Franchise Update Magazine Issue IV, 2012 | Page 58

Grow Market Lead

It’s closing
time
BY STEVE OLSON

Team Cultures
Revolutionize Franchising
Are you winning or losing the competition?

T

he Great Recession is the best
thing that ever happened to
franchising. The tight race
for greater performance has
spawned a new organizational mindset,
as traditional corporate development cultures are now embracing a more holistic
approach to growth. And it’s working!
Most successful franchisors today
have torn down their departmental silos
and created system-wide collaboration
and horizontal alignment within their
organization. The adversarial mentality
of “separation of state” and “us versus
them” is gone. More CEOs now require
participation, inclusion, and accountability
from all disciplines; each must contribute to the successful health and growth
of the brand.
Redirected focus on the franchisee

For today’s qualified buyer, brand opportunities are more attractive than ever
before. Savvy franchisor CEOs continue
to strengthen their business models as
new and growing franchisees capitalize on
more incentives and lower cost structures.
Along with that, these franchisors are delivering better training, operational support, communication channels, marketing

programs, and ROI to their franchisees.
Today, “accountability rules.” For example, performance bonuses for Checkers’
consumer marketing team are now tied
to the grand opening revenues generated
for each new franchisee. Michael Manzo
of Jersey Mike’s engages with multi-unit
operators at trade shows, fielding