Maintain a good working relationship with your franchisor

To help a franchise system to succeed, it’s very necessary that the franchisor and the franchisee maintain a healthy relationship. People buy a franchise, because they don’t want to start a business on their own and franchising is such a field where the franchisor is there to guide them in the best possible way. But, the franchise system will work, if the relationship between the two is harmonious. So, here are some tips on how to maintain a proper working relationship between the franchisor & the franchisee:

• Regular communication is the most vital step in keeping a relationship going. It should be two-way traffic where a franchisor will always be there for the franchisee, no matter how trivial the problem is. Moreover, if a problem looks too difficult to be handled alone by the franchisee, calling the franchisor can make things easier. The vast experience of the franchisor (and the other existing franchisees in the system) ensures that someone else has already faced the same problem somewhere and has emerged wiser.

• One thing that hampers the working relationship between the franchisor and franchisee is impracticable expectations. It’s true that before actually buying a franchise, both the parties try to impress each other. They make such promises or show data that are unrealistic. But, when the franchisees actually buy a franchise, they find out that everything is not as rosy as it had been painted. The franchisor may also realize that the franchisees don’t actually have the required money to run the business. In order to avoid these things, be very clear on what is written on the franchise agreement. Having a fixed guidelines regarding what one can expect from the other will help them to go a long way when they are franchisor-franchisee.

• Similarly, mentioning clearly in the beginning what are the roles of the franchisor and the franchisee in the system is necessary. While the franchisee will do the ultimate selling/servicing to the customers, the franchisor is supposed to maintain the brand-image in such a way that the customers come back to the franchised units over and again. Here too, a well-written and examined franchise agreement will make sure that this issue never becomes a problem.

• Trust is a very big factor in the franchisee-franchisor relationship. The franchisor has to trust the franchisee on the fact that the latter can run the franchised unit to his and the brand’s best interest. The franchisor has to give its franchisees breathing space and listen to their ideas and objections before deciding on the crucial issues. On the other hand, the franchisees too have to trust the franchisor in matters of business decisions. They must remember that it was their franchisor’s acute business sense that had made the brand successful. The franchisees cannot go on objecting to every new decision and modification that the franchisor makes! They are together in a business and any squabble between them will result in poor customer services, which, in turn, will bring both of them down!



Maintain a good working relationship with your franchisor - To learn more about this author, visit Ray Flores's Website.

Like this article? Share it with your friends

E-Mail | Print | More

Related Articles
Maintain a good working relationship with your franchisor
	A stable relationship is a very important factor in the proper working of a franchise system. Both the franchisor and the franchisee are required to work hard to maintain it.
Franchisee/Franchisor Relationship Requires Mutual Trust, Respect
	Trust is the foundation of any good franchisor/franchisee relationship. The franchisee is entrusting his livelihood to the franchisor. The franchisor, in turn, is trusting the franchisee to protect the reputation of...
Make the Most of the Franchisee/Franchisor Relationship
	A healthy relationship between the franchisor and franchisee is essential in running a franchising business successfully and the relationship rests on mutual trust and good communication.
Qualities to Look for in a Franchisor
	The franchisor is the person who helps you to succeed as a franchisee. So, look for leadership qualities, experience and integrity while searching for a franchisor.
Franchisee checklist - assessing the franchisor
	How does a would-be franchisee assess which franchisor to go with?

---

Related Forum Posts
	Re: 50 States - All Franchisees of the U.S. Government
	Working With Family
	Re: STARBUCK - Licensing vs Joint venture
	Walmart ie ASDA uk
	Questions to Ask When Buying A Franchise
	Re: Kevin's Case Study #6 - Marketing an information resourc
	Re: Kevin's Case Study #6 - Marketing an information resourc
	Setting Fees