What’s your approach to attracting and engaging franchise recruits?
7-Eleven is a stalwart of the franchise and convenience retailing scene and it’s scooping up plenty of new franchisees.
Three other franchise brands going gangbusters with their franchisee recruitment strategies right now are in the services sector: the aged and disability care business Home Caring, the home services franchise My Home Watch, and logistics business InXpress.
Inside Franchise Business asked them what’s working in recruitment. Here’s what they had to say:
Bill Lockett, recruitment, Home Caring
“Be very clear on who your ideal franchisees is. When you have recruited the first franchisees and have seen their results, you will be able to understand what drives the successful ones. Is it because of their previous experience in a similar business, or if they did not have that experience, were they simply a good match for the culture and values of your business?
“Compatibility with the culture, values and work style of a business are generally much more important than competencies. Competencies can be trained, whereas the compatibility factors are hard wired in people’s brains and very unlikely to change.”
Natasha Morgan, founder and CEO, My Home Watch
“As a franchisor I want to ensure franchisees are a good fit for our franchise, that they’re likely to be able to follow our systems and become a raving fan of our brand!
“My top tip for franchise recruitment would be to look for people with strong personal drive, they make superior franchise operators. During our recruitment processes we select people who can demonstrate this trait.
“I also believe in rewarding good franchisees with additional units/territories. It provides the franchisee with opportunities for growth and greater profit potential.”
David Wilkinson, Asia Pacific franchise development director, InXpress
“Taking the leap into small business ownership comes with much trepidation and anxiety. The approach of a consultative sell, really listening to the candidate and looking to what they hope to achieve through small business ownership by asking both meaningful and thoughtful questions puts us in that role of being their trusted advisor.
“This changes the dynamic to an environment in which we’re no longer trying to sell but rather guide our candidate through a process of discovery that leads them through a positive experience and helps them make an informed educated choice in deciding if our brand is right for them.”
Tanya Robertson, national franchising, manager, 7-Eleven
“As a franchisor having a clear picture of the key attributes that are required for a franchisee to be successful in your brand is essential. Do you know what makes a great franchisee in your network? What behaviours, needs and drivers do they have? Take the time to identify them and then have a process that can measure and track in a scientific, systematic manner.
“You have to know your franchisees as much as you do your customers. Revisit this on a regular basis; people’s motivation and personal circumstances can change quickly so being attuned to that is important. This will ensure you and your franchisees are evolving as no doubt your brand will be.”
