Choose Your Franchise Consultant Wisely, Or Else

A franchise consultant can help prospective franchisees through much of the decision making processes that exist when deciding to get into franchising. However, not all franchise consultants are created equal and choosing the wrong one can be a poor start to an otherwise exciting time.

Not All Franchise Consultants Are Created Equal

After my retirement from the pest control industry and a brief stint being retired I decided to get back into the workforce. I knew I wanted to own my own business, I knew that I didn't want employees, I knew that I only wanted to work a certain number of hours per week and the list goes on. Do you know how I knew these things? It's because I've already been there, done that and operated a real business in the sectors that I want to help franchisees get into.

What I'm finding as I get deeper into the world of franchise consulting is that some franchise consultants have owned businesses, but the majority have not. That is until they opened their franchise consulting business.

The point is that when helping with a decision as big as buying a franchise there should be prospective, not having it implies anyone can be a consultant, they can't.

Sales Person or Franchise Consultant?

This is a tough question and I ask it on purpose because it deserves a good answer. There certainly are franchise consultants that are sales people and are affiliated with sales organizations. Sadly, that's just how people act. The fact is a no time should a consultant EVER be selling.

At the same time there are a whole lot of franchise consultants that want the "sale" to go through, but aren't willing to saddle their client with something that doesn't fit and are willing to let the client know that.

How do you know if you're talking to a sales person vs a consultant

1. Sales people sound "salesy" vs A consultant has a causal conversation with actual facts and points of view
2. A sales person doesn't want to hear "no" vs A consultant knows "no" means that the client needs something more and looks to find it for their good
3. Sign before the territory is gone, This is your opportunity vs A consultant who says "take your time and let's talk this out" or "let's sit with what we've talked about for a week or so and get back together

Why Choosing A Franchise Consultant Is Your First Big Decision

When you make the decision to buy a franchise you have two choices. You can either hit the internet and search for one yourself or hire a consultant that works for free and sifts through the junk and brings you viable choices. Which path you choose is a matter of preference, but let's break it down.

If you choose to go the route of searching the internet yourself. There are two main drawbacks

1. Your searches will likely produce only the franchisors that market the hardest
2. Objectively comparing franchises becomes blurred by the bright shiny objective syndrome and things such as the FDD, true startup costs, owner involvement , financial disclosure statements and validation processes go by the wayside.

The biggest part of searching for a franchise yourself isn't finding a franchise. It's knowing which one's to eliminate.

Next, we have people that choose a franchise consultant. If you go this route here is what you should expect

1. They can narrow the field instead of giving you an exhaustive list. This is after going over your financial situation, goals, experience and risk tolerance. You should walk away with 5-6 options not 20-30
2. Objectivity is probably the biggest plus of using a franchise consultant. They should tell you why something fits or does not, encourage you to validate, ask tough questions and be willing to tell you when something doesn't make sense.

To sum it up searching alone you find franchise and business opportunities doing it with someone you find out which are worth your effort and which are not.

Next Step Franchise Brokers In Watertown, CT

If you want to purchase a franchise choosing a partner like Next Step Franchise Brokers can be a great decision. David Bisaillon, the owner of Next Step Franchise Brokers is a franchise consultant with a broad set of skills that can help both experienced and inexperienced business people make good decisions about which franchise they choose.

David can be reached at david@nextstepfranchise.net or 203-577-8189. We looking forward to helping you.