While franchise business ownership isn’t for everyone, those who choose to pursue a franchised business model choose to do so for numerous good reasons, one of which is most likely the support that the franchisor provides to each franchise owner. A very common question that I have been asked countless times is “what kind of support can/should I expect from my franchisor?” Unfortunately, there is no perfect answer to this question, as there are a number of factors involved, including size and maturity level (age) of the franchise concept. For the sake of this article, we will consider a more mature brand with 75 or more franchisees currently operating. Below I have listed the most common support areas (not necessarily in this order):

• Continuous training and educational opportunities (annual convention, workshops, online education, webinars, etc.)
• Corporate staff available to assist with technical, marketing, financial and other challenges and opportunities via phone with a quick response time (More mature concepts tend to have staff who can actually visit franchisees in the field occasionally)
• Strong internet website and “search engine optimization” (SEO)
• Local marketing and advertising assistance, including coop advertising for markets with multiple franchisees
• Coordination of PR and advertising programs and initiatives to promote the brand
• Franchisee performance monitoring and benchmarking systems
• Systems to allow franchisees to share best practices and ideas, solve problems, etc. (most franchisors have an internal website just for franchisees that accomplishes this)
• National account management (if applicable)
• Corporate purchasing cooperatives and/or approved suppliers
• Social media coordination and support (national and local level)
• Current operations manuals
• Awards and recognition

Don’t be surprised or disappointed if your franchisor does not offer all of these benefits. The key is to make sure that the franchisor is meeting the most immediate needs of its franchisees while also prioritizing appropriately to provide additional services and benefits as the organization grows.

Submitted by Charlie Kerr, Franchise Professional and in-house expert on franchise operations for franchiseresales.com

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