How to Franchise - Training

Franchising a business is about the Art of Reproduction.

Franchising teaches someone who doesn't know anything about the business how to run the operation. The keys to success lie with the system of operation, the structure and integrity of the business model and in the training system for replicating this business model.
What constitutes a great training system in a franchise model is the depth and breadth of what is being trained. When a franchisee comes on board with a particular franchise company, they do not accept a managerial role with the company, or a sales role, or a HR position with the firm.....they take on them ALL. The franchisee becomes the business and runs every element of the operation. Once a franchisee leaves the corporate office from their initial training sessions, they are essentially running the show. They have to not only grasp and understand all of the intricacies of running and operating a new business at that point, but they also must be able and willing to teach their employees how to do every job within the business itself.
The most effective training systems in the franchise world are like Boot Camp. They are flexible in nature and address the responsibilities of running the business by job duty. The franchisee is put through a step by step process that works with the new franchise buyer on each part of running the operation. Franchisees will get their hands dirty and their feelings hurt during this process. Franchisees in many instances are very wealthy individuals, but when they buy a franchise for a food operation, they have to know how to run the grill, the fryer and how to clean the restrooms. They need to understand the P.O.S. system and how to maximize the efficiencies and benefits that the required technology offers to them. The franchisee will need to understand the financial side of running the business and how to manage the finances. All of these responsibilities fall on the head of the franchisee once this training is completed.
The great franchise companies have really solid training models. McDonald's has Hamburger University, Dominoes Pizza requires its franchisees to be a manager in a location for two years before they can be considered for a franchise location, Jimmy Johns puts their franchisees through an extremely elaborate and exhausting training program. The one commonality, that when a franchisee is sent out into the field to operate their location, they get it. They understand how to operate and how to make money at the unit level. This relieves the franchisor of the responsibilities, costs and problems that come with franchisees who need excessive amounts of hand holding when they begin operating their locations.
Franchisors have many tools and different technologies at their fingertips now that can make the training process much simpler today. Things like franchise training videos should be put together, Webcasts and Podcasts can be utilized in today's market to help train franchisees without having a human teacher doing the talking. Intranets and web-based platforms can be utilized to quickly and efficiently get updates and new information out to franchisees in the field and in remote locations. The franchise training process should typically be at least a month in length. This could be a combination of time spent at the corporate headquarters of the franchisor and time spent with the franchisee in the field. It is a big mistake to assume that in almost ANY business model that a franchisee could realistically be trained effectively in two weeks how to run the business and manage it profitably.
Franchising is hard work, it is a big mistake to give a prospective franchisee in the sales process the idea that opening a franchise is easy. The franchisee should be given a realistic picture of what they are getting into when they buy a franchise. When they do sign on the bottom line it's up to the franchisor to have the system and tools to really provide value and guidance to a new buyer.
Christopher James Conner Vice President Francorp, Inc. http://www.francorp.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christopher_Conner

Marketing your Business

Beauty Game:
Being Viewed
As 'Natural'
By ELLEN BYRON

Article

Proving that your brand is more authentic than the competition's is always difficult for marketers. For the increasingly crowded category of "natural" beauty products, that task is particularly challenging. That's why Burt's Bees, owned by Clorox Co., and a handful of other brands that try to minimize their use of synthetic ingredients have developed a certification process by which they can officially claim their right to call their products "natural."


Burt's Bees
Mike Indursky of Burt's Bees

In August, Burt's Bees products, including lip balm and body oil, began hitting store shelves affixed with a Natural Products Association seal. The sticker promises that at least 95% of ingredients are natural or derived from natural sources, that they have no "potential suspected human health risks" and that development processes haven't significantly altered the effect of the natural ingredients, among other criteria.

Mike Indursky, Burt's Bees' marketing chief, led the brand's involvement in the certification. Prior to joining Burt's Bees, Mr. Indursky held senior marketing roles with L'Oréal's Garnier hair-care line and Maybelline cosmetics as well as Unilever's cosmetics. Below, he discusses shoppers' confusion with natural products, how his all-natural brand has been affected by being purchased last year by Clorox and his approach to maintaining a small-brand feel as business grows.

WSJ: Why does Burt's Bees need its naturalness certified?

Mr. Indursky: We did a study last year that found that 78% of women believe that when they see the word "natural" on a product, that some governing body is regulating what's in there. That's not the case. And 97% of women told us they want some sort of regulation. We felt we had a responsibility to explain to people what natural is, and what natural isn't, so they can make the most informed choice. We worked with the Natural Products Association and our competitors to develop the criteria.

WSJ: Many have attempted and failed to develop similar seals. Why do you think this one will work?

Mr. Indursky: You've got the Natural Products Association, a non-government, nonprofit, third-party organization that's leading this. Before, a lot of efforts were simply from manufacturers. Also, the companies that joined really are the leaders in natural personal care, so that's a big difference.

WSJ: Several European countries have natural label standards. Why is the U.S. so slow to adopt one?

Mr. Indursky: The trend of inner and outer well-being is more highly developed in Europe. The U.S. is slower, but it has picked up significantly -- if personal-care sales here are growing at 3%, natural personal-care sales are about five times that amount.

WSJ: Since the standards are devised by the participating companies rather than a government agency, isn't there a risk that this seal could be perceived as even more marketing hype?

Mr. Indursky: That would be risky if it weren't for the National Product Association's leadership over it, and their use of third-party certifiers. The brands have no inclusion over the certification process.

WSJ: How do you tackle shoppers' confusion with natural products?

Mr. Indursky: Right now anyone can have a bottle that is green with some flowers on it and call it "natural." Burt's Bees approaches this in two ways: We helped develop this certification standard, and we developed more education efforts through our Web site and an ad campaign that explains our ingredients and what a natural product really is.

WSJ: What's the ultimate goal of this certification?

Mr. Indursky: The endgame is to try to get to a point where all products are 100% natural. Unfortunately, certain ingredients give a benefit that you can't get naturally. For instance virtually every shampoo or conditioner has what you call a quat, which helps hair be soft and manageable. Without that your hair can become a bit straw-like. There's no natural quat available. On a positive note, a quat has no suspected human health risk. We're hoping by creating this certification, you're giving people the incentive to commercialize a natural quat so we can get away from the synthetic version. Where we do draw a very strong line is on any synthetic ingredient that has a suspected human health risk.

WSJ: Any examples?

Mr. Indursky: Parabens are a preservative used in many personal-care products, and studies have shown that they can lead to endocrine disruption and affect your hormone balance. There are plenty of natural alternatives to parabens. Our belief is that even though the FDA says that parabens are safe, a natural product shouldn't have them. When there's a natural alternative, that's what you should use.

WSJ: As a marketer, how do you balance your brand's natural stance with your parent-company's brand, which is synonymous with bleach?

Mr. Indursky: There's nothing to balance. Burt's Bees is doing what it has always done, regardless of Clorox owning us. Clorox has been a fantastic supporter of ours, and our levels of sustainability and natural ingredients have only increased since we've been acquired.

WSJ: How do you maintain a niche feel to your brand when it has become so widely distributed, now even in Wal-Mart Stores Inc.?

Mr. Indursky: We've been fortunate, every time we've opened in a new distribution, the gift stores and natural stores still keep us. We're rooted in authenticity, and our homey packaging has to maintain that. The worst thing we would do is repackage our product into something supermodern and scientific. But in merchandising, advertising and on our Web site we've gone more into the science that comes from nature -- all the stuff that our packaging on its own doesn't do.

WSJ: How has beauty marketing changed over the course of your career?

Mr. Indursky: In the 1970s and 1980s, it was always "hope in a bottle." People are now seeing that beauty does come at a cost. Health and well-being are becoming a larger part of the equation. Before, it was all about this magic ingredient. That doesn't fly anymore. Real education is important. Consumers don't want hope in a bottle, they want truth in a bottle.

Write to Ellen Byron at ellen.byron@wsj.com