Finding franchisees is easy, but finding the right franchisees is not. It is critical that you make good, well-considered choices about who you decide to award the franchise to – after all, you cannot be a successful franchisor unless your franchisees are also successful in their own businesses.
So how do you identify franchisees who will be successful? Some criteria are easily recognised, for example, specific skills may be required to run a cleaning, mechanical or a food-service franchise, but it is more about finding people who match your values and principles, as well as having the right attitude and talent to work with your business offering and franchise system.
For those franchisors who are in the early stages of expanding their network, it is fundamental that they make good, measured decisions about who they bring into their network. Tempting as it is to take anyone who expresses an interest in your brand, it is worth being selective and growing steadily with a strong and proficient franchise network. Making a wrong judgement can be extremely costly and can potentially damage your brand.
Just as every franchisor is different, every potential franchisee has different characteristics and skills. It is more about finding the candidates who have the right approach and aptitude to work with you. Chris Wootton, Managing Director and franchisee of domestic cleaning franchise, Poppies, offers his advice on how to recruit the right franchisees who will take your brand and make a success of their business.
Here are Chris’s top three tips to making a good match:
Check they have done their due diligence
Before a prospect approaches you, it is important to find out if they have done any research on the brand and the sector you operate in. This will not only indicate they are serious about franchising, but you will be able to see if they are proactive self-starters – a key skill in franchising. Many people will check out several options before choosing which franchise to invest in, so dig around and see what they have looked at and why they have discounted them.
“Franchising is all about following a system, so it is important prospects understand and value the fact that business success takes time, effort and dedication. Anyone who chooses to invest in a franchise needs to be prepared to put in the hard work upfront, particularly in the early years, and realise that this is an effective route to a secure income as well as the opportunity to be their own boss.”
Checklist of personal qualities and skills
Make a list of your ‘ideal’ franchisee qualities and consider personal characteristics as well as previous experience or practical skills. For example, if your franchisees need to build relationships and be organised, you need to prioritise good interpersonal and organisational skills. It is unlikely that they will meet all your criteria, but if someone ticks most of the boxes and has a strong work ethic, they may be a good candidate.
“At Poppies there are certain characteristics that we look for in our prospects – excellent people skills, a real passion for their business and the ambition to grow. While we don’t require any prior cleaning industry or business ownership experience, we do want our franchisees to be great communicators, business minded, methodical and motivated, proud and respectful, and last but not least, willing to reinvest to grow their business. Investing time and effort in your recruitment strategy is well worth the effort as you attract the best applicants – it has certainly paid off for us with over half of our network now in their third term.”
Good support network
As with any new business, setting up a franchise is hard work. It is vital that you explain to prospects there may be difficult periods, particularly at the start, and it might take time to generate a profit. As a franchisor, you will be on hand to advise, support and mentor franchisees, but when things get tough or stressful, it would be good to find out if they have someone outside of their work they can turn to for encouragement and guidance. We all know that a problem halved is a problem shared.
The key to finding the right franchisees is to be strategic and remain agile and adaptive to the market. If you want to attract high-calibre franchisees to your network, you need to be confident that you are offering them a supportive start and excellent prospects. Explain how you will set them up for success and help them build an achievable vision for their future. Just as you are looking for certain characteristics, skills and commitment in a franchisee, so should they be scrutinising your commitment, support and work ethic. It is a two-way relationship between a franchisor and franchisee, and it can thrive over time, but it has to be reciprocal.
Chris Wootton is owner, Managing Director and also longstanding franchisee of Poppies with over two decades of experience in both the cleaning and franchise industries. Launched in 1980, Poppies was the UK’s first-ever cleaning franchise. Today, the 22-strong network turns over more than £5 million annually. Having taken ownership of the brand in 2018, Chris is leading the business into a new phase of expansion.
