Challenge the Pros: Jon Fischer on Using Technology to Improve The Quality of Franchisee Leads

How do you use technology to improve the quality of franchisee leads?

Jon Fischer
Head of Development
Wetzel’s Pretzels

At Wetzel’s Pretzels, we’ve embraced technology as a key driver in improving the quality of our franchisee leads. Over the past decade, franchising as a whole has evolved significantly in how it attracts, tracks, and nurtures prospects, and we’ve worked hard to stay ahead of the curve.

Today, most of our leads are generated through digital and social media campaigns. These platforms give us the ability to precisely target specific demographics, psychographics, and geographies where we’re looking to grow. We can segment audiences based on behaviors, interests, and even franchise readiness. From there, we continuously test creative elements, refine messaging, and monitor engagement levels, adjusting our campaigns in real time based on performance metrics. Over the past five years, this agile and targeted approach has led to notable improvements in both the quality of leads and cost per lead.

We also place a strong emphasis on conversion tracking. It’s not just about how many leads we generate, but how many of those leads turn into strong operators. By analyzing past performance and lead sources, we’re able to better understand which marketing efforts drive the best results. That insight helps us refine campaign strategies and double down on the channels and messaging that are most effective.

Technology also supports the human side of the franchise process. With many initial conversations now happening virtually, we leverage video conferencing tools for meaningful, face-to-face discussions. These virtual touchpoints are efficient and insightful, helping us get to know candidates early in the process. However, we still strongly believe in the value of in-person meetings. When it comes to selecting franchisees, we apply both data-driven decision-making and personal connection to assess long-term fit.

At Wetzel’s, technology empowers us to be strategic, responsive, and relationship focused in how we grow our franchise system.