You’ve been thinking about owning a franchise. Now you have to think about which business model you want. You may be wondering: should I focus on business-to-customer (B2C) or business-to-business (B2B) sales? Here are a few ways to know whether B2B franchising is a smart choice for your franchising model:
You are more attuned to problem-solving for a business than individuals. Everyone has different strengths. B2B franchising is a great option if you’re a big-picture thinker. Plus, many B2B franchise owners find their model easier than the B2C approach. Why?
- Businesses have specific needs for a particular product/service. And they’ll often come to you knowing what they want, and having some idea of how you can help.
- Business owners tend to stick with services they’re satisfied for the long-haul. That means there’s much potential for repeat business when you work in a B2B model.
- Knowing local business owners is a great referral sources.
You’re more sales-driven than marketing-driven. Business publications like Forbes have noticed owners of B2B franchises tend to be more sales-focused than B2C (more marketing-centered in their strategy). If you’ve always loved sales and want to keep your focus there, the B2B model will likely be a great fit for your professional goals.
You credit relationship-building as the secret to high sales. Because businesses are investing more money than individual customers in their services (and planning to commit to doing so over a longer time period), B2B franchise ownership is best-suited to people who love the relationship-building side of sales— and have had proven success at it.
Customer service is your specialty: Since they’re poised to spend big money for the long haul, business owners want customer service:
- Customized to their unique needs
- Fast and efficient
- Knowledgeable
- Flexible
If you want to develop a diverse portfolio of services you can customize for each client (whether their business is big or small) then the B2B model is made for your franchise. You provide a service that companies don’t want to do in-house: Many business owners are looking to outsource some services they’ve been doing in-house to save them money and manpower— and let their partners take over. If you offer a service most business owners don’t want to do (or don’t know how to do) themselves, you’ll be a great candidate for B2B franchise ownership. [This is a particular asset for people interested in owning an InXpress franchise. Outsourcing shipping and logistics saves businesses money, and we can use our industry knowledge and connections for problem-solving and troubleshooting along the way.]
We love helping small-to-medium sized businesses succeed. If you do, too, you could be the next franchise owner on the InXpress team!