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$10M+ in franchise opportunity unlocked from a dormant database using AI
5 min read
TL;DR
A national youth sports franchise network had thousands of leads sitting in their database across 15+ sport categories. They didn't have the people to call them all. Earlibird deployed 20 sport-specific AI calling agents that ran database reactivation campaigns and instant new-lead follow-up.
Over 20 months, the AI made 43,067 calls and reached 5,857 unique contacts, booking 200+ franchise discovery calls. 88% of franchise buyers during that period had AI calls in their contact history. The AI now books 80% of all sales appointments, consistently every month.
AI outbound calling performance · 20 months of live operation
5,857
Contacts
reached
200+
Discovery calls
booked
80%
Sales appointments
now AI-booked
Real performance data from 20 months of live AI calling across 20 sport-specific assistants.
The problem
The franchise network runs youth sports coaching programs across Australia and internationally. They sell franchise territories to local operators who run the coaching programs in their area.
The problem wasn't lead generation. They had thousands of past leads sitting in a database across every sport category. People who had expressed interest months or even years ago. The leads were being followed up with typical marketing: email broadcasts, the occasional SMS campaign, generic database outreach. But it wasn't working. What they actually needed was personalised phone conversations at scale, and with only one salesperson handling the entire operation, that simply wasn't possible.
Hiring a team of sales development reps to work the database wasn't practical either. Training multiple reps across 15+ different sports would take months. And even then, the volume of contacts was far too high for any human team to reach in a reasonable timeframe.
The demand was already there. It was just sitting dormant.
What the AI actually does
Earlibird deployed 20 sport-specific AI calling agents, each trained on the details of their sport category. The system runs across multiple campaign types:
Database reactivation campaigns
The AI calls past leads who expressed interest but were not followed up effectively. It knows which sport they were interested in and what the current promotions are. It re-engages the conversation, qualifies interest, and books a discovery call with the founder.
Instant new-lead follow-up
When a new lead opts in during business hours, the AI calls them straight away. Outside of hours, it sends a text first asking if it's a good time to call, or continues the conversation via text. Speed to lead is everything when it comes to sales, and the AI responds in minutes, not days.
Interested lead follow-up
Contacts who showed interest but didn't book on the first call get followed up automatically. The AI handles callbacks, answers additional questions about the franchise model, and re-offers available time slots until the appointment is locked in.
Inbound call handling
When leads call back after receiving information packs or webinar invites, the AI picks up immediately. It confirms their details, answers questions about investment requirements, and books them in for a founder call.
20 sport-specific AI agents, one system
Each AI agent knows the specifics of the sport, current promotions, and common questions. A lead interested in a cricket franchise gets a cricket-specific conversation, not a generic sales pitch. For anything beyond the basics, the AI directs them to the sales team: "That's something that can be discussed on the call. Let's get you booked in."
The results
The headline: the AI now books 80% of all sales appointments, consistently every month. One salesperson handles the volume that previously would have required a full SDR team. The AI does the prospecting, re-engagement, and booking. The human does the closing.
88% of franchise buyers had AI calls on their record
Of the franchise sales closed during this period, 88% of them had a registered AI call on their contact history.
481 hours of dedicated call time, under $7K
The AI logged 481 hours of actual phone conversations across 20 months. At outsourced SDR rates of $100-$150/hour in Australia, that same dedicated call time would cost $48,000 to $72,000, and that's just the phone time, not the scripting, coaching, management, or ramp-up. The AI handled it for under $7,000 total.
Why 2,535 interested contacts didn't all become 2,535 appointments: A franchise is a major purchase. Many contacts confirmed they were interested, but needed time: "I need to sell my other business first," "I need to leave my current job," "Can you contact me again in six months?" The AI keeps those conversations alive automatically. Of those who were qualified and ready to move forward within the timing window, the conversion to booked discovery calls was strong.
80%
Sales appointments now AI-booked
Consistently every month, the AI books 4 out of 5 discovery calls. The founder only takes calls with qualified, interested prospects.
5,857
Unique contacts reached
Past leads that were not being followed up effectively, now re-engaged across every sport category with personalised conversations.
3.3 min
Avg booking call duration
When an appointment is booked, the average call takes just over 3 minutes. The AI qualifies interest, confirms details, and locks in the time slot efficiently.
2,986
Inbound calls handled
Leads calling back after receiving information packs or webinar invites, answered instantly by AI, any time of day.
The scale problem, solved
You can't call 5,857 people with one salesperson. The database was full of leads across 15+ sports, scattered across Australia and internationally. Every lead needed a personalised conversation about their specific sport and the current promotions available. That's not a job for one person with a phone.
Speed to lead changes everything. When a new lead opts in, the AI calls within minutes. Not the next day. Not next week. Right now. In sales, the difference between calling in 5 minutes and calling in 5 hours is the difference between a booked appointment and a lost lead.
Follow-up runs on autopilot. The AI handles callbacks, re-engagement, and interested-lead nurturing automatically. A contact who says "call me next week" actually gets called next week. Someone who says "reach out again in six months" gets that call in six months. Every time. No lead falls through the cracks because someone forgot or got busy.
“The AI books 80% of our sales calls now, consistently every month.”
Founder, National Youth Sports Franchise Network
Why it works
Most of the time, it just comes down to timing. Thousands of people had expressed interest in owning a franchise at some point. They filled out a form, watched a webinar, or attended an event. Their interest was real, but the timing wasn't right. A "no" from a lead isn't "no forever." It's "not right now." And if you happen to reach out at the right time, with the right conversation, a good proportion of those people will tip across. The problem is, no human team can time 5,857 conversations. AI can.
The AI went through the entire database, sport by sport, and brought the leads back to life.
One salesperson, amplified. Instead of hiring 5 SDRs to work the phones, the network deployed AI to handle all prospecting and appointment setting. The founder takes qualified calls all day. He doesn't prospect. He doesn't chase. He closes.
Not a robocall. A real conversation. This isn't a generic "are you still interested?" outbound blast. Each AI agent is trained to answer the most common questions and objections people have at the start of the franchise journey. For anything deeper, the AI directs them to the founder who can actually close. The goal isn't to answer every question on the call. It's to get the right people booked in with the right person.
20 months in production. 43,067 calls made. 5,857 contacts reached. 200+ discovery calls booked. 80% of franchise sales appointments now booked by AI. 88% of buyers had AI conversations on their record before they signed. The database that was collecting dust is now the primary revenue engine of the business.
Your database is full of revenue. Let AI find it.
See how AI outbound calling could reactivate your leads and
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