Is It Possible To Be Too Transparent?
Joel Libava
? Demystifying Franchise Buying | Author & Strategic Advisor | Over 24 Years Experience | Franchise Research Authority | Franchise Industry Writer | Classic Rock Lover
Maybe I should have buried it at the bottom of the post.
But I didn't. I couldn't. Why?
Because doing so would have been against something I strongly believe in.
Transparency.
I'll explain.
A First
I decided to name a "Franchise of the Year."
I would base it on a few things.
So I made my choice.
I picked a franchise concept I've been following for the past couple of years. But it looks like I created a problem. Why?
Because I consider the CEO of the franchise company my friend. And?
So I made that known without the use of small print or by burying that fact at the end of the article.
Instead, I placed the fact that I consider Greg George (CEO of the franchise company) to be a friend, smack dab in the middle of the post. Wanna know what happened?
It Failed (So Far)
I was excited to name the "2022 Franchise Of The Year." It was well-deserved. Especially since the franchise has done so well.
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The Peach Cobbler Factory, under the leadership of Greg George , has been awarding franchises like crazy. So what if Greg happens to be a friend? Right?
WRONG.
Turns out that naming a franchise the "2022 Franchise of the Year" that's headed up by a person who's a friend of the dude that named it may have been a mistake. Except it wasn't. Not in my eyes.
That's because The Peach Cobbler Factory franchise deserved my award. The company has done very well. Their dessert concept has really taken off.
Maybe I was too transparent.
Maybe I should have buried the fact that I consider Greg a friend below the article in teeny-tiny print.
Or worse, maybe I shouldn't have mentioned the fact that I even know Greg. I would've received a lot more web traffic. And more buzz. But I couldn't do it. The though never crossed my mind. But that's not me. I've always been transparent.
But am I too transparent?
No. It's how I roll. I can't do business any other way. I won't.
A Final Thought
I could have chosen a different franchise to name franchise of the year. Again, my website would have received more traffic.
But my gut told me I made the right choice this year.
Damn. I had such high hopes for this.
A question: what would you have done?
And could I have gone about this in a different way?
Your ideas and thoughts are appreciated.
Because I'm still learning.
Are you transparent?
Founder and CEO, Zimana Analytics / Google Analytics (GA4) / Social Media / Marketing / Data Science Services
2 年Sometimes it's about how the transparency is exposed. There are fake business awards that people sometimes use (I declined a potential client b/c of it years ago), so if an award is issued, there needs to be a clear action the recipient took that other people can admire. The response may have had a mix message that people picked up. Sometimes that happens. But don't give up the transparency.
? Demystifying Franchise Buying | Author & Strategic Advisor | Over 24 Years Experience | Franchise Research Authority | Franchise Industry Writer | Classic Rock Lover
2 年Did I do the right thing or the wrong thing? Asking for a friend.