I was a college professor at the time and intended to spend my life writing about different subjects, the least of which would be franchising. Fake media saw to it that things turned out much differently and I’ve been forever grateful!
Franchisors can use a book to attract new franchisees and open international markets. Franchisees can use a book to develop a community of buyers. Franchise suppliers can use a book to show prospective clients the value of their products and services.
If you want to attract buyers (as well as media attention), you should discover the power of a book. Most people will say, “But I can’t write.” Can you tell your story? Can you explain how you created your business and how it benefits others? I’ve yet to meet anyone in franchising who can’t do that. If you can speak your story and record it, you can create a book. And you should!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. John P. Hayes, Titus Chair for Franchise Leadership at Palm Beach Atlantic University in Florida, is the author of numerous best-selling titles about franchising. You can discover them at www.booksbyjohnhayes.com.
