7 Mistakes Franchise Consultants Make and How to Avoid Them

Avoiding These Franchise Mistakes can Improve Your Franchise Consulting Business

As any experienced Franchise Consultant will tell you, mistakes will happen while you're running a franchise consulting business. From miscommunications and missed deadlines to mismatches and personal stagnation, you are bound to fall flat at some point and make franchise mistakes. But don’t let a franchise failure discourage you from moving forward and improving your franchise consulting services. Learning from your mistakes is the best lesson of all.

Luckily, the following mishaps are totally preventable.

7 Common Franchise Consultant Mistakes 

1. Poor Use of Language

When dealing with candidates, communication is everything. This is true whether you meet with them in-person or chat over email and phone calls. It’s essential to express what franchisors are looking for and be upfront if they aren’t ready for franchise ownership. This can lead to an unhappy franchisee. 

Unclear language can make the candidate feel unsure of your franchise consulting services and make them question if franchise ownership is for them. Communication is key to any relationship, especially in business. Clear and honest communication will go a long way for your franchise consulting business in terms if avoiding franchise mistakes.

2. Mishandling Rejection

You may be very excited about a candidate and think that they’re right for a particular franchise. But obstacles can prevent things from moving forward. For whatever reason, like a spouse’s objections or “cold feet,” you shouldn't take it personally when it doesn’t work out. Consider it a learning opportunity. Were there signs that you missed? Should you have included the spouse in the process more? Did you ask enough questions? Honest introspection will help you provide better franchise consulting services.

3. Putting Candidates into Boxes

Candidates are looking for results from your franchise consulting services, but they won’t have a one-size-fits-all response. Every candidate is different, so you should not treat them all the same. Try and change up your personal program as necessary. If someone is new to the business, you may have to be more involved in getting them initiated into franchising. You wouldn’t treat them the same way you’d treat an industry veteran. 

4. Overemphasis on Yourself

Your franchise consulting business and your skills should speak for themselves as you generate leads. While including your credentials or accolades on your LinkedIn profile may cause candidates to want to learn more about your franchise consulting services, overemphasis on yourself can be a franchise mistake. You don’t have to prove how good you are by sending candidates links to your accomplishments. Focus on the candidate and getting results for them.

5. Failing to Establish Next Steps

Running a franchise consulting business is all about process and ensuring that your candidate is on the same page as you. Every time you meet up with candidates in person or talk on the phone, establish what the next step is, when it will happen, and who’s responsible for what. You shouldn't leave a candidate wondering when their next meeting with you will be. This will save you and your candidates a lot of time and embarrassment.

6. Stagnating 

No matter how good you are at something, there’s always room for improvement and making yourself even better. A way to improve yourself and your franchise consulting business is to continually educate yourself. To do this, attend franchising conferences and trade shows, listen to business-related podcasts, read books and periodicals, and visit franchising news sites. This will broaden your knowledge of the business world, and you’ll be better prepared to help candidates find the right brands for them. 

7. Underestimating Your Own Abilities

We can be our own worst enemies and critics. You may tell yourself that you’re unable to write, use technology, or learn a new skill. But don’t listen to that inner voice that’s holding you back from doing what you’d like to do. Many things that don’t come naturally to you can be taught. Take a writing or public speaking course, learn a new language, or anything else you’d like to learn and think that you can’t do. You might surprise yourself with what you can accomplish. This confidence can be what you need in order to help your candidates find the brand of their dreams. 

Avoiding Franchise Mistakes

All Franchise Consultants make errors, but there are ways to avoid them. While this is a guide of what not to do, there are a few things you should do. For example, knowledge is power. Let your candidates know that franchising is booming and franchise success rates are higher than independent counterparts. While failing franchises exist, franchise failure in the first year is relatively low compared to starting a business from scratch. Following the tips above can help you run a thriving franchise consulting business.