STRENGTHENING AND SUPPORTING FRANCHISEES

By: Robert A. Gappa

President, Management 2000

Management 2000 is a franchise consulting firm which helps companies use franchising as a growth strategy. Management 2000 has worked with more than 850 of the finest franchise organizations in North America in the areas of strategic planning, franchise licensing, franchise operations and training, and the writing of manuals. Management 2000 has assisted many of these companies on a consulting basis in designing and implementing franchise licensing processes and systems.

OVERVIEW

Most franchisers at some point in the relationship with franchisees experience frustration over the franchisee's reluctance to do what the franchiser knows needs to be done for the franchisee to be successful. When this occurs, the franchisee's reluctance is manifested in a variety of ways, such as not following prescribed systems, devoting insufficient resources to marketing, lack of cooperation with other franchisees, remitting royalties late, or reluctance to support expansion of the system in their areas. In turn, the franchiser's frustration is returned by constant bemoaning and name calling, nasty letters, and a relationship based on compliance with the terms of the franchise agreement.

Most franchisers and franchisees enter into the relationship with a sincere intention of making it work for some mutual benefit. People do not wake up in the morning thinking, "How can I wreck this relationship?" If at the inception of the relationship there is a sincere intention to make it work, what happens? Why does the franchiser/franchisee relationship evolve to this adversarial state? What can be done to remedy this unpleasant situation or prevent it from occurring in the first place?

The goal of this writing is to provide a context for thinking about these questions. It explores these questions by focusing on the following issues:

1. The franchiser/franchisee relationship

2. The field support personnel/franchisee relationship

3. The consulting skills needed by field support personnel to strengthen the relationship

4. Situations commonly encountered by field consultants when dealing with franchisees.

After being exposed to hundreds of franchise companies in all stages of development, Management 2000 concludes that most problems between the franchiser and franchisees are caused by a lack of shared understanding and shared meaning about the relationship. Neither party has a clear grasp of what is expected of them, their role and why this expectation is important. Consequently, the ability to develop a relationship based on a solid communication process is difficult at best. Understanding the role and intent of each party in the relationship is the key to building a relationship.

Let's review a sequence of events that molds the franchiser/franchisee relationship. The communication issues affecting the franchiser/franchisee relationship start with the franchisee recruitment and selection process. Franchisers create most their problems by what is said and done during this critical process.

During this process, franchising is explained to the franchisee "prospect" as follows. The prospect is told that they are "sold" a franchise and told that they have an "independently owned and operated" business.

As a result of this indoctrination, franchisees come to believe they can change the operating system at will. Based on the franchisee's actions, the franchiser then concludes, "They (franchisees) are not operating the business the way that we (franchiser) feel it should be operated. They are not in compliance with the franchise agreement." This focus on compliance then defines the role of the field support staff who become "compliance inspectors" with the intent of getting the franchisee "back into compliance." The compliance inspector must work within this "we/they" relationship.

As a compliance inspector, field support personnel, once on the scene, feel they should dictate to the franchisees how they should be "running" the business the franchisees believe they own! Understandably, franchisees become resentful. The franchisees will say, "How can this inspector who has been on the job three weeks possibly know how I should run my business? They aren't here everyday. They haven't a clue."

When an adversarial relationship develops, it becomes increasingly difficult for the field personnel to develop trust and rapport with the franchisee. Without trust and rapport, the intent of both the franchisee and the field personnel (and the franchiser they represent) are suspect.

As you read this writing, assess your relationship with your franchisees. Determine their perception of franchising. Critically evaluate your role and intent and that of the franchisee. Assess your consulting skills of facilitating, questioning, and listening. Critically assess your language to uncover negative descriptions of franchisees. Assess whether you really have trust and rapport established with franchisees.

THE FRANCHISER/FRANCHISEE RELATIONSHIP

What is Franchising?

The first step in understanding the franchiser/franchisee relationship is to understand franchising. Franchising is a business strategy for getting and keeping customers. It is a marketing system for creating an image in the minds of current and future customers about how the company's products and services can help them. It is a method of distributing products and services that satisfy customer needs.

The power of franchising is created when the franchiser and franchisees work together as a team with a mutual commitment to market share. A mutual commitment to market share enables the franchise system to get and keep more and more customers who consume more products and services more often, so the system grows faster than the market demand for the product or service and faster than the competition. When these conditions exist, franchising as a business strategy, as a marketing system, and as a method of distribution works at its best.

Franchising is a business relationship between the franchiser and franchisee based on a legal structure. Under this legal structure, the franchiser grants to the franchisee a license to use the franchiser's brand name, operating system, and support system to accomplish the business purpose of the relationship, which is to get and keep customers. When this business purpose is accomplished, the franchiser and franchisees are better able to satisfy individual motivations and achieve individual goals, dreams, and objectives.

The relationship between the franchiser and franchisee begins when the franchisee is recruited into the system. During this process, the franchiser's and franchisee's expectations of each other are established. These expectations are based on what each person wants from the relationship.

Contrary to popular belief, a franchiser can not "sell" a franchise to a franchise candidate. The use of the word "sell" to characterize the franchiser/franchisee relationship sets the basis for most of the misunderstanding that can occur throughout the relationship. The franchiser, however, does "grant" a license to the franchisee. It is vitally important that this concept not be disregarded as mere semantics and that the franchiser understand the impact of this language on the long-term relationship.

The premise that a franchise license is not sold and the franchisee does not own the franchise license is supported by the following facts:

C A franchisee cannot incorporate using the franchiser's name because the franchisee does not own the name.

C Should the franchisee want to exit the business, the franchise license is not sold; rather, the franchise license is transferred upon approval of the franchiser. The franchisee enters into a separate transaction to sell his or her assets.

C The franchise agreement has a stated term and must be renewed if the franchisee is to continue in business under the franchiser's brand name. If a franchisee owned the license, it would not need to be renewed.

The market, the brand name, the operating system, and the support system are "owned" by the franchiser. The franchisee is delegated the right to use the brand name, in a defined market, for a designated period of time, to develop market share for the franchise system.

From a franchisee's perspective, franchising is one of several strategies available to build a career. He or she can be employed by others. In this relationship the employee is dependent on the employer. A person can also be self-employed. There are two options available: as an independent business person or as a franchisee. The option of independent business person affixes total responsibility for the direction and development of the business brand, operating systems, and support services on the operator of the business. The franchisee option affixes mutual responsibility for the direction and development of the business. This is an interdependent relationship.

What is the advantage of franchising? A franchisee invests in a company's brand name, operating system, and ongoing support system in the hope of obtaining a return on the investment. This investment is returned to the franchisee in two ways:

1. From current revenue, as a result of using the brand name which creates customers and from using the operating system, which gets those customers to come back.

2. From the increase in value of the franchisee's assets due to the association with the franchiser's brand name, which enhances the franchisee's ability to produce future revenue. This enhanced value is the goodwill of the franchise system.

New Language and Behavior

The use of the words "sell," "buy," and "owner," when referring to the franchisee, sends a message that is contrary to the real purpose of the franchise relationship. Such words focus on a popular understanding of the relationship, rather than on the business purpose.

Let's explore the logic of "selling" and evaluate the impact of this language on future franchisee behavior. First, the logic:

C If I sell you something, you have bought it.

C If you have bought it, you, therefore, own it.

C If you own it, you, therefore, can do what you want with it.

This owner-mentality, referred to earlier, leads to unilateral changes in the operating system. This, in turn, creates an inconsistent application of the operating system from franchisee to franchisee and from unit to unit. This inconsistency confuses customers by invalidating their expectations of the brand name created by marketing.

An owner-mentality leads to the perception that franchisees within the system are competitors of each other rather than teammates responsible for enhancing the value of the brand name.

An owner-mentality makes franchisees believe the operating system is the way the franchiser controls them, rather than seeing the operating system as the way customers are retained and the value the brand name builds.

An owner-mentality prevents the franchisee from understanding why it is important to implement approved changes to the operating system as the system grows. The franchisee does not understand, because franchising was never adequately explained, that the operating system is for the customer, not for the franchisee. Changes in the operating system, when adequately tested and consistently applied, are made for marketing reasons, to fulfill the business purpose of the relationship, which is to get and keep customers.

There is rarely a context provided to franchisees for understanding the real purpose of the initial franchise fee and ongoing royalty fee. Franchisees mistakenly believe that the initial franchise fee is for the brand name, operating system, and training. They also believe that the ongoing royalty fee is only for the support the franchiser provides, which they take as a promise to make them successful. This thinking creates a dependency in franchisee and causes them to constantly ask, "What has the franchiser done for me today?"

These are only a few examples of how the words "sell" and "owner" adversely affect the franchiser/franchisee relationship, potentially dilute the franchisee's investment, and prevent the system from capitalizing on the power of franchising to get and keep customers.

Almost every problem franchisers face with franchisees originates in the way franchisees are educated to think about the relationship when they are first recruited and selected. The problems experienced by many franchise systems can, in many cases, be greatly diminished by establishing a proper context for understanding the franchiser/franchisee relationship during first encounters and subsequent training.

The franchiser should constantly communicate the following to franchisees to help them understand the franchiser/franchisee relationship:

1. Unit-to-unit consistency is imperative to the success of franchising.

If franchisees do not follow the operating system as prescribed, it creates a negative impact on the customer's perception of the product and service being marketed. Lack of consistency dilutes the investment made by all franchisees in the system. Candidates need to understand that the operating system institutionalizes the customer's buying experience. The operating system reinforces the image created by marketing and it builds customer expectations. The brand image is enhanced if the operating system consistently delivers what the customer expects.

2. Franchisees are not competitors, even if located in the same market. All

franchisee-managed and company-managed locations share the task of

establishing the brand name as the dominant brand in all markets entered. This focuses on the business purpose of the relationship, which

is to get and keep customers. By increasing brand-name awareness,

more customers are created who use more of the products and services.

Everyone in the franchise system, especially franchisees located in the

same market, has a shared responsibility to work together as a team to

"grow" the system and increase the system's market share.

3. The franchiser and franchisee have an interdependent relationship.

The franchiser and franchisees each must accept responsibility and accountability for the success of the system. It is not the responsibility of the franchiser to make franchisees successful. Franchisees must market the brand, work the operating system, and use the support system to get and keep customers. Likewise, the franchiser must provide the best operating system and assist the franchisee to become more effective, efficient, and profitable by providing support services. The franchiser and all franchisees must work together as a team for mutual benefit.

4. The franchisee must accurately understand the purpose of the initial franchise fee and the ongoing royalty fee.

C The initial franchise fee goes toward the following, which, in effect, are protections for the franchisee:

- Franchiser's expenses in connection with selecting quality franchisees

- Training and support provided by the franchiser prior to opening

- Developing and organizing the franchise and related systems

- Trademark and trade name registration and protection

- Compliance with various laws

C The royalty fees are paid for the revenue that was generated in the prior reporting period because:

- Using the franchiser's brand name created a customer.

- The operating system got the customer to come back.

- The support services provided by the franchiser helped franchisees acquire and develop their ability to think about how to use the franchiser's brand name and operating system to accomplish the business purpose of the relationship, which is to get and keep customers.

Franchise Recruitment and Selection Process

The franchise recruitment and selection process offers the first opportunity to shape the franchisee's thinking about the relationship. The purpose of the recruitment and selection process is to create the future of the company by granting franchises to people who understand the realities of self-employment, have the financial resources to make it happen, understand franchising, and find it compatible with their personality.

The recruitment and selection process should also be designed to help the franchisee candidate articulate motivations and goals (both short and long-term) and allow the candidate to discover how franchising will be used as a career strategy to address the motivations and achieve the goals. These motivations and goals will provide a context for the relationship between field support personnel and the franchisee.

The Field Support Personnel/Franchisee Relationship

If field support personnel are not "compliance inspectors," what is their role? What is the basis of the relationship between the field support personnel and franchisees? How does field support personnel build a communication process based on trust and rapport with franchisees? What skills are needed to be successful as a field support representative?

These are issues which will define the relationship between the field support personnel and the franchisee. Let's start with a discussion of the role of field support.

Role of Field Support Personnel

The role of field support personnel is to help franchisees acquire and develop their ability to think about how to become successful and profitable in using and appreciating the franchiser's brand name, operating systems, and ongoing support systems.

What does a franchisee need to think about? To answer this question, let's review the decisions that the franchisee has made. First, the franchisee has made the decision to be self-employed. The field support person must obtain an understanding about why the franchisee decided to do this. What are the franchisee goals? Does the franchisee have any? Does the franchisee understand self-employment or has the franchisee just bought a job?

These answers are vital to understanding the franchisee's motivations or reasons for doing what they are doing. These answers will define the franchisee's intent. The motivations and goals can be used to focus franchisees on where they want to go and facilitate their ability to get there through adequate business planning.

Second, the franchisee has selected franchising as a career strategy. The field support person needs to determine whether the franchisee understands the strategy and use it to address motivations and goals. Does the franchisee understand the purpose of the relationshipCto get and keep customers? Does the franchisee understand why a royalty fee is paid? Does the franchisee understand the importance of a consistently applied operating system to the success of a franchise system?

These discussions enable field support to help the franchisee understand how to get where they want to go. The discussions will also establish an environment for teamwork among franchisees in the local market so together everyone can achieve more.

Third, the franchisee has made the decision to pursue a particular industry. Does the franchisee understand how to make money in this industry? Do they understand what marketing is? Does the franchisee understand the difference between a condition of business and a problem in business?

These discussions will help focus the franchisee on the purpose of businessCto get customers, keep the customers, and grow the business. The franchisee will come to understand conditions of business are recurring situations that must be planned for and addressed in the daily operation of the business. Problems in business are usually not recurring or if recurring, are really conditions that are not adequately planned for. This distinction will be important during the business planning process discussed later in this paper.

These discussions will also enable the franchisee to take a broader view of what marketing is. Marketing is everything that creates a real or perceived image in the minds of current or future customers about who the business is, what the products and services are, and what the customer can expect of the business. This definition when integrated into the thinking of the franchisee, will help distinguish between marketing as advertising and marketing as everything that a business doesCfrom rent to payroll. The franchisee will come to appreciate that most marketing occurs within the walls of the business.

Building Strong Communications

Perceptions are Reality

If the role of field support is to help the franchisee think about the issues above, how do they do it? The first step is to assess perceptions of the franchisee. Perceptions affect thoughts, feelings, and actions. If perceptions are negative, it minimizes the field staff's ability to work well with franchisees. The perceptions created by negative labels create or increase a "we/they" attitude between franchisees and the franchiser and set the context for all interactions. These perceptions become reality.

When field support labels a franchisee with negative words, such as stubborn, jerk, uncooperative, or uncaring, these are the behaviors the field support person comes to expect. These perceptions then cause the franchisee to become a negative force to be reckoned with, rather than a "partner" in the business. Remember, language is the most significant shaper of our behavior, thus, the first step in building strong communications is to eliminate negative labels. We suggest that franchisers do the following:

C Bring the relationship beyond one based on compliance to one based on the business planning process

C Include the franchisees on the company's organization chart

C Make a conscious effort to eliminate the negative labels throughout the company.

C Involve the franchisees in the major decisions affecting the company. This includes the strategic and operational planning sessions of the company. Solicit ongoing feedback.

Who are our franchisees and how do we treat them?

1. As partners in profit

2. As people we respect

3. As part of our franchise system

4. As if we want them to succeed

5. As our internal customers

6. As investors in our brand name, operating system, and support systems

7. As our method of distribution

8. As people with good ideas

9. As developers of market share

10. As the critical element in our growth strategy

The Business Planning Process

The second step in building strong communications is to get franchisees to use a business planning process to develop their business. The business planning process is the foundation of the relationship between the field support person and franchisees. The business planning process enables the field support person to be a consultant to the business plan rather than a compliance inspector to the contract.

The primary question continually asked by field support personnel is, how to get franchisees to prepare and follow a business plan; and, furthermore, if business planning is so great why don't franchisees do it? These are excellent questions. Let's explore the answers by first distinguishing between the business planning process and the business plan.

The business planning process is the rational (the "what") and emotional (the "why") assessment of where you are, where you want to be, how you will get there, and how you will measure your results. The business plan is the documentation of this thinking process. The objective of planning is not the development of a "business plan," but the establishment of an ongoing "business planning process." We find that many times people focus on the business plan rather than the business planning process. The important point about planning is that the ultimate content of the plan may not be as important as the learning that goes on during the planning process.

There are many reasons why franchisees do not plan. Some say, "It takes too long," or, "I don't have enough time," "I can't predict the future," "things are going to change anywayCso why bother," or "I'm too busy fighting fires." To understand these responses you must go beyond these traditional answers to what underlies them.

First, people do not plan because they don't know how. They do not plan for the future. They only plan for what they want to happen, or what they have decided will happen, or for what is inevitable. Most people are not driven by long-term goals, dreams, or objectives but rather short-term needs, wants, or desires. It is difficult to focus on the long-term when you can't get your "to do" list done on a daily basis. Many franchisees have a hard time thinking past Monday morning; therefore, planning is uncomfortable and, to them, a waste of time. To be successful at helping franchisees with planning, field staff must put it on a human plane, show how everyone does it, and show that it works.

Second, people plan from the wrong spot. Most people plan from the present and look to the future. The future to them is a point in time that has not occurred yet. This method of planning causes procrastination because, "If my goals do not get done today, they can always be done tomorrow (the future)."

We suggest that a person project a date into the future that they are comfortable thinking about, and then define, as specifically as possible, what their life will look like on this date. This day becomes the "present." The period of time between this "present" and "today" is called the "extended present." What is done within this extended present becomes "the goal." The action plans are steps that get you there, the strategies, the means you use.

Successful business people live in the extended present. They define their own future and make this future happen, rather than waiting for it to happen. They have no doubts that their goals will be accomplished and they take actions every day to move them closer to their goals.

Third, people do not have real goals, they have a wish list. When things go wrong, most people adjust their goals, rather than adjusting their strategies to get to that goal. They conclude, "That goal was not realistic anyway."

There is an important distinction between conditions of business and problems in business. Recession and employee turnover are conditions of the food service business, for example. These conditions must be anticipated and contingency plans made during the planning process. Such conditions become problems only when the business has not adequately planned how to handle them.

Planning starts with four basic questions:

C Where are you today? (Analysis).

C Where do you want to be at some predetermined point in time? (Goal Setting).

C How will you get there? (Strategy).

C How will you measure your success/results? (Control).

Field support can ask franchisees these questions and listen for their responses. The responses form the basis for the business plan. Field support's facilitation will be the business planning process.

Monitoring the Business Planning Process

Once franchisees go through the business planning process, the action plans become the basis for field support's follow-up feedback and monitoring. The follow up will focus on how successful the action plans were, on where the franchisee wanted to be, and where they actually ended up. These gaps will be the basis for the ongoing support the franchisee receives from the field staff.

The field staff and the franchisee periodically meet to discuss items of concern to both parties. One of the best ways to keep these meetings focused is to build a common agenda prior to the beginning of the meeting. This agenda identifies items the franchisee wants to discuss, items field support wants to discuss, and priorities for each one.

Building common agendas focuses energy on what is really important, clears everyone's mind for listening, truly involves the franchisee in the meeting, and helps in gaining commitment. This process will help the franchisee understand that field support does not come in and run the business for the franchisee, but stimulates their thinking about the business. The franchisee will then look at the meetings as worthwhile, rather than as another activity taking up their time. The franchisee will think about the business and take more responsibility for results.

While conducting the meeting, use the agenda as a method for staying on track. If additional issues come up during the meeting, add these issues to the agenda. Assign priority to them. Always remember at the end of the meeting to summarize what was accomplished, note any issues or problems resolved, and note action items follow up. Give the franchisee a chance to react, question, or make additional comments. Document the above information on a consultation report. Use this process as input for subsequent meetings.

The key to getting franchisees to follow through on commitments is involvement. Franchisees are not mentally involved in meetings or consultations because they have no ownership of the meeting. The agenda must focus on the franchisee's plans and goals. The field support person must encourage the franchisee to take responsibility for results by facilitating the thinking process and using questioning and listening skills to gain commitment to specific action plans.

Building Trust and Rapport

Building trust and rapport is the key to developing the relationship between the franchisee and the field support staff. Field consultants will know they have established trust and rapport with franchisees when the franchisee decides to open up and share their thinking. A franchisee must feel that the field support person is trustworthy before they will confide in them.

Until franchisees get to know and trust their field consultant very little will be accomplished. Consultations will end up being "visits," without any results. How does field support get franchisees to open up and discuss their motivations and details of their business?

Trust and Rapport Questions

To establish trust and rapport with franchisees, the field support person must address the following:

1. What do you know about the franchisees and their operation?

Learn about the franchisee. Keep an open mind. Review past performance. Understand the market area in which the franchisee operates. Ask questions, rather than make statements. Determine what's happening in their business that is significantCboth troubling and exhilarating. How long have they been in business? Why did they get into business? Is it a family operation? Are offspring working in the business?

2. Have you gained an "inner view" of who the franchisees really are and what motivates them?

Determine what motivates franchisees, both in their business and their personal lives, both short and long-term. Why are they doing what they are doing?

3. Does the franchisee know you?

Share your background. Indicate your knowledge about the industry. Be sincere, but confident.

4. Do you respect the franchisee as a person?

Do they project the image the franchiser desires? If not, why not? Focus on the issue and not the person.

5. Do you appreciate the franchisees' fears, uncertainties, and doubts?

What is troubling them? Why is it troubling? What threats to their business is the franchisee dealing with? What is their impression about franchising?

Actions to Develop Trust and Rapport

To build trust and rapport with a franchisee, the field support person needs to focus on the following six actions throughout the relationship:

1. Clarify the role of a consultant.

Explain to the franchisee that your responsibility is to help the franchisee acquire and develop their ability to think about how to become successful and profitable in using and appreciating the franchiser's brand name, operating systems, and support systems. Your intent is to be a resource to the business planning process. The franchisee must see that the field support person's motives are open and honest and that the purpose is to help them build the business and solve problems to everyone's benefit.

If the field support's role and intent are not clear, franchisees may assume your role is to inspect their business and your intent is to make sure they are complying with the franchise agreement.

Instead, establish that your responsibility includes helping the franchisee:

C Analyze where they are relative to where they wanted to be.

C Understand how using the operating systems can help them be more successful.

C Problem solve (but not by solving their problems).

C Develop their abilities to think about how to grow their business.

C Understand and appreciate the value of belonging to a franchise system.

C Focus on improving service to the customer.

2. Demonstrate empathy for franchisees.

Empathy is the quality of being able to identify with how another person is feeling. Since each franchisee's situation is slightly different, field support must be able to put themselves in the shoes of their franchisees and try to understand their feelings and concerns. When this is done, empathy is communicated. While empathy does not mean agreeing with franchisees, it does imply a willingness to look at situations from their point of view and understand their position. A field support person must first seek to understand, then be understood.

One way to demonstrate empathy is to bring concerns up in the presence of the franchisee and confirm that these items are issues. By bringing them up franchisees are given a way to reduce tension, which will earn the franchisee's respect because he has been treated personally, rather than as a potential problem.

3. Establish credibility.

Credibility is developed when the field staff knows how to help franchisees think about what needs to be done or changed to become more profitable.

Credibility is obtained by association and by earning it. By being associated with the franchiser company lends a certain amount of credibility automatically. But credibility must also be earned, through the franchisee's perception that field staff has the skills, expertise, desire, and ability to help the franchisee build their business. Consulting skills of facilitating, questioning, and listening help.

4. Identify common ground with the franchisee.

What family or personal common ground does the field staff have with the franchisee? Same schools? Children of the same age? Association memberships? Similar attitudes about events? Similar opinions?

5. Focus on the strengths of franchisees and their business.

Every franchisee has skills, knowledge, abilities, and experience. Recognize these strengths and build on them. Has the franchisee been in the system a long time? Have they made any special contribution? Make a list of the franchisee's strengths. Make notes as new strengths develop.

Give franchisee's feedback as new strengths develop. Get them to identify what strengths need to be developed to achieve their plans. When citing strengths, choose those that are specifically meaningful to the franchisee.

6. Establish integrity.

Integrity is not a skill but a value. Integrity means doing what you say you are going to do. It means keeping your commitments to franchisees. It means not promising something you know you cannot deliver.

Field Personnel and Necessary Consulting Skills

Helping the franchisee acquire and develop their ability to think is a noble goal for any field support person. How do you get someone to think for themselves? When does a person learn? How do you get people to commit to and to actually change behavior?

The answers to these questions rest with the ability of field support to create an environment for learning. This environment will enable an exchange of information to take place for the mutual benefit of the franchisee and the franchiser. To create this environment, field support uses the communication skills of facilitation, questioning, and listening. These skills, coupled with the franchisee's and franchiser's motivations, will enable the field consultant to focus on results.

Facilitation, questioning, and listening are skills grounded in the principles of psychology, psychotherapy, and adult-learning. They are not activities, but a process leading someone to learn and change behavior. These skills are used by many professions and form the basis of all productive human relationships.

Facilitation

The skill of facilitation allows a person to think for themselves and feel in control of the decision-making process. Field support helps franchisees identify their personal and business motivations, develop goals that support these motivations, focus on specific areas to achieve the desired results, and monitor the results to ensure the target is reached.

Through this facilitation process the franchisees gains confidence in their ability to respond, build on strengths, and enhance their relationship with the field support person. The challenge for the field support person throughout this process is to avoid the tendency to jump in and "do it" for the franchisee. Field support must allow franchisees to make mistakes in the natural progression of learning. Telling, without a context to tell, only satisfies a desire to tell.

Facilitation is the stepping stone betwee