The Benefits of Assessment in the Franchise Sales Process

There is a revived interest these days in assessment testing during the franchise recruitment process.

Why is it that franchisors and even brokers are looking for ways to assess the individuals they are engaged with during the due diligence conversations? Some believe assessment testing of candidates is nothing more than a deal killer, a way to slow down the process and even scare off a potential franchisee. Savvy franchisors see it quite differently.

Back in 2000, when we brought assessment technology to the franchise channel, franchisors were leery of anything that would affect the sales process. There were only a few very high-caliber organizations that understood the immense value that assessment could deliver. These were sophisticated companies with human resource departments and knowledge of job-matching or some experience with contemporary hiring practices. Today, it's much different: we even work with emerging franchises who want the benefits of assessment before they have one franchisee signed.

So what are the benefits these savvy companies realize from such a process?

Regardless of what kind of testing a system uses, the vital ingredient is the Franchisee Role Analysis. This is a process where we define, very specifically, what it takes to be successful in the role of franchisee in that system. In some cases, we also go into the field and assess top performers, but this is not necessary using the techniques and models we employ.

Once we have identified a success pattern for a system, we then select the right instrument to assess incoming candidates. During the sales process, the franchise development person has vital information to form strong bonds, highlight aspects of the system that are crucial for the candidate to understand, and get an inside picture of their decision-making style. These benefits clearly outweigh the slight inconvenience of asking a candidate to spend half an hour taking an online assessment.

In addition to the profound insights gleaned from the instrument, franchisors want to assess the degree of fit between an incoming candidate and the success model. With this information, the franchisor can then help the candidate build the right team to maximize the opportunity. We find the candidate enjoys the conversation, as they too want to know the franchisor believes in their success.

Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the franchisor to know the success criteria for each and every component of the business. Why would this be any different when it comes to its people?

Smart franchisors are seeing that they can create a proprietary and confidential model for selecting people as a way to further distinguish their brand - especially in competitive sectors, where this distinction can be critical for a company... and a deciding factor for a potential franchisee.

Mariel Miller is a speaker, consultant, and performance improvement expert in franchising. She can be reached at mariel@thefranchiseadvisor.com, LinkedIn, or 732-298-0900.