How to Use Field Coaching in Franchise Recruitment

Using field coaching in franchise recruitment just makes sense. 

On the one hand, happy, profitable franchisees are better validators. On the other hand, having conversations about field coaching in your vetting process helps you find better-fit candidates. It’s a win-win.

Couple of quick definitions to keep us all aligned…

Field coaching is the process of the franchise brand home-office team (field coaches) working with franchisees regularly to coach them to become better business owners. 

Think business coaching like ongoing skill development, KPI analysis, and vision planning.

Field support is the term that covers everything that a franchise brand home-office team does to support their franchise owners. This includes providing a resource library, field coaching, committee opportunities, events for owners, and more.

Typically we see the value of field coaching in a franchise brand focused on the direct benefit to the bottom line (more profitable franchisees means more royalties) and the improvement to the brand reputation.

However, there is also a huge value in using your field coaching in franchise recruitment to create better validators and find better-fit franchisee candidates.

How Field Coaching Improves Franchise Recruitment

Creating Better Franchisee Validators

When you’re talking to a franchisee candidate — you show them the decks, walk them through expectations, and share what they will get out of opening this business… 

The next step is for them to hear from your current franchisees to validate everything you’ve been sharing with them.

Validators can make or break your franchisee recruitment so it only makes sense that having happy, profitable, engaged franchisees to validate your business will improve your process.

Creating a Brand Reputation of Support & Success

When your franchisees are getting regular coaching and seeing positive results in their business your brand reputation will follow. 

Happy, engaged franchisees that are profitable and speak highly of your brand will share those reviews in their local communities, which can get picked up by the press, and continue expanding outward.

By focusing on the happiness of your current franchise owners you’ll be establishing your system as a franchise brand that creates successful businesses and cares about your franchisees.

Finding Better-Fit Franchise Leads

This is a big one. By implementing your field coaching program into your vetting process you can identify better-fit franchisees and stand out against other franchises.

Leads are more informed today than ever before. People that are interested in owning a franchise want to know how you can help them be successful.

Highlighting your field coaching shows how your system can support their business journey and also can help you determine who is a good fit for your system — if they’re excited about field coaching that can show qualities like coachable, community-oriented, open to learning, and following a system, and growth-focused.

Tangible Steps to Use Field Coaching in Franchise Recruitment

Create a Slide Deck

We love a slide deck. Create a deck that walks through the training, support, and coaching that your system offers to franchisees. Most leads haven’t run their own businesses before and are seeking help so they’ll want to see (in detail) what kind of coaching and support they will get from investing in your brand.

Emphasize Your Franchisee Community

Remember that franchisee community & collaboration opportunities count as field support and can be extremely attractive to potential franchisees! Showcase your committees, peer groups, events, etc.

Assess Right-Fit Franchisee Qualities

If discussing franchisee support, business coaching, and peer collaboration doesn’t get your candidate excited, they may not be a great fit. OR if they start assuming that coaching means they won’t have to do much to succeed… That can also be a sign that some expectations need to be set.

Manage Expectations

Field coaching is NOT the same as running the business for the franchisee! 

Be clear about what you will do as a home office team to help them (hold them accountable, assist with goal-setting, provide development opportunities, mindset coaching, etc) and what THEIR role is as the franchisee (take ownership of the business, build a community network, implement on goals, etc).

It is still very much their business. Field coaching is a way you are helping them run it well, but it is very much a benefit of investing in a franchise, not a way to get out of being a business owner.

Stand Out on Your Website

When you share your field coaching program on your website, don’t just add “support” or “business coaching” as one point on a long list. Emphasize it! 

By diving deeper into your field coaching program and how franchisees will get support and development from investing in this business, you’ll stand out AND attract candidates that get excited about growth, ongoing development, and a positive mindset around getting help.

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AC Inc runs weekly peer to peer Field Coach Professional Development Roundtables where franchisee support teams focus on a different topic each week to learn from fellow coaches, participate in mindset work, best practices, problem-solving, and skill development.

Get Your Field Coaches in the AC Roundtables