The Process

How We Work Together To Find You The Perfect Franchise

Options

You basically have two choices when it comes to looking into and finding yourself the perfect franchise. One way is to go on-line, visit lots of web sites and fill in multiple forms, go to the local book store and read material on franchising, flip through various entrepreneur magazines and see what the editors feel are the latest and greatest concepts out there. Most of the time these methods do not work well at all. The magazine articles and the franchises that are promoted as the "best" and "hottest" tend to be slanted towards their advertisers. The web sites are also nothing more than glorified bill boards and advertisements that all sound and look great. How do the editors of these magazines know what is best or hottest for you...what are your goals, budget, income requirements, background, interests, size of your city, demographics of your area, will the concept be a good fit in your town etc.? These ads and articles are only skin deep, mostly with hype and just messages of "buy me buy me". I've had clients tell me that they would review 20 franchises on the Internet and they'd then want to purchase all 20 of them as they all looked and sounded fantastic (at least on the surface). If you do get the opportunity to dig into a particular company, you will find out many times that it was ultimately not a good fit for you for any number of reasons. There goes 3 to 6 months of research - wasted time. I had one client tell me that he researched franchises for 2 years and could not quite find the right one - I helped him and his wife find the perfect business in 2 weeks!

Overload on the Web

With the tremendous number of inquiries that companies receive for franchise information (tens of thousands every day), it usually takes them several months to get back to you; in many cases your inquiry winds up in a "black hole" and you never hear back. Even multiple emails and calls are usually not returned any time soon. Have you ever noticed why many of the franchise web sites do not advertise a telephone number? That's because their sales department is usually comprised of a very small number of people (1 to 2 people) who are already working with qualified clients and are overwhelmed with the back log of Internet inquiries. They simply do not have enough hours in the day to take your call and contact every single web inquiry that comes in asking for more information. Many folks tell me that they have sent multiple emails, filled in many forms and called several times with months going by with no return communication. This is a very typical scenario and what you can expect by trying to research franchises on the Web by yourself. You have no competitive advantage against the other thousands of candidates who are attempting to gain the attention of the same franchisor - you need an "inside track advantage".

The Alternative - Inside Track Advantage

The other option is to utilize the free services of a professional and seasoned franchise consultant that will help you to gain the inside track advantage in order to be quickly introduced to the right franchise companies. You need someone that is an expert in franchising, an individual that has many years experience and is well networked with hundreds of top franchisors around the country, a professional who works with only several dozen clients per year, who is very focused on you and your project, always accessible and that specializes full-time in helping you to quickly find the right franchise - a business that will work well in your city, something that you will enjoy, will fit your personality and meet your goals, a franchise that has availability in your area and that the franchisor is currently seeking a candidate to open a unit in that territory, and finally, a concept that would give you the opportunity to be highly successful. This you cannot get from the Web or any magazine that you may read - this you can only acquire by working with a franchise consultant.

Working Together

I consider myself to be not only a franchise consultant but also part psychiatrist. I have been given an uncanny gift that allows me to very quickly get into my clients' minds, and in a short amount of time, discover what makes them tick, what is important to them, what they want to achieve, how they define success and therefore be able to bring them those franchises that very closely match what they are looking for in a franchise; a business that will help them achieve their life goals. This ability to help my clients in an expedited and concise manner has allowed me over the decades to assist many people just like you to find their dream franchise and has propelled me to become one of the top franchise consultants having helped clients all over the country. I love what I do and am very good at it! You will see all of this from our very first session and as our time together unfolds.

Once we have agreed to work together using my free service, the process would look something like this...

We'd set up a time to talk, for about an hour (together with your spouse or significant other), where I would educate you about franchising as well as asking you questions to get a better understanding of your big picture; what do you want to accomplish with your new business, your background, experiences, interests, likes/dislikes, hours/days per week that you are willing to work, do you want a store or service based franchise, work out of home or office/store front, number of employees, income goals, demographics of the area you wish to open in, available capital, do you have an IRA, 401(k) or other retirement plan that you wish to use to fund the business (without having to pay the taxes and penalties), will there by other family members involved etc.

Once I have the big picture, have heard and understood what you are looking to accomplish, I then set off to do my research. However, I am not alone, but part of an approximately 250 person national network of franchise consultants that has been around for many years. Our network has researched thousands of franchises and partnered with the ones that we believe to be A and A+ companies.

These are franchises that are successful, as are their franchisees, they are ethical (this is very important to us), have great training and superb support. These are companies that really want to hold you by the hand and walk together with you down the isle of success. Not companies that take your money, say... "thank you and call us when you need help", but franchises that are proactive with the building and success of your new business. These are the types of top Tier 1 companies that we work with.

Within a few days, I will bring you 3 to 4 concepts that I believe match your goals very closely. I will explain why I brought these particular franchises to you and will also discuss the pluses as well as any minuses that I see. I can do this because I am not an employee and do not work for these companies - I am an independent. Therefore I do not have any bias as to which company you ultimately select.

Assuming that I have done my job properly, and I am very good at what I do, at least one of the concepts we discuss will be of great interest to you. Clients often make comments to me such as..."you really hit the nail on the head with that company"...."I don't know how you figured me out so well and so quickly, but that franchise is a great fit".

From there, I would set up a conference call to introduce you to the franchisor. Many times the call will be with the CEO, president or founder of the company. Having done this for many years and with an excellent track record, I have the relationships with the top individuals at the franchise companies, they know I bring them serious, motivated and highly qualified candidates that they are eager to talk with. I have a 97% success rate in getting my clients awarded a franchise of their choice and am therefore able to quickly get you to the "front of the line".

Coaching and Communication

During the course of the project, I will stay by your side, coaching and advising you throughout the franchise process. There may be instances where you will have concerns or need to ask questions from someone other than the franchisor, i.e. someone that knows and understands the situation but that is not biased. I will be that someone and will be there for you. As an example, there may come a time when you have an issue with a particular company that I have introduced you to. We can discuss that concern and it may turn out that it is a major show-stopper. In that case, I would be the first one to step in and say to you..."you are right, this is a major show-stopper, I do not see a way around it, so let's drop this company and look for a franchise that does not have this same issue". Being an independent with no bias, I can do this for you.

We would communicate on a regular basis as the process moves forward. Communication is key to the success of this project; between you and the franchisor as well as between you and myself. When you reach the validation stage (contacting other franchise owners), I will share with you a document that I have compiled over the years to assist you in these calls and what types of questions to ask. This will greatly help you to maximize the information that you receive from franchisees and in a timely manner. People typically come to me and say that they have been researching franchises, usually on the Web, for the past 6, 9, 12 months...even 2 years and are still no closer to finding that special franchise - they are more confused now than when they first started! I am generally able to take that same individual and help them to find that elusive business in just one week followed by 3-4 weeks of the client researching and validating the franchise.

Finally, if the franchisor invites you into their corporate headquarters for Discovery Day to meet the whole team, view their operation, visit with the president, marketing, support, training, your personal regional developer that will assist you with your business plan, coach you, work with you in your territory etc., we will discuss how to prepare for that day and expectations.

Franchise Award

Unlike purchasing, say a car, where you walk into a dealership, decide on a particular model, write a check and then buy that car, you do not purchase a franchise. Rather, the franchisor decides to award you the franchise and then you accept. It's like someone proposes marriage and then the other partner accepts. It has to be a "yes" on both sides.

Time From Start to Finish

I am usually able to help a client become a franchise owner in about 4 weeks...6 weeks tops, from our first conversation to you being awarded the franchise.

When you are ready to talk further, please contact me.