Consider how much money you have saved up. It’s a tidy sum and letting go of it is going to require a serious and worthwhile investment. As the owner of a fairly successful business, you know that calculated risks reap great rewards, but how do you convince a brand new entrepreneur to start his first business under your brand?
“When it comes to franchise sales, there are several approaches you can take as a new franchisor,” says franchise consultant Mark Siebert.
“You can elect to sell franchises yourself, hire an industry professional, or outsource your sales. Like many business decisions, there are no definitive right and wrong answers.
Being new to franchising yourself, you need to be aware of the best approaches to attract eager franchisees to build your brand, while they run their own successful operations. To find the best people for the job you need to consider the following:
Establish your hunting ground
Growing a franchise is indeed a numbers game. You have to attract the right people in enough numbers to make a difference. The key? More leads. This is fuelled by a multi-pronged strategy to marketing.
Most new franchisors take on the responsibility of franchise sales themselves. While this gives you first-hand knowledge of the franchise sales process, the biggest benefit will be felt in your pocket, as it’s the least expensive option.
Alternatively, you could hire a franchise sales professional while you get back to business, or outsource to a franchise sales outsourcing organisation. Remember that different approaches will yield different types of franchisees. For example, a franchise sales professional who’s accustomed to high earnings may not want to work with an unproven franchisor, but they may also have access to a higher calibre of candidates.
Find the best fit
So you’ve found a financially viable candidate. That was the easy part compared to finding the passion within the applicant greenlighting them to the finish line.
“Well-developed people skills – strong relationships with affiliates, suppliers and between franchisor and franchisee – will help franchise owners be successful and build their business,” says Franchising Marketing Systems’ Chris Conner.
The right franchisee has to possess strong sales and customer service abilities and if their current or previous job involved selling a similar product to what your franchise offers, you have a winner. With this box ticked, you can trust they’ll know what to do when opening the franchised business model.
Sell your idea right
Remember all you did, and hopefully still do, to promote your current business? Well, now it’s time to do more, Expansion Experts advises.
The best way get more franchisees on board is to demonstrate the success of your business model. They’re making a substantial investment and probably giving up their current job to give 100% to the business. You need to convince them that your model of doing things is unsurpassed.
“If you don’t get this right, forget about expanding your franchise’s repertoire, because nobody wants to invest their life savings into an inferior product,” advises Greg Nathan, MD, Franchise Relationships Institute.