93 Killer Questions Successful Franchise Owners Ask To Regain Their Franchising Mojo

93 KILLER QUESTIONS TO ASK

WHEN YOUR

FRANCHISE

HAS LOST

ITS MOJO…Isn't it time you learnt the secrets of the….

““The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting

different results” - Albert Einstein

Isn't it time you learnt the secrets of the….

FIRSTLY…

You are too damned close to it all and you know you are. So you need to take a step back and look at it from a different angle so that you can get your

“mojo” back…

So how about I give you a technique along with a bunch of question to ask yourself. It will be a half

day exercise that will change your perspective and put the fire back in your belly…


SETTING THE SCENEFirst step is to set the scene for change. In order to get the right answers to your questions you need to be in the right frame of mind. Use these techniques on the day to get you ready to re-ignite the fire:

• Get up 30min earlier and change your morning routine; If you shave before showering, do the opposite. If you have coffee before breakfast, have it after. Swop it all around for the morning…This is a well known technique used by hypnotherapists when preparing their clients for big changes e.g. quitting smoking.

• Call in to work and tell you will not be in until that afternoon - Don't pre-arrange this with staff or managers… you have to shake things up and prepare them for change too.

• Get in your car and drive to a nice hotel/Starbucks where business people frequently meet. You want to be in a high activity environment with free WIFI. Do not go to a place that you are very familiar with.

• Get a coffee, open up your laptop, put your earphones in and open up Spotify. You’ll need some rousing “focus music” and not sing-along music for this. The genre is your choice but I find that no man can get me more fired up than good old Hans Zimmer… “Run free” is my current favourite.

• At the top of a new document write the following. ………………(Name of your most impressive competitor) Competitor Analysis.

• Turn up the volume and take a big sip of your Latte… this is where the fun starts.


THE EXERCISE - PART 1Now that you have written down the name of your most impressive competitor, you need to mentally remove yourself from a “defensive position”. Write a 3-5 page summary on your company but but write it as if you were writing about your competitor and were looking for weaknesses to exploit! Write it in the 3rd person. Here are some of the areas you should try to cover - add more as you see fit:

1. What do they do? 2. On a scale of 1-10 how competitive are they at the

moment? 3. What is the most impressive thing about them? 4. Is it quite an exciting company or not? 5. Based on their look, who are they targeting from a

customer and franchisee point of view?


THE EXERCISE…CONT.6. Are they expanding rapidly or quite slowly? 7. What is the one thing that keeps customers coming

to them. Is it unique? 8. What is their leadership team like? Are they

progressive, innovative, lucky etc? 9. Is the business run as an autocracy, meritocracy or

democracy? 10. When you see their store/office/vehicle what would

you describe as the “first impression” it leaves you with


THE EXERCISE…CONT.

11. What does their franchise cost compared to their competitors.

12. Does it offer more value for money than the competitors

13. What type of franchisee do they tend to take on? 14. Is it a rigorous process or does it basically boil

down to having a good attitude and the right amount of money?

15. What training do they offer their franchisees?




16. What type of support team do they have? Is it pro-active or re-active? Describe their attributes

17. Do their franchisees generally have a positive or negative attitude?

18. What marketing are they doing to support their franchisees sales efforts

19. What about their actual franchisees appearance? How would you describe the “first impression”

20. If you were made redundant tomorrow why would you join their franchise v.s. another competitor


21. What type of franchise sales team do they have? Is it pro-active or re-active?

22. Is it a bit of a “hard sell” approach, a box ticking approach or a “do you qualify to join” approach?

23. Where do their leads come from? 24. Do they consistently recruit great franchisees or is

it a bit hit & miss 25. Do you find yourself wishing “they” were your

franchise sales team or are they just average?



THE EXERCISE - PART 2Whohoo! Now that the easy part is done, we can start focusing on how we are going to take the “competitor down”. What do we need to do to get some quick wins that lay the foundations of a longer term strategy.

You have spent quality time assessing your company through the eyes of a competitor. If you did a good job, you would already have flagged a few areas that might need a kick up the backside.

Next step is to look at how you can outmanoeuvre the “competitor” by really looking at their people. Answer the following questions. Be honest and unemotional. Whatever you do… do not view these people as your staff but rather as the staff of your most impressive competitor. Of course it is harsh - and it will be really tough. But as a franchise owner you have a responsibility to your franchisees, your staff and yourself to make decisions that are unbiased and for the greater good.

Trust me, as you work through this next section you will start to feel the fire and excitement grow as you start seeing things from a different angle. The more honest you are, the more opportunities for growth you will identify.

Answer the following questions about your “competitor” honestly and factually - this will lead you to the answers you seek:

STRATEGIC QUESTIONS.1. What are the characteristics of your competitors

current Franchisees. • What is their general attitude

• What is their most glaring weakness

• Are you impressed when you see their vehicle/shop/office

• Are they pro-active and constantly networking/marketing

• Are they generally old, young, male, female, white collar, blue collar etc - is this right?

2. After studying your competitors franchisees: • What are their best characteristics?

• What are their worst characteristics?


STRATEGIC QUESTIONS.3. If you wanted to recruit superior franchisees to your

competitor, who specifically would you be looking for? • Give him/her a name

• Give him/her a career and a family

• What car do they drive and how long is the commute

• What are their fears and anxieties

• What drives them to keep focused on success (excl. earnings)

• What would make them join a franchise (excl. earnings)

• What are they looking for in a franchise (excl. earnings)

4. What are the two most important characteristics of great franchisees to seek out and to avoid?

• To seek out e.g. ambition, determination, perseverance, experience etc

• To avoid e.g. bad attitude, low drive, too Innovative (wants to change everything) etc.


STRATEGIC QUESIONS.5. How would you characterise your “competitors”

website and marketing • What kind of franchisee would find it appealing

• Does it focus on the features or the benefits of joining the company

• Does it speak to the head or the heart of the potential franchisee

• Is it fresh and exciting or a bit dated and boring.

• Does it look like a progressive company that is growing?

• Is it a brochure or a well crafted call to action?

• Does it leave you wanting to know more?

• How would you improve it to ensure you attract the perfect franchisee?

• In general, does it leave you feeling “wow, where do I sign up”?


STRATEGIC QUESIONS.6. If you were have superior Franchise Support to them

• What would the franchise support team look like?

• Would it be a reactive or proactive department?

• What kind of culture/attitude would the ideal support team have?

• What would the characteristics of the perfect “head of support” be?

• What would the ideal mix of support and training be?

• Would support become a profit centre rewarded on franchisee success?

• How could you free up more time for the support team to be proactive?

• How much support would be out in the field v.s. in the office or online?

• What type and/or frequency of support would leave franchisees feeling they had the best support team in the country.


STRATEGIC QUESIONS.7. If you were to have a superior sales team to them:

• What would the sales team need to look like?

• Would it be a reactive or proactive department?

• What kind of culture/attitude would the ideal sales team have?

• What would the characteristics of the perfect “head of sales” be?

• What would the sales process look like?

• What would the ideal mix of salary and commission be?

• Would commission be paid on a sale or on franchisees 1st year success?

• How involved would they be in the marketing for franchisees?

• Is your competitors current sales team, the right team to take the business to the next level?


STRATEGIC QUESIONS.

7. What about your “competitors” Management team: • What are their strengths and weaknesses?

• Are they reactive or proactive?

• Are they motivational leaders or just opinionated administrators?

• Do they help drive new ideas or do constantly resist change?

• Do they inspire achievement in their staff or suppress it for fear of being replaced?

• Are they the right people to take the business to the next level


STRATEGIC QUESIONS.7. What about your “competitors” Marketing team:

• What are their strengths and weaknesses?

• Are they reactive or proactive with their marketing initiatives?

• Are they constantly looking at new and better ways of communicating?

• Are they great Franchise Marketers or just designers doing Marketing

• Is their marketing goal/outcome orientated i.e. Is it designed with a specific purpose in mind or is it just designed to fulfil a general goal?

• Is there an integrated communications strategy that ensures all marketing communications work in concert or is it ad-hoc.

• Do they have a fantastic social media presence that is constantly interacting with their clients and developing relationships.

• Do they take advantage of the new mediums of podcasting, webcasting, webinars etc.



STRATEGIC QUESIONS.7. What about your “competitors” PR team:

• What are their strengths and weaknesses?

• Are they reactive or proactive with their PR initiatives?

• Are they constantly looking for ways of ensuring their company is in the news for positive reasons?

• Do they work closely with franchise support and franchisees to ensure any achievements are being properly covered

• Is their PR goal/outcome orientated i.e. Is it designed with a specific goal/outcome in mind or is it just designed to fulfil a general goal?

• Does their PR work in concert with the larger marketing strategy or is it completely ad-hoc.



WRITE A QUICK REPORT.

Now quickly write a one page document based on your “assessment” of your competitor and its staff.

Start the page with the following words…

IF I WAS WAS IN CHARGE OF GROWTH IN THAT COMPANY I WOULD IMMEDIATELY…

Be quick, use bullet points and be decisive. Don't edit this page - if you do, you would have totally wasted hours of your life for no reason.

Write what your gut tells you and don't dilly dally. That is what got you into this position in the first place.


THE GOAL

You have now done hours of work and have created your one page assessment, all of which will be absolutely and utterly pointless…unless you have a clear vision of what you want to achieve

I know that this may come as a shock, but crew never like an indecisive Captain that has no clue where he is going. You need to be the leader your staff and franchisees deserve. You need to be decisive and clear in your vision so that you can rouse the troops into a frenzy of solidarity and common cause. But to do this you personally need to know what you actually want. This is often the most difficult thing to prise out of the mind of an entrepreneur. So here is what you do.

• Keep it simple. If you are on 100 franchisees, go 100% higher than your current (pre-revolution) expectation e.g. 150 instead of 125.

• If you want to go from 100 to 150 franchisees tell your staff you are aiming for 160 - why? If you do the next few step right, your staff will surpass all your wildest expectations.


THE DEPARTMENTS

Your research would have given you a fairly good idea as to how your departments need to change.”Look at the structure of each department. Is it set up to deliver the type of service you need them to deliver?

• What size should the departments be • What skills-set should be in place in each department • Has each department got the right tools for the job. • How should departments interact with each other in order to ensure maximum

effectiveness

Think clearly and make decisions based on achieving your vision. The structure of your departments can have a great impact on how effective they are both individually and as a whole.


THE TEAM

You have your personal vision, you have your one page report, now you need to have the right people with the right skills to “make it happen.”

You need to choose a success team. You need to choose your team in the same way every sport chooses it first team. Based on merit, skill set, and ultimately their likely contribution to securing victory.

You might need to bench some people but if they are not contributing to success they are holding it back. I know its harsh. But “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few” etc…

You have to build a lean success team that have a common cause, a common vision and that are on a mission. Work closely with them but trust their judgement. Allow them the freedom to make decisions that allow them to succeed. Micro management is not going to work.


DELIVER THE VISIONNow it is all up to you. You need to whip up a fire of enthusiasm in the hearts of each and every one of your staff members. You need to deliver your vision in such a way that every person in the company feels integral to the success of the team.

Understand that your vision is not just some great cause that everybody is automatically going to hold to their hearts like a long lost son. NO… Your vision should be a carefully crafted sales pitch to your team which allows them to emotionally buy-in to a common cause.

When planning and preparing your delivery ask yourself - What would Churchill say? Would he stand in front of his staff and say: “Ladies and Gentlemen we want to reach 150 franchisees by 2016 and by-jove I will see it done! You all know your duty and what is expected of you. Thank you, carry on!!

Or do you stand in front of them and say: “Ladies and Gentlemen, We have a hell of a task ahead of us. If we reach 150 franchisees by 2016, we would have done something nobody thought possible. Not only would we have expanded our company beyond our wildest imagination, we would have helped secure the future of 150 franchisees families as well as the families of their staff. We will have made a real and positive difference to the lives of thousands of customers. I know each one of you. You have extraordinary skills and are at the top of your game. I would like to ask you to dig deep, work smart and kick some butt. Together we can do this!”


NOW IT’S ALL UP TO YOU

But it doesn't have to be…

If you would like my help working through this exercise or its implementation please feel free to contact me. I am only too

happy to assist.

OR

If you are interested in Consulting, coaching or mentoring services for your Franchise please feel free to contact me via

LinkedIn - http://uk.linkedin.com/in/sgoldsmith/


http://uk.linkedin.com/in/sgoldsmith/

Leadership & Management

93 Killer Questions Successful Franchise Owners Ask To Regain Their Franchising Mojo