January 2017 | Business View Magazine

28 29 BETTER FRANCHISE CANDIDATES THROUGH INNOVATION 5th Avenue Leads is the premier lead generation organization that provides the most highly-qualified franchisee sales leads in our industry. Our leads are more than leads. They are franchise candidates. We identify and deliver only the best franchise candidates so you can achieve the best return on investment for your lead-purchasing dollars. CALL VERIFIED FINANCIALLY QUALIFIED GEO TARGETED WWW.5THAVENUELEADS.COM Natalie Nutter n 610.871.1651 natalie@5thavenueleads.com tion team, in-house to handle that. So,we know we can control the level of quality that our fran- chisees are getting when they go into business. They’re going to have the best possible show- room, for example, or lobby, or production area, depending on the brand. Being that we have our own real estate division; we don’t outsource the finding of locations and the negotiating of leases to a random real estate agent. We have 30 years of experience in doing that and we have done it thousands of times. So, we can often get our franchisee a better deal, for exam- ple, on their retail space.” UFG’s support network for its franchisees includes its training school. “Owners who come to the table with no background or experi- ence really come out the other end knowing what they’re doing,” says Malmuth. “They know enough to run a successful business and find the right people to hire.” Ongoing franchisee support continues with over 120 UFG employ- ees spread out across the United States. “These are full-time, corporate employees of ours who are subject-matter and brand-specific. They’re marketing people; they’re technical support people,” Malmuth adds. “Within a few days, we’re able to be face-to-face with any of our franchisees at any time. We also provide them with access to different types of training con- tent that they can not only use for themselves, but also to continue to train and develop their own people.” When it comes to finding and vetting its poten- tial franchisees,Malmuth says that UFG has very specific criteria, as do many other franchise com- panies. “If you are a hard worker, have a positive UNITED FRANCHISE GROUP mindset, are coachable and teachable,we want to talk with you.”he states. “Successful people come frommany different places. So,we found people from all different walks of life-with backgrounds in the industry,without backgrounds in the industry, and we have people successful in every segment.” Malmuth adds, however, that more often than not, the people who do eventually become UFG franchisees are those who are aligned with the company’s core values. “One of the most inter- esting things about United Franchise Group is that we’re not a publicly-traded organization,” he says. We are a family-owned business. We have a lot of second and third generation employees within our company. And when people buy a franchise, they’re buying a culture; they’re buying an atmosphere; they’re buying a lot of values that the organization has built. Our culture and our value system is very much family-based.” That value system underscores UFG’s number one, ongoing priority: the support and develop- ment of its franchisees. “When they’re successful, we’re successful,” Malmuth declares. “That is the litmus test for every decision that we make. So, if we’re looking for, or considering, or investigating, or researching something that doesn’t line up to that mission statement, we just, flat out, don’t do it. At the end of the day, the number one focus always has been, and always will be, providing the best possible training, support, and infra- structure for our franchisees - keeping them on the cutting edge.” It’s why United Franchise Group is the global leader for entrepreneurs. Preferred vendor n 5th Avenue Leads www.5thavenueleads.com