Imagine for a moment that you have franchised your business. You have gone through our entire franchise development process and just got the news from Dave (our President) that you are approved to start offering franchises nationwide. You can’t believe how quick and smooth it was to get to this point. However we are here to tell you that the REAL work is still ahead of you. What is the real work you ask? The REAL work when it comes to franchising begins once you have been approved to start offering franchises. Every once in a while it is a good idea to be given a little jolt to remind us about the basics when it comes to successful franchising. To sum it up you don’t get the glory of franchising if you don’t do the work. Sounds pretty basic, right? Name recognition, branding, loyalty, revenue, etc. are really the goals when it comes to franchising and likely what you have had in mind all along as you have been thinking about wanting to franchise your business in the first place. But the process to bring on franchisees from start-to-finish is not always that simple. Sometimes franchisors get so caught up in their own world that they get tunnel vision and forget about the bigger picture. So sit back, relax, and as Dave says “grab yourself some tequila” and read on to learn more about what it will take to experience all the glory of franchising.
Attracting Franchise Interest
Let’s face it, once you roll out your franchise program the reality is that getting qualified leads is not that easy. It will take creativity and effort to put together some type of campaign to generate interest about your franchise program. Some franchisors (which is what your title will be once franchising) have been lucky enough to identify ways how they can create organic interest. Generating organic leads can be a great way to gain some traction for your franchise program, but it is not sustainable. It will take some time and effort to identify how and where you wish to advertise your franchise program not to mention putting together creative content (read about marketing and advertising your future franchise opportunity). Oh and let’s not forget that you will not be the only one out there vying for someone with money who is looking to start their own business. The key will be keeping your lead pipeline full and while some things related to marketing are going to be outside of your control it will keep you on your toes. But it will all pay off when you hit the jackpot: the avenue that generates the best type of leads for your franchise program.
Getting the phone to ring will be part of your challenge, but it doesn’t stop there. Qualifying whatever leads you get is typically the single most important aspect of your franchising efforts. If you are genuine, talk with applicants (not at them) and ask good questions then your conversations may turn to gold. Next thing you know the lead is even more excited about your franchise program compared to your initial conversations. And that is exactly what you want to happen. The goal is that your passion, your energy and your excitement is contagious. You will want to make the franchise opportunity that you are providing sound unbelievable and true (when working with Dave to create your franchise program he will identify all the ways how you can make it a very attractive and affordable opportunity). Not to mention following it up with whatever franchise marketing pieces you end up distributing that will drive your point home (check out our article to learn why you will need franchise marketing pieces). Next thing you know you are issuing a Franchise Disclosure Document, also known as the “FDD”, to your future applicant.
Execution
No doubt it will be a tremendous high for you when bringing on franchisees. There is nothing that will compare to the excitement you experience when you get your franchise fee and know that someone is totally committed to operating your business in another area (learn about the franchise fee). We are here to share with you that this will all be just part one. This is only HALF of the experience your franchisees will have with you. Part two of their experience will be the execution of your training program. And how well you execute your training will determine how quick your franchisees will be prepared to operate their business. At this point it will be time for you to get on that training platform and put on a presentation unlike one you have ever done before (learn why training franchisees is important). In a sense you will be baring it all to your franchisees with enthusiasm. It is not uncommon to use your team to share their knowledge during your training program. The idea is that you are force feeding so much information into your franchisee’s brain that their head is spinning by the time they board that plane headed for home. And yet another exhilarating experience for you.
Support and Growth
This is where it all comes together and where you are will get to witness how well your business is being duplicated somewhere else. This is what you envisioned, this is what you wanted, this is your dream. Let’s not forget this will also be when you can start collecting royalties (yay!). Whatever type of opening assistance you are going to provide to your franchisee, it is time to be a cheerleader for that franchisee. You will be walking into their world with answers. Your franchisee will likely be excited, confused and scared all at once. During this time it is a frenzy and you are the sense of calm, the sense of reason because you have been there before. This is where you will start to experience a sigh of relief that your franchisee is now at this point and here is where the glory of franchising starts to shine in. Whether it is kissing babies and shaking hands or kissing hands and shaking babies (whichever you prefer), this will be your time to be supportive and take on the role of mentor helping your franchisees through the launch of their business. But it doesn’t stop there! No, no, no. Staying engaged, following up with your franchisees, setting goals and keeping them motivated, pushing them to do more is the difference between a good franchisor and an exceptional one. Yep, you guessed it… when you reach this point and everything comes together this is going to be the most exhilarating experience for you.
Once you have done all of this and continue doing it with other franchisees (in other words you multiply your efforts) it will not only become easier, it also becomes addicting! It becomes a challenge to do more and refine each step in your process to get franchisees operational. And the more you continue to refine your processes and bring on franchisees the greater your bragging rights will be and the faster your system will experience growth, name recognition and branding. You then can celebrate the glory that you did it. It’s this end result that brings you bragging rights.
The Success with Franchising Begins with How it is Built
When working with us, The Franchise Maker, we provide you with the roadmap to get you to the point where you can pave the way for your success and the success of your franchisees (hence experience the glory of franchising). We put all the pieces together so that you can start offering franchises nationwide. You are not expected to come to the table with any of the answers as we educate you on everything you need to know so that you can smoothly step into the role of “franchisor”. We will teach you how to be a franchisor and that includes the basics of what you can and cannot say when talking with applicants, best practices to help you award franchises quickly and even suggestions when it comes to marketing and advertising. Beyond bringing on franchisees we teach you how to manage your franchise system and your franchisees. To learn more about how we can help you experience the glory of franchising then give us a call directly at 1-877-615-5177. We will gladly answer any questions about how you can achieve the glory of franchising.