As a Franchise, you will be working with franchisees to share your big business with them. This is a massive benefit, because your franchise gets new locations and new customers, and your franchisee gets to benefit from the training and the brand name. However, new franchisee’s tend to roll over pretty quickly. Whether due to inexperience, poor decisions, marketing issues, or just bad luck, the retention rate can be pretty low.

However, your franchise can bring it back around with business consulting. Your business has lots of different ways to help a franchisee come back from the brink, and here are some of the strategies you can use to keep everyone growing.

Create A Relationship

A Franchise and Franchisee relationship is a lot like a mentor/mentee relationship. At the end of the day it is a relationship, and both sides need to feel comfortable communicating with one another. Franchisee’s are going to have a lot of questions and concerns about the entire process, and it is your job to answer them.

By checking in on the franchisees and setting up communication networks that work even if you are not there, you can foster a growing relationship where they can come to you and grow. Don’t be afraid to talk with them and get a finger on the pulse of what’s going right and wrong. Because that is the only way you are going to solve the problems and get things back on track.

Find The Problems And Guide Them To A Solution

Business consultants can get a bird’s eye view of the problem and ensure that both sides can talk about the problems that are occurring. A good consultant is able to identify the problem and start outlining ways to solve it, whether it is a problem in the business itself or a problem with customer retention. No matter what is causing the performance issues, a consultant knows the business inside and out, and can help the franchisee come to a solution.

Additionally, business consultants can provide guidance about the bigger picture. When starting out, many franchisee’s are often worried about their slice of the world and their customer base. However, business consultants are able to guide the franchisees towards best practices that will prove beneficial in the long run. This can be anything from inventory and financial management to reducing waste and properly training staff.

If the problems that a franchisee has can be talked about and solved before they become critical, then that reduces the risk of the franchisee simply pulling out of the arrangement all together.

 Business Consultants Provide Support

Becoming a franchise is extremely overwhelming for many people. Because even if they have run a business before, a franchise is completely different. It is a brand name, a brand name that many customers associate with quality and good customer service. Meeting those expectations can be hard for a new franchisee owner, and that’s where business consultants come in. Consultants are able to provide support by offering continuous training and mentorship, helping new franchisees learn the ropes and deal with new problems.

Additionally, consultants often connect new franchisees to others in the network that can provide more help and advice. This community of peer to peer support is one of the best benefits of hiring a consultant, as franchisees are now able to work together and learn from one another.

A good business consultant is also able to recognize top talent and work to nurture it. If a new franchise owner has the markings of being a standout performer, a business consultant will be able to hand that data off to the Franchise owner, and will also be able to help combine the drive of being an entrepreneur with the business model of the brand.

Business Consultants Can Provide Help With Satisfaction

Finally, just like running a business is all about keeping your customers happy, running a franchise is about keeping your Franchisees happy. A good business consultant will help keep your franchisee focused on growing their side of the business and be there to deal with any frustration that the franchisee might be dealing with. The less stress on their side, means the less stress you have as the franchise owner.

Look for business consultants who have either worked with your franchise before or who have experience in a similar field, and start building the relationship early to increase franchisee retention. Remember, having a franchise isn’t about numbers, it is about people and keeping everyone happy. Especially the customers who are coming in and buying your products!

Make Sure To Look For Feedback

Finally, having a business consultant acting as a third party is something that can help everyone. They can introduce both sides to ways to gather feedback, from formal surveys, informal check-ins, and other sources that will help the entire franchise as a whole grow much stronger. The relationship between the franchise and the franchisee is extremely important, and having the channels of communication opened by a consultant can be extremely beneficial to all.

Then you can implement that feedback and help to steer the franchise in a different direction. A direction so satisfying that your franchisees won’t want to leave!

A Consultant Might Just Be Your Secret Weapon

Franchisee retainment is one of the hardest things for a franchise owner to deal with, especially since it can be such an impactful blow. However, hiring a consultant to help secure the relationship can be helpful. It gives both sides a third party to talk too, and a consultant can be an intermediary who is on the ground with the franchisee. But they also know how the entire business model works from the owner’s point of view, and can help both sides make their relationship the best they can be. If you find that your franchisee retention strategy is causing people to slip through your fingers, then you might need to focus on getting a good consultant for your team.