Franchise recruitment has changed over the years with franchisors now having to meet the challenges of a developing market. Angie Coates, Founder and CEO Monkey Music, explains the importance of being selective with your recruitment to ensure you have a network of passionate franchisees who are all on the same page.
Recruitment needs to be part of a franchisor’s core strategy if they are to attract the right calibre of franchisees to their network – never an add-on or afterthought. They need to make good, measured decisions about who they bring into their network. Tempting as it is to simply hand out agreements to whoever has shown a mild interest, it is important to be selective with candidates in order to grow steadily with a strong and proficient franchise network.
Whilst the mechanics for reaching new franchisees has altered, the strategy for the final selection and actual recruitment of new franchisees should not. Most franchisors look to administer a recruitment policy based on the quality of the leads, not necessarily the quantity. It may be important to cast the net wide in search of attracting numerous leads, but the ultimate selection process remains crucial if a franchisor wants to maintain its brand values and attract the right people.
Content is king
Today we are all connected. The availability of channels such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn has made us a connected society and this has impacted the way in which potential franchisees can access and research franchise brands. People now have information at their fingertips, and social media offers them an intimate introduction to the brand, as well as the franchisor and their senior management team. A potential franchisee’s first interaction with a brand may not be in a store, restaurant, or attending a class. It could simply be searched online. This not only increases the number of people exposed to the possibility of franchising, but it also raises the awareness of a brand.
Create dedicated website
Over the past few years, there has been a shift in internet-based lead generation such as search engine optimisation (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns. However, with instant access to research on any brand, franchisors need to ensure that the starting point for any potential franchisee, namely the brand website, is consistent and positive. By creating a website dedicated to the sale of your franchises, you can then pack it with content potential business owners would want to explore. This will help them determine whether your brand is the right brand for them and whether the opportunity is worth exploring.
Multi-layered approach
A multi-layered approach is best practice in the recruitment process. This allows not only for the franchisor to explore the suitability and potential success of a candidate, but more importantly allows for the prospect to explore and interrogate the business model, as well as follow the British Franchise Association’s Code of Ethics.
“Our application and recruitment process is very thorough as we want to ensure all our prospects fully understand and appreciate the nature of their potential new role as a business owner. It’s critical that we make good, well-considered choices about who we decide to award the franchise to,” explained Kat Foster-Jenkins, Business Development Manager at Monkey Music. “By being selective about our franchisees, we have been able to build a robust and talented franchise network and find candidates who have the right approach and aptitude to work with us. We can’t be a successful franchisor unless our franchisees are also successful in their own businesses.”
Alison Bolivar of Monkey Music Clapham & Battersea is one franchisee who joined the network in December 2020, swapping one successful role for another. She was fast developing a career in corporate finance running her own business, but then felt she needed a new challenge and one that worked alongside being a new parent. “After having my son, I knew I wanted to find a new profession which fulfilled me, whilst giving me the ability to work flexible hours both when and where I chose to work. Not knowing what I wanted to do next, I started looking around and was interested in franchising as it offered the independence of small business ownership supported by the benefits of a big business network.
“I had always been impressed with Monkey Music having taken my son to the classes for three years, so when we moved to a new area in South London, I enquired about the availability of the franchise and the rest is history. I really wanted to recreate the same joy we had received with Monkey Music but in our new community and turn it into a new career. Despite the learning curve being incredibly steep at the start, it has also been hugely rewarding, and I have since grown my franchise to over 250 families attending 43 classes per week across eight venues.”
Each franchisor should have a bespoke recruitment plan. With a strategy in place to engage with your potential audience, coupled with having the correct personnel in your office and an excellent franchise business model, recruitment will be effective, efficient and ultimately rewarding for both franchisor and new franchisees alike.
