What form does the typical franchisee recruitment process take?

There probably isn’t such a thing as typical, as they vary so much, particularly these days when franchisors are moving towards a more automated process for the early stages. But let’s look at all the things that should be part of it.

Modern franchisee recruitment means the applicant will often not even contact the franchisor before they know an awful lot more about the business, its management and its franchisees than they did in the past. This is because of all the information that’s available on official and unofficial websites and social media.

The good news is that by the time an applicant makes themselves known, they will have decided they are indeed a serious prospect and not just a tyre kicker who has clicked umpteen boxes on a franchise recruitment web portal.

From here on in the franchisor simply needs to satisfy itself the applicant has the necessary skills, attitude and financial resources to be successful in their own right and as part of a network.

This will be established through a comprehensive application form, leading to various meetings, including with existing franchisees. There will then be the completion of a well prepared business or funding plan, followed by the explanation of the terms of the franchise agreement by an experienced franchise lawyer.

Outsourcing the process to an experienced franchise recruitment consultant will often ensure everything is completed in the optimum time for both parties.

Brian Duckett is chairman of The Franchising Centre, part of the world’s largest network of specialist franchise consultants.