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What training should new franchisees receive?

Troy Tappenden, the MD of Dream Doors, explores what you need to think about once you’ve decided on running a franchise and what any new franchisees will need to know.

When someone is deciding to take the plunge and become a franchisee, there are numerous questions they need to ask themselves. it’s such a major decision that everything needs to be addressed, from income and lifestyle, to the type of franchise and the training provided.

Training in fact, is an area that is often overlooked when it comes to choosing a franchise. But when someone is starting out, it stands to reason that there are going to be some significant holes in their knowledge and skill-set. This is fine why would someone that has worked in sales all their career, suddenly have an understanding of other business disciplines? But those gaps do need to be filled. What should a potential franchisee look for in terms of training support when they start their franchise journey?

(1) A range of new business skills

Depending on the background of the franchisee in question, there are going to be elements of running a business that are familiar to them, and others that they have never come across. That’s why it is important for the franchise to offer training in a wide range of different business disciplines.

This should include financial management, covering everything from day-to-day finances to managing annual figures and projections; customer care, addressing everything from overall approach to ways of handling customer complaints; and how to deal with people in the business, whether that is your own staff or suppliers to the franchise.

Some of this information will almost certainly be just a recap of skills and knowledge already held by the franchisee. But as the boss, people will be expected to have a good handle on pretty much every area of the business, so it is far preferable to repeat things rather than suddenly find a franchisee is exposed when their business is up and running.

(2) Industry knowledge

People don’t have to have a background in kitchens or interiors to join Dream Doors, and they certainly won’t be hands-on with the practical aspects of the business. Ours is a white-collar management franchise opportunity and that’s a similar story with a number of other companies.

But when you are advising people on how to makeover their kitchen, it is imperative that you have a good knowledge of what options are available to a customer, what is likely to work and what isnt, and know how to layout a kitchen. So irrespective of the type of franchise, or the sector it is in, a new franchisee must be given a thorough industry grounding. This should include meetings with suppliers, the chance to network with other franchisees in the network to hear their experiences and to learn the ins and outs of running that specific franchise.

(3) Sales and marketing