One of the most important things in franchise operations is having a solid support staff from the franchisor. And, when you’re doing your due diligence to determine if a franchise is right for you, you should ask the other franchisees how much support they get from the franchising Corporation.

If the franchisor only sends out its consultants, and coaches once per month to check on the franchisees and on these visits they are there more to make sure they are collecting the royalties on time then to help the franchise outlets streamline operations, increase efficiency, and help them make a profit, then that isn’t the kind of support that you’re going to need.

You need to know up front how much Field support the franchisor typically provides his franchisees. New franchisees require much more support than older franchisees. After you run your franchise outlet for quite a while, you really don’t need much Field support at all.

So, in discussing this with other franchisees you should ask them how much Field support the franchisor gives you in the first couple years of business. That’s the important thing, and thing that most new team members should be concerned about.

Additionally, if you do choose to buy the franchise, and you do have people from corporate come to visit you, you should greet them with respect, and also get down to business right away. I often recommend that franchisees keep a list of questions to ask their franchisor field support staff and to make sure they get honest answers on each and every question before they leave. That’s the least you can ask, considering you are paying the royalties. Please consider all this.

Lance Winslow is a retired franchisor – Lance Winslow’s Bio. Lance Winslow is formerly the CEO of WashGuys family of franchises for instance one of Lance Winslow’s favorite companies on the team; http://www.windowwashguys.com/links.shtml.

Article Source