The Hidden Challenge with hiring a full-time franchise sales director
Most franchisors believe that hiring a full-time franchise sales director will solve their growth problems.
It rarely does.
Because the real problem isn’t who you hire — it’s what they walk into.
As Ned Lyerly pointed out in our recent strategy session, most brands “don’t have a franchise sales department to hand off to somebody.”
They may have:
• Great stores
• Loyal franchisees
• A strong brand story
…but no playbook for franchise growth.
So the new hire spends months reinventing the wheel — and the franchisor spends thousands waiting for traction. Traction that may never come.
The Smarter Hire: The Fractional FDR
The smarter hire is to take advantage of the growth in all Fractional Sales roles, including even a Fractional Franchise Development Officer.
Now, a Fractional Franchise Development Representative (FDR) fills the space between the founder and the future sales team.
They don’t replace your franchise sales director — they prepare the ground so your franchise sales director can succeed.
As Joseph Caruso put it:
“It’s blocking and tackling — done right, by the right people, at the right time.”
Fractional FDRs:
• Follow up on leads that have gone cold
• Book qualified appointments
• Create content and nurture sequences
• Track CRM activity and pipeline progress
• Bring consistency to your sales rhythm
They do the foundational work that turns chaos into cadence.
Building Before You Hire
Ned made an important observation:
“Franchisors think — I’ve got $120,000, I’ll hire someone, make them my full-time franchise sales director, and my worries are over.”
That’s the fallacy.
Most franchise sales directors are great relationship builders, but they aren’t sales process engineers.
A Fractional FDR helps you build the system first — testing your workflows, documenting every touchpoint, and proving what works before you commit to a full-time role.
By the time you make the hire for a full-time franchise sales director, they inherit a functioning machine — not a blank whiteboard.
What happens to the typical Franchise Sales director hire?
The newly hired Franchise Sales director will take time to get up to speed, and their admin support is usually lacking. This is Ned Lyerly is backing our new approach: hiring a couple of fractional franchise development representatives who have been training and coached by Franchise-Info in content curation, lead generation and prospecting.
Immediate Impact, Lasting Value
Fractional FDRs can start within weeks, not months.
They’re trained under experienced mentors, operate within your brand’s voice, and generate real traction fast.
As Ned noted, “They could fill a lead gen and admin gap immediately… and could even become a permanent solution.”
And Joe added the perfect frame:
“These FDRs aren’t interns. They’re trained specifically to fill a gap in a process. They actually can hit the ground running.”
The Franchise Info Fix
| The Problem | Typical Outcome | Fractional FDR Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No process for franchise sales | Leads fall through the cracks | Documented, trackable system |
| Premature hiring | Expensive false starts | Test the model before hiring |
| Founder bottleneck | Everything depends on one person | Delegated follow-up and reporting |
With a Fractional FDR, you’re not buying hours — you’re buying momentum.
A Smarter Way to Build
Instead of starting with a $120K hire and hoping they’ll “figure it out,” start with a fractional team that builds the system.
Then, when the full-time hire walks in, they’re stepping into a well-oiled process — not a startup experiment.
As Ned summarized:
“These resources could fill a lead gen and admin gap immediately… and become a permanent solution.”
And as Joe added, with characteristic clarity:
“It’s blocking and tackling — done right, by the right people, at the right time.”
Call to Action
If you’re a franchisor ready to grow but unsure whether to hire, outsource, or start small — consider starting smart.
A Fractional FDR program gives you traction, structure, and measurable results — before you spend big.
Because in franchise sales, the hardest part isn’t finding the right person.
It’s building the right system for them to succeed.
Takeaway
Instead of rushing to hire a franchise sales director full-time, start with a fractional team that builds your system.
Then, when you find that great franchise sales director, they’ll step into structure, not struggle.
💬 Want to see how a fractional FDR program could work for your brand?
