Training and Support 

Once you sign the franchise agreement, you are officially the owner and operator of your own franchise location! Congratulations! This is where the real work begins. 

Fortunately, you’re not on your own -- that’s part of the benefit of a franchise, remember? The franchisor now sets about providing assistance and training in accordance with the terms of the franchise agreement. The amount of training and support varies widely between franchises and with individual franchisees. However, every franchise should offer some form of initial training and ongoing support. 

Training 

This is the most important stage of your relationship with the franchisor. Depending on the franchise and its size, training can run from several days to several weeks. Many franchises include the cost of training in the franchise fee, but some do not, and it’s important to find out which category your franchise falls into. 

Training usually consists of you and a few other new franchisees meeting at the company’s headquarters for a crash course in the company policies, operating procedures, and any other important information you’ll require to operate your location. Not only is this your chance to ask any questions you have regarding the franchise, it’s an excellent opportunity to connect with other new franchisees. It’s always useful to have someone else to contact if you don’t feel like taking a simple question all the way to the franchisor! 

By the time you complete your initial training, you should: 

·  feel very comfortable with how the company operates 

·  fully understand how you’ll be expected to run your business 

·  be very familiar with the company’s products and services 

·  know what’s expected of you in terms of maintaining communication with the franchisor 

·  know who to contact if you have further questions 

·  know how to run any equipment associated with the franchise 

·  have an operations manual detailing everything you’ve learned (more on that later) 

Most of the time, the person who conducts your initial training will be available to answer questions and provide ongoing support in the future. 

Other Types of Support 

The franchisor should continue to provide support after your initial training period. The franchisor should: 

·  Provide advertising help. Some franchisors will handle all of the marketing; others will expect you to share the burden. If the latter, they should still assist you in establishing your initial campaign: finding locations to advertise, drafting effective advertisements, etc. In many cases, this also means that the franchisor will have national promotions, which you’ll be expected to participate in. Although that may sound limiting at first, keep in mind that such promotions are likely to boost your sales significantly. 

·  Assist with selecting a location. Most franchisors are more than willing to do this. In some cases, the location is preselected. Don’t take this as an affront: the franchisor likely put serious research into selecting the location, which means your legwork is done for you. Even if the franchisor doesn’t provide a location, however, he or she will usually be happy to help you find a premium spot. 

·  Manage quality control. If you have any problems with the quality of the product, you should immediately contact the franchisor. Ultimately, the product is the franchisor’s responsibility. 

·  Be available to provide other types of support. The franchisor or a representative should always be available to help you when necessary. Whether your question relates to operating procedures or product pricing, you should be able to find an answer. This is part of the allure of franchising: you’re not on your own. 

The franchisor should also keep in touch with you, and vice versa. Establish when and how you’re meant to provide documents, and expect to hear from the franchisor from time-to-time. Don’t take this personally: the franchisor is not checking up on you but checking in with you.