Relationship Building as a Franchise

A successful relationship between a franchisor and franchise can lead to long-term growth for a franchise and the strength of that relationship is arguably one of the most important parts of owning a franchise.  The relationship, especially that between a franchisee and franchisor, is a very distinct type of relationship and as a franchise PR company, we have seen that with many of our PR clients.  It is often compared to that of a relationship between an employer and employee, but really it is quite different.  Whether you are the franchisee or franchisor, odds are you see the importance of building a solid relationship together and that relationship is all important when it comes to helping your franchise grow.  After doing franchise public relations for so many different franchise companies we have compiled a few of our own suggestions on building solid relationships as a franchise.  Here are a few tips on building strong relationships within a franchise:

1- Seek to improve those communications skills: When it comes to building a relationship between a franchisee and a franchisor communication is key.  Practice your listening skills and truly take the time to understand where each other is coming from.  If a serious issue or crisis arises you need to be able to work together as a team to get through it.  As a franchisor you need to make sure you are keeping your franchisee in the loop to the best of your knowledge and abilities.  As a franchisee you shouldn't be afraid to speak up if something seems amiss, but you should however be able to organize your thoughts and pose questions to your franchisor in such a way that you work towards solving problems instead of starting new ones.  

2- Have a little faith: As a franchisee it is important to have a little faith in your franchisor and vice versa.  Having faith in what one another is doing is one of the best ways to develop trust with one another, which is absolutely key in the relationship building process.  Policy changes and all sorts of issues could potentially crop up, but standing behind your franchisor is important to the relationship building process.  Draw upon those communications skills we mentioned in tip #1 as part of having faith in one another stems from having open communication with one another.  

3- One-on-one visits: Never underestimate the power of a one-on-one visit as a franchisor.  Most franchises have sales visits, conventions or meetings that are scheduled all throughout the year.  These types of events are great to attend as a franchisor as they give you a great opportunity to communicate your visions for the franchise.  Attending these types of events shows prospective and current franchisees future potential for the growth of the franchise and opens the communication floodgates.

Looking for more tips on successfully building relationships as a franchise?  Feel free to comment below or contact us.