“FranFunnel is that reliable source of getting things done even when you’re not looking at it.”
The Country’s Largest Smoothie Chain
Smoothie King started as a simple kitchen experiment in 1973 when Steve Kuhnau first mixed real fruit, nutrients, and proteins in his home blender. Sixteen years later, he decided to bring his healthy concoctions to an expanded network by adopting a franchise expansion model. The idea was simple. Provide people with a healthy retail product that made customers feel better.
After Wan Kim, South Korea’s largest system franchisee, purchased the company in 2012, a relatively stagnant growth trajectory started to turn upwards. As franchise sales have increased, the system has doubled in size and has become the United States’ largest smoothie chain. This growth has come with a renewed commitment to providing customers with products which further the company’s mission: “Inspire people to live a healthy& active lifestyle.”
The Franchise Sales Balancing Act
Addison Targosz, Franchise Development Coordinator, started at Smoothie King in 2018. From her first day of he job, she realized just how much went into the franchise sales process: website updates, lead generation, follow-up calls, applications, discovery days, and actual closes. As Addison said, “From day one I’ve had my hands in all these different kinds of jars, and it’s just multiplied since then.”
But everyone knows that the entire sales process relies on a steady stream of candidates interested in opening a location. As Addison said, “Lead generation is my number one priority in this position, but it’s difficult to be everywhere at the same time.”
That’s where FranFunnel has been an important tool in her process. By automating communication immediately after leads are submitted, Smoothie King can get people what they need as soon as possible. That way, no matter what else is on Addison’s plate, she can keep the pipeline moving. As she put it, “FranFunnel is that reliable source of getting things done even when you’re not looking at it.”
