Improve Your Performance as a Franchisee? Pick Five!
When I was an area developer and franchisee in various brands, I developed a simple engagement strategy that allowed me to accelerate my learning curve, develop lasting relationships and achieve my full potential as an owner. And all it took was one phone call a week! Sounds easy - and it is!
Here’s how it works:
Find Your Five People
Target five people (high-performing and happy franchisees) at your next conference and ask if you can casually call them periodically over the next few months to talk business and share ideas. When doing this, look for the “Franchisee of the Year” award winner, last year’s winner, and other top performers. These are the ones you can really learn from, and whose approach you’ll want to model.
With very few exceptions, the franchisees you approach will very graciously accept your request – after all, they’re not really expecting you to call! Be the one who has the discipline to make those calls and follow through. When you make the commitment, it will pay off. How? Read on....
Make the Call
Set aside time each week when you call one of the five people on your list. By rotating through your list on a weekly basis, you’ll only be calling each franchisee once every five to six weeks. This is often enough to develop a meaningful relationship, but not so often that you become a nuisance.
More often than not, you’ll get a franchisee’s voicemail when you call. During my calls, I’d leave a message that sounded something like this: “Hi David, it’s John in Minnesota. Here’s what I’m doing in my business, here’s the hot topic today…I wonder what you’re working on? Do you have any ideas or suggestions? When you have a moment, please call me back at your convenience.”
Even if the person never calls you back, the process of articulating what’s going on and where your challenges are can be incredibly powerful - even a one-sided conversation can help you get clarity!
Circle Back at Next Year’s Conference
Over the course of the next year, you will have likely connected several times and developed meaningful relationships with at least a few of the franchisees you selected the prior year. Take time at the conference to deepen these relationships in person, while replacing any other members of your initial “Pick 5” list that didn’t work out. This gives you a fresh list of franchisees to contact as you move forward into another year. Rotate the group and make changes as you desire. This is your internal program, so no need to announce or make it official - keep it simple.
In my first few years as a franchisee, I learned so much through this process. It helped me avoid mistakes, understand the organization and navigate the politics of the home office successfully. I was able to achieve great success in the brands, while also helping others by connecting ideas between the franchisees in my Pick 5 network. In the end, I was able to give as much as I received.
It takes some discipline to make the calls, take the calls and engage in the conversations, but the process is powerful. In most cases, everyone benefited from the mutual effort.
Give it a try - it’s never too late to try something new!