The following excerpt is from Rick Grossmann’s bookFranchise Bible. Buy it now fromAmazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Developing your franchise community to thrive as a strong network will be the foundation that can support a huge company. Use the following tips to build your successful franchise community.
Related: The 8 Things You Need to Know If You Think You’re Ready to Turn Your Business Into a Franchise
Creating your franchise support systems and team
Your franchise support team will be the core of your community. Like a coaching staff that directs the team from the sidelines, your corporate office should be there to guide your franchisees so they can focus on playing their positions. Apply the following to build your support team:
- Be sure your support team is on the same page and that they understand and believe in the company objectives and philosophy.
- Adopt a “show me” attitude based on leading by example. Be sure your support team can “play all the positions” that your franchise owners play.
- Use communication software such as an intranet or contact relationship management (CRM) platform
- Make sure that all support staff make complete notes every time they communicate with franchise owners.
Using technology for support and training
Support and training have become much more robust in today’s world. Not too many years ago, franchisors had to assemble their franchise owners in-person for training sessions and delivered support by phone or mail. It was common to hold back new developments until the annual convention, which was the only time everyone was together. Now franchisors can utilize web meetings and video conferencing to train and support franchisees whenever the need arises. This dynamic technology allows today’s franchisors to disseminate new information more quickly and efficiently so owners can apply in the field immediately.
The ideal franchise candidate matrix
Your ideal franchise candidate matrix will enable you to add the best franchisee team players. You can establish this matrix in a number of ways depending on your business model and the size of your company. Once you have franchise owners who’ve been operating for a while, you can establish a baseline for the success factors to look for in future franchisees.
Generally, franchisees who continually want to change systems or have suggestions for change based purely on theory don’t make the best franchisees. The ideal franchisee should have advisory input abilities but not the stubbornness to insist upon changing the franchise system, at least until the franchisee’s theories are tested or the franchisee can show, based on experience, that such theories work.
Assisting franchisees as they navigate the discovery and launching process
Your franchise development department (which may just be you) has an important job to do. Choosing the best franchise candidates out of all of the inquiring shoppers is a challenge in today’s world. You’ll want to set up a step-by-step discovery process that will guide prospective owners. You’ll want to have a consultative approach to educate them…