"Our conversion rate has gone up 10 points since the beginning of the year, and I attribute that to a couple of different factors — one of which being Sydney having conversations with these prospective clients. She develops a rapport with them, and that helps our conversion rate."
— Valerie Eichhorn, Franchise Development Marketing Manager
The Challenge
When Valerie Eichhorn stepped into her role as Franchise Development Marketing Manager at The Goddard School, she immediately spotted a critical disconnect at the top of the sales funnel. The nationally respected early childhood education franchise — with over 640 locations across the U.S. — was attracting high-value prospective franchisees, but those leads weren't receiving the personalized engagement needed to move them forward.
"I looked at our overall customer experience, and we weren't necessarily engaging with the customer and asking questions to help ensure that we were passing on quality leads over to the sales team,"said Valerie. The frustration was echoed by the sales team, who frequently told her they weren't receiving quality leads.
The challenge was nuanced: not every prospect was ready to open a school right away, making thoughtful nurturing essential. Valerie knew she needed dedicated support for lead engagement — but a full-time hire didn't make sense. The role called for roughly 20 flexible hours per week, scaling with pipeline volume. She needed a smarter, more scalable solution.
The Solution
Valerie turned to BELAY and was matched with Sydney — a remote Virtual Assistant whose analytical thinking and warm, professional communication style made her an immediate fit for the high-stakes world of franchise development. Prospective Goddard franchisees are evaluating million-dollar-plus investments, and Sydney brought exactly the patience and responsiveness the role required.
"Sydney is a great fit for the team because she is super analytical, very logical, very friendly, and professional in interacting with the leads. These are individuals who are looking to make a million-plus investment into our brand. And so we needed someone who could be responsive, could be patient,"Valerie explained.
Sydney took full ownership of lead coordination — personally connecting with prospective franchisees through emails and phone calls, delivering same-day responses to new inquiries, and guiding prospects through their early discovery journey. Her contributions expanded quickly: she managed the CRM daily, pulled segmented lists for franchise development events, and proactively identified process gaps. When she recognized the need for a new lead category for real estate referrals, she submitted the help desk ticket herself and worked with the CRM team to get it built. She also reviewed outbound marketing emails, audited Calendly workflows, and evaluated testimonial footage — becoming a genuine thought partner for Valerie along the way.
"Sydney is a great fit for the team because she is super analytical, very logical, very friendly, and professional in interacting with the leads. These are individuals who are looking to make a million-plus investment into our brand. And so we needed someone who could be responsive, could be patient."
— Valerie Eichhorn, Franchise Development Marketing ManagerThe Impact
With Sydney handling the front end of the sales funnel, the results were both measurable and meaningful. Every new inquiry received a same-day reply, ensuring prospective franchisees felt seen and supported from their very first touchpoint.
"Our conversion rate has gone up 10 points since the beginning of the year, and I attribute that to a couple of different factors — one of which being Sydney having conversations with these prospective clients. She develops a rapport with them, and that helps our conversion rate,"said Valerie.
Beyond the numbers, the partnership gave Valerie something equally valuable: strategic bandwidth. Freed from managing daily lead communications, she regained the capacity to focus on growth.
"It's provided a lot of space for me to focus again on those strategic items that we need in order to continue to grow,"she shared.
The engagement also affirmed the power of flexible staffing done right.
"It's very freeing to know that you have an extension of your team, that you're able to build your team without necessarily bringing on additional headcount."Sydney didn't simply fill a role — she filled a critical gap in The Goddard School's franchise development process and became a trusted part of the team.