The KEY to Happy Franchisees

Good article. Very good. Frankly, Recknagel had me in the palm of his hand after his talking dog story...

A guy is driving around and he sees a sign in front of a house: “Talking Dog for Sale.”
He rings the bell, and the owner tells him the dog is in the backyard. The guy goes into the backyard and sees a Labrador retriever sitting there.
“You talk?” he asks.
“Yep,” the lab replies.
“So, what’s your story?”
The dog looks up and says, “Well, I discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young. I wanted to help the government, so I told the CIA about my gift, and in no time at all they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping. I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years running. But the jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn’t getting any younger, so I wanted to settle down. I signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security work, mostly wandering near suspicious characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredible dealings and was awarded a batch of medals. I got married, had a mess of puppies, and now I’m just retired.”
The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants for the dog. “Ten dollars.”
The guy says, “This dog is amazing. Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?”
“Because he’s a liar. He didn’t do any of that stuff!”

Mr. Recknagel concludes, "Obviously the owner missed the point. The dog was an amazing asset; no matter what he said. Never overlook or undervalue, even if it appears justified in doing so."

And lest you think he is just spouting off about talking dogs, he suggests 4 practical measures to increase the health and happiness of franchisees / talking dogs.

1. Measure the health of the franchisees
2. Communicate
3. Relate best practices
4. Inspire internal competition

Might I suggest a topic for his next article? How about how to train us franchisee dogs to talk? He'll have my attention. The president of Handyman is a good story teller who illuminates the fundamentals of good business.

Loved it.

Frankman