The reality is that without an effective team, franchise development will be hampered.

• The fundamental challenge for any management team is to form a cohesive group focused on the same goal. Key management needs to develop the skills necessary to build collaboration and encourage everyone to focus on the overall growth goals of the organization. If the team is going to achieve the established goals, it must collaborate and work well together.

• Team building is an ongoing, evolving process. The long-term benefits of having a cohesive team far outweigh the short-term pain of making the necessary changes to create the team environment.

• Some of the direct benefits to franchisees include increased brand awareness and more marketing dollars.

WHO IS ON THE TEAM?

The organization must be educated on the importance of franchise development. Without new franchisees, the brand will not grow and reach its potential, resulting in the franchisees never realizing the full potential value of their investment.

Some franchisors use outside development teams or brokers. These organizations or individuals also need to be part of the team. They cannot be effective if they are not plugged into the culture and goals of the franchise.

DEVELOPING THE TEAM MENTALITY

The first ingredient in any productive team is trust.

The communication with franchisees about future development plans should start before the franchisee signs the license agreement. If the franchisee knows from the beginning that the franchisor plans to add additional units in his market, there is less chance of conflict in the future.

Be sure that the corporate staff understands that growth creates opportunities for advancement, not just more work. Be aware that conflict can arise between the sales side of the organization and franchisee support. 

The second ingredient is ongoing and continuous communication. Be clear and direct in all communication with the staff and franchisees. 

Communication can be as simple as a regular email update to the organization or a company-wide call. The important thing is that the communication be consistent and open. 

Your franchisees and the staff will be interacting with franchise candidates through validation calls and discovery days. Be sure they understand the importance of their feedback. Let them know their impressions of the candidate are an important part of your evaluation.