--- title: "Wild Birds Unlimited’s Second Quarter Sales Possibilities Make Autumn a Great Time to Start the Discovery Process" url: https://burnaze.com/article/5a007b95-e5a4-46c2-80bf-ede313d633b8 source: "1851 Franchise" original_url: https://1851franchise.com/wild-birds-unlimiteds-second-quarter-sales-possibilities-make-autumn-a-great-time-to-start-the-discovery-process-2711399 category: "Specialty retail" industry: "Retail" segment: "Specialty retail" published: 2019-10-23T02:21:22.000Z modified: 2026-11-01T02:31:36.652Z image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/7813473844f94b39614ba7a8662e81a61296.jpg --- # Wild Birds Unlimited’s Second Quarter Sales Possibilities Make Autumn a Great Time to Start the Discovery Process **TL;DR:** Wild Birds Unlimited sees Q2 sales possibilities with 90-day startup, making autumn a great time to start the discovery process. The brand's busiest times are the second and fourth quarters, coinciding with high levels of bird activity and consumer shopping traffic. *originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2019-10-23. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/wild-birds-unlimiteds-second-quarter-sales-possibilities-make-autumn-a-great-time-to-start-the-discovery-process-2711399).* ## Key facts - Wild Birds Unlimited sees peak sales in Q2 and Q4 - Franchisees can be up and running in 90 days - Existing franchisees are opening multiple units ## Story **It’s never a bad time of the year to begin your discovery process to franchise with** **Wild Birds Unlimited****, but prospective franchisees who act quickly and start the discovery process this fall will catch the proverbial worm.** **When a** **Wild Birds Unlimited** **franchisee starts the vetting process in the fall, they can feasibly be up and running in time to take advantage of second-quarter sales. By the time the fourth quarter of 2020 rolls around, a franchisee will already be very familiar with the franchise system and be able to maximize holiday sales potential.** **The second and fourth quarters are the busiest and most productive times for the Wild Birds Unlimited brand, as they coincide with high levels of bird activity and consumer shopping traffic.** ## Seasonal sales trends **“It doesn’t matter if you’re in the northern or southern United States, bird activity is always strongest in the fourth quarter across the continent and breeding typically happens through the second quarter,”** **Wild Birds Unlimited Chief Development Officer Paul Pickett** **said. “We obviously encourage people to feed birds all year long, but activity peaks at those times. Mother Nature and Hallmark have clearly coordinated.”** **There’s another major reason to start the discovery process this autumn season. Wild Birds Unlimited is currently seeing “a significant level of interest” from** **existing franchisees who have decided they want to open multiple units****, Pickett said. The result?** **Available territories** **are quickly becoming scarce.** **Prospective franchisees who want to join the Wild Birds Unlimited brand can expect a thorough vetting process—one that takes, on average, 90 days from the first conversation to signing the franchise agreement.** **“Our franchise development process is an intense, two-way street,” Pickett said. “We want to make sure our candidates have all of the information they can possibly have to make a good business decision. It doesn’t just happen overnight.”** ## Franchisee vetting process **To this end, Wild Birds Unlimited employs a discovery process characterized by a significant level of validation from existing franchisees, including phone calls, store visits and a full review of their most recent Franchise Business Review survey, as well as time set aside for prospective franchisees to go through the franchise disclosure document (FDD) and ensure they have legal counsel. The process also involves credit and background checks, plus an interview with WBU's operations team.** **Once a decision is made, Wild Birds Unlimited leverages a thorough real estate process to help franchisees find the right location for their store.** **“We operate from brick-and-mortar locations, so one of our primary focuses is finding the right site, which takes some time,” Pickett said.** **A franchise opportunity that requires a brick-and-mortar location may give prospective franchisees pause, but Pickett noted that Wild Birds Unlimited has processes and products in place to make sure the brand is not overshadowed or pushed aside by e-commerce giants—who, despite speedy delivery capabilities, don’t employ birding and nature specialists to speak to the quality of their product line nor provide community education.** ## E-commerce and support **For one, Wild Birds Unlimited** **provides franchisees with an omni-channel program that allows customers to order items online****. Franchisees choose which items they want to list for sale through their stores online from a list of approved products. This omni-channel program has helped franchisees stay competitive in the age of e-commerce.** **The brand also** **launched its FeederScaping program** **in which customers can request Wild Birds Unlimited store staff to come to their homes and do yard assessments and help them set up their bird feeding products for optimal bird viewing. Franchisees who sign with the brand in the fall and open their franchises in a timely manner can use the FeederScaping program right out of the gate—and even in time for peak bird spring activity.** **Pickett noted that Wild Birds Unlimited has** **the happiest franchisees in franchising****, and maintaining that satisfaction is a top priority for the brand.** **“Our franchisees love what they do, and that’s not by accident,” Pickett said. “We put** **a lot of pieces in place to really help our franchisees succeed****. We want franchisees to go in with their eyes wide open so that expectations are reasonable and you can’t do that in a hurry. It has to be a thoughtful process.”** **With peak bird activity seasons coming up, autumn is clearly a time to fall in love with the Wild Birds Unlimited brand.** ## Entities - 1851 Franchise (publication) - Retail (sector) - franchise sales (topic) - Wild Birds Unlimited (company) - Paul Pickett (person) - Hallmark (company) - e-commerce support (topic) - seasonal sales trends (topic) - franchisee vetting process (topic) --- Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/wild-birds-unlimiteds-second-quarter-sales-possibilities-make-autumn-a-great-time-to-start-the-discovery-process-2711399). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/5a007b95-e5a4-46c2-80bf-ede313d633b8).