Have you ever wondered why some brands grow with very little effort and others struggle?
With over 20 years in the franchising sector across multiple industries, what stands out the most is the underperforming franchise brands often provide very little support from their leadership team and they are always the ones that desperately want to grow, but can’t.
Equally I find the franchise brands that are experiencing exceptional growth and are highly profitable, offer an incredible support structure to their franchise partners.
Is it rocket science to understand that if as a franchisor you create an exceptional onboarding platform, you lead by example, you offer hands-on support to your new franchise partners and the businesses are profitable that you are capable of growing?
Or is it the general societal laziness that rests themselves on believing that as a Franchisor you are superior and franchisees are just that rather than your business partners? If Franchisors understood that the franchise brand only exists by its franchisees, maybe, just maybe they would look after their franchisees better?
As a franchisee myself, and being the franchise face of many brands I have come to realise that a mini checklist might be helpful in identifying which side of the fence do you sit on? And, is having a happy franchise network a priority to you?
Franchisor checklist
- Do you have a sound onboarding process which includes online and face to face support?
- Do you have a short follow up timeframe to check in with your new franchise partner and see where they need help once opened?
- Do you offer Marketing Support?
- Do you see your franchise partners as a pain or as partners?
- Do you offer ongoing support?
- Do you offer quarterly meetings?
- Are you a robot in your support meeting or do you assist each individual franchise partner on where they want/need help?
- Do you constantly work on the progression of the brand to stay with the times?
So, do you look after your franchise partners?
Ask yourself, would you buy your brand if you were a potential franchisee? If the answer is yes, well done! But if your answer is no, take the time to fix your business, offer more support, answer the phone and don’t ignore your franchise partners. It’s time to prioritize them and make them feel supported, then watch your brand grow!
