Buying a Franchise: The Buyer-Readiness Stat Is a Lie
- “Buyers are smarter now.”
- “They’re 70% through their decision-making process before talking to anyone.”
These lines have been echoed at franchise sales conferences, included in sales decks, and passed off as common knowledge.
But here’s the truth:
They’re not only incorrect. They’re holding your growth back. Buying a franchise is not made by people who are uncertain, need help, and don’t understand the context the information they do have. Buying a franchise involves commitment.
Buying a Franchise is not made just on information
Yes, potential franchisees and supplier buyers have access to more information than ever before. But that does not make them smarter or more confident.
According to Gartner, 77% of B2B buyers say their most recent purchase was very complex or difficult. And that makes sense. Today’s individuals buying a franchise have similar problems.
- Sorting through conflicting online reviews and influencer content
- Comparing multiple brands or vendors
- Navigating legal documents, financial disclosures, and operational commitments
- Getting advice from franchise consultants, spouses, attorneys, and financial advisors
This isn’t progress. It’s noise.
Most prospective franchisees and system buyers are more overwhelmed and hesitant than ever. What they really need is someone who can help them sort through the mess and figure out what matters.
The “70% Through the Journey” Myth Needs to Die
The frequently quoted stat, that buyers are 70% of the way through their journey before talking to sales, comes from a 2012 CEB (now Gartner) study.
It has been:
- Pulled out of context. It referred to commodity IT purchases.
- Applied where it doesn’t belong, like to consultative, high-risk decisions such as buying a franchise or rolling out systemwide supplier solutions
- Discredited by its own author. Brent Adamson has publicly said, “Stop using the 70% stat.”
The reality?
Franchise buying journeys do not follow a clean, predictable sequence. They are full of loops, stalls, back-and-forths, and second-guessing.
Gartner now calls the modern B2B buying process messy. Buying a franchise is equally messy.
Buyers bounce between six key tasks:
- Problem identification
- Exploring potential solutions
- Defining requirements
- Evaluating suppliers
- Testing or validating options
- Getting everyone on the same page
This describes the process of buying a franchise perfectly. Especially when this process of buying a franchise involves personal risk, large investments, and multiple people influencing the outcome.
Different Buyers. Different Journeys. Different Playbooks.
Not every buyer is the same. That’s one more reason the 70% logic doesn’t hold up. In franchise recruitment, your Ideal Franchise Candidate Profiles (IFCPs) vary widely. Each one behaves differently, thinks differently, and requires a different kind of interaction.
Here are the 4 different segments for buying a franchise.
- First-Time Business Owners. Motivated, excited, but uncertain. They ask for help, not pressure.
- Single-Unit Qualified Buyers. Ready to move forward financially, but often unfamiliar with what makes one brand stronger than another.
- Multi-Unit Buyers (3–5 Units). They see the business as a long-term investment. Their questions revolve around operations, support, and replicability.
- Enterprise Multi-Unit, Multi-Brand Operators. These are experienced developers who may pursue 10, 15, or even 20 units. They focus on infrastructure, risk, return, and leadership.
Suppliers selling into franchise systems face a similar mix of buyer types:
- Startup Franchisors (1–3 Units). They are wearing too many hats, managing cash tightly, and learning in real time.
- Emerging Franchisors (10–50 Units). Growing fast but often disorganized. They are looking for structure and partners that can grow with them.
- Established Franchisors (100+ Units). These brands want solutions that are proven, scalable, and easy to implement.
- Enterprise Franchisors (1,000+ Units). These companies are process-heavy and conservative. They involve multiple stakeholders and require formal vetting.
- Mega Brands (McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Subway, etc.). These are long-cycle relationships built over years. You don’t pitch these companies. You earn their interest over time.
Each profile is walking a different path. You cannot drop them all into the same sequence or CRM funnel. It doesn’t work that way.
So, What Should Franchisors and Suppliers Do? 4 Tips
Stop waiting for the perfect lead. Stop assuming people are doing their research on buying a franchise in isolation, and will come to you only when they’re ready.
Instead:
- Start earlier. Most buyers don’t even know what to ask. Be the person who shows up and helps them figure it out.
- Provide real help. Give them tools to weigh decisions, communicate with others, and compare choices without pressure.
- Make it easier. Help them understand what’s important, what’s noise, and what steps to take next.
- Be useful. People respond to relevance and helpfulness more than hype or urgency.
Smart franchise development teams and supplier sales pros are also using LinkedIn as a front-end sales engine. They post consistently to create familiarity with both the brand and the individual. They connect with the right prospects, engage in meaningful comment threads, and message strategically. Over time, this builds familiarity, trust, and interest. That interest leads to real conversations off-platform, when the buying a franchise actually happens.
A Nod to Rackham: SPIN Selling and Non-Linear Sales Mastery
Long before anyone described buying as messy, Neil Rackham’s SPIN Selling taught sales teams to move away from scripts and into real conversations. His model, based on Situation, Problem, Implication, and Need-payoff, wasn’t about closing tricks. It was about discovery.
Rackham showed that success came not from controlling the conversation, but from asking the right questions at the right time. SPIN Selling anticipated the complexity we now accept as normal.
In today’s franchise world, that approach is more useful than ever. The goal isn’t to push buyers across the finish line. It’s to help them move forward with confidence and purpose.
Final Thought: You’re Not Interrupting. You’re Helping
Too many franchise teams and supplier salespeople wait too long to get involved. They think prospects need to be ready before they reach out.
But if the process is unpredictable and full of uncertainty, then the earlier you engage, the more helpful you become.
The best sales professionals don’t push. They support, listen, and guide. They help people move forward at a pace that makes sense to them.
✅ Call to Action
If you’re leading franchise development, it’s time to stop waiting for inbound miracles. The strongest brands are building interest and trust before a single inquiry form is submitted. We help franchisors build modern sales systems that combine brand presence, proactive outreach, and meaningful conversations that move serious candidates into action.
If you’re a supplier selling into franchise systems, you need to stand out in a crowded space. We help you get in front of the right decision-makers at the right stage, whether they’re just getting started or already running thousands of locations. From positioning to outreach, we help you grow your pipeline with the brands that matter.
Let’s talk about how to build a real go-to-market engine. One built around how franchising actually works.
Franchise-Info Advisory Partners is led by Joe Caruso, Ned Lyerly, and (Mike) Webster, PhD. They are three highly experienced franchise executives who have built, scaled, and supported some of the most respected brands in the industry. They combine practical operating experience with strong development leadership.
