For every business, challenges arise in abundance. When it comes to entrepreneurship, obstacles seem to increase, especially in finding clients. Investors often spend a lot of time and money on promoting their products, and sometimes do not see as much positive return. But what if a way was created to guarantee these leads?
It was designed by SÓ Multas, a franchise specialized in traffic solutions. The brand created the "Leads Bag," a platform that allows franchisees to purchase leads – contacts of potential clients who have already shown interest in the company's services.
Designed by Clayton Vitor and Junior Seixas, partners of the company, the idea arose shortly after the Covid-19 pandemic. With the proposal and recent social isolation, the goal was to "develop more value for customers, who were previously neglected." He also mentioned that they aimed "to give reassurance to franchisees about how customers would find the company and vice versa, mainly because our home office was not as well established as it is today," says Seixas.
The franchise uses marketing campaigns nationwide (online and in person) to attract qualified customers who will later be integrated into the platform, which the franchisee can access. Clayton classifies that there are two ways to acquire leads.
We have theauction, which allows the dispute of bids between franchisees for specific leads; and thedirect purchase, where the lead can be acquired instantly for a fixed price, without competition. The entire process takes place in a transparent and easy-to-use system, ensuring full control over the lead flow," he explains.
If it sells out, the offer ends
The network still sets a minimum time for the franchisee to purchase the lead from the moment it becomes available. The idea is to make the customer feel "valued" on the platform, so they don't have to wait long for service, which improves their experience and encourages franchises.
Seixas points out that the main goal is to be a facilitator for franchisees' work, since direct access to interested customers and time savings help improve the franchisee's work, who doesn't need to worry about advertising campaigns, for example. He also reveals that the prospecting is carried out by the franchisor itself, which allows the units to focus on service and conversion.
The market expansion opportunity also becomes an attraction provided by the resource, since there is the possibility of acquiring leads from all over the country. Furthermore, the cutting-edge technology offered by the platform ensures efficient management of the contacts made, as well as all the support provided by the franchisor.
Growing revenue
Currently, the Lead Bag is the fourth largest responsible for customer acquisition for the brand. The expectation is that, in four years, the system will account for half of all franchise sales. The average ticket size of leads is R$ 28 for franchisees, who have the option to insert credits into the platform and spend them on potential contacts – which Clayton considers a saving for the employees.
Over time, it will no longer make sense for the franchisee to spend so much time investing in digital campaigns, and there is also the credit that the franchisee deposits into their account to compete for leads. Another point is that, currently, any lead that enters the brand goes through Bolsa and is offered to franchisees, he adds.
Carlos Guilherme, the franchisee of the brand, adopted the Leads Bolsa structure. Graduated in Accounting Sciences, he found SÓ Multas through a friend and, in this way, opened his branch in Patrocínio, in the interior of Minas Gerais. For him, the lead generation system works as an additional tool in the job.
"The Bolsa has the potential to bring not only more customers to the stores but also to be a catalyst, something that makes the franchisee's work much easier than in a regular operation. Because it is a very diverse market, it can be very well exploited. At the same time, it can generate significant demand for franchises – and it is in this sense that the system comes in. I see it as a strong ally in this regard," he says.
In his first experience with franchises, Carlos reports that he chose to use an auction to acquire some leads, mainly due to its greater ease and accessibility—in comparison to direct sales. He also reports that the first month using the tool was positive for the franchise's revenue.
Furthermore, the Lead Bolsa serves as an incentive for franchisees through awards – one of the franchisees, for example, received a year of free platform usage as a reward.
