Making The Franchise Engine Work

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How To Achieve The Basic And Most Obvious Goal Of A Franchise: To Make The Relationship Beneficial To Both The Franchiser And The Franchisee.

Franchising can be likened to having a car after a trip to the car dealer. Once we are done with choosing a franchise or deciding to franchise our business, we would need to address this crucial question: in the same way that we need to get the car out of the dealer's premises after paying for it, in the same way that we need to get the car out of the dealer's premises after paying for it, how do we make the franchise work once it's in our hands?

Much has been written on how to franchise a business or to choose one, but this particular phase of franchising is simply the tip of the iceberg, so speak. It is making the franchise work making it succeed and grow into a viable and vibrant business that's really the heart of the matter, and I must say that this is a challenge that is bound to test the maturity of both the franchiser and the franchisee.

The basic and most obvious goal of a franchise is, of course, to make the relationship beneficial to both parties, but even then, we must recognize that our actions in going into a franchise relationship may not necessarily be motivated by the material benefits that we can derive from it.

It could be that the benefits we expect are primarily social - "I want to own or belong to a successful team." "I can prove my business has excellent potential."- or psychological- "I just would love to do what franchise concept calls for." "by franchising, I can now expand my business." - or perhaps even emotional - "I will need a support system to start my business." "I won't be alone but have other entrepreneurs managing similar branches." Still, the bottom line w0ill ultimately be the financial benefits that both parties can derive from the franchise relationship.

Indeed, franchising may be distinct from other means of expanding a business, but the expectation of a good financial return will always be at the root of it.

As in driving a good racing car to peak speeds of up to 220 kilometers per hour, you can make the franchise engine work at peak efficiency only if all of its components are working smoothly and harmoniously. Franchises are like vested cars in races -they have to be very well maintained and their parts must always be kept in tip - top condition.

So, to pursue the analogy further, if your franchises were a car, how would you make it work so you can derive the maximum benefit from it and harness its full potential?

The Operations Manual The first thing to do is to make the franchise Operations Manual work for you.

Oops! Don't make the mistake of keeping that manual in a secure and safe place or, even worse, keeping it under lock and key. The Operations Manual is meant to be understood and regularly referred to as you operate your franchise. You must read and fully understand the operating manual of the car. Why? It's because that car manual identifies all the parts of the car, explains how they function, and shows the user how to maintain them. In the same token, the Franchise Operation Manual contains all the information you need to make the franchise functional, whether you are the franchiser or the franchisee. Because it prescribes in detail the standards of the business model, the Franchise Operations Manual is what will enable the franchise system to achieve uniformity and consistency in its implementation.

The franchisee should use the Operations Manual as the primary guide for running his or a static and inflexible set of rules. The franchiser should regularly update and improve it to enable the franchise system to keep up with technology. It won't be an understatement to say that a franchise system that doesn't regularly update its Operations Manual is headed towards disaster sometime soon.

The Communication Fuel Tons of articles have been written about the importance of communication not only in franchising but also in general. To go back to the car analogy, what will keep the car running to our desired destination is fuel. In a franchise system, the equivalent of the car's fuel is communication. It is communication that will enable the major participants in the franchise system - the franchiser and the franchise - to achieve unity of vision and objectives and to agree on how to achieve them.

When there is basic acceptance of the importance of often dialogue between franchiser and franchisee, the franchise system is greatly enriched and grows much faster.

When the unity of minds between franchiser and franchisee is the goal, the communication dynamics in the franchise system be comes more challenging and exciting. On one hand, no longer will you have a franchiser who thinks his or her franchisees are just there to collect fees and not to provide support. In such a situation, even if the initial atmosphere may be stiff and uncomfortable, at least the franchiser and franchisee can now sit down in a spirit of openness and dialogue.

The franchiser often has to make the first move by going back to the basics, particularly on why there is a franchise in the first place and why there is a franchise in the first place and why he or she decided to franchise the business.

Then the franchisee can begin to verbalize his or her reasons for choosing the particular franchise among all his other choices. The dialogue can continue and move on to the identification of the present concerns of both the franchiser and the franchisee. They need to view these present concerns from the perspective of initial goals and objectives, and when they do they will find that their goals are not contradictory but actually the same, thus leading to a mutual desire to continue with their franchise relationship. Agreements can then be sealed with a handshake and both parties can leave the room in high spirits and on a positive note on how to further grow the franchise system together.

Preserving the Brand or Trademark

In the past, brands and trademarks were not given an actual value; today, however, the value of companies goes far beyond their actual physical assets due to the value of their brands and trademarks. The likes of such giant global brands as Colgate, Coca-Cola, and McDonald's, for instance, are of such immense actual value. For this reason, preserving the brand in a franchise system benefits not only the franchise but its franchisees as well.

Some franchisees often frown at their franchisers' strict rules in the use of the trademark; for instance, in the printing of promotional materials that calls for written approval of the franchiser in its use. This is actually an unjustified reaction. The preservation of the integrity of the trademark should be a paramount concern not only to the franchiser but to the franchisee as well, fro it is the trademark that the customers will remember about the franchised product or service, and it is only when a customer gets a "wow" experience from using that product or service - translated to a highly favorable perception of the brand - that a franchise system can expect to add that customer to its coveted loyal and regular customer base.

So important is the franchise trademark or brand that some franchisers even take pains in preparing a corporate identity standards manual to give precise specification for its use down to how a brand should be rendered in pantone colors. It is therefore extremely important for all parties in the franchise system to work closely together in communicating a consistent trademark or brand to the market and to its various other publics.

Constant Maintenance The productive life of a car greatly depends on the constant care and maintenance it receives, and some classic cars are even known to outlive the life of its owners. What lesson can we derive from this analogy? It is that the franchise system's engine could be expected to continue producing energy for growth only when the franchiser and franchisee are one in making sure the system undergoes constant improvement. Indeed, while improvements in the franchise operation manual are a must, the entire systems itself also need to undergo upgrading periodically.

The big questions to be asked are these: Is the franchise model still relevant to the changing market? Can the franchise application process be improved to screen applicants even better?

When was the last time franchisers and franchisees sat down together to review the franchise agreement? Do franchisees regularly analyze their local market and their position? Is there a sustained effort to promote and market the brand? Are franchisees consistent in doing local store marketing?

Are changes needed in the format of meetings and conferences so that both franchisers and franchisees actually look forward to attending them? Does the franchise system regularly monitor its present market share versus its target?

Is there a corporate planning conference participated in by both franchiser and franchisees? Are initial franchise fees and royalties reviewed regularly? Are there comparative studies conducted to check the financial performance of both the franchiser and the franchisees?

These are some of the questions that need be answered if the franchise system is to outlive the life of its founder, like what McDonald's has achieved by maintaining very strong and viable

franchise system despite the demise of Ray Kroc.

Making the franchise engine work will always be a challenge to both the franchiser and franchisee, but when both parties keep their focus on the mutuality of benefits, the task need not be an adversarial and unpleasant one.

Visit my web site at http://www.gmbfranservice.biz Armando together with his spouse Erlinda began their company called GMB Franchise Developers Inc., in the Philippines in 1993. The company has since assisted over 200 various companies expand via franchising within the country and international. Mr. Bartolome, is the Philippines' acknowledged Franchise Guru and has given over 200 seminars in the country, Asian Regions, Middle East and North America. ERLINDA SABIO BARTOLOME is a Certified Franchise Executive through the International Franchise Association in Washington D.C., USA. She is also the Managing Director of GMB Franchise Developers.

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