One of the most important areas a potential franchisee will look when researching a franchise opportunity is the franchise training program.  Most franchises don’t require or prefer that potential franchisees don’t have experience in the field; therefore a good training program should cover not only the product or service but also setting up the business, marketing,employee management, business procedures, reporting, etc.

Franchise training program should include:

• Everything potential franchises need to know about the product or service
• Everything about using/protecting the brand
• How to find a new business location
• How to negotiate a lease
• How you complete the permits and buildout
• How to find, hire, and manage employees
• How to market your product or service
• How to keep books and records for the business
• The reporting requirements and processes
• Where to get the equipment needed for the business
• How or where to buy supplies and inventory
• How to get help when they have a problem

The best way a potential franchisee will find out about the scope of the training program is to ask existing franchisees.  They will ask the existing franchisee what stood out about the training they received and what they feel could have been covered more completely.  They will also ask how prepared the current franchisee felt when they opened their business and what ongoing training they have been provided.  Many times a training program that was find in a company’s early days is now out-of-date.  Be sure current franchisees are aware of and understand the type of training new franchisees will receive therefor an accurate assessment of its value is made.

Reevaluate your training program today and be sure everything is updated!