It would seem that (in a logical world) franchisors would see a direct link between the success of their franchisees and their franchise concept. Yet, “unfunded mandates,” poor support, inadequate internal communication, and more are common issues in franchising, which undermines a ‘zees’ ability to be successful.  Stories of professional, financial, and personal franchisee meltdowns abound, even as their franchisor is recognized in the media as “Best Of,” “Fastest-Growing,” or “Most….”

There are exceptions, however. 

The confidential, independent/third-party 2102 World-Class Franchise Compilation Report (which looks at the composite scores of 25 certified World-Class Franchises, based upon franchisee satisfaction surveys*) examines franchisee responses to the statement, “My Franchisor understands that if I am successful they will be successful.”  93% of the World-Class Franchises answered in the affirmative (including 57% “Strongly Agree” and 36% “Agree”). 

Keep in mind, this is NOT just about the quality or popularity of the concept’s product or service, it’s an endorsement of the franchise system by its franchisees.  These are franchisors which focus their attention on success “from the ground up.”  It is also not an isolated commentary from a chosen few; this represents the vast majority of franchisees within each system surveyed.

If there is a need to prove that this is a rare franchisor attribute, simply enter “class action” in the Blue MauMau “search” window.  What you will find is an array of ‘zors who lost sight of the importance of their franchisees’ success….if they ever saw it at all.

*Methodology for the series of articles: Franchise Excellence

The questions highlighted in this series of articles are taken from the 2012 World-Class Franchise Compilation Report, conducted by the Franchise Research Institute.

To be certified as World-Class, franchise companies must meet the following research requirements:

1.    Access to every franchisee is required (including newly open and those who have yet to open).
2.    A minimum of 70% of their franchisees must complete the survey (this reduces survey bias).
3.    All franchisee responses are confidential (reduces false positive responses).
4.    They must have a minimum of 20 franchisees that have been in business for two years or longer.

More details can be found at www.WorldClassFranchise.com