Franchising, it’s a Partnership

Tom Feltenstein

Date

Jan 07, 2016

To be successful in franchising, it’s a partnership between the franchisor and franchisees that must be based on much more than a series of legal phrases contained in a Franchise Agreement. It is a partnership that, in a very real sense, is a living, breathing entity. One which is well founded on the experiences of the past, but which is Ever Responsive to the demands of change. Franchising is a partnership based on three important factors:

Mutual trust;
Your willingness to support our direction;
And our willingness to assume the responsibilities of Leadership, that Direction Creation implies.

Let’s look at each of these factors in turn.

TRUST

We must have mutual trust,

the kind of trust that comes from understanding that we have common, long?range objectives, so intertwined that inevitably anything that harms one, will damage the other. That same commonality also means, that short?term sacrifices are sometimes necessary by both sides; because the long?term, what benefits franchisee will benefit the franchisor.

A working mutual trust relationship means we understand that we both have an obligation to share

– the risks, the sacrifices, the investments, and the profits for the common good of the whole system.

WILLINGNESS TO SUPPORT OUR DIRECTION

This is probably the most difficult factor of the three for most franchisees, because it seemingly conflicts with the very entrepreneurial drive that attracted you to franchising in the first place.

But the apparent conflict is only a surface obscurity: I believe the real heart of the Entrepreneurial Spirit, is the desire to accomplish measurable results.

It’s the drive to do, to create, and to make happen. And the best entrepreneurs, just like the best managers of all kinds, know they can’t do it alone. That taking advantage of the best expertise available, is the surest way to improve their own results.

WILLINGNESS TO ASSUME RESPONSIBILITIES

So in reality, “Willingness to Accept Direction” doesn’t mean blind subservience. Rather it implies

respect for the expertise you bought as part of your franchise

, and confidence that, on balance, the company offers more total expertise than any one person could individually acquire, and, finally, a sense of

security in knowing that the company is willing to submit to a system of checks and balances, before it commits the system to a new direction.

The other side of your respect for our expertise, of course, is our own absolute commitment to deserving that respect. It is the responsibility of our leadership, to dedicate itself, to being as right as possible, as often as possible, in all areas of our franchise business.

Tom Feltenstein is a renowned keynote speaker, trainer, strategist and an author of 13 Best-Selling books. Tom can be reached at 561-650-1315 or by email at tom@powermarketingacademy.com

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