Franchisors and franchisor representatives need to place greater emphasis on qualifying a franchise candidate throughout the franchising process. Utilizing traditional selling techniques in franchising is not the most effective path to follow.
Throughout my franchise career I’ve held the belief that one should not sell a franchise using the traditional principles of selling that have been and continue to be presented in various formats. I recall being interviewed for a franchise executive position early in my career when I raised a red flag by stating to the president of a franchise company that “you don’t sell a franchise but rather you provide a qualified prospect the information they need to make an informed decision.†I probably could have avoided the red flag by being clearer when I made the statement. I was able to clarify my comment and got the job. In retrospect, the basis for my comment was having been the VP of franchise operations where I had a minor role in the franchise sales process and saw some franchisees brought into the network by being aggressively sold. Full article.